The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-21
HEX CHARMS FOR WARTS.
REMEDIES OF THE WITCHES AMONG
PENNSYLHANIA GERMANS.

---
Some of Them Based on n Transfer system
-Wena Also Cured by Spe~lls-Chnrms
Still Resortcd To In Remote Districts to
Drive Away Affections and Diseases.
HARRISBURG, Pa, May 20.-The odd cures for
warts that Sun correspondents have been dis
cussing have all been In common use among
the Pennsylvania Germans since time out Of
mind. Any her. as the powwo= and witch
doctors are called. will tell you that II u person
with warts on his hands will write down the
number OF them on tho hat band OF the first
tramp who comes along. without the tIamp's
knowing il. the tramp will! 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 will prescribe tho
green alder cure for a person afflicted with
warts. This consists OF cuttinE q notch In n green
twigo OF alder for each wart and then buryiug
the wig in q bar yard to rot. The progress Of
the twig's decay may be noted by the gradual
wasting away OF the warts, the last OF them dis
appearing when the twig has entirely rotted.
Another cure for warts that the hex confdent-
ly recommends is to take q black snail. rubiton
all the warts at night and impale II on n thorn
bush. repeating the process with a different
snail every night for nine consecutive nights.
As the snai!s die aud shrivcl up. 80 will the
warts. until there Is not one left. Ono in-
fallible cure for warts. according TO tho belief
OF the old-time Pennsylvania Dutch, Is not
often brought to the benefit Of the afflicted.
because il Ia seldom that q person comes unex.
pectedly upon n funeral procession. and that 10
the chief ingredient In this cure. The person
with warts who Is 80 fortunate as to find him
self thus face to face with the pail and bier has
but to stand still, rub his warts quickly as the
funeral procession passes and repeat the words:
WARTS md corpscs pass AWAY and never
more return" '''' '"'' '"' N''
If belt is tollinG as the procession passes
and the person with the warts counts each
stroke until the last person or wagon In the
procession has gone by, he will know how
The green pea cure for warts Is the iavorito
, I'd some ne , %nnv src.n i ns0 se "s ba h bss xo 'nas 1 anS
touches each wart in Succession with a diSer.
scparote niece Of white paper and bury them
secretly in the shade Of an ash tree or undera
witch hazel bush. When tho peas begin to
sprout the warts VIII become loose on the
hand and drop on. Another way to get ria OF
wa wsF, n, i. to I piSk ,n np as Sp m ma n D,r "se ot n,, as t sss1'
t t.S" 49, W wharo ,ha ro,Is oross onI
throw them tno bar 20 ov %rt the left e"e shoulder lounS r' ond walk uIe
away without seeing where it strikes tho road.
malicious persons. for the Jag OF pebbles is apt
70 ho nictad IN Inv .omo rneusnacting nerson
" ~ pieh.u wy, eonn' u"eu9p.G'ns peteoA
and then the warts Will come on his hands.
Warts are not the only annoying distleurc-
mants IN bo cured Inv charms Wens nre alan
.neh'S 70 - W ~" "."e
forced 10 retlrc before speIs. 10 ur1Ve awaye
wen WEI take a., a common nns snake $ %a hold 1t by the head
nine tin n,' over r the w W Then cork TX the snake
up I'm Il bottle and bury IL. The wen should
soon begin to disappear. Some wens refuse TO
o Sffer NC NO re shas Tref to the spell refY that fre Wilson viii sssoEmSS
over them when the AFFLICTED person gets up
before dawn on May day, goes to the nearest
graveyard, and. passing his hand three times
from head to foot over the grave OF the last
young person buried there on whose gravethe
grass has grown, collects the dew that has
fallen upon 1t. II the victim of the wen ia q
woman the grave must he that of a man. and
vice versa. The dew must be applied imme-
diatcly to the wen and the wen's days are num-
the hand OF a dead criminal Ia also O never.
failing cure for wens.
There ls also a curious charm to cure noso
bleed, This consists in going to a person Of
purchase a piece of lace. When the lace 10
bought the person for whom it was bought
| must take IL and neither pay for it nor return
thanks for It. A necktie must be made from u
| and the nose bleed will never return. II the
person is too modest or too gallant TO get lace
In that way. let that person catch a toad and
kill it. and wear it tied with n piece OF black
string around his or her neck nine days and
nights. and the nose will never bleed again. :
Then there ara charms to cure ague, erysip-
elias and other ailments. To cure ague let the
patient be taken to Il spot where two. roads
cross, near an oak tree, A lock OF his hair muso
then be pushed into a hole bored In the trunk
~ h. t,an pNl nAtnpn fhnr n lr Il ~ tin ~ III ~ m