El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-06-16
TIZWIN TIPPING.
A Powerful Liquor Distilled From the
Cactus.

! "a |
| on the border land between Arizon
and Mexico 1t is made from the frul
of the giant cactus Of the hot eSertS Q
| the south est terri tories, known
sahuara fruit. Tizwn is in common
use or abuse among the southern Ar.
iona Indian tribes. The fluid has re
| Gently been analyzed by the sclent1h
| experts sent to the southwest by the
SmfthsOnian institution to study thu
mode of life of the most primitive say
ages in the union. 1t has been fOunt
beyond any doubt that the tizwin of thu
Indians today is manufactured in eX
actly the same way as in the days o
the aburigines of this region long be
fore the W hite men came to these shore
from the old world.
Thus another stigma is removed
from the lOng-sufferiDg white man, VIII
has been accused by the Boston ans 81
teach iug his poor red brother the use
OF fire water. With the facts before
us it appears not only prooabl but
certain, that for years before Colum bus
discovered America and contracted the
di-graceful h a bit of chewing and smok-
ing tobacco from the natives, the art
of painting things red was well known
In the quiet streets of the Zunl vi lagos
and the avenues the seven cit eS oil
Clboia. 1t was doubtless, even at that
venerable date. no uncommon sight Tor
the good savage house, wife to see the
partner of her joys and sorrows come
reeling to the doorstep making night
hideous with drunken song.
The sahuara (Cereus glganteus) Is
the largest and most rem arka BILE OF the
cactus family, and is peculiar to Ari-
IONA. Travellers through the territory
see Thousands of these tree cactl from
the car windows. They abound in the
hot. sandy wastes. The sahuara bios
SONS in October and early November
having large. starlike flowers of pure
white. with golden center. In Dec
ember the fruit is ripe. 1t is pear
shaped. being attached to the limb at
its pointed end, AID when matured
turns brilliant red and spl is open at
the top and sides, like a chestnut burr,
exposing 10 view a luscious red morsel
of pulp filled with minute black Sc DIS.
It. resembles wberry JAM In taste
it is slightly like the raspberry, though
not so sweet.
AS soon as the fruit ripens the
squaws and children travel miles over
mountain and plain to gather 1T in
large baskets, which they carry on their
beads. AS these giant cactl are from
10 to 80 feet in height, much OF The
fruit is out of their reach and Is lett Tor
LQe WOOU DtCS CTS dDo DioCJhyS3 hiNAA
are extravagautly fond of 1t, and fire.
quently indulge to such an extent as to
become stupefied and unable to fly for
Il time The squawS however. easily
gather as much as they want from the
sm MAILER plants by means of long, thin
poles, With hooks dashed at the ends,
with which they pull down the fruit.
The gathered fruit is depo- lted
day by day at u common center, where
it is pressed and the juice collected in
to large earthen ollas, where medl-
cum Of water is added. These ollas
are stored in closed, dark room,
where slow fire is kept up for sever
al DAYS until the liquid begins to have
a foam on top, which is a sign that it is
fermeutiug. 1t has then attained the
desired Intoxicating power, and word
passes from mouth to mouth and from
village to village.
AS soon as the welcome news arrives
all hands knock off various other k1nds
of loafing and hasten to the tizwln
camp to put in their time around the
barrOom, stupefy1ng them
selves with frequent draughts OF tie
quor and dancing or fighting between
drinks. The squaws and children, who
are never allowed to join in the revelry
manage to get their fun out of the affair
by climbing to the low roofs Of the
wickiups and viewing the drunken rev.
els of their lords and masters. Thus
the orgie continues night and day unit!
the supply s exhausted: and by this
time the passions of the Indians, natur-
ally fierce and cruel, having been in
famed hundred fold, some one in the
crowd utters war whCop, and they
leap on their ponies and are off on a
raid gainst the whites
The Apache al best is but a devil,
but when his blood is heated with tlZ
win the father of evil himself is re-
fined gentleman in compari 5 IN.
AS sahuara fruit ripens only once
wear, it is a whole twelvemoath be-
tween drinks with the Indians, aud all
their worst outbreaks have occurred in
the Irwin camp. The old settlers who
still manage to worry a'ong in this
sunny cline have good reason to re-
member Irwin time ard its regular re-
currence every summer 10 them II
recalls many fierce outbreak OF the
bloodthirst y Apaches.-St. Louis Globe
Democrat.