The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-10-19
DOCTOR MA'AM PIKE.

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There are isolated rural districts
in the West in which the "doctorin' ;"
is largely in the hands of old women
who, by virtue Of their years, are sup
posed to be possessed of some occult
power of healing. They are sup
posed to have secret knowledge of
where certain rare YARDS" grow and
of how, to compound these YARDS"
into medicine These old women are
versed in all kinds of signs, and of
some of them it is believed that they
can charm away disease without the
use of medicine.
The writer remem bers one of these
old women who lived in the West a
good many years ago A higher de-
gree OF intelligence has been devel-
oped in that part of the State, and
consequently Ma'am Pike, as she was
called, had fallen a good deal into
disfavor. This had not sweetened
her temper, and she was very severe
on the regular and really intelligent
physicians who had moved into her
realm from the East
What do them young snipes know
bout med 'cine2" Ma'am Pike would
say scornfnlly II was healins sick
folks fore they was born. I kin learn
'em more bout curin' the sick than
they ever heerd in all their fine
schools. Folks round here had bet
ter look out how they take up with
SIGH ignorant young things as them
Or they'll have fun'rals to. pay fer
1t was a marvel that there were
not more funerals resulting from
Ma'am Pixies methods of healing the
sick. Nothing but naturally strong
constitutions and the tealthfulncss of
the climate could have saved some of
her patients after the heroic treat
ment she imposed upon them.
An uncle of mine was one day rid
ing over the prairie when he came to
the log cabin OF an early settler
named Lewis. Three or four men,
neighbors and friends of Lewis, were
in the bare little yard in front Of the
cabin when my uncle rode up.
Hello!" said my uncle, in the
usual salutation of the West. What's
the matter here?n
Hi Lewis is turrible bad off with
a sudden spell of sickness. He was
taken down while he was blowing in
the field. He's in awful Misty
Groans from within the cabin gave
proof of the sick mans misty"
Has he had doctor or any medi-
cine?"
Ma'am Pike is with him now.
She's bled him and blistered him and
put one of her purgatory poultices
all over his back, but it hasn't done
him any good vet. 2
My uncle had heard of Ma'am
Pixies ''purgatory poultices. In
deed, he had seen and carefully ex-
amined one of them, and it was his
conviction that they would never do
any one any good.
No one could determine the exact
ingredients Of one of these poultices
but there was something in them that
fairly burned the skin from ones
body worn for a short time. Poor
Hiram Lewis was writhing and groan-
ing from the effects of one of these
"purgatory poultices'' when my uncle
entered the gloomy little cabin.
Ma'am Pike WAS about to administer
half a teacupful OF song greenish
liquid with 9 vile odorq
What is that you aro/giving him7"
asked my uncle
It's somethin that nobody but me
knows how to make, an nobody but
me knows where the ingrejents of it
air to be fonnd, replied Ma'am Pike
The sick man swallowed the green
ish mixture with the utmost difficulty,
and Immediately grew worse, which
was not to be wondered at.
"Ye got any black rooster tail
feathers?,' asked Ma'am Pike.
No, but we have black tailed
rooster, Z replied the anxious wife Of
the sick man.
Send out some o yer youngins 20
cRast it down an fetch me three or
Tour OF its tail feathers. ("
several OF the numerous Lewis
cniidren ran out to give chase to the
surprised rooster, and he was soon
deprived OF a number Of his shining
tan feathers Ma'am Pike took these
feathers, poured some liquid from
yellow glass bottle over them, NUT
tered some jargon, and calling for a
fire shovel with some hot Goals on it,
burned the feathers under the sick
mans nose.
= think thatll fetch him round