Brooklyn Daily Eagle
New York, USA
6 May 1864
Police.
THE INDIAN DOCTOR ON THE WAR PATH--HOW TO SETTLE AN OBSTINATE
PATIENT.--The readers of the EAGLE have heard of the great Indian
Herb Doctor, who advertises to cure all the ills that flesh is heir
to, by simple herbs "culled from the dewey lea." Most of them have
probably seen an unusually elongated young man, with a mustache
that has excited the admiration of young ladies, the envy of young
men, and the astonishment of everybody else. Whether this
remarkable hirsute appendage is a product of "simple herbs," or
somebody's onguent, is a secret only known to the Indian Doctor
himself. To add further to these characteristics which distinguish
him from ordinary human beings the Doctor wears a butternut-colored
suit, the unusual width of his pantaloons being counter balanced by
the brevity of his coat tails. A pork-pie cap and a stout yellow
cane complete the outfit of this singular personage. He is
generally accompanied by a large yellow dog, long and lean, which
looks so much like his master that one is supposed to know nearly
as much as the other. The Doctor has been seen on horseback, but
generally travels on foot, accompanied by his faithful poodle. The
Doctor is a mystery; his presence being too awe inspiring to permit
anybody to inquire into his history. He is supposed, however, to
be as genuine an Indian as most of the Indians exhibited in this
latitude. It is given out that he was a great medicine man of the
Saltz-an-Sennah tribe, who, instead of placing himself in the
Museum of the L. I. Historical Society, as a curiosity, concluded
to make a living and bless his fellowmen by practising the healing
art.
We append this personal sketch to introduce the Doctor, because he
was introduced to the Police Court this morning by our old friend,
officer Riggs of the 41st, on the plain charge of kicking a white
man downstairs. The aggrieved party was a patient of the Doctor's,
named Fenton Scully, who came all the way from 21 Bethune street,
New York, attracted by the fame of the medicine man. Mr. Scully,
who was not a healthy subject, had been suffering from asthma. The
Doctor contracted to cure him by the job for $15. The Doctor gave
him plenty of medicine for his money, and he was directed to take
it in liberal doses, a wine glass full, say every five minutes,
until he was better or worse. Scully's asthma obstinately resisted
the deluge and got worse, and he concluded, while he had breath
enough left in his body to go and see the Doctor again. He called
on him yesterday; and told him the circumstances. The Indian
Hippocrates told him that his case was hopeless, and recommended
resignation. Mr. Scully then suggested that as the Doctor had not
completed his contract he ought to refund some of the money. This
was entirely too much for the Doctor's professional equanimity. It
was bad enough to have a patient who obstinately refused to be
cured; but to ask for his money back was adding insult to injury.
He ordered Scully to leave the premises. Scully, like his asthma,
was obstinate, and wouldn't go. The Doctor then tried a course of
physical treatment on the refractory patient with the most signal
success. The prescription read: Patient taken vigorously by the
collar; well shaken after taken; sole leather promptly applied to
the base of the dorsal vertabrae; result, prompt evacuation--of the
premises by the patient.
Mr. Scully did not consider this satisfactory treatment, for a man
in delicate health, so he consulted Officer Riggs, who was of the
same opinion, and took Scully before Justice Perry, who granted a
warrant, which led to the production this morning of the Indian
Doctor. Instead of his faithful dog, the Doctor was accompanied by
Mr. Parmenter, once a legal luminary in the Police Court, at whose
suggestion the examination of the case was postponed until Monday
next. On being asked his name, that the case might be properly
recorded, the Indian Doctor gave his name as Francis Tumblety.