The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-10-20
M nrlcans Tlmcs-Dcmocr,l }

a bit Of stone can extract poisonous virus,
and that alone. from wound seems. 10 say
the least. little remarkable and beyond
our ken.
For more than half 2 century there have
been published and republished various
; accounts Of the wonderful cures performed
bv the sO-callcd m.d-stOneS, and each story
apparently well authenticated, but yet few
scientific men are willing TO admit its po-
tcncy or dare 20 prescribe H. use.
There now comes n case which, in all Of
IT, details. seems so fully to illustrate the
virtues 81 fhccc pebbles, II they can be
thus designated. that II certainly is enough
10 suggest that VIII. Shakespeare was not
far wrong when he speaks OF the existence
OF ''more things" down here than our
philosophy teaches.
II will PEE remembered that but few
weeks 500 the interesting little boy 81 Mar
shallJ. Saith. IT,, was terribly bitten and
decorated 10y q rabid hunting-d0g, the pet
Of the household. The event caused on
unusual feeling Of dread in the community,
and not q few put away their canine COM
paniors lc,i they might give evidence OF
ihc dread disease, rabies, and spread de-
>truction in the household.
Mr. Smith. almost Immediately after his
bright little boy WIS bitten. resolved to try
the efficacy of q Oc'l-knOwn maidstone in
Virginia. The reputation Of which hes been
known 'or many years al over the south.
4 p0St-mOrfCa examination Of the DOG by
eminent physicians here proved beyond
the p.radvcHiurc al 4 doubt that il had the
yeritablc rabies. or, ~ il l. more common
Is known, hydrophobia.
To thoroughly prove that the dog was
mad II WAS kept in confinement until it
died after IL had torn and laceratcd Itself.
Then the yOSt-mOrttm examination by
well-known physicians showed the pre-
Sence 81 every sign of rabies. Further
proof that the animal wss suffering from
hydrophOAia j. shown hy the fact that
another dog. also the property OF MI
smith. which had been bitten, was placed
in a stable and carefully watched. and for
ty-One DAYS after IL had received its wounds
il died i'm q frenzy. after showing every
symptom Of Che disease. Both avoided the
light, refused food. were RESTLESS, snapped
al any object. and could not he still;
would rcCc-niZe their master fer q moment
and then relapse into parOXysm. Rabies
was positively indicated.
II was therefore realized that the science
OF medicine knew ~ no remedy, and that
i'm All the yOluminOu- pharmacOpWias there
was not extract, tincture. or drug to neu-
trlizc the deadly poison ~ the dogs iaugs.
Hence any experiment, reputed for years
successful. wa, not only justiiahle but adj
yisablc. II was that or nothing.
Accordingly Mr.. Smith, on learning the
exact location Of this remarkable mad
stone, left New Orleans by rail with his
child and soon arrived 1t Warrentcn, Eau
quier county. Va, near the residence Of
the owner Of the stone. No better de-
scription OF what followed can be given
than Mr.. Smiths own recital
Il vert To WsrrCntOn and found the
stone in The possession Of Mrs. Luke
~ oOdward. an elderly lady Of k'auquier
county. who resided some distance from
Fthe town. She having received intelli-
gencc Of NY coming. was there awaiting
NE. Thi, stone, which is celebrated for
is past cures. has never been owned by
any particular individual. but haS always
boon kept I'm the custody OF some one
branch Of the Woodward family.
When Il was shown its size was about
that oi a mans finger Joint. and it was
about the color u caramel candy. II did not
look exactly Ike a stone. but rather more
like some composition, which, by long uSc
and absorption. had hardened into dark.
il applied 10 wounds It is smooth and flat
and on the opposite is nearly oval. 1t had
btcn broken wears ago, and the pieces were
bold together hya band OF silver. It ap-
pears that many wears ago. when il was
applied TO a child, it adhered tenaciously to
% wound. and the little thing grew FESTIVE
~ is pressure CD his leg and ran out OF
doors. when the stone dropped of. and.
f..f frtrr .t
put together il efficacy was found, how
ever, 10 be the same.
ITO the naked eve the surface OF the
stone appeared smooth a. that Of ordinary
stones, but when the two physicians who
bad been summoned to be present during
iis application placed il under a micro
scope the surface was found TO be porous.
aud the pores were filed with absorbed
organic matter. IL was not heavy, and was
VIVA; geolo2ist> term luminous -tODc.
when we reached there it was six days
after my son had received his wounds. and
there had formed over them crust such as
usually follow wounds Of that nature. He
had been bitten in eleven places about the
face. and each Of them had TO be raised and
the healing surface, made fresh 10y the knife
OF the surgeons. They were scarided. and
before the blood was thoroughly wiped
away the stone. which had been immersed
in tepid water. was applied to each wound
separately. The first wound on which il was
placed va, a very severe one on the brow.
jirs. Woodward took the stone from the Wa
Ter and laid IL gently on the fresh boOd-wet
surface. Ii rested there. and then the lady,
with her thumb and foreGnger, attempted
10 move il sidewiSe from its position. 1t
did not move, and significantly she called
attention 20 the fact. IL adhered like court
plaster, and the attachment seemed tena-
clous. The child had been put under tho
influence OF chloroioTm, and Slumbcred
peacefully. After the stone had been on
about twenty-five minutes il gradually less
cnea IT, hold Of it, own accord, and slowly
slid OF toward the temple. 1t was put in
tepid water again.
"On lmmer,ing the stone after it had
been applied an oily substance or film
would issue from the stone and rise TO the
surface OF the water. 1t resemblcd some
what glycerinc. and was glutinOus and
thick. We applied the stone TO the wounds
on TWO Occasion-Once the night arrived
ana On the following morning, and Gu
nous thing was that il would not adhere |
TO wounds 10 which il had been applied |
before. Where once it had adhered aud
fallen of i, would no more attach Itself.
"Ihe Old lady at the time they were
making ready % spply the stone told me
that | might 20 home at once and give N.Y.
sci! 10 further trouble il the stone did not
attach Itself, for the wounds were not
those OF The bite Of rabid dog. She said
she had with these old hands applied the
stone in go cases successfully. aud she had
Yet to hear Of one ease proving fatal after
ward
1.-The little fellows wounds healed rap
idly, crust wa, formed, and now there are