The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1897-01-21
LOVE PHILTERS.
Regular Articles of Trade In New
York Shops.
Secret Stores Where Sleeping Potions
and Other Qunck Nostrums Are
Sold In y surreptitious
Manner.

Love potions and love charms are
regular articles of trade in many of the
queer-looking little shops on New
York's great east side. They are to be
found for the most part in the dirty
looking groceries and the overcrowded
dry goods shops.
There is also constant demand
for sleeping potions" as well as for
various odd poisons whose use is little
understood by the medical profession
here. Perhaps if these poisons could be
traced their use might solve many an
cast side mystery that has baffied the
police. Your east side foreigner has
been in the habit of buying such things
in obscure stores in The cities and towns
where she used to live and the demand
is still supplied in one way or another
in New York.
The writer discovered one of these
secret stores in walk on the east side
1t was connected with a little dry goods
shop east of Third avenue. His atten-
ton was attracted to a collection of
amber beads, which on the east side
and other parts of the town are freely
sold to anxious parents. who tie them
about the necks of their children TO
keep off Group. The proprietor of the
shop, who seemed to be a Roumanian,
with half Russian type of face, picked
up peculiar amber ring, which he
offered for sale as a "love ring"
"In the east" he said. "a number of
drugs are used for the purpose of ex-
citing love in q cold and careless lover.
Some of these drugs are made into
medicines, or love potions, to be
swallowed, but there are many love
charms which can be made up with
lewelry or worn on the body. Amber is
firmly believed by the peasants in
southern Europe to have peculiar pow
CTS in causing one who wears it to be
loved. 1t is made into lockets, or set in
ring, or carried in a bag around the
neck.
amber is also distilled into an oil
and is used as one of the ingredients of
love potions, which are given in Il
liquid form to be taken internally. If
is a browncolored liquid of hot taste
and a strong, disagreeable odor. 1t is
poisonous IN large doses, but in small
amounts is freely used in southern
countries. 1t is frequently rubbed ~
the back with wonderful effect. Most
of these love pot;ons,' or love phil
ters.' " continued the old Roumanian i
storekeeper, must have originated in
oriental countries. where such things
have been in common use from the earli- /
est times.
Another new drug used to stimulate
the emotions OF love is salt of gold. |
originally discovered by the old al
chemists in their attempts to make gold /
out of silver or the other baser metals. |
1T was long ago used as a secret "love
and is row used by phys-
'lans for that purpose. 1t acts like
strychnine, which is one of the most
powerful drugs known, but it also has Il |
special action in exciting the passions. |
Jne of the Oldest of "love potions" is
called "the essence of pearls" It dates
back to the time Of Antony and Cleo
patra.
Among the German peasants" con-
tinued the old Roumanian, "a number
u strange superstitions has been
handed down. which are practiced even
'mong the Germans in New York CITY
o-day, at least among the more ignor-
mt. A stick OF lovage root is supposed
oy them to be effcacious in exciting
Owe. 1t is used by voung wives or IN
married girls who have doubts about
heir husbands or lovers. The lovaqr
DOT is made into powders and baked in
'akes given to the men to eat. or put
INTO wine or beer for them to drink. An
Did superstition teaches that bats
blood is an excellent antidote for an
ipathetic lover
Nutmeg has been thought to have
ilmilar powers. A diet of mushrooms
ma truffies is recommended by the Ger
mans as a stimulant to the emotion OF ]
ove"
nc old Roumanian storekeeper had :
curiously carved wooden chest con- :
aiming several littlr metal TASKS with
oine OF these "love potions." which r.
lad brought from his native land He
iso mad recines for the manufacture of \
liners, but these he declined TO show
lie seemed proud of his reputotior.
winch had hrou~ht him patrons not
MY from his own reorle. but peonle
u various national;ties. even includino
IRISH and negroes.-N. Y. Press.
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