Omaha daily bee., 1909-08-28

burned there, and that he sat down on a
chair and was burned again.
Part of a Ceremonial
In nearly all the Indian tribes the use
Of peyote has been accompanied by the es-
adjustment of a sort Of religious cult, but
the so-called religious services are accom-
panied by various heathenish practices. 1t
is claimed by the Indian devotees that the
white man cannot obtain the benefits from
the use of the narcotic that come to the
Indians because God sent into the world
for the benefits of the white man the Holy
Spirit as his comforter, a blessing which
never came to the Indian, but that the
peyote performs the same office for the
Indian that the Holy Spirit does for the
white man. and through this medium the
Indian is able to commune with God.
At a recent assembly among the Poncas
in Oklahoma, where the Indians were
gathered together in a tent, it was claimed
that out of the bean" lying on the cres-
cent-shaped altar in the center there would
emerge the body of the Savior, visible only
in this form to those members who p~artook
of a sufficient number of peyotes to OBJ
tain this concession from the Deity. To the
tune of weird songs and the continuous
beating of the tom-tom was added the mar
cotic influence Of the peyotes, as all eyes
remained intensely fixed upon the altar.
At times incense was thrown upon the
altar fire and the frangrance waited by
the leader over the bean" A cigarette
was passed to represent the pipe of peace,
At midnight q cup, like that used in com
munion services. was passed with a large
pail in which peyOtes had been stepped and
the water sprinkled over the heads of the
participants, who also took draughts Of the
concoction. The m was continued
until morning, and two or three days
elapsed before the participants wholly re-
covered from its effects. Some Of the In
dams describe the effects of the use OF
peyotes as producing the sight Of gold
clouds floating around great suns rising al
midnight.
Scientific
DR.. S. Weir Mitchell made a study Of this
peyote and experimental by taking some
Of it himself, and has described the sen.
sations produced. A number Of other ex'
perimenters have done the same thing
but they all lacked a knowledge Of the
effect OF long continued use.
In 1897 the Smithsonian institute pub
lished a paper on the subject OF HavelocB
Ellis entitled. "Mescal, a New Artificial.
Paradise" The Bureau Of Chemistry OF
the Agricultural department analysed tbs
article and found that II contained foul
alkaloidal constituents; anhalonine, mes
caline, anhalonidine and l~ophoporine; asid,
from these two other elements were iso
lated called pellotine and anhalamine, Tn,
analyses that have been made. the ele
ments above described being taken int
consideration, do not explain the effec
produced on the user, but this is ais
true Of other substances. The Indians pro
test against any interference with the sup
ply Of the narcotic because OF its use 4
connection with religious ceremonies. an
many Of them insist that II has valuabl
medicinal qualities, being a specific 10
forms OF disease. Physicians who nave ha
il under observation, say the peyote has n
medicinal properties whatever, and that In
, dians who, for a period, used It for a
; sorts OF GlImentA have abandoned It an