I always want to remind my readers from time to time that my stories are from the ancient memories of the people that told me the story or from my own memories. Some events happened many years ago, so at any time there is a discrepancy in the way the event was described, please feel free to let me know.
September is here and its time for the birds to gather and fly south. In one way. it seems so long ago that I saw my first robin on March third.
The full moon will be on September 17th, and it is called the Corn Moon or Harvest Moon when the Indians picked the last remaining vegetables from their gardens. The temperatures range from 70 to 80 for highs and the low from
55 to 65, but keep in mind, Criders and Harrisonburg temperatures don’t have the same average.
I will start this month’s story with my memories of summer when the old timers would go out into the woods and fields and pick berries. Now there are a number of berries with a name I heard as a child, such as huckleberries, and more common now-raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, just to name a few.
Now if you are a berry picker, please be careful especially when you go out in untamed wilderness to pick. I remember, probably in the 1960’s, there was a fellow picking berries and was bitten by a copperhead. Now, he was an experienced outdoorsman for he retired from the United Stated Forest Service after 39 years. As I remember, I was told the birds would fly into the bush to eat the berries, and the copperhead had slithered up into the bush to try and have a quick snack. Unfortunately, the warden was bitten. He survived, but it was a close call. Some of you current old timers now may remember him, his name Maynard Hoover. His family was a big part of Fulks Run for he was a Charter Member of the Fulks Run Ruritan Club, then custodian of the Fulks Elementary School His wife taught several generations of children between Genoa Elementary and Fulks Run Elementary. They were also members of the Mt Carmel United Brethren Church. Maynard passed on July 9th, 1978, at the age of 80.
(Memory of Maynard Hoover Feb 14th, 1898-July 9th 1978)
Now back to some details of last month’s story, the story of the Vaughan Family.
As I talked to individuals about this, there were some interesting comments contained in their memories. One individual remembered that 1980 was the year of the mushrooms. On one occasion they found literally a pickup bed full of mushrooms. They would go out with five-gallon buckets. When filled they would bring them back to the truck and empty them on the pick-up bed then back out they went again.
Another account was that of a young man from Runions Creek who decided to drive back to the search area. As he drove past the field beyond Highland Retreat, he saw an elderly lady walking thru the field with a walking stick. He said to himself there she is back here in this wide-open field. He turned his van around and approached the elderly lady,
“Ma’am, are you okay?”
“Yes,” she replied.
“Well, are you lost, walking around in the field with your walking stick?”
“No! I’m out here digging thistles. This is a hoe!”
I guess the lady thought the young man was the one who was lost. He was disappointed for he thought he had found the missing lady.
Another miracle was out in the woods all that time and didn’t see a snake, but I can tell you why. It was later told she had prayed to Jesus to protect her from the snakes. The story also was shared by some of the squad that when arriving at the hospital and asked how she was she replied “I feel just not too good now, I’m so sore”
I could only imagine laying with your foot caught in between the rocks and laying on those rocks for nearly 24 hours, who wouldn’t be sore, especially an 80-year-old lady. A true miracle from the Lord.
I want to continue with the Vaughan family. When I was about 10 years old at Mac’s Superette, I noticed an elderly man that had discolored skin on his face and arms. I asked about this condition and was told he had skin cancer. This man was Bernie Vaughan. They went on to tell me this story. Bernie had such a severe case of cancer that the doctors at RMH had given him no hope. There was nothing else they could do. But Bernie had heard about a Pakistan doctor in Georgia that had good results in treating cancer, so Bernie contacted this doctor, and an appointment was set. After several visits, his cancer began to dry up and there were noticeable improvements in his skin. It wasn’t long until his cancer was gone and only the discolored skin remained so you would even know he had cancer. Bernie then asked the doctors why he had not shared this miraculous cure with the rest of the world. The doctor’s answer was shocking, “Mr. Vaughan, if the American Medical Association found out I cured you I would be put in Jail.”
“What?”
“Yes, my treatment has not been approved by the AMA and cannot be used…only illegally”. Now I can’t remember if it was a cream or an injection, but I do remember this, some of the components of the medicine contained secretions from either horse blood or feces. I cannot remember which. As the news of this miracle treatment spread through Fulks Run, another man had a son that was deathly sick with cancer. He asked Bernie about this doctor, and Bernie gave the father the whole story. The father contacted the doctor in Georgia and told him of his son’s condition. When hearing of the symptom’s he told the father that he could not tell if he could help without seeing his son. Arrangements were made for an appointment. Sadly, within days the son became so ill he could not make the trip. On March 19th 1960 Glade Fulk, the son of Ralph and Lena Fulk of Fulks Run died at age 25 of cancer without ever finding out if this doctor could have helped him.
Now I know it is a sad thing when possible cures are out there, but a board of doctors prevent them from being tried. I also believe this, with all the billions of dollars being spent on cancer research, there are still too many young and old people dying from cancer today.
In Memory of Reverend. Bernie Vaughan 1895-1985/ 89…90 years old
Believe it or Not
Until Next Time
Ronnie
