Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-05-09
MAGIC MADSTONES.
WONDERFUL LIFE SAVING PEBBLES
OWNED IN VIRGINIA.
They Were Brought From an East Indian
Island by Captain Smith In 1SO4-His
Grandson Tells the story-Reiatcs In
stances Of Marvellous Cures.

Stories about madstones have time and
again been described In books. But the
maidstone in real life is natural wonder
rare enough to cause most people to doubt
its existence. The authenticated cases Of
its use on people bitten by mad dogs or
poisonous snakes are very infrcqucnt. Is
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 tho
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 A
correspondent who called on Mr.. Tyler
found him at 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 Scotchman
by birth, and came to Virginia in 1855, at
90 years of age, and settled in Richmond
Captain Smith was accustomed 10 take
long sea voyages-gcing 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
the small islands for several days. There
for the first time he saw what is known rs
maidstone. The natives, who We're 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 ratives began at once to show
him by actual test.
They produced most horrid looking
scorpion, which one of them had confined
in wicker cage, and then they let the rep
tile bite a 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 ut 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
flcshy portion of the mans arm. He quick
ly withdrew it, and very hastily one Of
these little stones was applied to the
wound, and it adhered to it as If it had
been plaster. After few moments had
| elapsed the stone fell off, and the native
who had been bitten seemed to feel no
pain ard certainly manifested not tho
! slightest Inconvenience or indicated any
fear Captain Smith at once recognized
that there must be some specific virtue in
stone which could accomplish such
wonderful result.
"Hc asked the islanders where they rot
the stones They informed him that were
they to tell they would, according TO tho
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 to Richmond, he gave several OF
them to his friends, who were members OF
the legislature of Virginia, and reserved
the remainder for the members of his fam
lily.
Eyes, / have one and will step to the
house and bring it to you. l would not
take anything IN reason for it, as / have
perfect confidence in its powers.
The stone with which Mr.. Tyler returned
was little tlinty looking stone, about an
inch and n half long and a half or three
quarters of an inch thick, irregular In
shape, of Is dark green or blush color, and
altogether very insignificant in appear
ancc. One would scarcely pick it up iii
the street unless he were a trained lapidary
or an expert geologist.
Now" said Mr.. Tyler, "let me tell
you of my experience connected with this
little stone in ease of dog bites, snake bites
and all, and then You can judge for your
self whether the dogs We're mad and tho
snakes poisonous. In 1872 Jerry Jackson,
a colored man, and now strong and
healthy, was bitten by copperhead snake
on the tleshy part of his arm. Nine hours
after he had received the bite | saw him.
His arm was irightful to look at. 1t was
swollen TO the shoulder and still swelling
SO fast ono could perceive 1t grow larger.
~ scratched the wound with my pen
knife until it blod and then applied tho
stone. 1t stuck Immediately, and in very
short time you could see that his arm was
reducing in size. Now, as soon AS tho
stone becomes charged with poison 1t drops
of. You then put it in milk warm water,
and it discharges all of the poisonous mat
ter, and you can see the process. Littlc
green bubbles rise slowly and burst ns
soon as they reach the surface.
Il had to cleanse the stone several times
during the course of its application to jor-
RVS arm, and each time l coalG $40 tho
swelling was becoming less and less.
Finally his arm was its natural size, but
his hand was yet swollen. The stone CON
tinucd to stick, and not until every part
Gle of the swelling was reduced did it re-
linquish its hold. was, suppose about
eight hours working on him. He has
never felt tho slightest pain since. You
can question him If you like.
"A colored woman was bitten by mad
dog few years ago, and on the day before
the same dog bit a merchant living near
by. The merchant had the stone applied
ard got well; the woman did not use the
stone, gid in zine days died from hydro
phobia.
"A colored boy in this county was bitter
by rattlcsnako and applied the mad
stone, and the boy got entirely well. There
arc many other well authenticated cases
which l could cite. New York World.