The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1885-12-12
CURING BY CHARMS.
Strange Superstitions Rife in an
Old English Settlement

s ..- . ASA SOSSASAAV0S asa
Years ago a number of emigrants
from Devonshire, Lancaster, Cornwall,
Yorkshire and other counties of En-
gland settled in Northern Pennsylvania,
near the New York State line. They
had made some Of the finest farms in
the State and are the best Of citizens,
but many Of them cling with singular
tehacity to a strange belief in the eff
cacy of certain charms that have been
used for centuries among the class to
which they belonged in England. The
charmed ring cure for epilepsy is n
of these. Only q few days ago a jew
eler at Honesdale was called upon by q
resident of the settlement, who had
with him his daughter, a sickly girl Of
fifteen. The girl produced nine En-
glish two-penny pieces, from which the
jeweler was requested to make q ring
to fit the girls middle finger. 1t was
necessary, the farmer said, that q por-
ton OF each coin should be used and
the rest Of the pieces saved and re-
tErned to his daughter. The coins
were given her by nine boys, as near
her own age as could be found, which
would give to the ring a charm which.
when she put it on, would oure her Of
epilepsy, from which she was suffering.
This he maintained was a cure that
was always tried in Devonshire and
never failed. If the victim Of epilepsy
was a male, the nine coins must be
presented by nine females.
Some Of these farmers ke,p the skins
OF adders in or on their houses and
buildings, believing them to be a Ger.
tain charm against fire. To cure ague
the patient is taken to q spot where
two roads cross, and an oak tree is
found as near the spot as possible. A
Jock Of his hair is lifted up and driven
into the tree with an ash peg. The
patient must then tear himself loose,
leaving the hair sticking in the tree,
and walk away without looking be-
hind him. Sufferers with crysipelas,
by wearing in a silken bag around
their neck q toad from which the right
hind leg and the left fore leg has been
cut until the mutilated reptile dies will
get well Of the disease. The tongue
out from a living fox. these charm be.
levers say, carried about tho person
will ward off disease Of all kinds, but
As the person carrying one Of these fox
tongues will surely die il be should
happen to meet q fox at any cross
roads. the charm is seldom invoked.
One old resident Of the settlement ear
rles in his pocket constantly an i'm
znsnse tooth from q human jaw. The
tooth, he says, was taken from the
mouth OF q man who was hanged in
H~ertfordshire more than a hundred
years ago after the man was dead, and
was carried by the present owners
father, grandfather and greatgrand.
father. It is carried as a preventive for
tOothache, the tooth from a dead per-
sons mouth being a certain charm
against that malady. The owner Of
the tooth says he never had the tooth
ache in his life. A double hazclnut car
Eied in the pocket or about the person
Is also q preventive OF the disease.
The charms for the dispersion Of
warts believed in by many Of these hon.
farmers are numerous and most
singular. For instance. II . person
with warts on his or her hands will
write down the number Of them on tho
band Of o tramp's hat without the
tramp knowing it be will carry the
warts away with him-that is, they
will gradually disappear from the per
hands and appear on those Of the
BY cutting . notch on a green
elder-stick for every wart person may
have, rubbing the stick on every wart,
and then burying IL in the barn-yard
until It rots, the warts may be cured.
Warts may also be removed by taking
q black snail. rubbing It On all the
warts at night. and impaling the ANAL
Dn a thorn bush, repeating tho process
nine consecutive nights, by which time
the warts and the snail viii both be
up. Another way. to get rid
Of warts IL for the person to soc a tuner
al pass unexpectedly, wherever no
may be, and, as 1t passes, rub hts warts
quickly and repeat me words; Warts
and corpse pass away and never more
return" Green peas may also be used
10 advantage in taking off warts. Lot
Tho afflicted person take IS many peas
n no has warts and touch each wart
With q. different pea. Ho must then