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THE AMER1CUS DAILY TIMES-RECORDER: SUNDAY, 1891. ABOUT WATER WITCHES. small peach tree branches used AS DIVINING RODS. USED THE* IS HIS BLOW-GCX. Doctor—“ Well, my fine little fellow, you lutve got quite well again. I was Jure the pills I left for you would cure you. How did you take them, in water or In cake?" . Doy—“Oh, I used them In my blow- **Thc little fellow put the nasty, great, griping, old-fashioned pills to a good uae. At moat, all his Internal economy need ed was a dose of Dr. Pierce’s Pleasant Pellets. They are tiny, sugar-coated granules, easy to take, and are gently aperient, or actively cathartic, according to size of dose. As a laxative, only one tiny Pellet is required. '• The “ Pellets ” cure Sick Headache, Bilious Headache, Constipation. Indi gestion. Bilious Attacks, and all de rangements of the I-iver, Stomach and Bowels. , . The “Pellets" arc purely vegetable, and operate without disturbance to the system, diet, or occupation. -.. Dr. Pierce’s Pellets are the cheapest pill, sold by druggists, because they are guaranteed to give satisfaction in every case, or their price (25 cents a vial) la refunded. Can you ask more? 1 7 e Old Nick Whiskey is the best and is noted for its age and purity, having liccn made on the same plantation over 1£23 year® without a rival as we constantly keep four year old RYE AND CORN on hand—ship any quantity, so write for price-list. Old Nick Whiskby Co., YaabanCo. PANTHER CHEEK, ft. C. R. E. BYRD, Auditor, OFFICE 57i JACKSON STREET, AMEBICUS, CIA. >ejr associated. Charge* reasonable, taka business In neighboring cities. snoas;J. W. Sheffield A Co.. Bank of ftamter, Daren port Drag Co. dorrtspon- dance sol. cl ted. maySl-Sm. THE LITTLE SEWING MACHINE MAN OFFERS FOB SALB SEWING MACHINES & MOTORS For all Machines on easy terms, and ean aupply lbs bast | UII0| rOR All MACHINES. IU)| Bpeclal attention jtv •mall Maebtaery. Ont estv. prom at attention. W. L. DOUGLAS fcttSUSe THORNTON WHEATLBYH Amerlcus, • - Georgia] FINE SHOW CASES. 42-Ask for catalogue.! SUFFERERS OFi- Youthful Errors Lost Manhood, Eany Decay, etc., etc., can secure a home treatise free by addressing a fellow aufte.ep G. w. Leek, pTo. Box 313, Rosn-.ke, Virginia. Dm Forked Branch tbe First Cars of Its Owner—Doc Wise, the Beat Known Watwr Witch—How Be Struck Lack and Became Independently Bleb. The articles In The Times in relation to the extraordinary results obtained by the use of the divining rod in finding water and mineral deposits have had no more interested or appreciative readers than the people in the mountain ranges of the Blue Ridge and Cumberland. The doings of the water witches have been part of the life of these people fur ther back than any one can remember. It is not every community that can boast the possession of one of these gifted per sons. The respect in which they are held is in inverse ratio to their numbers. Families willingly deprive themselves of comforts in order to provide them for the water witches. In return they ex pect services in locating wells. If it may not be quite true that every well in the mountains was located through this kind of agency, there is no doubt that the majority were so located, and that the faith of the people in the myatic power of the witches is boundless. A SIMPLE COMMUNITY. So for as the natives are concerned tills is a country of poverty. They do not call themselves poor, for all are nearly on an equality in the bare furnish ings of their houses, and the sliotes that they raise on the free forage of the woods in summer and fall, with the corn, hom iny, tobacco and moonshine they can lav up by small trading with the valley farmers, supply their modest winter needs. Money is a tiling that enters very little into their calculations. A mountain community enjoys more than average prosperity, in which