The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-02-01
ClINGMAN's TOBACCO CURE.

Southern Tobacco Journal.(

Senators who left the mans 81 toHST'se
at Washington when the war broke out,
recalls the wonderful tobacco cure which
ne was credited with being the o~rigina-
tor OF. and which he advocated for so
many wears. with all the enthusiasm Of
his nature. He never chewed. smoked
or took snuff. yet ne had more faith IN
the saving qualities Of tobacco than the
most ardent lover OF the weed. He
firmly believed il it as the greatest
remedy ever given to man for the al
deviation Of pain. the healer Of injuries
and the ~c0nuuerer OF disease. and often
asserted that it had been the means Of
saving his life on several occasions. and
in other RESPECTS been Of ineStinable
service TO him and his friends He
never grew tired ~extolling the virtues OF
tobacco as an antidote for every human
i'll. and could reel off stories by the
hour of the remarkable cures effected
by it. both Oh himself and others.
General Clingman did not claim TO
be the originator Of The wonderful to-
bacco cure which he advocated with so
much earnestLess. The weed had been
used for remedial purposes Tor all sorts
Of complaints long before he took up
the advocacy Of it. He related that
the first instance he remembered Of its
use as a remedy for infiammations was
when a small boy in North Carolina
seeing q man named Kelly squirt its
juice from his mouth into the eye OF
a horse. which Was very red from int1am-
nation. Kelly said he was curing the
eye III that way. Early in life, too,
General C%lingInan said he knew Of to-
bacco Icing applied to those who had
been stung by wa>pS ana bees. and
when in cpllpUa n St11lnpt rnII him that
he had cured a chronic inflammation by
putting a wet tobacco leaf on the part.
The application of a chew of tobacco
to Il bee or wasp sting or the sting of
any insect, Us we'll as snake bites. has
long been Il common practice inthe West
and Southwest. and is still practiced by
people who never heard of General
Clingman or his tobacco cure. The
writer knew an old market gardener Nv
ing about thirty miles out IF Boston
who was in the habit of curing Group
in the children Of his ~uc:ghbor; by Civ
ing them a liberal dose Of tobacco juice
to swallow. 1t nearly killed the children
but it broke the Group in every case.
But if General CIingman was not the
originator of the tobacco cure. he was
the great eXpounder of the virtues he
claimed to have found in it as Il remedy
for everything in the shape Of disease
and injury this side Of cholera and
broken neck, and he championed its
cause so long and so vigorously that he
was looked upon as a m~OnOmaniac upon
the subject by ali who knew him.
OF late years nothing had been heard
from him upon the subject. 1t was
about fifteen years ago that he made
his last strong effort to induce people to
adopt tobacco as the greatest of all rem
edial agents., the knowledge of whose
virtues, as acquired by him. if generally
known, he said, would be the means Of
saving thousands Of lives annually in
the United States. In a statement
which he prepared for the public. Gen
eral Clingman gave many interesting
instances Of cures by the use Of tobacco.
In March. 1871. on the day after |
had announced myself as a candidate
for Congress- he said. while careless
ly riding a wild horse. the animal sprang
against the fence and Knocked me off
severely sprain:ng my right ankle. As
l had several miles to rice to Hender-
sonville, n. c., before a remedy could
be secured. the ankle was swollen 10
double its size and very painful when
reached there. DIR. Whitehead directed
a poultice to be applied. After enduring
w pam 1oi SCNtidI IIOuIS. L lIouShtI
Of trying tobacco. | sent for some
leaves. had them wet and wrapped
around my ankle. Within an hour the
pain ceased. and | slept through the
night. The next morning the ankle. in
stead of being swollen. appeared to be
rather less than its natural size; the
skin had a wrinkled appearance and was
very white. The membrane between the
bones which had received the shock.
however. was very tender. so that | was
obliged to use crutches. During my
canyass. which lasted four months, /
twice had the ankle hurt by accidents,
and each time sUbdued the pain and
swelling by the use Of tobacco. During
the war. by the falling OF q salloping
horse. | was thrown over his head and
the same ankle badly, and
used tobacco with the like effect
The next application that General
CIingman made Of his tobacco cure was
to a severe gunshot wound. received by
him on August 10. 1861. near Peters
burg, Va. and he thus described it:
a bullet ranged through my leg from
near the ankle. so as to come out Of the
opposite side just below the knee, cut
ting the muscles and nerves and making
a very painful wound | lost 50 much
blood that | was carried from the field
in an insens.ble condition, and the sur
geon expressed great apDrehenSi0ns that
| might not be able to survive the fever
which he expected would come in a few
days. About that time several Of nv
had died of the secondary fever
had followed their wounds. In q
few days my left leg began to swell and
throb with heat. The surgeons said 7
must keep it wrapped in wet cloths.
told them | would keep down the IN
by an application Of tobacco.
1hey at once asserted that such an an
pllcation Would be r~uinous. After thev
lett l sent my servant for some tobacco,
envelOped my Wounded leg in it. and
kept it wet with the cloths over if In
al hour or two the pain diminished
the heat ~throhbing ceased and [ rested
more quietly than l had been doing
me next day when the surgeons called
to see me. on looking at the wound tbav
expressed much surprise. ana said. Won
may Keep on the tobacco ramanhar