Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1896-01-30

&xrKH |
YLNM it is new to the CIV
s.SNF iized. The Kiowa
Indians have ong
known and used it, The drug is known
as the mescal button and is nothing
more nor less than the dried top Of the
mescal cactus which grows in the val
ley OF the Rio Grande. The button"
swells in the mouth and has an exceed
ingly bitter taste. 1t is to the use of |
the mescal button by the Kiowas in
their religious ceremonies that the |
white man owes his present knowledge |
OF the drug. These Indians assemble |
in their council tents. usually on Sat-
urday night, and seat themselves, each
with supply of the buttons, about a
large campfire, which is kept burning
brightly. Button after button is swal-
lowed, from shutdown until 3 a. m.
Throughout the ceremony there is no
dancing or singing, but continual,
monotonous beating of drums Is kept
up by attendants. The Indians sit in
blissful reverie for hours, enjoying
the beautiful vision of color and other
manifestations caused by the resulting
intoxication. Occasionally brave will
rise and tell his experience. This is
interpreted by the medicine men, and
deductions and conclusions are made
for future guidance. The Indians
leave the tent at noon on the following
day. and feel no depression or unpieas-
ant after effect.
In six experiments made upon eau
casians 1t was found that only from
three to seven buttons were necessary
to produce a marked effect, whereas
the Indians take ten or twelve at one
ceremony. owing, undoubtedly, to the
tolerance for the drug which habit has
produced in the Indian. In one Of the
experiments the subject, a chemist. de-
scribed his visions as follows: ION
closing my eyes could see all sorts of
designs In brilliant and ever changing
colors, such as no human being ever
| enjoyed under normal conditions. My
mind was perfectly clear. An ever diff
feren. panorama of infinite beauty and
! grandeur hurried before me. Perhaps
the most pleasing of all was produced
by my voluntarily thinking of Kiralfy's
America" as given two years ago.
My pleasure SO far passed the more Or
binary realms of delight as to bring ME
to that high ecstatic state in which our
exclamation of enjoyment became in
voluntary. The loss OF conception OF
time and space was marked feature of
my experience"
Another subject saw "a host of little
tubes Of shining light, down which
green and red balls the size OF peas
were constantly rolling These tubes
bent themselves into the shapes oil
wheels and began revolving with great
velocity. All the field Of view between
these silent wheels was filled in with q
shifting mass of green. The colors
were wonderful. No words can give ar
idea Of their intensity or of their cease
less motion. The forms changed
through rich arabesques and Syrian
carpet patterns. and with each new
form came a new flush Of color. every
shade appearing, from pure white tt
deepest purple."
THE production Of visions" said thu
discoverer, "is the most interesting O
the physiological effects of the mesca
buttons as shown by our experiments
There seemed to be no limit to tn,
variety and beauty of visions which tn
drug could produce. The predominant
. ing feature Of the visions is the colo
/ effects. Drumming or otherwise mark
ing regular time enhanced the beaut,
! and variety of the objects seen. Il
, some cases no effect whatever was pro
duced upon the reason or will Of the in
dividual. Compared with other intox
: icants the effect upon the minds is ex
tremely slight. More or less depres
: sion of the muscular system existe
in every case. Inability to sleep for q
least twelve hours after the effects q
the drug commenced to pass on was
marked effect. LOSS Of the sense Of tim
existed In all cases. In the tendenc
I to produce wakefullness the new dru
I resembles cocaine. The effects Of mes
cal resemble those Of certain drug
in some Of the symptoms produces
but differ widely from them in other
3 Cannabis Indica produces visions. ger
: orally Of gay character, in most CASE
: followed by sleep. The visions frol
mescal buttons produce wonder and az
miration. but no merriment."