the cash earnings of the heads of the families reach as much as $50 per year apiece. But all being on about the same basis there is no compara tive poverty. They get along from year to year, and never having known any other condition they arc content. As a matter of course, they cannot re pay the services of the water witches with cash. The most they can do is to make them comfortable. This is satis factory all around. In some way the impression has become general that a water witch is a supernatural sort of creature, not made for common toil, and whose magic will be impaired by the kind of labor that ordinary mortals en dure. As witches are too scarce to bo spared, they receive very good care, and as they are endowed along with their mystical gifts with tho natural indolenoe of the mountaineer nature, they are ex pected and are entirely willing to save themselves always for the small service required of them by thoso who bring them yearly tributes of stores. The witches thus get no richer than their Neighbors, but they have an easier time 6f it Sometimes, months will pass in which one will not be called upon. Whenever a call is made, however, he •Mist be ready to respond to it. A forked branch of a peach tree Is the only divining rod known in the moun tains. Every witch is aa careful of his branch as if it were gennine treasure. He selects it when he* begins to practice his magic, and never changes it willingly. When not in use it Is carefully hung on the walls of the best room in his cabin. Whatever else may happen, that must not be disturbed. It would be the first thing to be saved if his cabin caught fire. Afterward be might go bock for the wife and babies. On every trip he carries it out of reach of the brush and rock that may line his pathway, and his mission ended he returns it as carefully to its hanging place in the cabin's beet room. Whether from his own belief that he ia gifted beyond men, or because of the awe in which he la held by his fellows, tho water witch always means that his work shall be Impressive. When armed with his twig and in March of water he seems to lose himself, as if he were lifted out of the common sphere into a relation with eomething more . than human. There are no incantations such as negro voodoo Ism employs, but the scene be comes suggestive of that class of super stition. With bis face set and apparent ly with no thought of his surroundings beyond the intensity with which he fol lows and watches his twig, he walks solemnly up and down, holding the twig by Its forks in front of him, and seeming to let it lead him instead of being propelled by him. When the free end of tho twig drops from the horizon tal at which it has been carried to the perpendicular ho stops suddenly. His mission is over. The twig points to water. Men mark the spot, and the water witch goes away. The well is dug through the markings. The mountain eers say that water never fails when found this way. OLD DOC WISE. Tho water witch best known in this part of the country is old Doc Wise. He lives in tho mountains over beyond Chris Hamburg, and rarely leaves home. Indeed, it Is only with the greatest diffi culty that the mountaineers can get him to point a well for them. He is above the need of help from their stores, and of late years when he has gono out with his rod it was to oblige his friends rather than for prestige or pay in any form. The mountaineers understand that he is in some way related to the okl family of Governor Wise and that he was chris tened Decatur. At any rate, the abbre viated twist of the name by which ho ia known did not result from any financial doctoring of the gentlemen from whom he got his money, although such a deri vation might be suspected by those who date his record with bis fortune. He was always Doc Wise, and whether the blood of proud aristocracy was in his veins or not, he came