Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1896-02-14

send in furnishing them fruitful topic OF
conversation. When a reporter came here
to see the healer they started down the road
that leads to his shop and met him on the
way. He is strikingly handsome man,
large. we'll formed, with clear. white COM
plexion and eyes that seem at times to be
hazel and at other times light gray. Mod
est, unassuming and difiident he has not yet
grown accustomed to notorlety.
"Im Just going to the village on an er-
rand" he said, land will be back soon."
Before he got back to his shop. however,
eight or 10 villagers had stopped him on the
way. or summoned him into their houses for
treatment He was gone two hours. And
when he returned he sat down on sawhorse
in the shop and talked freely with the re-
porter.
"It was one day last August" he said,
"while was at work over there at my anvil
that l suddenly heard kind of buzzing
noise in my ear. And then voice, just AS
plain and distinct as any l ever heard.
whispered in my ear You can heal the sick
by laying your hands on them
| az was kind of startled and didn't know
what to make of it, because had never had
any such experience before, but the voice
| was repeated, ana there couluh De any HIS
take about it.
Had you ever been subject to hallucina-
tions?' the reporter asked.
The blacksmith stared at him blankly.
He didn't know what hallucinations were.
They are not frequent around blacksmith
shops.
"Had YOU ever before imagined that you
saw or heard things that had no real exist
ence?" the reporter asked.
'Never in my life" said Mr.. Newell posi-
lively.
s'Or had you recently been i'll, or had any
| trouble with your head?"
"Not bit. haven't had a sick day since
1 was boy. And l and all my family have
always been very skeptical about super
natural things. I can't account for that
voice that heard, and 1t puzzled me for
long time.
II was afraid to say anything about 1t for
fear of being laughed at. But not long
afterward my wife was taken with SICK
headache She used to have them often.
The voice whispered in my ear, 'You can
cure your wife. and so | says to her, kind oi
foolish like. Ellen, feel as if / could cure
your headache
0Ihen took hold Of her hands, and in q
minute she says, why, Bradley, my head
ache Is all gone" That was the beginning
of the blacksmiths healing career. Pretty
soon he tried his powers on some OF ms all.
ing neighbors with varying success. 1t gol
noised abroad and people began to talk. He
was possessed of the devil, the pious ones
said. He had gone insane, said the wise.
/ acres. He had become spiritualist~ said
others. Two centuries ago he would doubt
less have been burned at the stake or roasted
over his own forge. Mr.. Newell has no the
1 ory to explain his healing powers. He doei
not know whether it is OF God or OF thu
devil or of his own self, and he doesn'
seem to care very much.
"I can't tell you anything about 1t, M
said. "because / don't know. haye neve
studied up on those things. don't know
ANYTHING about magnetism or mesmerlsm
bvDnotism. I'm not spiritualist, and q
not opposed to spiritualism. As say, it
ali mysterious to me-
a think have treated more than 400
persons since last August" he continued
kAnd j suppose some of them had onl
Imaginary troubles. or came to me out o
curiosity. have helped some, and don
think have harmed anybody. They com
to me from all this section of the country.
never tell any one that l can help him.
never ask him to have faith. I'm not re
iipious man. myself, though have nothin
against the churches. Every man, in m
o5inion. has religion of his own that
good enough, if he will only use it. II
doesn't need to go to church for 1t. NJ
Newell charges nothing for treating h
neighbors Ii strangers want to pay hi
ANYTHING he doesn't refuse it If he thinl
, they can afford 1t and have been helped
him.
His most notable cases are those Of Mrs q
! lev and Mrs. Fuller OF Wilmington, anC MI
: Streeter of Shelburne Falls, and Fr,
/ Schneider and Jesse Niles and Capt Stoy
On George Adams and Thurber.