The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-01-09

Mention tne Z ou.rI Llt Stone \ StAte
c~on.emplriry exerS> ~st~aa = -
Of bel, ~ III "a ; ,u
A recent i--pe = -. -s q -
7an,,. D,uorrp' .O p.
interesting littl + II - l-i4itI Spr'h,
j.. Wa terribly ,i spl i,cccs'e hy
a rabil hu9iirg dog, '.e 5e Il H.
h1u ehold
Mr. Smith, aIno>t inmeiIa,elv after
h- hfight iiGle box was h''r' g. Owed
{, tN the efficacy ot seI-k1aSn ma
s'ouc il VrgIua. the rpl'ariot e
which has been known 'or many years
all over the south. \ po>, Sortcni ox-
animation Of tie dog by eminent physi-
clans here proved beyond The peradyeu-
ture Of a doubt that 1t had he ver;table
rabies. or. as il Ia more commonly knoxn,
hydrophobia-
To Thoroughly prove that the dog was
mad it was kept in confinement until It
died. after it had torn and lacerated it
self. Then the post mortem examlna-
ron by ~well-knowp physicians showed
the presence of every sign OF raoIes.
Further proof that the animal was suit
fering from h~ydrophobia il shown by the
fact that another dog also the property
of Mr.. Smith. which had been bitten.
was placed in a stable aud carefully
watched, and forty-one DAYS after II had
received its wound il died in a ireoZy,
after showing every symptom of the dis
ease. Both avoided the light, refused
food, we're restless. snapped al any OBJ
iect and could net lie still, would recos.
-. g.. =. 49, ~ +har
relapse in a paroxysm. Rabies was posi-
lively indicated
Mr.. Smith. left New Orican, by raj
with his child and Don arrived at War
renton. Fauqu;er count Va. We nos
give Mr.. Smiths OWE recital:
Il went to Warrenton and found the
! stone in possession of Mrs. Luke Wood
ward, an elderly LADY, of Fauquier county
who resided some distance from the town.
She, having received i telligence of my
| coming, was there awaiting ne. This
stone, which is celebrated for its past
cures, ha, never been owned b. any par
| ,icular individual. but has always heeu
kept in the custody of some one branch
OF the Woodward family.
Its size was about hat of a mans fin
! ger-joint, and about the color of caramel
candy. 1t did not look exactly like a
stone, but rather more like some com
| position which, by long use and absorb
! ton, had hardened into a dark. semi
transparent mass. On the side which is
applied to wounds it is smooth and fat.
and on the opposite it is nearly oval. II
had been broken years ago. aud the
pieces were held together by a band OF
silver. 1t appears that many years ago.
when it was applied to achild, it adhered
tenaciously to the wound, and the littl.
thing grew FESTIVE by its pressure on hi:
leg and ran out of doors, when the stone
dropped off, and, falling on a rock. wa;
fractured. When put together its eff
cacy was found, however, to be the
same.
ITO the naked eye the surfaco of tn,
stone appeared smooth as that of ordi
nary stones, but when the two physician,
who had been summoned to be presen
during its application placed it under
microscope, the surface was found to b,
porous, and the pores were filed with alb
sorbed organic alter. 1t was not heavy
and was what BIOLOGISTS term luminou
stone.
when we reached there it was 81,
days alter my son had received hi
wounds, and there had formed over then
a crust such as usually follow wounds O
that nature. He had been bitten il
cicSen places about the face. and a.-t-.--
\ surfaces made fresh by the knife of TIL
surgeons. They were scarified. and be
fore the blood was thoroughly wiped
away the stone, which had been INNER
sed in tepid water, was applied to eacl
wound separately. The first wound OF
which it was placed was a very sever,
one on the brow. Mrs. Woodward tool
the stone from the water and laid it yer,
gently on the blood wet surface. 1t res
ted there. and then the lady. with he
thumb and forefinger, attempted to nov
it sideways from its position. 1t did no
move. and significantly she called atten
ton to the fact. 1t adhered like cour.
plaster, and the attachment SCENE
tenacious. The child had been put unde
the influence of chloroform and slunI
bered peacefully. After the stone ha.
been on about twenty-five minutes i
gradually lessened It's hold Of It's own &C
cord and slowly slid off toward the ten
pie. 1t was put in tepid water again.
''On immersipg the stone after il hae
been applied an oily substance of fln
would issue from the stone and rise !,
the surface of the water. 1t resemblct
somewhat glycerine, and was ~glutinou
and thick. We applied the stone to tn
wounds on two occasious-once the nigh
I arrived and on the following morning
and a curious thing was that it would not
adhere to wounds to which it had beer
applied before. Where once it hac
adhered and fallen off ii would no more
attach itself.
The old lady at the time thew wcre
making ready to apply the stone told nj
that | might go home at once and give
myself no further trouble ifthe stone die
not attach itself. for the wounds were no
| those of the bite of a ra IBID dog. She
said she had with these old hands ap-
! piled the stone 10 300 cases successfully,
and had yet to hear Of one case proving
fatal afterward.
1.-THE little fellows wounds healed
| RAPIDLY, a crust was formed, and now
there are but few scars left.
81 want to say that the Woodwards are
| a family well known in Virginia, and are
| considered well off, to whom it would be
an indignlty to offer any reward. 1t is
| nureIv for humanity's sake that Mrs.
Woodward offers the usc Of the stone.
and she travels long distances to apply it
10 the suffering. She lives in the village
of Rectortown, in the mountains. and
had to ride seventeen aud ope-haif miles
over a rough mountain road to meet me
At Warreutoo. She says she has no OBJ
ject in deceiving anyone, as she would
receive no recompepse for the use of the
stone, and its virtues were for the bene-
fit Of mankind. 1t has been frequently
applied to the wounds made by deadly
snakes and always successfully. Before
the days of railroads people would come
from long distances in OK wagons and on
horseback to try its powers