The sun., 1895-05-09
r1roHonAFT IN fENNs11rAx1l.
An 0ls Poyvwow Doctors Account or th,
Mystery OF Healing by Magic.

A, OLD Powwovv Doctors Account or tn.
Mystery OF Healing By Magic.
READING, May ga recent traveller afoo,
passed through what IL known as the "dsrt
ground" OF the Blue Mountain district Of Penn.
sylyania. Tho Blue Mountains separate the
anthracite coal country from the agricultural
districts of tho eastern part OF the State. Alono
the base of these mountains. where there arc no
railroads, civilization is half century at least
behind tho times. and yet the grlst mills and
farmhouses are substantially built of gray lims-
stone Many Of them arc over century and a
half old and in most excellent state OF preser.
yation, and strange to say, hidden away in
many of them are books on incantation diyi-
nation, or, as the Germans say "iicxerei"
Tho people in this region principallv
Pennsylvania Germans, and the mys,io
books they own. and scrupulously guard under
cover, are all In tho German language Tho
books give full details of tho black art-co ;,,.
inRs, producing spells. discovering thieves and
producing curcs The "powpow" doctor is an
interesting character found here. This vener,
bio typo Of magic healer 10 fast passing away.
What the medicine man was to the Indians tho
powpow man Is to the people in tho mountain
country of east Pennsylvsnia to this day, with
this exception, that the powwow man uses no
herbs or medicines.
Aged Peter Bausher lives in . rough-hewn log
hut at tho base Of the Blue Mountains In north.
ern Berks county. some three miles beyond
Straustown. He Is a famous powwow man
and his services have been freely given for the
last fifty years. When younger. 1t was nothing
unusual for him to 60 twenty miles away into
the forest TO powwow for some afflicted sufrerer
Added to his excellent neighborly qualities is
the fact that he Is q sincere Christian. And yet
he practises magic healing. The mountaineers
say he has performed wonderful cures and for
this reason his services were in great demand.
But he is too old now to venture FAR from home
his Of h s In
My tather @ GO could powSwowi So could his
Powwow healing is by faith and prayers. we; Va
afiiiction there is special prayer. None of my
prayers heals so quick as the one use for
serious Serious flow of blood in minute after BOW.
wowing Pains from burns cure the Same
sprains poison. plague. and many many; other h aiIlie
dance atllietions Of the nerves, quickly disap-
ri use no medicine; only words, said ST.
lsnty snt OF c9Srse h cannot tell You what the
E,,,eR ~ %f
words use What they were when 'hs he
first used them, don't know. ba! they !ays
right when my forefathers used them Mis-. .
been repeated and b. this time some 81 "HEo the
words have changed completely. II my Sc
but tn he says he viii have nothng to Wh
it, or course can tell woman, but no, n man.
Woman tell. tell man In this Way s'f these Wc p"Mwow nS
secrets or prayers or Biblical quotations arc
o%n one TO kSo o hen s y R n%sr
You must be near the person and see him when
you p9wW"w msyr ,nsdn for hin nnS or her. CS;rc IN ~, liza
dare not My gift must he given entirely with
out price, so that all may have it. frea rs the
So Of his lis own free will Then cam a taE 'ss it,
days. century ago. in the bacKwCois, they had
no doctors some one had to attend to the at-
for healing by prayer or powwow, In German
we say braucl'". Tie Ribl. is iIIi OF evidence
miracles of our Lord. who used the simplest
words; even to raising people from the iead.
wSS s " Grs rs %F ifrsn el
diphtherin; or any dangerous dis'asr like that,
at ' ana don't FOR With
But there are some things that doctors can't
@ ays hnd " h Of ana rn Of try
e,'lrnacy & o; powwowinS. could name name hundreds
"s " sTHs & IN
MowE rs, ~ III Ihs ne rntnM OF r9nTSe' must nyo
or 1t won't do any good. Sometimes burns or
injuries are blown upon when we powwow. or
the hand a is passed oyer the injury lightly, dur
"liexcrei Is quite another matter. don't do
anything of that kind. | only try to cure people
and help the afflicted. Heaven known there Is
enough suffering In the world. 1t requires soma
time to learn 1t and then to remember it. 4
person must GO under instructions. But it is a
common thing to meet old women who can
powwow for burns or bloodlettnv Their hus-
bands told them how to do it. Their cures TO
the outside world would seem very curious not
to say startling. People take the treatment as
naturally as they drink water and think moth
ing ofit. You must remember that q hun
dred years ago in the forests "f this
country there was not n patent medicine ndvcr-
tised for every i'll that flesh is heir to.
But it is the mysterious. battling Affections Of
human life that puwwOwing helps and cures.
Many person declining to the grave under a
strange, unknown spell is helped. and the con-
suming evil spirit within him is driven ont hv
prayer or pOwwow alone and the sufferer IS
healed Nearly all the good old powwowers
are dead must find some to give my
secrets TO. might not be- able to rest In peace
in the grave If died with all the precious cures
unrevcnled to some one worthy to hear them.
remember them. and practise them for the bene-
fit OF suffering mankind"
Foreign Notes OF EenI Interest.