The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-26
MADSTONES.
One Which Earned a Fortune
for its Owner.
Curing the Most Virulent Type
Of HydrOphObia.

One Of tho most celo brated madstones
in this part OF the wcrll, says the Des
Moines Qa.) Leader, Is that belon ging
to Tuner Evans, of Paris, Linn county,
this state. This valuable little stone
was formerly owned by a gentleman in
Virginia, where it is said to have
effected wonderful cures during the
past 130 years. It Is been in the
hands of the present owner for over
thirty years. During this time it has
been tested several times and has always
given entire satisfaction, never failing
to effect a cure. The word "cure" is
perhaps not the word to use in this
connection, for if l am rightfully in
formed 1t is always made a point to use
the stone as preventive of hydropho-
bia before the actual appearance of the
rabies. During the past thirty years
this stone has been tried on not less
than $50 persons and as Mr.. Evans
charges $40 for trial and $50 if it
sticks fast to the wound, which it is
said to do if there is hydrophobic poi
son in the system, his income from this
source must be considerable. In 1880
a gentleman with whom the writer was
very well acquainted, was bitten by a
dog thought to lie suffering with hy-
drophobia. l refer to d. C. McGillen,
who formerly worked in a harness shop
IN this city. Inquiries were made i'm
mcdiatel Y as to where the possesscr Of a
maidstone could be found. As soon
as this Linn County man was located
McGillcn started on his race with death
having no doubt that awful disease
(hydrOphobia) was at that moment SOW
ing its seeds of death in his system. He
arrived at Cedar Rapids the same night,
was hurried into a carriage and taken to
the "madstone man" as soon as possible.
Alter his return he gave the writer most
of the facts which have been embodied
IN this article. He said that as soon as
he arrived Mr.. Evans SCRATCHED his arm
with pin Che had been bitten in the
hanO and applied the stone. Before
this, as sort of prologue, Mr.. Evans
had informed his patient that if the
hydroplobic germ was in his system the
stone would hold fast to the spot which
he had sacrificed; but il he had not been
inoculatcd with the fatal poison, it
would not stick. In this case my in
formant said ct stuck like Ieech."
and that when removed it was full of
a grecnish fluid that looked like
scum on a pond in August" This
the operator said, was the poison
virus which had been taken from the
system. When the stone had been
soaked for few minutes in bath com
posed Of about one part milk and three
OF water it was again applied This
operation was repeated for about seven
hours, after which the stone would not
adhere, and the operator pronounced
the patient out of danger. McGiIIen
described the stone as whiteish.
spongy looking little thing, not larger
than tIbert, cone-shapcd and full of
fine pores. A Mr.. Bunce Of Mechanics
vile, this state, had the stone applied
something like seven hundred times be-
fore all the poison was drawn from the
system, the time consumed for these
operations being something like twenty
three hours.
j. NJ, Estes Of Osceola, it is said, is
the fortunate possessor of one of these
wonderful stones.
Another is in the possession of John
Nelson of Savannah, Mo.
In May, 1888, Frederick Remy, of
Red Oak, was bitten by a mad dog, as
were also six others of the same city, all
Of whom went to try the virtues of the
Missouri stone. I believe Remy was
the only one that died of hydroph hobia.
He was bitten May IS, and showed no
symptoms Of the dread disease for
thirty-four days, or until June 21. He
died after three days of terrible suffer
ing. l am unable to tell you where the
maidstone is found or how procured,
that is, to any degree of certainty, but
believe it is found in the bladder of deer
and other animals of that kind, perhaps
in the galI-bag instead of the bladder.
At any rate, l think it is found some
place under the skin Of that class of
animals wh.n found at all. 1t is rarely
found, however. Thomas Padden, one
of the best-informed men in the south,
says that it is frequently found in the
south, but that most of the so-called
madstones are Of a very low grade, and
are used on the bites of snakes and
stings of pois onous insects. He also
leaves the reader in bIissful ignorance
Of where the stone is fonnd
A Substitute for the Switch.
One day Ernest had been seriously f.
.ectured by his mother, and flallv sent