The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-01
& MkDS


Free Prs>s
l!earIns that pr Il. G.. Cobb.
who moved from Craven county to
kiustoa several months ago, l,oS
sesSed a maidstone, the writer IA led
on him a few dsvs ago 10 learn
something aboutit.
DR.. Cohe showed IL 10 rs and told
par, OF its history. IL Is very small,
about an inch long, halt All iGch
wide and fourth OF an inch thick
Il seems 10 be piece broken oil
from Il larger stone. The outside
IS light color, bnt where IL was
broken oil is almost Jet black III
color. DR. Cobb Keeps II in sinai.
pin box. which IS marked "Suakc
stone"
There is considerable doubt in
The public MUD that such thing
as stone that VIII extract poison
from a wound exists, bat Dr. Cobb
is perfectly leliaabIe in what he
says.
This stone was bought by Dr.
CobbcS witc'S father, Elder VIM. L.
Biddle, about seventy five years
ago, who paid twenty five dollars
for 1t TO someone living in tie neigh
borhood. the Fl. Barnwell section oi
Craven county. There is IA tradl.
ton that peddler had gone
through that section years prevlou>
to that time with a basket full OF
such stones selling them.
DR.. Cobb says the stone IN his
possession has been tried on ut
least 100 cases of snake and spider
bites and extracted the poison and
gave relief IN every instance, even
to the bite OF the deadly white oal;
snake. lie said Mr.. BIddle once
tIled the stone upon a negro who
had been bitten by mad dog and
It extracted the poison in the same
way as III snake bites, but he
thought it only far to state that
the negro was kept thoroughly un-
der the Influence Of powerful medl.
c;nes until the danger was over.
The dog that bit the negro also
bit another dog, hog and n COW.
all Of which died OF hydIophoGia.
DR.. Cobb told lis that only ahout
one IN ten persons bitten by mad
dogs die OF the effects anyway.
TO apply he stone To "A bite it j.
first put ~ sya n water for few
minutes.
Where there is poison 1t adheres
SO that 1t would not fall of even If
TUNED downward uutil 1t takes all
the poison it can hold, when it be-
comes loose: then it Is placed in
warm water again and as the poison
comes cut of tine stone small bub-
bles rise 10 the top; as Soon IS the
bubbles cease to rise it is applied to
the wound again. This operation
is repeated until the stone will not
adhere TO the wound, when all the
poison has been extracted. Dr.
Cobb told OF cases Of snake and
>pi Ter bites that had swolle" the
face all out Of shape, beng relieved
BY this stone SO that the swelling
went down IN few hours.
Dr. Cobb told Us that Harper s
Magazine several years ago cons
tanned an account of all the mad
stones 1t could learn of after adver-
tising for same, aud could only learn
of ten or lwelve, which were scat
tered all over the cOnniry-one be
ing in some part of western Carolina.
He failed to send an account of u s
aud there fore it was not described
among the others.
DR.. Cobb rightly values this little
piece of stone very highly. 1t was
lost on two occasions by the gross
carelessness OF persons to whom he
loand 1t, and therefore he Will not
be very ready to loan 1T ont here
after. but WI apply 1t himself
Whenever 1t Is needed.
Mr.. Frank Cox suggest that ;hls
would be ID good thing for our fish
c;men and hunters to take with
them when they 20 ont in>tc ,d Of
tue usual remedy they take VITA
theIn for .'.,uakc bite but this IL
impractical, d. the etohe can't be
secured foE sueh purposes. HcsiJcs
the fishermen aud lunter~ have got
kinder used to the rec culatlon 'snakc
bite" remedy AMI ha rather have
it than ANYTHING else.