Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-10-30
WELLS OF MAaIc WATERS.
Control of Their IMPROVE
dent Husbands.

many OF tnem n1uQ0u away WuSfe even
the most observant tourist may pas:
them by without any suspicion of their
presence. One OF them, however
Southey has made famous the world
over, and this is the well Of St Keynei
which stands by the side Of a pretty
country road about an hours walk
from Looe, in Cornwall Such is the
magic of it's waters that the husband
or wife who is the first to drink them
after leaving the altar is assured the
upper hand for the rest Of their joint
lives. The bride of whom Southey tells
us. it will be remembered, did not wait
until after the ceremony to pay visit
to the well, but took the precaution OF
taking a bottle of the water with her
to the church, and hus forestalled her
less provident husband.
But 1 faith she had been far wiser
than I,
For she took a bottle to church"
A we'll of peculiar fascination for I'M
appropriated maidens is to be found
at Trelleck, in Monmouthshire It is
known as the "virtuous WE'LL" and for
generations the local maids have cred
tied it with marvellous powers in fore
they have to do is to drop a pebble into
its water and count the resultant bub-
bles. each bubble represents a month
of waiting for the day that is make
them brides. In order to propitiate
the genius of the we'll it is necessary
to drape the brambles which shade il
with pieces of white cloth.
But all Welsh wells are not quite SO
beneficent as this of Trelleck, for at
Llanelian, in Denbighshire, you will
find one presided over, according to To-
cal superstition. by a very evil-minded
genius. If you have any very special
enemy whom you want to consign to
an unhappy fate all you have to do is
to go to ST. Elian's well, scratch your
enemy's initials on a smooth stone and
throw the stone, together with a crook
ed pin, into the water. and so they say,
your worst wishes for his future will
be more than realized
Many of these so-called holy wells
have wonderful medicinal virtues-in.
deed, some of them are said by doctors
to be far superior to the waters OF
Homburg, Nauheim or Wildbad One
of them, st. Winifred's, at Holywel
that SAVIOR of the miraculous, and it is
the physical Mecca of hundreds of de-
vout Catholics every year.
A very romantic story is told of the
origin of this well. ST. Winifred, the
Winsome daughter of a Welsh chief
was WoOed II long centuries ago by a
young prince, Caradoc, of evil repute
who. when she persistenly declined his
advances, killed her in a fit of ungov-
ernable passion. From the spot Cd
which the stream of ST. Winifred's life
blood welled out there sprang another
stream of crystal water, which was foI
so many centuries to work miracles in
her name.
The wells at Tissington furnish very
pretty spectacle on Ascension day every
year. On this anniversary five picture.
are made-one for each of the five wells
out of flowers and leaves, and after Q
beautiful and appropriate service in the
church a procession is formed and these
pictures are taken to dress the wells, the
remainder of the day being given up tc
Iunketing and mild revelry.
There is practically no ill that flesh
Is heir to for which one or other of
these wells does not supply a cure, &C
rording to those who believe in them
st. Ninian's well, in Cornwall, is said to
have restored many lunatics to sanity.
The process, however. cannot be COM
mened on the ground of gentleness.
for the unhappy patient was thrown
bodily into the well and soused until he
had scarcely any breath left in his
body.
But the poor mailman who was taken
for. cure to the Llandegla well, in
Wales, was even more to be pitied, for,
after he had been nearly drowned, he
was trussed like fowl and left all night
under the communion table in the
| church in company with a cock or hen,
with the object of driving the evil spir-
| 1t finally out of him.
At Walsingham may still be seen a
well whose waters are credited with
| magical powers in curing ailments of
| he stomach and head, and in past CEN
turies thousands are reported to have
found health there when all the re-
sources of the medical science OF the
| time had failed.
| But one of the most curious of all
these wells is that of Tubber Guam. in
| ireland. which is of such. an obligine
disposition that it will cure you of 3
wide range of ailments, if only you will
observe the customary rites These con-
sist in performing penance of various
kinds, such as creeping round neigh.
boring tree on bare knees, suspendins
q lock Of your hair from one of its
branches. and so on II. after satisfy
ing ali the conditions of the patron
saints, you see two lovely trout in the
water you may leave the well assured
that your ailments will quickly take
wings and leave you; but If you can SET