Arizona silver belt., 1892-08-20
CHINESE SWORDS.
SOME VERY REMARKABLE PRooucTe
 OF WONDERFUL SKILL.

yet through the delays incident to the shipping of goods from such far of lands and in getting them through tho esting and valuable relics arrived only Il few days ago.
 In his loom et the Bellevue reporter found the genial consul resting content edly after his breakfast, as his eye roved coptemplatively over number of the most deadly and awful weapons ever conceived or executed Uy man When asked about these cnriously ugly swords the doctor said:
 "l was asked to execute a commission for the Rev. Dr. C. M Shepherd. the distinguished Nebraska divine, a gentle. man, who though a man of peace, has one of the finest, if not the very best. collections of swords and other weapons in the world. This led 10 my examining several hundred rare and curious weap- ons sent me for inspection and approval, and these are few of those selected. No two are alike, and not one but what displays rare skill and inventive power on the part of the Chinese swordsmith.
 The haudsemest of all is a generals saber, about 4l5 feet long, slightly Jap anese in style, with an edge like razor and point that would extort admira- tion from Colonel Jack Chin, of Louis vile. Unlike our own, the thickest part of the blade is the center. This gives great weight to the weapon, joined to the appearance of extreme hghtness. The scabbard is made of hard. tough wood lacQuered to represent black iron incrusted with mother-of-pearl. The hilt IS of black iron, nodded i'll the form of a full blown rose, the petals Of which have been drilled with small holes and these filled with bright brass bars.
 "The most curious of the lot to my eye is the 30 called warriors two bladpd sword from Ho-nGa | Is only about two feet long and in the scahbard looks very like the sword baygnet of our own army The scabbarl is plain but very neat and covered with white shagreeu or fharkslin and trimmed with brass mouutings When you draw i; the blade divides into two, eaChn facsimile of tho other, double cjged and spear pointed The twin blades have re. markable decoration made by drilling seven holes about au inch and a half and put in a zigzag line frcm hilt Co point These ',rl filled with pure cop per which is ground down to form a smooth surface flush w.th Che steel and polished to brighiness
 These seven stare as they are called, are fuun' la nearly all the martial weapons of IOnaH and are relics of the old astgoIogic faith that still prevails in many parts of China. lts hold is so strong lhaI if the copper falls out of one of the swurj holes t k accepted as a sure precursor of death, amt tlia iscKless wielder uf the, blade usually commits suiei4- ,g ara larther rmfAe
 The short yablags dagears which find favor chiefly with pirates and rcyo. lutiOuists form 8 strong contrast with ihe weapons described They are gen. eraliy sa rgiy taat they would he Iadi croUs were ig not fer tie ,urs0s8 to which they are applied have one which looks like a qugcrIy naao ace Of spades fastened mtoa wire Jouud han. dle. To increase tbe artistic effect of i the weapon, the artuorer has hollowed out a shallow, spoon shaped coucayity on either side of the blade and filled 1t in with blood red lacquer, tie effect Of which when suddenly drawn from a black sheath is very starting. Spades are not ll.e only stit in the pack that is popular in the Moagolah mind. have another weapon whose blade is porfec, ace of diam Hlt'
 "Still another dagger is about the elumsiesl affair of the siud ! ever han. lied The blade if foot long. about three inches wide and half an inch thick With it's heavy brass hilt and gigantic guard t weighs over three poGEd3s f Get with long handle it could be used asan nas Iii Hsel chief. ly by he Back Eip- and other Celgs tial outlaws who. i9 aldiia to using litia the orc lary manner ,anw it with fatal precision.
 The e&.rsiieut Of Touquiu tald me that during thc late war he had known instances in which the knives mero thrown with such force that they would go through a mans body and show two inches of bloody steel beyond his back. The handles of many of these instru- ments of death are finished with what WE call pistol grips.
 "The most dreadful looking weapon of all was tue eSecutiouer's sword used by the latc headsman of Annoy It is of Manchurian type, being long, almost | straight, very heavy and keenly edged It is used with one hand and is shaped and wound so as to give tine executioner powerful hold upon his weapon. Upon the blade near the hit are Chinese char acters recording the tragic events in which it has taken active part. My in- terpreter told me that they record ho less than l03 human lives which it has taken ont of this world. This record enhances it's value. 4 new sword of the same kind could be bought for ten or twelve dollars, but for this sword with its ghastly history the thrifty broker wanted $20O cash
 "He evidently thought, although it came high, must have it, and accord ingly raised the ante He was very heartbroken creature when returned it with the editorial line so familiar to the l spring poet, Declined with thanks A word of caution as to these oriental swords and daggers, Very many of them are poisoned, so that a mere scratch will cauea death The venom is Troducad hv steeping the blade in decayed human l blood, and is one of the deadliest known 1 to physiological science "-Ph Philadelphia ! Times.
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