into tho mountains after the war with as little of earthly substance as the most scanty native, and for sev eral yean picked np a slender living as a water witch. • About ten yean ego a party of pros pectors stopped at Christ ions burg for the winter. They were looking for coal end iron deposits, in which the mountain re gions abound. When they were very nearly ready to give up the search as a fail ure they met Doc Wise. Like other water witches, he could find minerals with his peach twig as readily as he could find water. His talents in that direction had never been employed because the natives did not want anything except water. He wSs ready, however, to employ them for the visitors. They agreed to pay him well in case of success. He was shrewd enough to drive a good bargain. In a few days he showed them a rich vein of coal. Then they wanted iron and he found it for them. It did not take them long to satisfy themselres that they had secured valuahlo mines. Wise worked for them well into the spring. By the time he had done all they wanted of him lie was $5,000 in pocket—a grand fortune for a mountaineer.—Roanoke (Va.1 Let ter in New York Times. Slarvelou. Phenomena. At Rome, in 1222, it rained dust, mixed with blood, for three days, and when the heavy clouds drifted away it looked as if the sun was swimming in a sea of fire. Four years later, in 1226, a snow fell in Syria, which presently melted and flowed in carmine rivers of blood, or some fluid much resembling it in every particular Many of tho old writers record a three day shower of blood red rain in the Island of Rhodes and throughout South ern Italy in 1236. A monk, writing in 1251, tells of a loaf being cut out of which blood flowed as freely as from a fresh wound. In 1348 there were many great tem pests. Several towns and thousands of people were swallowed up and the courses of rivers changed or stopped. Some chasms in the earth sent forth poisonous fluids, as red as carmine ink, as at Viilacli, in Austria. Ponderous hailstones fell in many parts of Germany the same year, some of them weighing from twenty to seventy pounds. At Lantech it rained flesh, dust, comets and meteors; firebrands and coruscations were in tho air; mock suns, with fiery tails, sailed through tho skies. Soon after these terrible scenes at Lantech it began at Cataya, near the sea, and went (weeping throughout southern Europe. An igneous vapor or sulphurous fire broke from tho earth at Caahery, Asia, and utterly consumed men, beasts, houses and trees, so infecting the air that a great plague followed. Young serpents and millions of venomous in sects fell from the clouds. In 1361 Burgundy experienced the novelty of a shower of blood red rain, which ensanguined everything it touch ed; and in 1568 the Antiura reapers found all wheat heads to bo os red ns binod. In 1588 bread put in the oven at Nuremberg was taken out covered with a bloody sweat Wurtemberg had a shower of brimstone and ashes in 1634. In 1695 Limerick and Tipperary, Ireland, had many showers of a soft, fatty substanco resembling butter. It was of a dark yellow color and always foil at night The people gathered it and used it as on ointment, reporting many astonishing cures.—St Louis Republic. Novel Way of Propagation Rosea, Recently I was conversing with a po liceman who is a rote enthusiast, and be told me he had strong bushes of some of the best hybrid perpetuals upon their own roots, that lie had rooted himself in a way quite new to me. Having ob tained a suitable shoot, or several of them, they were placed in an ordinary bottle which contained tome water, and this bottle was hung upon the wall of the house in a sunny position and there left, water being supplied to make up the deficiency caused by evaporation. In this water, which often becomes very warm from the heat of the sun, tho cut tings remained, and after a