The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-05-04
MAGIC MADSTONES.
WONDERFUL LIFE SAVING PEBBLES
OWNED IN VIRGINIA.
They Were Brought From AN East Indian
Island by Captain Smith In 1S0A-His
Grandson Tells the story-Reiates In
stances of Marvellous Cares.

stances of Marvellous Cares.
| Stories about madstones have time and
again been described In books. But tho
maidstone in real life is n natural wonder,
rare enough To cause most people 10 doubt
its existence. The authenticated cases OF
its use on people bitten by mad dogs OF
poisonous snakes are very infrequcnt Es-
sex and Loudon counties, in Virginia,
however, appear to hold the record for
madstones, both in the number of in
stances in which they have successfully
been applied and in the number of the
madstones possessed by its citizens.
A most interesting account of these Vir-
ginia madstones is told by Mr.. Edward
| Tyler OF Aldic, Loudon county, Va.
correspondent who called on Mr.. Tyler
found him mt his sawmill among the Bull
Run mountains. In giving the history Of
the madstones he said:
my grandfather on my mothers side,
| Captain James Smith, was "a Scotchman
by BIRTH and came TO Virginia in 1855, at
20 years of age, and settled in Richmond.
Captain Smith was accustomed 10 take
long sea voyages--going sometimes to Aus
tralia and other East Indian islands. Dur
ing one of these trips in the year 1904, for
government interest, he stopped on one OF
tlle Sfntll lSlanuS Ior StNtful
for the first time he saw what Is known rs
a maidstone. The natives, who were very
friendly and fond of trading, came To him
| while he was along there and offered TO sell
| him some little BLUSH stones, and when he
asked them by signs of what use they
were the natives began at once To show
| him by actual test.
They produced most horrid looking
| scorpion, which one OF them had confined
! in a wicker cage, and then they let the rep
! tile bite cat. Captain Smith was dis
| gustcd with such cruelty, but said nothing
and watched the result. The poor creature
| began To show signs of distress at once,
and in very few moments died in agony.
! The natives then called upon one from
among their number and made him run
his bare arm into the cage In which the
scorpion was confined.
"With horror did Captain Smith see this
| poisonous reptile fasten its fangs in the
| feshy portion of the man 5 arm. He quick
| ly withdrew it, and very hastily one of
| these little stones was applied TO the
| wound, and IL adhered to it as if il had
been plaster. After few moments had
elapsed the stone fell OFF, and the native
who had been bitten seemed to feel no
pain and certainly manifested not the
| slightest inconvenience or indicated any
fear Captain Smith at once recognized
| that there must be some specific virtue in
| stone which could accomplish such O
| wonderful result.
| ''He asked the islanders where they got
| the stones. They Informed him that were
| they To tell they would, according to the
law of the island, be punished with death.
Being satisfied that the other stones which
! they had for sale were like the one used
for the scorpions bite, Captain Smith pur-
chased Is or 20 Of these magic pebbles and
carefully stored them away. When he had
returned 10 Richmond, he gave several of
them 10 his friends, who were members of
the legislature of Virginia, and reserved
| the remainder for the members OF his fam
| lily.
| Yes / have one and will step 10 the
| house and bring il To you. 1 would not
| take anything in reason for II, as l have
! perfect confidence in its powers.
The stone with which Mr. Tyler returned
was little finty looking stone, about an
| inch and a half long and n half or three
| quarters OF an inch thick, irregular in
| shape of a dark green or blush color, and
| altogether very Insignificant in appear
ance One would scarcely pick IL up in
the street unless he were trained lapidary
or an expert geologist.
! Now" said Mr. Tyler, "let me tell
| you of my experience connected with this
! little stone in case of dog bites, snake bites
and all, and then you can judge for your
self whether the dogs We're mad and the
snakes poisonous. In 1872 Jerry jackson,
| colorcd man. and now strong and
healthy, was bitten by a copperhead snake
on the fleshy part of his arm. Nine hours
after he had received the bite / saw him.
| =. II a. 1.,1
swollen 10 the shoulder and still swelling
SO fast one could perceive 1t grow larger.
81 scratched the wound with my pen
! knife until it blcd and then applied the
stone. 1t stuck Immediately, and I'm n very
| short time you could see that his arm was
| reducing I'm size Now, rs soon as the
stone becomes charged with poison 1t drops
! off You then put II in milk warm water,
and IL discharges oil of the poisonous mat
ter and you can see the process. Little
green bubbles rise slowly end burst
soon as they reach the surface.
/ Il had TO cleanse the stone several times
| during the course of its application TO Jcr-
ry's arm, and each time / could see the
swelling was becoming less and less.
| Finally his arm was its natural size but
| his hand was yet swollen. The stone con-
tinued to stick. and not until every parti-
Gle of the swelling was reduced did il re-
| linquish its hold. was, / suppose, about
eight hours working on him. He has
never felt the slightest pain since. You
can question him " YOU like.
- a CnlOrsd woman WAS bitten by q mad
dog q few years ago, and on the day bcforc
the same dog biz merchant living near
by. The merchant had the stone applied
and got WELL the woman did not use tho
stone, and in nine days 3icd from hydro.
phoba
"A colorcd boy in this county was bitten
by "a rattlcsnake, and applied the mad
stone, and tho boy got entirely well. There
arc many other well authenticated cascs
which 1 could cite. New York World.