The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-12-23
EFFICACY OF CHARMS,
PeopiO who stlll Cling to Old superIti.
lions.

Some Pennsylvania farmers keep the
skins OF adders in or on their houses and
buildings, believing them to be a certain
charm against fire. To cure ague the pa
tient is taken to spot where two roads cross,
and an oak tree is found as near the spot as
possible. A lock of his hair is lifted up and
driven into the tree with an ash peg. The
patient must then tear himself loose, leay-
ing the hair sticking in the tree, walking
away without looking behind him. Suffer-
ers with erysipelas by wearing in silken
bag around their necks toad from which
the right hind leg and the left fore leg had
been cut, until the mutilated reptile dies,
will get we'll of the disease. The tongue
cut from living fox, these charm believers
say, carried about the person, will ward off
diseases Of all kinds; but as the person car
rying one of these fox tongues will surely
die If he should happen to meet fox ut
any crossroads, the charm is seldom inyok-
ed. One old resident Of the settlement car
ries in his pocket constantly an immense
tooth from human jaw. The tooth, he
says, was taken from the mouth of man
who was hanged IN Hertfordshire more than
one hundred years ago, after the man was
dead, and was carried by the present owners
father, grandfather and great-grandfaiher.
1t is carried as preventive of toothache,
the tooth from dead persons mouth being
certain charm against that malady. The
owner of the tooth says he never had the
toothache in his life. A double hazel nut
carried in the pocket or about the per.
son is also preventive of the disease.
The charms for the dispersion of warts
believed in by many of these honest farm
ers are numerous and most singular For
instance, If person with warts on his OF
her hands will write down the number of
them on the band of tramp's hat without
the tramp knowing it, he will carry The
warts away with him-that is, they will
gradually disappear from the persons
hands and appear on those of the tramp
BY cutting notch on green elder stick
for every wari person may have, rubbing
tho stick ON every wart and then burying il
in the barnyard until 1t rots the warts may
be cured. Warts may also be removed by
taking black snail, rubbing it on oil the
warts at night and impaling the snail on
thorn bush, repeating the process nine sue.
cessive nights, by time the warts and the snail
will both be shrivelled up. another way
to get rid Of warts is for the person to see n
funeral pass unexpectedly, wherever she
may be, and as it passes rub his warts
quickly and repent the words, Warts and
corpse pass away and never more RETURN
Green peas may also be used to advantage
in taking off warts. Let the afflicted per.
son take as many pens as he has warts
and touch each wnrt with different pen.
He must then wrap each pen in separate
piece of paper and bury them secretly in
the shade of an ash tree or under n hazel
BUSH If peas are not in season and the
person with warts does not care to try the
efficacy of any of the above-named charms,
let him select as many pebbles as he has
warts. Sewing them up in a sfnali bag, he
must take them to where four roads cross
and throw the bag over his left shoulder.
This charm will never be resorted to. how.
ever, by persons who have no malicious
ness in their hearts for if by chance any
other person should find the bag and open
it the warts will appear on his hand.-Bos
ton Budget.
The prisoner was taken back 10 his cell,
where he fold me that he would take ten
more lashes to have one month less of i'm.
prisonment.
1t didn't hurt much" he explained,
except when one lash curled around on
my belly. That was just my measure, and
l had to dance"
l gathered from over twenty-five talks
with storekeepers and other villagers that
the people of Delaware regard the whipping
post largely Ms an Anticipated nuisance.
~ Y. World.