short period they calloused, when they were taken out and dibbled into pots in the ordinary way, the formation of tho roots soon taking place. The above plan was claimed as expedi tious, as the cuttings calloused much sooner in water than they did in the soil. It is known that many things root read ily in water, and oleanders are frequent ly propagated in that way, whilst some Sodum spectabile that I have lately liad in a cut stato had rooted freely long be fore the flowers faded. With the roses, if cutting is once nicely calloused, success is almost a certainty, and if this needed state can be brought about by immersion of the base in water, we then iiavc a simple aud valuable aid to rose propaga tion, because it is muqli easier to preserve alive a cutting placed in water than it is one in the scril during its early stage.— Vick’s Magazine. Tha • Normal” Dlat. According to Dr. G. Munro Smith, in Tho Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Journal, the daily destructive metabolism, which is the great criterion of work done, dues not vary much among different occupa tions. Premising that lio does not con sider moderate over eating injurious, he finds that very many men eat consider ably more than the most liberal tables; it is not an uncommon thing for an aver age sized man on very moderate werk to eat twenty-live or tweuty-soven ounces of chemically dry food a day. Women eat much less than men, after making allowances for differences in weight and work. Where a man eats nineteen ounces, a woman of the same weight and of active habits cats only fourteen or fifteen ounces. On a diet from widch all meat is ex cluded, he has found that twelve to thir teen ounces per diem will comfortably feed a hard working man. A moderate amount of stimulants appears to increase tho average; moderately free drinking diminishes it. A diet consisting of one part of nitrogenous to seven oreight non- nitrogenous is a good combination; it is greatly exceeded on the nitrogenous side by the majority of men and women, es pecially the former. A diet of twelve to fourteen ounces of chemically dry food, digestible, with the ingredient* in proper proportion, Is sufficient to keep in good health an average sized men on moderate work. The majority of people (in Eng land) eat Utcrallv twice as much at this. SUCCESSORS TO (W. L. Mardre and Americus News Co.) KEEP ALWAYS ON HASH A FULL LINE m CENTRAL RAILROAD OF GEORGIA 9outnwestern Division. Correct Schedule, No. 22, in Effect [April 12,1801 SAVANNAH & WESTERN DIVISION Schedule No. 10, taking effect Apr. 12th, 1891. No. 6, Between Savannah and Birmingham] No. 6, Dally. 7 40 p ro via Amerlcus, Dally, Leave Savannah Arrive 740pm 985 1120 7 00 a i 100 a m 040a m 525 p m Buena Vista, Arrive Columbus, Leave 3 50 Birmingham 8 01am Dully. Passenger Dally. Fast Mall EAST BOUND. Dally Fast Mall Daily Passenger 3:33am 5 13 '• 6 30 “ 10 50 520p m 556pm 235p m 4 18 '• 585 •• 1020 “ A 15am 6 30 *• Lv. Amerlous Ar. Ar. Fort Valley Lv. " Macon *' •' Atlanta M “ Augusta “ •• Savannah M 106pm 1188am 1020 “ 7 10 “ 910 p m 087 p m 8 00 “ 6 40 M 215 •' 7 00 a m 6 40 “ No. 7 Dally Passenger 0 37 M in 1C 05 4 42 a ra 7 85 a m No. 5 Dally, Fast Mall WEST BOUND. No. 6 Dally Fast Mall 2 85 p ra 180 « 1105 a m 7 40 a m No. 8 Dally Paasgnget 8 25 a in 1280 “ 10 25 pro 780 p m Ko.a Eally_ 888a m 300 '• 215 “ lOlOp 7 50 *7 86 18pm 1 30 •• 112 •• 7 20 •• Lv. Amerlcus Ar. Ar. Smithvllle ** •• Eufaula •* " Montgomery Lv. No. 7 Dally 9 87 p m l»06 M 10 46 p m 4 50a m 7 15 a in 7 25a m No. 5 Dally 1 18 pm" 1 30 •• 251 •' 5 40 * TO FLORIDA. Lv. Amerlcus Ar. “ Smith vine •• Ar Albany Lv " Tbomasvtlle Lv “ Waycrots '• “ Brunswick *' •' Jacksonville •• No. 6 Dally 235pm 120 p in 42 20 p m 8 30 a m Solid Trains with Bleeping Cars Between 8avann«b and Birmingham. For farther Information relative to tlokets, schedules, best routes etc. etc,, apply to A. T. MAXWELL, Agent, J. C. McKENZIK, Sup't, E.T. CHARLTON, Gen. Pass. Atr’L Amerlcus, Os. Hmlihvli e, Ga. Savannah.Ga. I). H. BYTHEWOOD, Division Past. Af*t„ Columbus,*Ua. D. D. CURRAN, Sup't, Columbus, Ga. J. C. HHAW.Trav. Pass Ag't., Savannah Go. PASSENGER SCHEDULE Georgia Soutlnn)&HoridaRy. SUWANEE RIVER ROUTE TO FLORIDA, Taking Kffee!.Iuue 14,1801. H'aadard Time, 91th Meridian, YHtTSSCTHT" GOING NORTH. 