Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-01-29
THE MAIDSTONE.
Wonderful Cures Said to Have Been
Wrought In North Carolina.

Wonderful Cures Said to Have Been
Wrought In North Carolina.
Robert j. Jones writes from Danville,
Va, to the New York San as follows:
Joseph Pointer, of Person county,
North Carolina, had maidstone tn It
had been in his family for many years
more than 100, l think. have meyer
seen it, but have heard of it ever since
I was a child, and never heard any
body ex press doubt as to its curative
power. / lived within five miles of
Pointers house for more than twenty
years. went to school with his older
children, and his younger children went
to school to me. Those who have seen
the maidstone say that it is about the
size of the ball OF a mans thumb, of a
dark color, and very compact like
glass-on one side, and porous and of a
brownish color on the other side. When
a person has been bitten by rabid dog
or poisonous snake or spider, it is ap-
piled to the wound, where it adheres for
a time, and then falls off. It is after
ward put into warm water, where it
gives out the venom it has absorbed,
and the process of applying it to the
wound and putting it in water is re-
peated till it will no longer adhere.
In the spring of 1871 a girl about
twelve years. who was then going to
school to me, was bitten on the top of
the foot, while barefoot, by either a
land moccasin or spread-head adder
(the children were so excited that they
were not sure which). The reptile held
on so hard that the girl had to kick to
get it loose. She was about three miles
from Pointers. She was taken in a
wagon and hurried there as rapidly as
possible The stone was applied to her
foot, which was very much inhamed
and swollen. In day or two she was
back to school again
About the time that the war broke
out, j. Scott, whose land adjoined that
of my father, had negro man bitten in
his own yard by strange dog that had
all the symptoms of hydrophobia. The
man was taken to Pointers, and the
stone was applied. He is still living,
and has had no symptoms of hydropho-
bia, though no one doubts that the dog
that big him had rabies
Josephus Younger, of Person county,
farmer and iron moulder, leading
member of the Baptist church, and for
many years county treasurer, told me
that many years ago, when the mad
stone was in the possession of Joseph
Pointers father, a man living near him
was bitten by aspider, became delirious,
and seemed about to die, but was cured
by applying the maidstone. This was
vouched for By r. A. G. Mason.
Mr.. Younger told me that John Ben
nett. ST., for many years sheriff of Per-
son county, and once member of the
legislature, told him that he knew of
team of four horses. all of which were
bitten by rabid dog. The old man
Pointer objected to applying the mad
stone to any but human creature; but
he was finally persuaded to apply it to
the wound of one favorite horse. The
horse thus treated never showed any i'll
effects of the bite, while all the other
horses that were bitten had.rabies and
died or were killed.
l have been told by four men, all of
whom | have known from youth, and
whom | believe to be trustworthy, have
told me that last summer cow and
colt were bitten by rabid dog. Both
had rabies and died. The same dog, on
the same day, bit two negro boys One
of them, when he was taken to Pointers S
house, was very sick. His jaws were
set, and he was foaming at the mouth
The maidstone was applied, and the hoy
was well in day or two. The other
boy was not so sick, and after having
the maidstone applied he never expert
enced any i'll effects from the bite
These are only few ofsthe cases /
have heard of where persons were thus
cured by the maidstone. Joseph Pointer
died not long ago, and his effects were
sold on December IL, 1879. and | suppose
the maidstone was sold If it was not,
it is likely to be sold next court, which
will be in March or April.