The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-04-21
ACURIOUS MYSTERY.
INDIAN PolsoNs THAT PUZZLE OUR
MEN OF SCIENCE. l..

A Concection That Takes . Year t.
Finish Its Deadly Work and
Against which Thers Ii No RENE.
dy-A Poison That Paralysis.
"Iventure to say that no poisons known
| to science the world over can compare In
| their effects with the deadly mixtures used
| by the conjurers, or medicine men, of the
Cree and Salteaux tribes of Indians away
up in the northwest region Of British Co.
lumbia," says DR.. James Melden of Maxi
toba.
"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 arc reach
ed, and they get along very a,nicably with
them, as hunting ground demarcations are
mutually understood and respected. No
doubt the extreme rigor of the climate &C.
counts for 1t, but they are conspicuously
peaceful for redskins and perform almost
incredible feats Of endurance. l have
known bucks Of these tribes to run ahead
OF dog sled as guides for over 100 miles.
But, for all they have such amiable dlspo-
sitions, just lot one Of them get his anger
or spirit OF revenge aroused through jeal-
ousy or envy, and the victim of his wrath
meets death more horrible than the tor
lures OF the inquisition by the use of these
mysterious, battling poisons. The modus
operandi ia simple enough. He takes his
case to ono OF the conjurers of the tribe
for the same custom prevails among both
the Crees and the SalteauI-who under
takes the job Of removing the objection
able buck. The conjurer then starts OF
into the dense forests alone and gathers a
collection of barks and herbs unknown to
botanists With these he returns to his
wigwam and brews the destructive mix
ture that does the business.
"Now for the peculiar way In which 1t
works" the doctor continued. ~ want
to say, by way Of parenthesis, 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 removing an enemy BY
shooting him down from ambush. Poison
Is their sole recipe for settling scores,
Fortified, then, with his potent drug, the
man who is out for vengeance manages to
hayo 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 be-
gins to operate before 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
victim. In the course of a month or SO
these would, apparently, dry up and be
followed by scales. But that is merely the
seeming calm before the storm, for in the
course of few months more, during
which the poor buck suffers indescribable
tortures, these scales drop off, and in their
place great tufts of hair spring up. Tho
last stage before death follows in its most
agonizing form, far worse than the tor
lures from prussia acid and great deal
more prolonged.
II remember WE'LL" resumed the nara
tor, show we had heard of these Indian
poisons in vague way for some time in
our country; but, knowing the medical
books contained nothing of that sort un-
der the head of toxicology, we put the
whole thing aside as yarn. We were |
rudely aroused one day from this infideli- |
ty by the appearance among us of buck
about 40 years old who had been under
his enemy's poison. He was In the earlier
stages before the scales formed. As he |
was a man of wonderful strength and
superb physique, 1t was hoped by mis-
sionary who had lived for many years
with these tribes that the victims life
might be saved if he could reach ciyiliza-
ion and get the benefit Of professional
skill. So no had brought him, like good
over that vast Sahara of snow
and ice and put him in our hands,
Here at last was flesh and blood proof
If the poisons we had laughed out of court
Is impossible, and we lost no time in de-
'iding to cure him. No mortal was ever
more carefully watched and dosed than
hat redskin. We tried every antidote
Known to materia medica, both simple and
but the poison turned around
md laughed US out of court, securing a
louble revenge Nothing we administered
ould stop the slow but deadly work Of the
indian mixture. The giant buck went
through all the stages I have described,
Until the most excr,lciating death put an
nd to his miseries. All our science was
ound hand and foot, utterly helpless in
he presence of this curious, fatal brew of
n Indian conjurer
1--WE know nothing and can learn moth
ISJ Ho NouU w say, u tlo 0GFDS !
hat enter into this mixture This poison
lystery has long been kept secret among
be conjurers of those two tribes They
re always few in number and exercise
he greatest caution in transmitting it to
hose who come after them. They require
long and severe training on the part Of
ny buck who feels inspired to enter the
onjurers' mystic circle. So severe is the
training that few arc able to
ASS through 1t successfully. As the brew
~ Of these deadly mixtures is the con-
lrers chief occupation they form a sort
college of poison.
But, DR.. Melden continued, "there's
ill another branch Of this Indian mys-
'ry quite as battling as the one I've told
hese tribes have wonderful powers of en-
Ilrance and make great boasts of their
inning qualities. In this there IL the
ercest professional rivalry-worse than
1ything among the theater folks-and
hen certain buck is outclassed lie gen.
ally hunts up the conjurer for modified
rim of revenge. He doesn't care to kill
S rival. 1t will satisfy him to have him
ippled and placed out Of the race. The
njurer is ready for business on that &
isis, too, and gives his caller brew that
axes short work of the EXCEPTIONALLY
pid buck. Sometimes these drugs will I
.ralyze the legs of the victim and have !
, other effect whatever. At other times q
ey will 60 stiffen his limbs that he prac- !
ally hobbies about on pair of wooden Il
IS. Altogether 1t Is the most curious :.
ison mystery in the world more than
or curious among tribes that know moth y
q at all of intoxicating beverages and u
yer brew any sort of intoxicating slim
ant. New York Times. 9
q