The Goldsboro star. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1881-18??, 1881-09-03
A MAGIC MAIDSTONE.
How a Kansas City Coed Samaritan Pre-.
vents Hydrophebta.

"I will give hundred dollars" said
Mr.. ]. NJ. Dickson, at the Pacific house,
"for any case where person bitten by
mad dog and my maidstone refuses to
stick" Then, after pause, he added /:
Il will also give 800 for any case in
which my maidstone will stick on 4
person who has not been bitten by q
mad dog"
Mr.. Dickson is brother-in-law OF
Mr. John Hall, proprietor of the Pacific
house. The brother.in-law conducts
the establishment. On last Wednes-
day he applied his stone to patient
who had been bitten by a mad dog. The
sufferer was colored girl from Sedalia.
She was sixteen years old, and her name
was Lamson. On the interior surface
of the thigh. near to the groin, was the
wound mad51by the rabid animal. II
was eight days since the girl had been
bitten, and the tooth marks had scabs
over them. In nine days all the horrors
OF hvdrophobia result from the intro
duction of the virus. Mr.. Dickson took
the girl back into room ninety in the
hotel.
Two women attendants Invested the
sufferer Of most OF her clothing and laid
her upon cot The wound was exposed.
Mr.. Dickson took knife and removed
the scabs Blood commenced to flow.
The maidstone was then applied. The
patient trembled violently. Every por-
ton of her frame quivered. She was on the
verge OF Mysteries or spasms. Like q
needle to e magnet the stone adhered
to the bleeding spot. Mr.. Dickson
placed the point OF his knife blade under
The porus cube Of the mineral, and at
tempted to raise il. BY means OF the
leverage Thus established, he raised one
end of the little stone. He then with
drew the knife, and the stone fell back
TO its former position with the elasticity
Of a piece Of india rubber.
For fifteen minutes the stone stuck to
the scarified place; then it fell off A
greenish.yellow, ill-smelling pus was
seen upon the portion that had been
next to the wound. This, Mr.. Dickson
SAYS, was the virus drawn from the
wound. He cleansed the stone, i'm
mersed it in sweet milk, and again ap-
Piled it. Again did it adhere. Apeculiar
sensation, sort of series OF thrills,
pervaded the system Of the patient. Her
nervous excitement gave place to an
other feeling, more intense but inde-
scribable. Her breathing became heavier
and thicker. Her eyes, with pupils di-
lated, we're fixed on the ceiling. -Four
times did Mr.. Dickson apply the stone,
and four times did il come of, having
one side covered with foul yellow fluid.
Each time the stone remained about
fifteen minutes. Within half an hour
the girls heavy breathing and strain
began to subside. Gradually II began
to decrease. Mr.. Dickson attempted to
apply the stone fifth time. II refused
to adhere. Repeated attempts resulted
only in failure. Get up" said he
"your system is as free from hydropho-
bia as mine" Then there was q scene
OF wild transport, The girl was locked
in her sisters arms, crying and acting
hysterically. The sister, q married
woman, thrust her hand into her pocket,
and pulling out Sl0, all the money she
had, pressed il upon Mr.. Dickson. He,
however, refused to accept Of any re-
munemtion.
The girl remained until after the
crisis (the ninth day) was passed. She
then returned TO her friends in Sedalia,
with lighter heart than she had on
leaving that town. Mr.. Dickson is Q
tall, commanding appearing man, OF
about forty-ilye. He is Missourian,
having been reared in the vicinity OF
Palmyra. The stone, he said. had been
in the possession OF his family for about
seventy years II was given 10 hisfather
by gentleman named Captain Massie,
who was an intimate and long cherished
friend OF Mr.. Dickson, senior. The
stone is Q light, porous grayish-bufi
cube, about the size Of large die. Foi
the benefit OF those who do not throw
dice, il may be well TO say that thecube
Is about third of an inch in diameter
from side TO side, not diagonally. Cap
tain Massie had q stone exactly twice
the size OF this one With 3 fine saw
Captain Massie cnt in two the stone, and
| gave half OF ii 10 Mr. Dickson. retaining
the other half himself.
This vas long before the elder Mr.,
Dickson was married, For many years
the stone was kept on the Dickson farm,
| near Palmyra. Men came hundreds Of
/ miles 10 be healed by II. Among those
was William Fl. Tyner, OF Tennessee,
Mr.. Tyner lived eight miles east ol
! Memphis. A mad dog bit him and two
other persons. II also bit some stock.
Mr.. Tyner went TO Memphis and took a
steamboat 10 ST. Louis. Prom there be
voyaged on the Upper Mississippi, and
from landing went 10 Palmyra. On
/ the eighth day, about room. he reached
the SPOT he songht. Tyner had beer
badly lacerated by the beast. He had
been thrown down and torn. MIR
Dickson, senior, laid him down ant