Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-08

From, the Neao York SWn.
DYRR. IND, Jan. lone OF the nVe
sssdstoLss IN the United States is owned
bv Charles j. Sauter OF this town. Mr.
Sauter came into possession of the stone
! thirty years ago, when he lived across the
line in Illinois. He knew wandering
Frenchman who had failed to make Nv
ing and who one day approached him IN
confidence, and, producing the stone, de-
scribed its wonderful properties to him.
The Frenchman wanted 5000 for 1t. but
sauter could not raise the money. After
an unsuccessful attempt to form STOCK
company, Sauter took all the money ne
had, about 500, and offered 1t 10 lhe
Frenchman, who accepted the sum.
Once in possession OF the prize Sautef
managed to get himself bitten by dog IN
short order, and on applying the stone he
was delighted 20 notice that 1t stuck 10
the wound. As he has never had any
symptoms of hYdrOph0bia he OF course
has confidence IN the stone.
b During the thirty ears that me stohe
has been in Mr. Sauter's' possession nun
dreds of people have had 1t applied to
their wounds and only one has died, but
- the owner refuses to admit that the trOu-
ble in this case was hydrOphOba. The
man came here full of whisky, refused to
keep the stone on, continued drinking and
fHaify was kicked TO death by horse
which he was trying to saddle. Mr.. oau-
ters investment of 500 has been pay
inc one, for he is visited by more than 100
people year, and he charges them ali the
way from 50 10 $50 for the peculiar treat
ment which he gives them. Generally bis
patients come here, but ne has gone as Tar
away as Iowa and northern Michigan with
the stone.
In using the stone for dog bite it is first
put in lukewarm water for a few mo-
ments and then applied to the wound, the
latter being made to bleed lightly. Then,
ii there is any poison in the system, the
stone Immediately adheres, and will con
tnue to do so until the poison rs all eN-
traeted or the stone is fun. When the
stone falls off it is again placed in warm
water for few minutes, when it will be
covered with white scum, which Sauter
~. claims is the poison that it mas extracted.
! This is continued as long as the stone
Will stick. When IL Will no longer adj
here to the wound it is believed that the
POISON has all been absorbed and the
patient ia discharged as cured. II the
stone refuses to stick TO the wound IN the
first place, then it is claimed that there
IS no poison in the blood and the charge
J but So. If several applications are
necessary TO remove all the poison the
Keeps minute record Of ali his cases,
and this shows that in not more than 10
per cent. of them does the stone stick. On
his list NAV be seen the names OF hun
dreds OF people living in adjacent States,
and there are several of them living IN
Louisiana, Mississ ppI, Nebraska and
Kansas. Throughout Illinois and Indi-
ana, where the farmers have great faith in
the efficacy of madst0nes, 1t is a common
Thing for the people to take up a sub
scriptiOn to enable some fellow to go to the
stone.
A year or two ago a man in Iowa who
knew of boy who had been bitten by a
mad dog, and who had gTeattait in mad
stones, was highly indignant when he
discovered that the lads physicians had
made no effort to find one. TIE boy was
j frightened almost to death, and his nerves
j became so shattered that he finally had
spasm or two, and though the doctors
said it was not hydrophobIa, the man on
the outside knew it was. Believing that
great responsibility rested upon him he
went to the telegraph Office one night and
sent messages ia all directions 20 editors
3 Ofnewspapers, asking them il they knew
where a maidstone was to be had. One OF
these telesrams was received in Chicago,
and by somebody there was forwarded TO
Sauter, who Immediately comm unioated
4 with the Iowa enthusiast. The result OF
brief Geographic corresnondence was
that SauteT took his precious stone and
went to Iowa, meeting the oficiOus indi-
vldual and going with him 10 the bedside
Of the boy. The lad by this time was in a
piuable plight, and bis parents were not
disposed to permit any experiments with
the stone; but Sauter convinced them that
no harm could come of il any way and in
the absence OF the doctors he went to
work. The boy took great interest in the
4 y to-. h..
sdne stuck, and the joyous EXCAVATIONS
of1he neighbor and OF Sauter convinced
1, everybody that some marvellous cure was
going on. After the third application the
stone refused to adhere, and Sauter pro-
hQunced the boy cured. The lad appeared
to feel better, and was better. In the
course Of TWO or three days he sat up, aud
week later he was out and around as
Fel as eE1r. The neighhOr declared that
Nwas til. Sandstone. but the physicians
Insisted that both the sickness and the
cure We're in large measure due 10 the
boys Imagination.
sauter claims that the stone will cure
nay kii& Of insect or animal bites, and he
points With pride 10 "A case, which he says
Is the greatest he ever mad, OF lion tanner
named DrlscOll, VINO WAS severely bitten
IN several places by a whelp. According
70 fauter's story, DriscOll came here al
most helpless-had TO be carried. 10 fact
~ aHd his wounds were so numerous and so
large that it seemed almost cut of the
question for one little stone to do bin any
good. All hands went at II, however,
with greas zeal. Driscoil himself was an
ardent beliefer in maastOnes. His father
had been cured by one, and he had known
Of other men who had been benefited by
them in like manner. The stone and the
patent were made ready. Then Sauter
Gpphed the charm TO the biggest wound.
and found that IL stuck 80 tightly that IL
Vas almost impossible 10 knock IL OF.
After ten minutes had elapsed it fell of its
oWnaee0rd. being full, as Sauter says.
and on. being picked up with a pair Oi
longs and put into bucket OF hot water
p green scum Immediately rose 10 the sur
face. The operation was repeated again
ana again until al the wounds had been
treated atnd tbe stone would adhere no
more, the performance consuming nearly
hive days, when the patient was dis
charged as cured.
bAe stone 10 which such remarkable
powers are ascribed A. common enough in
appearance. II is a little over AN inch in
lfngth, nenrly an inch 10 width, and rs
ped like wedge, being about half an
inel thick a. one end aud 4 quarter Of an
hch aLsthe other. 10 is iat on one side
md slightly rounded on the other, the
corners being smooth. In color II IL
lct black except that on one side there
a small FnNnfau aUrf. Alfnufun auufnr