New-York tribune., 1896-05-10
WONDERFUL CACTUS BUTTONS.
STRANGE INTOXICANT AND CURE-ALL OF
THE INDIANS.
Washington correspondence of The Philadeiphia

| Bureau of Ethnology. brought to washington III, %
object to have them anayzed ana aen t1 o'a nto
enS bHma sseS Ss of ss Ts wofs was
Drs ID. w. Prentss and Francis F Morgan WIN ,bn
SSSTy SGohs to- namber amsd
themselves 10 the experiment ana the qthev
obtained from the cactus ia the shape Oh INA INA
needlelke crystals hitherto unknown ANA aKai1 gor
which is likely prove of the utmost Vaiue io'
The cactus referred is found in the valley IL gs2 OF
rem and rocky soil Commonly 1t occurs wheTe
Size can and only shape se
radsh covered With sharp pFckhes hnt pne I'm inch IN
diameter These tufts the so-caed but buttons tons.
dried they are brown bn in coS Heh aaey aS the
taste being nauseous and very bitter WITH pe''
| The Kiowa Indians formerly dwelt In the vaneg
of the Rio Grande. where they became addicted bV 10
are located in the Indian Territory where they Pur-
the habit. buying the buttons IRON ron rsgion
through his study of this tribe Mr. Mooney became
interested in the subject he says ,nao s1 s nrob-
ably ancient the Indian occupancy Sre or ths s
medci1ai appiicatons and so exhilarating its ef-
fects that it is regarded as vegetable s tbe
tribes of the Southern plains.
Indians so it was regarded by the early missionaries
as invention of the devil and the easing al o G
II was denounced by them as crime equai IN eloI
| nifty to the eating OF human flesh From the begin
ming II has been condemned without inVesusd'io,,J
and the Government has actualy bo used
inflicted penalties against indians VINO o. uS sSe
or had 1t in their possession Such action on tae
part of the Federal authorities has been que cneny
TO complaints repeatedly addressed TO asLGoo,i i;
cry. agency physician or teacher has ever taken
the trouble to make test Of the cactus or s WItnes
the buying and selling of the plant is forbidden by
law. all Of the Southern plains tribes consume ~, IL
ha bitually finding difficulty In procuring all they
Rriedy it may be said that the Indians regard the
| n medicine
| opens to them all the glories of another world In
the ceremonial they are seated around the campfire,
and each man after softenng button in his mouth
rolls 1t into bolus in his hand and swallows II.
other The performance begins in the evening, and
dozen or more in all are consumed by eacn per- per-
drumming is kept up. and a rattle Is passed from from
to han m hG n an wnD Sp
that as an additional accompaniment; Al Al
in condition of revere. seeing wonderful VS.
| ions and experiencing an ecstatic happiness.
The meaning of all this is now pretty well un.
Drs. Prenss and Morgan. one test made by them
had for its subject young chemist. who recorded
racy Just Before going to bed he swallowed three
of Mr.. MONEYS buttons; The first effect was a,
closing his eyes he became aware of some curious
optical beautiful designs dno IN orsns bafors
| him. ENCOURAGED by these agreeable symptoms.
h ran sn5'OP OF afa 0t s6h
themselves. such as no human being ever enjoyed
Meanwhile his mind remained clear and active:
| The power TO contrate his thoughts any desired
desk he was able to write OF his sensations and
experiences. Stretching himself again on the bed,
he watched with delight an ever-chansng psno-
rama Of infinite beauty and grandeur. Of infinite
variety OF color and form. which passed before
him. Q found that by concentrating his thoughts
various subjects successfully. the character Of
hf visions could be eonT9d % M b 10 m ros
IDEAS which should give rise to unpleasant vision:
crawling monsters and seas OF grewsome forms with
rible az TO frighten anybody under normal condi-
tons but under the influence of the cactus they
were deliShtful and amusing About O'Clock a.
n. the effects began TO pass off and by the follow
ing evening they had entirely disappeared. During
important respects the symptoms observed in this
case correspond with the experiences of other in
Characteristic visions varied from flashes Of color
to the most 6esn forms Isl, ana aSndscaPes ,S In
| the spectacular phenomena produced by the drug.
monials repeatedly. Being on hand for purposes
OF stItyi ne took care are. not to eat many buttons
with view to discovering II there any lapN
Of the mental powers and whether any reaction
action. and the Indians declare that there is none
After sitting twelve or fourteen hours in
strained position each in turn enacting his paH
several times in the course of the night. they come
cut bright and cheerful; eat their dinner with good
| appetite and afterward sing. smoke and gossip
Mr. Mooney made special inquiry as to whether
any effect on The intellectual faculties resulted
period but IT ga not appear that there were any
Chcmlcal analysis or the buttons resulted in the
separation OF substance that seemed to represent
the active principle. This was brown syrupy
three distinct alkaoids, one OF which appeared in
the form OF brilliant white neede-shaped crystals
the botanical title of the plant will quickly find
rs way into the pharmacopGia as drug Of recog-
found to be extremely poisonous. proper study OF
the physiological effects of anhalonn has yet to be
made. When dry II Is odoress but being moist
ened ii gives out an unpleasant and nauseous smell
The Indians declare that cactus buttons are the
| O nnfi TharA
seems to be 70 doubt that they stop the painful
nre of thu nave wcb Y Peen found
simply by placing quarter of pound OF buttons
to stand o9 6 for onsh Pn, The negre
then ready for use. teaspoonfu al at dose. In
Tho effect of the tincture as stimuant Is imme
For nervousness headache; hysteria and insomnia
the new drug promises to be most valuable. Tho
fact that a'sense OF well-beng mental exhlaration
and happy contentment follows the OF the
medicine. even in small doses, leads 10 the belief
that IT may prove useful IN the treatment of de-
pressed condition of the mind such as melancholia
On account Of IT'S remarkab;e power In the produc
for color blindness. Owing TO its unpleasant taste
it is best administered in capsules
whch Viii h is nGwT to bqtaTsts nS M as lewn
1t grows plentfully wild in the Valley of the Rio
Grande; but the available supply will soon be ex.
medicinal article ike the bark from which qunine
-~--
DUCKS WHICH USE PEBBLES AS BALLAST
From The New-Oreans Times Democrat
Few people credit a duck with the sense he really
possesses" said Fred Ozenne, disciple OF Nimrod
| 10 "The Times Democrat" For years | have
| been wondering what had caused the presence OF
a good-sized pebble bank on the shore OF the lake
| I'm the Grandivoa section of the Louisiana marsh.
| Had IL been a sand bank, could have understood
| IL: but II was composed of pebbles, all very much
| alike rounded and smooth almost to a size. and
apparently differing from the small stones found In
the gravel beds of the South. Several OF the hunt
crs in that section had the pebble beach, and
| Ike myself they could not understand 1t. All
winter long 1t seemed fresher than at other times.
| and during the summer the grass would kinder
cover its upper portion and the mud from the fresh
water dim the lustre of the stones near the edge
zone winter in fact 1t was just when the first
cold spell had struck us, / hunting with a
friend on the lake | spoke Of II was one Of the
finest ducklng spots in the State. This was before
- L. rnnIc4. nlIl from hn raS