Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-08-14

mails with it. I remember once seeing a
team stalled ina road leading to Auburn.
They were attached to a heavy load, and
the fOreWheels of the wagon ran into a
deep Fut and the horses were unable to
pull them out. The driver was about to
remove portion of his load when Downs
CHANGED to be driving by. He stopped,
and, telling the driver to leave the load
as it was, alighted. He rubbed each
horse on the head and neck, and almost
instantly they became nervous and rest
less. Downs told the driver to start
them up. he did so, and the
horses hauded the load out of
the rut with the greatest ease,
and went off at such a gait that the driv-
er found difficulty IN controlling them.
BOYS who were barely able to lift the
heavy sledge hammers in Downs black
smith shop had only to receive the power
from the beWitched blacksmith's touch
to swing them with the ease of old Vul-
can himself. This singular strength given
to others would remain in force from ten
minutes TO half an hour, and in passing
away left the subject weak and depressed,
and sometimes quite Ill. For this reason
Downs finally refused to make subjects
Of any one. He was possessed, also, Of
great mesmeric power, and with this he
furnished no end of amusement to his
friends. Every day he had some one
running on the most foolish errands, or
performing all sorts of odd monkey
shines. On one OccaSioan a stern, digni-
fed, and greatly feared clergyman of the
place defied the blacksmith to place him
under the influence of his alleged mystic
spell. In five minutes time Downs had
dispatched the clergyman to a tobacco
nisJ's, long distance away, for a clay
pipe and five cents worth Of tobacco,
with which he returned as meekly as
the most Obedient errand boy.
Downs finally ceased exercising this
power also, and had not subjected any
one to it for more than a year. Charles
Woodward, a well-knOwn business man
of Auburn, and a great friend of the be-
witched blacksmith's, the two having
been in the army together returned
home from a long absence from town
about that time. Downs went to his
place of business to see him. He shook
hands with him heartily, and threw one
arm about WoOdWard's neck. This was
on Thursday forenoon. Soon after
Downs went out Woodward began to
dance and sing and manifest an eXuber-
ance of spirits that astOnished his assOci-
ates. Although a man of steady and
very regular habits, he did not 60 home
all night Thursday. night, and did not
put in an appearance until late Friday
morning. He boarded with a man
named Edwin Blake. Blake thought
that Woodward, singular as it seemed,
was celebrating his return home. Blake
learned that Woodward had been around
town smashing things generally. When
he returned to his boarding house Blake
got him to 60 to bed, and sent for a
physician. People called to see Wood
ward, and he astOnished many Of them
by telling numerous family and business
secrets of theirs which he had had no
possible means of becoming acquainted
with. The physician said Woodward
was suffering from hysteria, and advised
that he be rubbed with strong mustard
water. Blake undertook the task. He
had rubbed Woodward but a short time,
when he was seized with a strange ner-
YOus twitching and contraction of the
muscles. AT the same time Woodward
came to his senses. Blake took up the
singing and dancing, and acted as Wood
ward had been doing for two days. Be
sides that, he became possessed of most
wonderful strength, and 1t required four
| strong men to manage him. To this was
added the still more remarkable power
of telling what the intentions Of any one
| Of his attendants was, and what he was
/ thinking about, making it impossible for
them to use straight measures in dealing
with him.
ct was not until Woodward was re-
! stored to his senses that it was known
/ that Downs had been to see him. 1t was
/ then at once believed that he had been
under the strange influence of the be-
witched blacksmith, and that this had
! been transmitted to Blake. DOVES was
at once sent for, to see if he could not re-
move the spell he had inspired. He
visited Blake at once, and by rubbing
him soon restored him to himself. FOI
the first time in his life, as he said at
the time, Downs himself felt the inf1u.
ence of the power or whatever it might
be called, as he removed it from Blake
| and for several minutes he could restrain
himself with only the exercise of hil
will to the utmost. He said that he had
felt depressed and nervous ever since his
visit to Woodward on Thursday, anC
had not been able to account for it
/ There was no thought of mesmerism IL
his mind when he greeted Woodward OF
that day. He said then that he would
never shake hands or touch any one
again. if he could help it. I have neve
seen him since I left there, and haC
almost forgotten the beWitched black
smith until the performances of tn
Georgia Wonder called him to my mind.
A Soldiers Bright idea.