The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-04
WEAPONS OF THE RED MAN.
INDIANS sTTLL TRUsT TO IHEIR
BoWS AND ARROWs.

Guns less TseTui to Them Cpon AIT Gees
zion. Than the Primitive Weapons
Their ways OF MaktnE Ther-rh,
Ton,shswk Has Gone Out OF Fashion
FoRr sill. o. r. Oct. 31.-1n the memory o
old soldiers and in the imagination Of younr
Americans the bows and arrows and spears o
the Indians hold a secure and prominent place
Many n youth has unearthed a flint arrow OF
spear head, and wished he could make one llk,
Il. Arrowheads and stone implements OF al
kinds have been found by the thousand in al
parts Of this country, and the impression pre-
walls that the art OF fashloning them is lost
such is not the case. There are several Indinr
tribes where they are still made. Such skllfu'
white men as Col. C. E. Edwards have learned
to make them with an expertness approaching
that of the red man. 81.
According TO Col. Edwards, DIR. Frank Carver,
the noted scout and rifle shot, discovered the
process Of making these weapons by tho merest
accident while sitting near The Dalles In Oregon,
several years ago. He idly Clipped at n piece of
flint and discovered that he could fake Il of
with ease and accuracy. He hunted up an old
railroad spike and went to work, and In two
hours had made a dozen fine arrowheads.
Oregon flint cleaves perfectly and. with care
most beautiful heads can be fashioned. Another
method is to heat the flint and drop cold water
on it where you wish It to flake. A drop of water
brings of a flake as nicely as II IL were out by a
skilled l%apidary. People who go TO work at the
business OF manufacturing bogus arrowheads,
should not give up in disgust IL they break the
first dozen or so Just when they think they have
made them especially fine The finishing touches
are liable to cause trouble. Very few Indians
now use flint arrOwheads, for they can make
better ones ont of barrel hoops.
The natural weapon of the Indian Is the bow
Alnns, 20 avon as ho c.n alt 10 r,,a :.
30. s,, ,I,v,hin. "a n, an IT, l.. q. %
yoars old be is nm nvnar, In i,s Zee uv ,ho ,imo
no IL IN y.ar. aid Io oan airno., - a. go
.,,,ii,i ,ri,l, .u,u 80. .., IL. .a.sa
Tho ,roui nossossor 81 orro,yo viii a;,t or irnn
tins White b,vs vybo rsp.mbor ,bo reo,,rr ~,
nride that camc IN tbep, vhsn thov ,yoro In
irns,,d ,,l,b ,ho,r arst o,n n ino.a,no a.,
,osIIpg ~ Tho Indian TO- n,hn ha. raoo,,.J
reunlnr bup,in, arrow. II. n, onoo o,i,s ,ho
socie,v or the sn,oll.r hos a,d ioins ,Loso uho
bove similar on,s,s Thos. ho,s ro,a In h,nas
seeking Iaru. came and some,ims. o,.n .n.at
uron Tho con,n. ~, ,,hor ,r;hos .ra 100 ,hoir
,rrnws y;th t.l,inr .e.., TIE h,, .n5
rro ,on,inros his nj, ,na.uon o.. go,
yeors unIoss NJ. "a ,or,nn.,o onn,o, 60 Ian .
mar who owns a o,n Gu. cns, ,on.r "a
an Indian s.,do,, ,,aLos .ro,,,h monor ,n hn,,
n cun mil he ia n man ,ro,,r. bonca h. ,nus,
dsnepd mon his nroyoss In ,nrrdnr or ,h.t, %
obtain tho mnch-coyaiad ,vaanop
A sin gnlar fea,urs aho,, ,h. ,oss.ss,or ~,
,uns ia Tho, ,ho, = sol1o,, ,saa L. =. f.,
- u,". q" =.
dian wishes to be sure OF his shot, especially IL
ration and ,oots yvo,l syingin, .cros. ,,o sad-
ia'o" ""u ''ons wen swinging across the SAL
Indian falls back upon the tried and true
wcapon which has been bia copston, COM
n,nion srom nhi,,bood ii" sotn,,sn". com.
the fact that many Indians carry guns
dispIayed in ella boratsIv decorated cesas
1t is to be remarked that they all have a bow
and a CULVER OF arrows slung across their back.
since the repcatinr riao hns becom. NOR. com.
". NC i'p,"',ns ii"o nus become more COM
mon among the Indians nearly every red man
oa,. u u the question Oh ammunition
the Tine TIs ',un as,s ont ~ n.d". ~ ma,'
rDe ,%e e. n nnG gun gets gets , out o, order through
% u,i, ,utu haaan 1T.
~ :, II. NJ " seta "hile man TO mend 1t.
until he flnds somebody with n gun of similar
caIjnre in order 70 oh,oir ,h. nrono- oar,ri1aaa
IL Will readily he seen that the hunting or fight
ing Indian must have a weapon that Is more
constant 10 MN thah the gun
While the repeater sends fifteen bullets as
fast as they can be pumped, Indians can shoot
before the first strikes the object at which it
-, 80 a.i,L IS 49, o".s ms ou'
ench "rro" s|s Win suIHcieht iorce ana d.
rectness 10 kill a man Mt that distance. The
expert bowman takes ten arrows in his hand at
once and strings and shoots them with most
CELEBRITY. You have road Of clouls
of arrows, The rapid shootiny Of a hand Of
Indians makes this phrase something more Than
a metaphorical one.
A common error in books on Indiana CONFORMS |
their wonderful marksmenshipnn and their ahiiifv
TO send an arrow To an Incredible distance or
through incredible obstacles, The fact is In
dians shoot with little accuracy beyond forty
yards. The writer has seen an arrow sent
through a bufYaln 40 that the noint shoyeJ
through The skin on the opposite side: il il
hardly possible, however. for An Indian 10 send
nm arrow through the animal SO that IL womb
fall TO the ground, This feat is frequently met
with i'm hooks, nut seldom elseyyhere 90 IL is
with the stories Of Indians Knocking silver
dimes from sticks AT 100 wards. Inst ser n
lime on a stick at that distance and see II
YOU can distinguish The coin Indians can knock
silver quarters down nj "a distance Of ahort
thirty yards. but thev do il By giving their ar
"A side twist which causes them M striIa
he supporting stick and inst ioI, he coin Iooss
wriIer never saw a Gin \ noel I'd fairiv yrnn,
fhr stick with tie head ~ H. arrn Sy!iyJ,nn
men and hoys WIN arc GOOD rifle shnts r. a N ~
heat IN. Indians win No how aud arrow II no,;omn
~ a ,nnrL ,b., is rinraj a.,