The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-09-07
Some Facts About Mad.StOnes.

Some Facts About Mad-StOnes.
"This is the greatest curiosity in my
whole collection" said Prof. Worth.
The place was Worth's Museum, on
Woodward Avenue, Detroit, and the
person addressed was q Nelcs reporter
TIE professor held in his hand hattenod
circle of stone, about three inches in
diameter and an inch and half thick,
in shape resembling good-sized biscuit
with the top and bottom scooped out
The color was a dirty red and it weighed
about three-quarters of pound. The
reporter took it in his hand, looked it
all over intently, but could not see any
thing very curious about it.
No idea what it is? Well, sir, that is
the famous Virginia maidstone. 1t has
been applied in numerous cases of
poisoning for dog and snake bites, and
has invariably cured the victim. This
one has known record of eighty years.
S. ii. Aron, of Virginia, got it from the
Indians, and when he died it came into
the possession of his son, George Aron,
who presented it to his family physician,
DIR. l.. l.. Alexander, of Spring Hill,
Henry County, Tenn, in 1876, in graft
tude for past services. The doctor was
attending lectures at the university at
Louisville, KY, wher ] learned that he
had the maidstone. After four inter-
views he finally consented to sell it to
me, and it is now the leading curiosity
of my museum"
"Did you ever cure anybody with itP
Yes. sir; TWO cases-a man and a
boy in ST. Louis, Missouri, last year,
while exhibiting on Fifth-street. They
were both bitten by mad dogs. / first
punctured the place where they were
bitten with these needles. Here the
professor held up bunch of eighteen
needles stuck through a cork Then,
having previously put the stone in a
bath of milk and water, applied it to
the wound. 1t adhered Immediately,
and stuck SO fast that it hung to the
flesh without any support. In a few
minutes the milk or the surface of the
stone turned green as verdigris, and
emitted a repulsive odor. After being
saturated with the virus it came off,
when | put it in another bath of milk
and water, and it discharged the poison.
Then | put it on again and repeated the
process several times till the virus was
all extracted and the patient removed
from danger"
care there many of these mad-stones ?"
asked the reporter.
There are eighteen known to be
owned by different parties in the United
States. The most famous is the Turner
Evans mad stone, which is owned by a
farmer of that name who lives near
Aramosa, Iowa. 1t has been in his
family for about one hundred and thirty
years, having been handed down from
father to son for four generations. The
stone has been applied over seven hun
dred times, and in every case was sue
cessful. 1t has been applied to horses,
cattle and human beings. There is one
owned by man in Lincoln, Kansas Il
forget his name, but everybody about
there has heard of it and knows the
owner). 1t is of a regular shape, broken
in two, and held together with metal
band.
"The widow Taylor's, of Terre Haute,
Ind, WIS one also of irregular shape,
also broken, and also held together the
same way. On one occasion a locomO-
tive was chartered especially to go to
Terre Haute for this stone. There are
two owned in Missouri, one at Caronde-
let and the other by Judge Griffin, who
resides five miles from ST. Charles.
There is another owned in Virginia, be-
tween Lynchburg and Charlottesville.
| can't remember the Others The
Burlington Hawkeye published list of
the owners of mad-stones in August last,
and | have got it, but can't find it
among my papers"
ado the owners make. any charge for
applying the stones.
eyes; they generally charge from
thirty to one hundred dollars, and none
of them will let the stone go out of their
possession. They always go with it when
il has to be applied. The only persons
who give gratuitous use are Turner
Evans and myself. Judge Griffin and
the man at Carondelet have each refused
So, 900 for their mad-stones. The modus
operandi of using it is generally the
same, but the Virginia man cleans the
virus out of his stone by heating it on
hot shovel instead of bathing it in
milk"
" How do you account for its wonder
full powers?'
don't know the true scientific rea-
son, but it is evident that there are prop
critics in the stone which have a chem
ical affinity for the virus, and repulsion
for water and milk. 1t is claimed by a
brother and sister who live in Logan
County, H., that their maidstone will
cure erysipelas, which suppose is pro,
duced by tainted blood. Anyhow, they
60 on the no cure no pay principle"