The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-05-12
INDIAN POIsONS.
MYSTERIOUS DEcoCTIONS UN-
DERSTOOD BY REDSKINS.
One Kind, No Matter When Admins
tered, Takes Eject In Sprlng-Another
Causes Complete OF Partial Paralysis
of the Legs. q

ASa, VI SAC S1cG anu odlLGduA
tribes OF Indians, way up in the north
west region of British Columbia" said
DR.. James Melden of Manitoba before
a snail group of his friends the other
evening at the Hoffman house. He
was on a flying visit to New York, but
found time to narrate the following
tale: "These tribes" he said, "live in
that vast, wild region from 700 to 1000
miles north of Winnipeg, just on the
border OF Eskimo land. They are the
last tribes to be met with before the
Eskimos are reached, but they get
along very amicably with them, as
hunting ground d~emarcations are mu-
tually understood and respected. No
doubt the extreme rigor of the eli
mate accounts for it, but they are con-
%spicuously peaceful for redskins, and
perform almost incredible feats of en-
durance. have known bucks of
these tribes to run ahead of a dog
sled as guides for over 100 miles. But
for all they have such amiable dis
positions, just let one of them get his
anger or spirit Of revenge aroused
through jealousy or envy and the vic
tim of his wrath meets a death more
horrible than the tortures of the in
QUESTION by the use of these mysteri-
GUS, battling poisons. The modus OPP
erandi is simple enough. He takes his
case to one of the conjurers Of the
tribe-for the same custom prevails
among both the Crees and the Sal
teaux-who undertake the job of re-
moving the Objectionable buck The
conjurer then starts off into the dense
forests alone and gathers a collection
of barks and herbs unknown to bot
anists. With these he returns to his
wigwam and brews the destructive
mixture that does the business. Now
for the peculiar way in which it
works." the doctor continued. Il want
to say, by the way of p~arenthesis, that
these tribes never go on the warpath.
They make no use of tomahawk or
scalping knife. They never resort to
the popular redskin method of remov-
ing an enemy by shooting him down
from ambush. Poison is their sole re-
ceipt for settling scores. Fortified,
then, with his potent drug, the man
who is out for vengeance manage to
have it administered to his doomed
foe in his food. 1t may be months
before the effects are visible. At
whatever time of the year the poison
is taken it never begins to operate be-
fore spring. Here is one of the most
amazing features. The first sign is
the appearance of sores on the BODY.
and especially on the face of, the vic
tim. In the course Of a month or so
these would apparently dry up n be
followed by scales. But that is merely
the seeming calm before the storm.
for in the curse of a few months
more, during which the poor buck suf-
fers indescribable tortures. these
scales drop off, and in their place great
tufts of hair spring up. The last stages
before death follows in it's most agon-
lzlng form, far worse than the tor
lures from prussic acid and a great
deal more prolonged. remember
we'll" resumed the narrator. chow we
had heard of these Indian poisons in
a vague way for some time in our
country, but knowing the medical
0 contained nothing of that sort
under the head of toxicology we put
the whole thing aside as a yarn. We
were rudely aroused n day from this
lnhael1ty by the appearance among us
OF a buck about forty years old who
had been under his enemy's poisons.
He was in the earlier stages. before
the scales formed. AS he was a man
OF wonderful strength and superb ply
sique, it was hoped by a missionary
who had lived for many years with
these tribes that the victims life
might be saved if he could reach civili-
cation and get the benefit of nrofes-
sional skill. So he had him brought.
like a good Samaritan, over that vast
Sahara Of snow and ice, and put him
In our hands. Here at last was flesh
a%nd-blood proof of the poisons we had
laughed out of court as impossible,
and we lost no time in deciding to
cure him. No mortal was ever more
carefully watched and dosed than that
redskin. We tried every antidote
known to materia medica, both simple
and compound, but the poison turned
and laughed US out of court, securing
a double revenge. Nothing we admin
istered could stop the slow but deadly
mixture. The giant buck went through
all the stages I have described. un-
til the most excruciating death put an
end to his miseries. All our science
was bound hand and foot, utterly help
less in the presence of this curious,
fatal brew of an Indian %conjuror. We
know nothing and car learn nothing
Of the herbs that enter into this mix
ture. Like the tricks OF savage priest
craft, this poison mystery has Ions
been kept a secret among the coniul :
ers OF these two tribes. They are al
ways few in number and exercise the
greatest caution in transmitting it to
those who come after them. They re-
quire a long and severe training on
the part of any buck who feels inspired
to enter the c%onjurers' mystic circle,
He must ret.se to the summit of the
highest cliff in the region, and there,
night after night for months, hold SOL
emn communion with the stars and
clouds and winds. This is supposed
to give him a profound grasp Of the
mysteries Of nature, which is all DO
tent.in the c%onjurer's art. During the
daytime he lives concealed in a noun
tain cave, a most awesome, important
and secretive being. OF course, in or
der to be less 1eshy and more recep-
tive to the messages of stars and
clouds he starves himself to the bone,
When he has gone through this regi-
men for months and returns, a living
but inspired skeleton, to his tribe, he
is considered worthy to be vested with