Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-05-24
The Iowa Mad Stone.

Inquiry having recently been made as
to the whereabouts of genuine mad
stone, following will give the desired in
formation regarding one which has a
wonderful record. tits now in the pos
session of Turner Evans, Of Paris, Jack
son Township, Linn County, the nearest
point to which, by railroad is Anamosa,
on the Dubuque and Southwestern
Railroad. Its properties were first
known 13O years ago in Virginia. 1t
has been in the Evans family since first
known. The present possessor received
it from his father, Adam Evans, For
thirty-eight years, while in the posses
sion of Adam Evans, it did many won
derful cures, and was known far and
wide He received it from his father
in 1872, while living near Boone Station,
Ky. On the death Of Adam Evans, it
passed to Turner Evans, more than
twenty years ago. During that time it
has been tested many times, and never
failed to cure the rabies, even in the
most severe cases. At first
the neighbors of Mr. Evans were incred-
ulous, and inclined to ridicule the thing,
but after numerous successful trials on
horses and cattle, doubt was changed to
certainty. During his possession of the
the stone nearly 700 cases have been
treated, and in not one has the stone
failed to give relief and effect cure.
1t is not longer than the end of
mans thumb, weighs one-fourth of an
ounce, and resembles a dark sponge,
with fine pores extending from side to
side. Seen through magnifying glass
it resembles flint; and at the outer end
of the pores appear dark rings, like
sandstone. 1t is triangular in form,
having one fiat surface, which is called
the working side.
When used it is placed in a bath of
of one part milk to three parts water,
and warmed to blood heat. The patient
is required to exercise briskly until the
blood becomes active in circulation,
when the skin near the parts bitten are
scratched with sharp pointed instru-
ment until the blood starts, when the
stone is applied. 1t Immediately be-
gins to absorb the virus; and, when
filled, is removed and soaked in the
milk-and- bath. 1t is thus repeat
edly applied, until it ceases to adhere to
the flesh, which it will do as soon as the
virus is extracted, and not until then.
While the virus remains, it requires
considerable power to remove it. 1t
has been applied nearly 100 times in a
single case. The rule is to apply it as
long as it will take hold Applied to
the flesh of person not afflicted with
rabies, it has no more effect than a
piece of glass, unless there be present
the taint Of scrofulous disease, when 1t
will adhere, as in cases of rabies. The
cases cured by this stone are too many
and too well authenticated to permit a
doubt of its efficacy. A Mr.. Bunce, of
Mechanicsville, bitten by rabid dog,
visited Mr.. Evans, and when he arrived
there was suffering from paroxsysms
and nervous spasms of the limbs. The
stone was applied, and he was cured
A Mr.. Field, of Chicago arrived there
in terrible condition. For twenty-four
hours before the stone wat applied he
suffered intense torture from nervous
paroxsysms and agony of mind, which,
if continued another day, would have,
he believes, resulted in madness; in fact
he says death would have been relief
to him rather than have endured the
torment He was wholly cured by the
use of the stone