Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-26
A CHINESE MAIDSTONE,
said TO Have Cured Hundreds Bitten
by VenOmous Creatures.

Said to Have Cured Hundreds Bitten
by VenOmOus Crcatures.
From the st. Louis Republic
Ben X. Spradiey, an attache of the st.
Louis Sanitartum, has one of the most cur
ious, and what he asserts to be one Of the
most useful and valuable articles. 1t is q
Chinese snake stone, and there is said to
be but one other in the country Indeed.
the one in Mr.. Spradley's possession is but
half one, the original having been cut in
two by Mr.. spradley. ana half of it given
to friend. The stone looks like a piece
OF obiong camel coal. ami is about one
eighth of an inch in thickness, three
eighths Of an inch wide. and half an inch
long. 1t is as light as a piece of cork,
possesses polished surface, and can be
easily cut with knife. 1t Is not a stone,
IN the proper sense of the word, but is a
manufactured article, and Is porous
10 cure snake bites or poisonous wounds
or similar nature with the stone the
wound must be scafifed Then the stone is
applied to the wound. Each morning and
evening 1t is taken off and put into a glass
OF iukeWarm water to remain a few mo-
menus, until 1t discharges the poison Ii has
absorbed. Then. after the wound has been
washed in strong solution Of salt water
ana again scaritied, the stone, which in the
meantime has been rubbed in warm ashes
i
Iiient IS Kept up for nine days, and the pa
tent abstains during that time from spir-
ituous liquors, a cure is assured.
secured the stone." said Mr.. Spradley,
from my father more than thirty years
ago. He got it from James ]. Parker the
man who made ii. From 1874 to 1877 was
WIN the party which was putting through
the Texas Pacific railroad. and during
mat time cured several of the party who
were bitten by rattlers and other poisonous
MAKES. l have frequently loaned the stone
70 irends ana L cut the original in two
giving half of it to particular friend of
mine. have not used the stone for some
ilme, out am ready to give a test of its
merits at any time"
Following are some excerpts from a
written history Of the stone In the possess
sion of Mr.. Spradley:
This remedy for the prevention of hy-
drophobia and cure of the bites and stinss
obtained by my father, who was a sea
captain, forty-iye years ago. from an old
schooimate of his, who was also a captain
OF ship, and engaged in the China trade.
he also obtained full directions for making
the same. He said the captain told him
that he obtained it from a Chinese juggIer.
VINO frequently exhibited poisonous snakes,
ana would even allow them to bite him. for
the Sratihcation of his audience and then
apply a piece of the stone, without recaiy-
ing the least injury. The said captain. by
paying the juggler literally, and agreeing
not to make any. for sale in China. OBJ
u.
was applied by my father and mother to
more than two hundred persons within a
lapse or forty years, and never failed in a
single instance to effect a cure"
Attached to this written history, which
Is signed by James J. Parker. Cabin Point,
Srrry county, Va, is a certificate of cures
performed by means of the stone by
Parker's mother, which is signed by
twenty-six citizens of Cabin Point, the GER
tifcate reading as follows:
we, the undersigned, citizens Of Cabin
Point, county of Surry, and state of Viz
Sinia, do confidently believe the snake
stone in the possession of James ]. Parker
to be infalllble as preventive of hydro
phob!a and cure for all bites of a poison
Gus character. we having known and heard
OF persons who were unquestionably bitten
by mad dogs and poison reptiles who
have visited this great remedy with never
failing success"
or the twer ty-six signers Of the certifi-
cate, Mr.. Spradley says all are now dead,
except one-a Mr.. ]. Deal who lives in
Pennsylvania