The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-05-11

hnd altogether neglected sports and society
The books he took from the college library
were those that portained to chemistry,
physiology and psychology. After school
days were over we drifted entirely apart.
He engaged in the study OF medicine. he
was surgeon to New England regiment
during the Civil War, at the close OF which
he settled in a mining town In Pennsylvania
received letter from him while he was
there in which he stated that he was en-
gagged in his life work." and concluded
that 1t did not consist entirely in setting
fractures and dislocatlons and administering
cslomel. He invited me to visit him II
ever passed through the Keystone State, as
he wished to renew an old acquaintance and
to resume n conversation begun at the time
we took a long walk together when we
were fellow students. He concluded by
stating that he thought he could now inter-
est me in the subject then under considera-
ton.
Something like year after receiving his
letter while travelling through the noun
tain portion of Pennsylvania, l stopped off
at the town where my old frieua had re-
sided The station agent informed me that
DR., Forbes had moved to Montana and that
it was reported that he was then travelling in
South America. AS l had to wait several
hours for a train made some inquiries in
the village about the doctors career. The
landlady at the hotel where l took dinner
| stated that he had but few intimate friends,
that he spent much time in the woods
seeking strange plants, that ho had caused
the arrest of a man for poisoning his
wife, and that he had broken the heart of
| beautiful girl who was attached to him. A
| physician who had been his competitor in
business, though he belonged to different
school of medicine, gave strange account
of him He accused him of trying danger
Gus experiments on his patients and of pre-
scribing drugs not indorsed by the profes-
sion. He stated that he had a room fitted
up for preparing medicine and that in his
opinion he praoticed alchemy.
Several years passed before / again re-
ceived any tidings from this strange man.
But one day letter was brought to me the
directions on which were plainly in his
hand. The post-mark on the envelope was
| Adelaide, South Australia The letter was
| dated at some place in the interior Of the
colony, which was not laid down on any
map L could obtain The first portion of the
letter was devoted to personal matters that
were of no interest to any one but the
writer and myself. l will now give an ex-
act copy of what followed, which may
prove to be of interest to many persons:
"Since 1 saw you last, indeed ever since /
years ago, have devoted all my energies
to trying to discover the substance then
spoke to you about l studied medicine
| that [ might the better prosecute my in
! guirieS. ! practiced il, partly for the sake
| of gaining living, but chiefly for the op-
portunities it afforded me of making ex-
| periments. AT the end of half an average
lifetime | had nothing TO show for my
labors But | have at last succeeded.
| found what [ was seeking almost beneath
the place where you stand.
IL need not give you full account of ali |
my trials and failures. 1t is enough to say |
that none of the substances / prepared in |
the laboratory produced the desired effect.
1 resorted to the employment of plants
whose influence on the human system was
not known. With these l had no better
success. | had heard that some of our
Indians passed into state of
frenzy after they had drank a decoction of
certain herbs and that while in that condi-
tion they prOfessed to be able to see the true
conditions of persons who were absent as
we'll us present. l found on visiting them
hat that belief WAS entertained by several
Indian tribes, but | could not learn from
hem what plants were used for this pur-
pose. Pursuing my Investigations in this
matter passed through Mexico ana several
Of the countries in Central America III all
Of which heard many stories which seemed
to confirm what had heard before But /
never came in possession of the coveted Sc
cret.
while in Chill thought of what l had
read of the wonderful occult powers pos
sessed by the faliirs in India. and resolved
to 30 there in quest OF information. That
there are persons ON the banks of the Upper
Ganges who are able to read the hearts and
thoughts of men j became convinced. But |
nothing can inuuce them to impart their Sc
cret to one who is not a member of their |
order. 1t is heritage of q chosen few and |
doubtless will ever remain such. They Sc
cure it by giving up all claims to every |
thing else.
''W,iat prompted me to visit Australia | |
can not tell but it was not the desire TO sec !
strange sights or to crafty the love of ad-
venture. While al Melbourne | heard WON
delful things about the Gypsy woman who
with Ler tribe was in camp on tho outskirt<
of the city | saw her and she to. d me more
about myself than | knew. She even in
formed me Of the object of my search. |
knew that this dusky daughter of the Nile
for she was true Egyptian. possessed the
knowledge Idcsired and Iresolved to obtain
it, lprcsumed shat the offer of gold would
not procure what ] wished. j therefore
concluded to maze myself useful to her and
herpcope If could. soon found il in my
power to do SO. Her child became sick and
she was advised to leave the vicinity of
the coast. AS the tribe left for the interior
l followed them But the child continued
to fail till the mother implored me 10 save
its life promisingto give Inc in return any
thing that was in her power. Night and
day stood over the child until the Gypsy
camp was the scene of gla1ncss.
81 had no occasion TO remind the mother
of her promise One day when all the men,
bers of the tribe were absent from camp,
looking for food and fuel, she called me to
her and placed in my hand a little bag filled
with tde leaves of Il plant THAT was unknown
TO me, though was well verscd in botany.
i had noticed that she had always taken
some of these leaves in her mouth before
she had bidden the seeker after knowledge
cross her palm with gold. l asked for no
for was conscious that pos
sessed what i de3ired.
'rhe next morning went to a hillock,
covered with scrubby trees, where
kangaroo htd passed the night, seated my
self on the sod and placed a roll of the leaves
in my mouth. The flavor of them was dis
tasteful as that of opium or tobacco to
novice. In the course of a few minutes all
my mental faculties appeared TO be quick
ened. Every event of my life was recalled
and appeared to be re enacted before my
eyes. l saw others, not as have seen them
be pIOre but aS | have rpaSOu think thpv | .