The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-11-28
A WOman's Rattleskin Scalp.

The account headed Natures Ec-
centricities, in last Tuesdays 1eiegran,"
says gentleman writing from Middle
burg, Schoharie county, n. Y, "of the
boy in Morrison, ILL.,, on whose arms
goose feathers grew, has been read with
great deal of interest by several of my
neighbors. | think, however, that we
have freak of nature near this town
which is even still more remarkable. The
story of it will be perhaps laughed at by
physicians and scientists, but ridicule
cannot affect fact. All the phenomena
OF the human body are not by any means
understood by science, and probably
never will be. 1t is very easy to verify
the truth of what | am about to write
you.
Let any one go up to Polly Hollow,
little settlement among the mountains
about four miles cast of Middleburg, and
ask for Mrs. Jane Flagg. She is widow
about: forty-five years old, and lives in
tumble-down shanty near the edge of the
woods, on the upper side of the narrow
valley. Eight years ago she was attacked
by peculiar disease of the scalp. At first
her head was covered with small ulcers,
while almost all her hair fell out and
would not grow again. The disease gave
her such torment that life for over year
was only burden. Finally she went to
herb doctress, an old mulatto woman,
who then lived two miles further up the
mountain road, but who has died since
that time. This old hag, who bore the
reputation of being witch, told her to
gather certain herbs from a graveyard
Il ,,rl,e Ill al. Il.
the detection with the blood and mace
rated skin of a freshly killed rattlesnake
and rub her head with the ointment thus
made. The sufferer blindly followed
this advice, gathered the herbs as di-
rcctcd. and then began looking for rat
tlcsnake. She offered 81 for one, and
two young men went up to the Nskeraw
mountain, killed one and brought it to
her. Then she mixed all the Ingredients
together and rubbed the abominable mix
ture upon her scalp. Within q week the
ulcers began to heal. She was overioyed
at this result, and continued to rub on
the mixture oftener than ever. Within
month from the time she first began
using it the disease had entirely disap-
pcarcd, leaving the entire scalp covered
with healthy hcsling. All the neighbors
marvelcd greats at the cure, and the
old mulatto doctress suddenly found
herself famous in small way.
"Butyou can imagine cverybody's as
constituent when, after about six weeks
longer, the healing on her head began to
drop off and revealed the startling fact
that the woman's head was covered with
rattlcsnake skin. There could be no
mistake about it. The hard, shining
scales and the peculiar marking were ex-
actly like the skin of that most deadly
of serpents, the rattlcsnake. What
strange effect the blood and fractured
fragments of the skin of the reptile she
had uacd to make the lotion had pro-
duced upon her scalp so as to make rat
tlesuake skin grow upon it in place of
the natural skin | do not pretend to
explain, nor do believe any one can.
But, nevertheless, it is a fact, as any one
who will take the trouble can see for
himself, "-Ne,o York Telegram.