AN ENGLISH SEQUAH.

Otago Witness, Volume 01, Issue 2123, 1 November 1894, Page 45

AN ENGLISH SEQUAH.

With a Foub- horse Chariot and a. Band.— Methods op a Travelling Medicine Man, A few weeks ago, in a certain provincial town, a representative of Cassell'a Saturday Journal stumbled across an Indian medicine man, and, after the style of modern Inter-, viewers, proceeded to pick his brains. The operation was not a difficult cne, for the son of the plains, who, as business was over, had; laid aside bis war paint and appeared as 9 oute Yankee, was burning to tell his story to someone who would put it into print. Stretohing his legs before the hotel fire, for the night was cold, be said 1 " It is a spanking concern, and it knocks the old country to see a painted oharlot, with four horses, a band, and all the outfit ; not to mention tha renl Pawnee chieftain, who draws teeth painlessly while you waitf, without charge for dentistry, and makes thi la mo walk within 10 minutes after he seta byee on them. Merely to look at the crowd you would say it fetches both the boya and the bawbees.

•• Don't imagine that this is a new idea,- or even a smart Yankee dodgo. We know a thing or two out in the States, but the trade was, in the main, made r*ady to hand. " Of course, we have introduced improvements, but public rubbing with oils for ths cure of rheumatism was carried on years ago' by a Lincolnshire butoher, who, though; utterly uneducated, and as ignorant of either diseases or remedies as the animals h|( slaughtered, bad excellenti deas of how to advertise himself.

•' This man, who had acquired the art of rubbing, similar to what is now known as massage, set up in business with a carriage and pair. His carriage was panel painted with pictures of the Good Samaritan, Jesus: healing the sick, and Peter making the lame to walk ; and, whsrever he went, it created a penaat.ion.

" As soon 88 he entered a town he would draw hia carriage into the market, pull of£ his coat, roll up his shirt-sleeves, tie an apron around him, and call for patients. There were generally plenty of these, for doctors' bad bargains are as abundant as blackberries iv antumn. The worst case would be selected, and treated to a vigorous rubbing, " This ended, the butcher - allowed the astonished patient to walk away ; but before he bad gone many yards he would call him back, saying loudly, as he held up a orutch : " ' You have forgotten this thing. But never mind; you will never need crutches again.' " 11 Then he would call attention to a faggot of crutches and sticks, and inform his gap r ing aadienca thftt he had a barnfnl of sucb, trophies at home, and that every Christmai he broke them up and supplied the poor oi his village with firewood. " This man was in a fair way of realising a fort-iie, when domestic difficulties compelled him to leave the country. "I knew this man, and, having made ft littlo pile by ' wild-cat ' — that is, shares in a mine which has no existence— l thought I would have a run across the herring-pond and try my Inck. Away in the Back Hills I h<«.d successfully rubbed many cases, and felfc sure that I coald make rheumatical individuals ran and walk as well as anybody else who was in the swim. " It had occurred to me that an oil with ft high-sounding name, vended at half the coal generally charged, would 'catoh on' with the public. Acting on this Idea, I invested in a tasteful turn-oat, with four first-class, tits, an efficient band, a manager who thoroaghly knew the ropes, and arranged for a

0

psniar delivery of oßs made op accorcHnsf to a recipe of my own. "The oils cost 3a 6d a dozen bottles, stamped and carriage paid; and balf-ft-crown a dozen unstamped, for frte gift*, no etanp being required for these. "My rcsnager made hie arrangements so tha* we turned up in small towns on the Weekly market days; our stay in the larger town* being determined by circumstances. We' paraded twice daily, and thfr castom we the first tbe band has played every evening, while I lecture, draw teeth, rub patient*, and give away medicines to those who- present a note from their clergyman Bayfeg that tbey are deserving and poor.^ •• These free gift* don't cost rmwh in roaitidtial eases, but the aggregate tell* up, and, fike- the mateb-aeller, we haw to ltro by tbe loss. T&ey have always bee» greatly abused, too; skinflint* fleece us, m they do t&» hospital*, when they get a chance ; and tbe. jeliefaos ones are the worafc of tbe lot. "■We usnaTly allow 20 mintrtw fox drawing teetfr, during which the band oontinuea to Way ,* tben follows a lecture npon the marveVtoQß efficacy of out preparations, and pewoaff Buffering from rheumatism are' invited to come forward and b&restorat "It 1» often difficult to-perwrade nuftaerß to wbmft. Bvea those who de*ire to ba Sjured are shy of corafog forward before their jjieighbears ; bub wben once the ice has beea Jtaoken tbe rest is eswy. "It is a fact tbat w* never prepare cases, and I woulda't lay that my worst rival does. In nearly every instance we ««e tbe cripple for the flr»t time, as be or she is assisted or carried up into the carriage. We would rather see a patient carried than see him tyalk* for tho more helpless he it, the greater the credit due to the oila. •• If we are In a large town we let a week i go by before tho oil fo offered for sale. The | ebject is to create a demand, and so we wait j imtll the public are eager to become buyers. Naturally doctors are opposed to us, and j declare tbat the cores are only temporary, if they are not altogether fictitious. ! 11 Some of them are, but I have known i curee which have astonished me result from 20 minutes' massage, and I am not stuck up £ tree by a trifle. "There, the secret is out. It i» the nsassage tbat doe 3 it ; and that will explain why those who buy our nostrums are bo frequently' disappointed with the home application of them, "Does it pay? That is as it rcay be. My • turnout cost m&£7so ; but that was first cost and for stookin trade, so will we leave that out of the account. We hays been in this town —not one of the best— for a fortnight ; and We have etabling and office at the first hotel, all In atjle. ! " Tbe first week not a penny was taken— ; that wa» part of the plan ot operations ; tbia week bur takings have amounted to £215. Oar working expenses average weekly :—: — £ s. A. Eignt bundamen'B salaries, at 2(b ... 12 0 0 Coachman 1 *■•> » Manager's salary ... ••• — . — £" „ Hotel, stabling, and food for fo\ir horses AlO 0 Cost foT free medicine anil oil, about two dozen at each lecture, tay, four gross at 2s 6d a dozen ... fl 0 0 Cost and distnbntion of 10,000 handbills, distributed within a radius of 10 miles v .» ••; 210 0 Cost of large potters," and billposters charts •• 010 0 Ground rent, with market tolls 2 0 0 Cost of goods, 30 per cent., say /5 8 0 *?etty Expenses (which are numerous)... 3 0 0 £108 5 0 •♦ So you see it squares out : Takings £215 0 0 Expenditure ... ... ... 108 50" Balance £106 15 0 "Not a bad week's work fora man who never knew his own father, and who never learned a trade. Of coarse it isn't everybody who does as well as we hxve done, but when you happen to know your way about, this bore oil is a wf.ndetfnl thing; though I doubt whether John Ball gets the benelit of it, except through the revenue stamp. "At the same time, there fa a man in this \ tytin wbo can walk aa well a* you can ; he , had tried hospitals and specialist*, and had been to Burton, without any result before he passed through my hand*. It waa the massKge th&t did it. "Yes, IM take another cigar, sir."

£108 5 0