HOW INDIANS POISONED THEIR ARROWS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 315, 26 November 1910, Page 3

HOW INDIANS POISONED THEIR ARROWS.

An old Cherokee Indian has jusl disclosed how the Indians of his early days used to poison their arrowheads for war purposes or for killing bears. They took a fresh deer liver, fastened it to a long pole, and thei went to certain places where they knew they would find rattls-snakes in abundance. About mid-day th< snakes are all out of their dens, coiled up in the sunshine. The hunters would poke the rattlesnake witl the liver on the long pole. A rattle snake, unlike most reptiles, always shows light in preference to escaping. The snake would thus repeatedly strike at the liver with its fangs until its poison was all used up, whereupon it would try slowly to move on. The Indians would then hunt up another rattlesnake, and rep-sat the performance, keeping up the work until the liver was well soaked with the snake poison. Then the pole was carried home and fastened somewhere in an upright position until the liver became as dry as a bone. The liver was pounded into fine powder and placed in a buckskin bag to be used as needed for arrows. This powder would stick like glue to any moistened surfalce. Keepers of menageries should be watchful for any persons of evil countenance whe might attempt to imitate the Indian plan with baited walking-stick —witl criminal intent.