The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1896-12-12
INDIAN ARR0W.TIP POISON,
TIE DEADLY VENOM USED By
ApACEES AND PIUTES.
Obtained From Rattesnakes Of the
Arizona Desert When Their Poi
sOcis Most PQWerful-I'oi Tests

sons OF the Apache and Plute
{, Indians. 10 see the savage
prepare the poisons and try their ef-
fciency on himself is enough to dis
tress even a frontiersnun's dreams.
The bIoated ratt!esnake OF the hot al-
kali desert of Arizona or the Pan.
handle of Texas makes the most pow
erful poison. There is no more hide
Gus and deadly serpent in America than
the bloater rattler,
Tho rattlesnake of the Arizona
desert grows to q length of six feet,
and attalns girth OF five inches at
the thickest part. They have tremen-
dous sets of rattles. l saw one once
that was over five feet long and had
twenty.three rattles in il, and I heard
of snake being killed that had a
string of twenty.seven rattles. The
head of the desert RATHER is an enor.
nous triangular thing, often five inches
long from the thin neck to the blunt
nose, and three inches wide, measur.
ing OF the base of the jawbone. This
snake has fangs an inch long, and is
frequently fitted with two sets. The
poison sncs Of the base of these fangs
are as big as a hazelnut. The snake Is
bright yellow i'll color.
The desert rattlesnake is dreadful
enough customer any day in the year,
but during August takes on the full
ness OF its frightiulness, both in up.
pearance and in conduct. About the
middle of August when the weather is
insuHerably hot. this snake becomes
bloated from some cause until it is a
third larger than It's normal size. It's
appearance is as if the snake had been
blown up like u bladder or charged
with gas like balloon. This RATHER
is always sluggish and SLOW in its
movements, and, like all Of it's kind,
usually makes an effort to get out of
the way of iutruders, but in August it
simply lies still in bloated repulsive-
ness and will not move for anything,
being ready at all times to strike at
everything that comes near it. At
that time 0! year it is simply swol-
len reservoir Of venom, and its bite
will then send even m Apache Indian
to the happy hunting grounds, and
quickly at that.
A Piute Inlinn who wants to lay in
q stock Of poison for his arrows kills
at this time OF year enough of these
rattlesnakes for his purpose. he cuts
of their heads and takes them to his
lodge. He places in one Of tho rude
earthen vessels that are among the
Fiute household effects, ten or dozen
of these snake heads. TO them he
adds perhaps pint OF tarantula kill.
ers, rs the big hairy Texan or Mexi.
can spider is called; CT, rather, he
puts tho abdomen OF the spider in
with the snake heads. This spider has
r sting that iojects poison powerful
enough to xii! almost instantly tn
rantula, which is itself about as poison
Gus q member OF tho animal kingdom
as one would care to meet. The poi.
son sac of tho tarantula killer is in the
lower abdomen of the insect, and it is
this that the Piute brave mixes
with his rattlesnako heads. He then
pours in pint OF wator, seals the lid
Of the vessel on with moist clay, and
places the vessel in pit, where he
has made bed Of red hot Goals. he
buries the vessel in these Goals, and,
besides that, builds blazing fire or
top OF it. This fire is kept burning
tiercely for several hours, when it i:
swept away, and the Indian digs hi
vessel out OF the coals. With q Ions
pole ho knocks tho lid off, and doe!
not venture near the pot until ths
steam that arises from it has entirely
ceased to appear.
The Piutes say that to inhale the
smallest quantity of that steam wouit
be instant death. Whether that Is
true or not am not nble to soy, rs
never saw it put to the test. Aite1
tho fiery ordeal to which the snake
heads are put, q brownish residum il
found at the bottom OF the kettle
That is certainly the double qnines
seuce Of poison, ii its action on huma,
blood, or, at least, Indian blood, i
any indication. The Piute Away
tests this poison before trusting hi
arrows to it. lie cnts cash in til
aeshy part OF his leg and draws til
blood, which he allows to.trickle dow
his leg. When the red stream has I'll
down six or seven inches he dips
stick iato the poison and touches it t
the lower emil OF the bloody streak
II the poison is all right it actual
burns the blood almost like hot iro
touched to water, and rapidly run
up the tricklinS stream. The India
has his knife ready and scrapes tn
poisoned blood off dry. If it was pei
mitted to reach the wound it would b
nll up with the Pluto. The arrow . ar
dipped into the poison, and the India
t feels that whatever such an arrow hit
, had much better not have been borr
| Tho Apache collects his poison in