The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-04-03
QUEER STORY FROM JANSEN
How an Old Man Effected Two Cures ina
Superstitious Nebraska Community.
A Girl Who Was Said TO Be Bawitched and a
Boy Who Vas suffering from q Serious
Ailment Cured in q Strange Way.

OMAHA, NoOss %'C1sf 10 ~
prosperous village of 200 or 800 souls located
on the prairie in the southern part of the
State. Most of the Inhabitants are Ger
mans and Russians. Among them lives
John Pruder, mild hammered old German.
who earns a scanty Subsistence for himself
and family by laborlng on the sheep ranch
of Peter Jansen. The only one of the family
who understands English is little frieda.
q girl of nine. just before the holidays
Frieda was taken i'll and confined to her
bed. and. until ten days ago. she was the
victim of q most mysterious silment. She
was subject TO spasms. in which her fingers
were cramped until the nails were buried
in her palms and her toes were turned
under her feet. She lost sight,. hearing
and speech. and her little figure was
racked with a variety of involuntary
contortions. She was helpless for hours
ana days, and for one period of eight
weeks life was sustained by pouring milk
down her throat. AT Other times she inn
agined she saw visions. Sometimes IL
was an angel. then o rabbit. and
again q woman in white. A ply
stefan ventured the opinion that the
child's liver was affected. Another said it
- " bhoto ~ 0aVkASA
he did not understand the case. The cir
cumstances of her slcknes are vouched for
by American %neishbors of respectability.
who can have no motive to misrepresent.
One of the enperstitious old women sug-
gested that Frieds had been bewitched. In
support of her theory. she urged that
the inside of the bed upon which
the child rested be examined.
Pruders opened the tick and found the
feathers matted in peculiar shapes. The
superstitious neighbors suggested that
these feather objects be burned,
saying that the witch would be
house after the burning. The first caller
happened to be Q Mrs. Miller. Her husband
had one time made q vain attempt to sell
Pruder O piece of property, and they read
ily accepted the conclusion that Mrs. Miller
was bewitching the child in revenge.
News of the affair reached q farmer
named William Noltensmyer, formerly of
Missouri. He advised the Pruders to Q
for John ErinberR. OF Warrensburg.
wrought by him. Mr.. Erinberg arrived at
Jansen last Saturday morning and went to
the Pruder home. The stranger looked at
the child, said he could cure her. and
asked for q room in which he could be
alone: An adjoining room was given up to
him. but what he did in there is unknown.
When he came out he was perspirinR as
though he had undergone some great physi-
cal exertlOn. Three times that day did lie
give the child this treatment" as he
called his private operation. He neither
touched the child nor gave her medicine.
and it is supposed that he devoted
himself to prayer while in seclusion.
During the day there were mutter
ings of Ill will among the simple minded
foreigners. and at night . OF
twenty-four. organized with q leader.
called at the Pruder home and notified
Erinberg that he must leave the town the
navt rrnvnin nv thav -nnlA nvnannueA him
The stranger from Missouri was a peaceful,
white bearded man of seventy, and was
evidently frightened by these threats. but
when Mr.. Bruer and other intelligent clti-
.zens. Satisfied that he was at least doing
no harm. promised to protect him. be
agreed to stay. Mr.. Erlnberg gave little
Frieda three treatments" Sunday morning
and in the afternoon she was about playing
night she was at the house OF Mr.. Bruer
until II O'clock, romping merrily with his
children. though she had not entirely Tee
covered her speech.
Tbs mob of Saturday night held q meet
ing Sunday and determined to tar and
feather Erinberg that night. Their plot
ting was overheard by q boy. who notified
Pruder's friends. These gathered in force
to protect the old man. and his enemies
were frightened from their purpose.
Among the business meu of Jansen IS Mr..
j. w. Marshall. a grain buyer. He has q
ten-year-old son. Floyd. who suffered
Tor eight years from two running sores, one
on each side of his neck. He had been treat
ed by Omaha and other physicians at an out
lay of many hundred dollars. but without
much relief. The cure Of Frieda Pruder
naturally became the talk of the town, and
Floyd Marshall asked his father to take
him to Mr.. Erlnberg for treatment. Mr..
Erinberg looked at the lad i~ntently
for O moment. chatted with him q
few minutes, told him to be . good
boy. and said he would be cured.
In this case the old man did not retire TO
another room. This meeting occurred about
10 o'clock in the morning. When Floyd
came to his mother in the afternoon to have
his neck dressed she was surprised to ind
that the sores had stopped running and the
/ wound seemed to be closed. A lump as large
as q goose egg that had been gathering on
the left side of the neck for three weeks
previous had also disappeared. Hardly
able to believe her eyes. and not Wishing
to raise false hopes. Mrs. Marshall said
nothing to her husband about the wonderful
change until the next day, when the sores
had entirely closed and the discharges
ceased. 1t is beyond dispute that both
children were suffering from serious all
ments before ErInberg visited Jansen. 1t
is equally true that since his visit their dis
eases have left them. and they are appar-
emily in good health.