7 W) p m 0 85 p m II 08 p m 7 In 10 45 11 00 1 55 p m 3 25 p ni Macon., a Ar Cordele*.. Ar Tlflon.... Ar Valdosta.. \r Lake City., Ar Ar A* 10 20 p m 6 20 p m 0 10 p ID 8 27 pm 110 p m 12 01 p m 0 55 am M 25 p in) Ar., 6 35 ant 4 07 a 2 45 am SCHOOL BOOKS Fine Stationery SHEET MUSIC. ; ' { h ?A £ Will receive s(inscriptions for any paper or publication. PICTURE FRAMES Mad,; to order, any size or' price. Glass to fit any frame. Big lot of Mouldings just received that we will sell as cheap as anybody else. Call and see our line. No trouble to show goods or order anything that we haven’t in stock. Don’f forget the*old|Book Store, 105 FORSYTH STREET. S. A. M. ROUTE. Savannah, Americas & Montgomery R’y. TIME TABLE Taking Effect April 19; 1891. 7" oo" pm 50ft 440 , 1 2ft ll 4B am ooo a 10 00 10 27 2 15 pm 3 25 3 50 5 54 (1 10 0 40 7 00 >urg.....lv It,.... Chi Ive Ire. ... arr Columbus. , lve Columbus...... lveill 90 arr Ellavilto ..arr » Oft lve ....•KUavlllo lve 8 BO arr Americas arr 8 20 lve .... Amerlcus lve 8 00 Cordele lve 0 20 u .Helena lve 3 55 Charleston arr| 2 IA 4 801 5 20 p mi ^ Betw'n Montgomery and Amerlcus! via Opelika ..Montgomery ....arrl 7 IS p m ..Opelika...... arr l 0ft Americas lve| 8 20 am Between Montgomery and An dricus, via Union Springs and Columbus. 7 40 a milve...7. Montgomery arrl 7 0ft p m 3 50 lve...... Columbus arr It 20 ft 40 [arr Amnrlcus lve| 8 20 Retw’n Montgomery and Americas, via Eufaula 7 40 am 11 os 12 20 p m Montgomery.. ..Eufaula .... lve Albany Americas.. Between Amerlcus and Jacksonville, \ u Helena 7 bb pm lve Amerluso..." .j»-| Nam 1 18 a in ( lve Helena lv Dam Brunswick lve I ii-»m « 10 7 50 |arr Jacksonville IvcJ i • lutngbi Meal Stations. Bleeping can between Columbu, and Savau- teaenren from CherlcMon destined to polnta t of Sovsnnah, change cars »t C. A 8, Jane* F. 8. GOODMAN, Qen. Pass. Agent Americas, Os. Lvi 7 05 a nil o do p lu Trains arrive and depart from union depots In Macon and Palatka and F. C. A P. depot In Jacksonville. Connection nerth bound and sou h bound Is made In Mscon with trains of Central. Macon and Northern and K. T. V. A G. railroads. A. C.KNAPP. Traffic Manager L.J. HARRIS,Ticket Agent, Union Depot. HKNKY BURNS,T. P. A. Macou Ga. ^ JAMES MENZIE8, Southeastern Agent, 98 West Bay Hi., Jacksonville, FIs. SCHOFIELD'S IRON WORKS, FOt)Nt)(tY AND MACHINE SHOP. ..jungu cars at C. & 8. Junc tion. W. N. MARSHALL. Qen. Superintendent. Americas, Os. M. CAROLAN, 8. B. Pass. Agt. Savannah. Ga. E. A. SMITH, .. n Western Pass. Agt., Bt. Louis, Mo. M. D. ROYER, T. P. A, Americas, Ga. JKO. T. ARGO, C. 8. A., Americus, Ga. -THE East Tennessee. J. 8. SCHOFIELD’S SONS A CO., Prop’ra, Manufacturer* of Steam Engines, Boilers, Cotton Presses and General Machinery, Cotton Gins, Cane Mills end Saw Mills. Dealers in Mill and Machinists’ Supplies. Special Attention to Repair Work. dtw+7-cmoe MACON, GEORGIA, Virginia and Georgia fl'y System. -18 THE ONLY- Shortand Direct Lins to the Morth, East or West. Thie line la conceded to be the beet equipped tad nine the Quest Pullman Sleeping Cara la tha South. Elegant Pullman Bleeping Can, between Jacksonville and Cincinnati, , ; Titusville and Cincinnati, Brunswick and Louisville, Chattanooga and Washington Memphis and New York, - Philadelphia and ^ewOtleana, Without Change. For aay Information addreea B. W. WR1NX, Gen. Pam. and Ticket Agt / Knoxville. Twin. O. W. KNIGHT, Aaa'tQea. POM. Ag Atlanta, Georgia.