LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / October 27, 1999

SOUTH VACHERIE – It could be one of the most mysterious object in the River Parishes – an abiding puzzle which has confounded science for decades.

Secreted in a tiny metal box at least 100 years old, the Mad Stone of Vacherie has been passed along, generation to generation – a hidden treasure of healing.

The Stone itself split into four pieces, altogether no larger than a 25-cent coin. However, all the pieces remain capable of the same amazing ability -that of drawing out poison from a wound such as a snake or spider bite.

“It’s not just for snakebites,” the current bearer, who chooses to remain anonymous, said. “However, it hasn’t really been used much in the pastfive or six years. They go to the doctors.”As the legend of the Mad Stone relates, a female member of the Gravois family, early settlers in the Vacherie area, was working in her garden when she was struck by a poisonous snake.

In those long-ago days before the Louisiana Purchase, home remedies were often the only remedies available in the struggling Spanish colonies along the Mississippi River.

Surprisingly, an Indian from a nearby tribe located near Lac des Allemands appeared and administered the Stone to the stricken woman’s wound. TheStone adhered to the snakebite and fell off only when its work was done.

The Indian then rinsed the Stone, replaced it in a small pouch and vanished into the woods.

A year later the Indian returned, himself stricken by a serious illness. Thefamily nursed him back to health and in return for saving his life, the Indian presented the family with the Stone, saying it would always work for them so long as it remained in the family and with their descendants.

Many years have passed, yet from time to time someone will come to this lady’s door. At other times, a child of the family is healed by the Stone.”I tell them I’m not responsible for your life, but if you’re willing,” she states.

The current bearer has possessed the Stone for nearly 30 years, having inherited it from her father, who likewise possessed it for 50 years. It iskept in a tiny, round, tin box labeled, “Dr. William’s Indian Ointment.”How long the Stone takes to work depends upon how much poison is in the victim’s system. Sometimes, the Stone’s work will take hours, sometimeseven days. Usually, though, an hour or two will be enough.”You apply it for 20 minutes, wash it in lukewarm water and wipe it off with a piece of gauze, then apply it again,” the woman explains.

What is the Stone, exactly? “It came out of the heart of a white deer,” the bearer relates. Once, a tiny splinter was tested at Charity Hospital in NewOrleans and scientists were baffled. Nothing they found explained theStone’s healing quality. It’s a tiny black, shiny stone, originally 3 inchesin length and as thick as a man’s thumb.

However, with each succeeding use, the Stone progressively shrinks. Intime, it will be gone. “The poison eats it,” the bearer states.Yet, generations of healed people can swear by the Stone’s effectiveness.

Once, the bearer recalls, an elderly black woman had arrived, seeking the Stone’s aid after developing blood poisoning from an encounter with a barbed wire fence. She had already been to doctors who had given up hopeand advised her either to amputate the limb or prepare to die.

The woman was in the bearer’s care for nine days. When it was over, thewoman was healed – completely.

The Mad Stone has been the subject of scores of feature articles by newspapers and magazines for several decades. One point of informationis agreed upon by all – no one can explain it, yet it appears to work.

The bearer of the Stone has children and grandchildren, so it appears the mysterious Indian’s blessing will continue to work for many years to come.

Back to Top

Back to Leisure Headlines

Copyright © 1998, Wick Communications, Inc.

Internet services provided by NeoSoft.

Best viewed with 3.0 or higher