The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-03-09

by two Indians to the door Of the
small tent, which was all this while
wide open, and was thrown, all doubled
up, into the centre of it, and of course
on to the sharp pointed pegs. The
The blanket Was quickly drawn over
the door, and for about five minutes
no sound was to be heard inside the
tent, when, of a sudden, the little bell
at the top of the tent commenced to
ring, as it seemed without human
agency. The blanket was thrown
back and the medicine man stepped
out freed from the ropes and without a
scratch. I looked into the tent and
found the ropes lying among the pegs,
not one of which seems to have been
moved.
II will give you once instance that
came under my own observation
among many curious things performed
by Indian medicine men. I had long
heard of a BIackfeet indian who, it
wassclaimed, had a living rattlesnake
in his stomach, which he could cause
to appear when he wished, out OF his
mouth. He was considered by the
Balckteet as very strong medicine. It
was a long time before l had a chance
to see him, but one morning he turned
up at my Office with a party of Black
feet, 1 being Indian agent at the time.
On my promising him some tea and
tobacco, he agreed to produce the
snake, which he said lived in his
stomach. After rubbing the pit of his
stomach with his hand for a few min
utes he opened his mouth and I was
startled considerably by seeing the fat
head and about two inches of the neck
of a good sized rattle snake appear. l
I vas so close that I saw there was no
deception in it. The t0rked tongue
shot back and forth rapidly, and of it's
liveliness there could be no doubt
After allowing M a short view the
Indian placed his hand before his
mouth, and stroking his throat with
the other. he again opened his mouth,
and there was no snake visible.
"As a general thing the BlRckfeet
Indians are afraid Of snakes and can.
not be induced to touch or handle
them; but one notable exception /
know Of is that of a Blood Indian
named Calf Shirt, who is still living.
This man carries about with him next
the skin generally two and sometimes
three full sized r~attlesnakes. This is
during the summer, while In winter l
have seen the snakes in q hole in the
floor Of his house in a partly torpid
state. He will go down to a spot on
the Belly r yer in the spring and cap
ture the number of snakes he requires.
This place is near old Fort Whoopup.
and abounds with rattlesnakes. He
has informed me that he boils the root
of some plant and washes his body
with the water, and that the snakes
will then allow him to catch and han
die them. He has often been bitten,
but say 8 that by driking a tea made
from herbs and placing some of the
masticated root over the bite he suf-
ers nc bad effects. The fangs Of the
snake he carries are not extracted, and
he will bet a horse with anyone who
doubts that this is so, and allow one of
the snakes to bite a dog, when the
truth is soon seen by the death of the
animal in a short time. This I have
seen on several occasions.
II have given these few instances of,
to say the least, curious things done
by Indian medicine men, and do not
pretend to give any explanation of
them; but 1 know that some of them
are fully as wonderful and also unac-
countable as anything yer done by
the jugglers in India. I doubt if
among the Blackfeet to day, with
the exception of Calf Shirt, the
Blood, that tribe being a branch Of the
BIackfeet, anything of the kind I have
mentioned is to be met with, as since
the advent of the white man and the
settling of the Indians on the reserva
all the old time medicine men are dead
and the secret of these rites has died
with them."-NeW York Sun.
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