The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1893-10-26
SAVAGE WEAPONS.
A South American Exhibit at the
Fair.
War Clubs, Air Guns and Bows
and Arrows.

There are many different kinds of
war clubs among the Indians of South
America. They range in size from
| small stick not much thicker than q
| mans thumb and not more than three
| feet in length, to six foot monster as
thick as a sturdy sapling, with an edge
as sharp as a sword. Wherever pos
| slble, the clubs are made of ironwood,
but IN many instances mahogany and
ebony are substituted. They are only
brought into play in short-range fight
ing, and during the Spanish conquests
| even the mail-shirted soldiers of Cas-
| tile are said to have wavered and
broken their lines when charged by
| body of natives armed with these wea-
| pons. Some of the clubs on exhibition
in the anthropological building date
back to the times before the conquest,
and imaginative visitors claim to be
able to see splashed across the cruel
implements the blood of the conquer
| ors.
Of blow-guns there are large num-
ber. These implements of war are
tackled on the wall at the south end of
the section. Many of them are fear
fully and wonderfully made. The
| giant of the collection is ten feet
| long. 1t is made of hollow reed, its
inner surface carefully bored in order
to secure perfect smoothness.
Wrapped around the outside of the
weapon is rope made of grass fibre.
This wrapping extendsfrom one end of
| the reed to the other.
| 1t is held in place by gum found in
large quantities in Central and South
America. The blow-gun tapers from
fShe thickness of a little finger at the
mouthplece to the thumb at It's stock
and is made of various colors, but the
| shape is the same in ALL With these
weapons it is said that the natives at
tain such degree of expertness that
| they are able to hit small birds in the
tops of the highest trees. Small game,
| such as rabbits, squirrels and other an
imals, are shot while running As
soon as young native has laid aside
given blow-gun and taught its uses.
The missile used is short arrow
about as thick as an ordinary knit
ting needle. The head of the
arrow is wrapped with fibre
in order to balance it and at the same
time fill up the bore of the gun. The
arrows are made of ironwood or some
other hard wood of native growth.
Quivers holding about 100 arrows are
attached to the guns. When used in
war the arrows are stepped in deadly
poison. This poison is made by Sc
cret process and the knowledge of its
ingredients is jealously guarded by the
natives. Its effect is such that the
slightest scratch from a poisoned pro
iectile causes almost instant death. In
killing large game n less powerful
poison is used. When deer or other
animal is killed that portion of the
body around the arrow is cut away,
thereby removing the poisoned flesh.
The rest is said to be perfectly whole
some.
Bows and arrows also enter largely
into the makeup of South American
exhibit. Like the other implements.
the bows are fashioned in grades cor
responding to the natives rank and
circumstances. They are usually
about five feet in length. The wooden
part is made from tough springy
reed of the bamboo family which
grows along the marsh lands. The
tendon of some animal or the fibre
from some plant suffices for string.
Arrows are made of heavy wood, some
times pointed to give them penetra-
ting power. There are but few of
these, however, even in the most prim
tive specimens on exhibition. Most
of them are fitted with iron and flint
arrow-heads.
These heads are shaped in much the
same manner as the ones used by the
North American Indians They are
triangular in form, verging toward a
point at the end The haft is feath-
cred with plumage of gorgeous hues.
There are arrows of all sizes and de-
scriptions. Those used for small game
are lighter than the ones used forwar,
and, as in the case OF ths blow-guns,