The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-18
HEX CHARMS FoR WARTS.
Remedies of the Witches Among
Pennsylvania Germans.

Harrisburg, Pa.-rhe odd cures for
warts that sun correspondents have been
discussing have al been in common use
among the Pennsylvania Germans since
time out of mind. Any hex. as the pow
WOW and witch doctors are called, will tell
YOU that if a person with warts on his
hands win write down the number of them
on the hat band 0. the FIRST tramp who
comes along, without the tramps knowing
it, the Tramp viii carry the warts away
with him; that is, the warts will gradu-
ally disappear from the hands where they
were originally and appear on the hands of
the tramp. Then, again, the hex viii pre-
scribe the green alder cure for a person
afflicted with warts. This consists OF cut
ting a notch in a green twig of alder for
each wart and then burying the twig in
a DaTnyard TO rot. The progress OF The
tWls decay may be noted by che gradual
wasting away of the warts. the last VI
them disappearing when the twig has en-
Another cure for warts that the hex con-
fideuuy recommends is to take a black
snail, rub IL on all the warts at night md
lmpale il on a thorn bush, repeating the
process with a different snail every night
for nine consecutive nights AS the snaiis
die and ShrlVei up, SO VIII the warts, until
there is not one Ieft. One infallible cure
for warts, according to the belief of the
old-time Pennsylvania Dutch, is not often
brought to the benefit Of the afflicted. be-
cause it is seldom that a person comes TN
eXpectedly upon funeral procession and
mat is the chief ingredient IN this cure.
The person with warts who is so fortunate
as to find himself thus face TO face with
the pail and bier has but TO stand sun, run
his warts quickly as The funeral process
sion passes and repeat the words
Warts and corpses pass away and new
er more return.
Ii a ben is rolling as the procession
passes ana the person with the warts
counts each stroke until the last person
or wagon in the procession has gone py,
he VIII know how many days it will De
before the warts 80.
The green pea cure for warts is the fa-
vorite in some localities. The person us
ing this cure takes as many green peas
as he has warts, and touches each Wart III
succession with a different pea. He must
then wrap each pea IN a separate piece
in the shade Of an ash tree or under a
witch hazel bush. When the peas begin
to sprout the warts will become loose on
the hand and drop off. Another way to
get rid of warts IS to pick uD as many
pebbles as there are warts, sew them
up in a piece Of black cloth, take them
to where the roads cross and throw the
bag over the left shoulder and walk away
without seeing where it strikes the road,
This cure is never resorted to by any ex-
cept malicious persons, Tor the Dag or pep
bles is apt to be picked up by some I'M
suspecting person, and then the warts will
come on his hands.
urements to be cured by charms. Wens
are also forced to retire before spells. To
drive away a wen take a common snake
hold il by the head and tail and draw 1t
backward and forward nine times over
the wen. Then cork the snake up in a
bottle and bury it. The wen should soon
begin to disappear Some wens refuse to
give up 10 this charm, but they are be-
lieved to offer no resistance to the spell
that win come over them when the aftiict-
ed person gets up before dawn ON May
passing his hand three times from head
to foot over the grave of the last young
person buried there on whose grave the
grass has grown, collects the dew that
has fallen upon il. If the victim of the
wen is a woman the grave must be that
of man, and vice versa. The dew must
be applied Immediately to the wen and
the Weu's days are numbered. The strOk-
ing Of the affected part with the hand of
dead criminal is also neyer-failing cure
for Wens.
There is also a curious charm 20 cure
nose bleed. This consists in going to per-
son Of the opposite sex and requesting him
or her to purchase a piece of lace. When
the lace is bought the person for whom IL
was bought must take t and neither pay
for il nor return thanks for 1t. A necktie
must be made from IL and worn nine con-
secutiVe days and nights. and the nose
bleed will never return. If the person is
too modest or 100 gallant 70 get lace in
that way, let that person catch a toad and
kin il, ana wear it tied with a piece of
black string around his or her neck nine
days and nights, and the nose viii never
bleed again.
Then there are charms TO cure ague, cry
sipelas and other ailments To cure ague
LEI the patient be taken 10 a spot where
two roads cross, near an cak tree. A lock
Of his hair must non be pushed into hole
bored in The trunk of the tree and fastened
there by driving in an ash pug. The pa
tent must then lear himself foOse and
walk away without looking behind him
Sufferers from erysipeias. by wearing IN
a silken bag suspended from the neck a
toad from which the right hind seg and the
left fore leg have been cut, untl the mu-
filated repdle dies. Will get rid Of the dis
ease. The tongue cut from a living fox and
carried about the person win ward Of dis
rying one of these fox tongues win surely
die if he should meet fox at any cross
roads, the believers in this charm are shy
of calling it 70 their aid. A tooth from a
dead persons mouth carried in the pocket
is a certain charm against toorhache as is
also double hazelnut carried about the
person If a person is subject to cramps in
The legs or feet at night he has but to
place his stockings in the form Of cross
on the floor IN front of the bed when he
retires or lay his Shoppers under the bed
soles upward. Placing the shoes under Inc
coverhd al The foot OK the led so that the
toes protrude is also certain preventive
No one who wcars>a snakeskin around
his head need ever nave headache. accord
ing 10 the old befief of the PENNSYLVANIA
Germans and the efficacy of The eelskn in
WardinE oil many acute ailments, paf1e-
Iiar8y rheumatism, IS universally credited
IL one feels a sty coming on his eye, he
has but 10 take hair from the tail of a
black cat, rub his eye with i nine times
before midnight, II the moon is shining
ana the sty will die. If there IS no moon
lie eve must be rubbed with the hair from
the name Of a white horse.
i rine-Worm may be dispersed by simply
holding between the thumb and finger a
ninch OF hazel ashes three consecutive
mornings before breakfast and repeating
these words:
RfngWorm. ringwOrm red,
Never mayest thou speed or spread
But aye grow less and less.
And die among the hazel ASH