Year: 1866

[gichmond (va) Correspondents (Juns 17) Of the


New York Timesl ,4iftasF


Having a tale to tell more won
derful than any that lightened the
hours of the Arabian Nights, / have
reserved it to the last. Southern
Virginia has long been noted for its
mineral wealth, but is destined to be
more famous by the fact that it has
lately shown itself possessed OF
mine of "the wonderful mad stone,"
very limited, to be sure, as to guam
tity, but almost incalculable as to
value, and as the matter is important,
propose to trace the matter fully.


Everybody has long. heard Of the
famous mad stones, not more than a
score of which was known to be in
existence. In Virginia the substance
is known as the Ponto stone, from
the fact that DIR Ponto, (long since
dead a resident of the region where
the late discovery was made, was
the first to use it, and from him all
the known specimens have come.
The instances where the Ponto stone
has cured and prevented hydropho-
bia are very numerous. but it was
never tried for any other poison.
This much of promise, and / come to
my history, first saying that the
parties not yet knowing exactly how
to proceed, / do not feel at liberty to
give names in full, and therefore use
initial letters.


About six weeks ago Mr.. G., a
resident of Halifax, came to DIR. NJ,
and said he had found something
that looked like the Ponto stone, and,
| producing dozen pieces, wished the
doctor to experiment with them.
The doctor was skeptical, but, to ac-
commodate his friend, undertook to
comply with his desire. For some
time no opportunity for experiment
was presented-mad dogs fortunately
not being very plentiful at any time
or in any place, and very scarce in
| deed in Virginia SO early in the
summer. At last, about ten days
ago, negro on the doctors place
loading corn shucks, gathered up in
one armful a huge copperhead snake
which bit him on the arm, just about
the wrist The negro yelled, OF
course, but stopping only to tie his
suspender tightly around his arm
above the elbow, started on the run
for the doctor. The distance was
not great, but by the time he ar
rived the arm had greatly swollen,
thus showing the poison to be very
virulent. DIR. NJ resolved on trying
the stone, and applied it, following
the directions in the use of the Ponto
stone. In the present instance the
stone clung to the negro's arm with
wonderful tenacity for few mo-
ments and then fell off, the swelling.
meantime, sensibly decreasing. It
was then put in lukewarm water,
and the poison was distinctly seen to
exude from it. Being taken out of
the water and thoroughly dried it
was again applied and again ad-
hered, but not so long as before nor
with the same terrible grip, but when
it came off all the poison in the ne
gro's veins came with it, Or at least
the man came back to work at once,
and within an hour of the time he
was bitten, and has showed no signs
of the virus since.


at was thus satisfactorily estab-
lished to DIR. NJ, that the stone
, would extract the poison of a snake,
and it instantly occurred to him that
if it was an antidote for one kind of
: poison it was for another, and he
pursued his experiments further.
: He next applied the stone to venersaf
poison, and with precisely the same
effect. The case was one in the
! primary stage, and Of very viralent
character, and in three days an en-


tire cure had been perfected.


Having thus discovered the great
value of the stone, DIR. M. attempted
next to trace the discovery of the
] new store to it, but with only partial
success. G. would admit only that
he had "found some of it," but could
not be induced to say when, whore,
how, or how much further than he
might supply a hundred pounds or
80. From a negro, however, it was
extracted that G. had come upon tho
substance while digging a mill-race ;
that he had scrutinized it closely.
taken specimen and instantly aban-
doned the mill-race by that route.