Vol. 1-Interview-Fedorsha

Angela Verasano interviewing Helen Fedorsha -1- 7/23/72 Tape 23-2

AV: Can you tell me about that?

HF: Oh, they used to say that certain people had such a way of lookin' at you that you're "overlooked". And, if you think you feel chilly, a headache, well, they used to take from a broom handle, the wood from a broom handle, and split it, put it in the stove, and let it burn until it would be charcoal. And then there'd be boiling water, and the charcoal was taken out of the stove and put on top of the stove, and with a knife they would sort of break pieces off and drop it into this water. Well, the strange thing of it is that not every piece sank. Some stayed on top of the water, they didn't all sink down. So, the saying was that if more pieces sink down than stay up on top of the water, then you are "overlooked". But if there is more pieces that, ah, if there are...yeah, if there are more pieces that go down to the bottom that you are overlooked, and if there aren't, then you're not. So then they used to take this water and give the person a few drinks of that water. And with the back of the hand they would put it across the forehead, put some of that water across the forehead. But, whether there was anything to it or not, I don't know. Because that's awfully hard to believe.

AV: Who did that? Anybody you know?

HF: Well, I think among the older people practically everyone believed that. But as the younger ones came along, they just couldn't see how that would be nor anything. I don't know how it would - oh, gosht-- I looked at people many, many times, I didn't overlook them, so I just --whether that was just a saying that they had from Europe, whether there was actually anything to it, I don't know.

AV: Do you know of anyone that tried that?

HF: Oh, I guess there were loads of them that tried it, you know, among the older people when they first came here. I think there were people that tried it. But, as the others began to grow. the next generation, they didn't do that. And I don't see anybody being sick that way or anything.

AV: Don't you think in the power of human hate, or envy, like?

HF: I don't know. Sometimes there is envy, yes. Sometimes a person doesn't want to do it, but they envy what you have. If they don't have what you have, they envy it. But I don't know....I do know about some of the remedies that, in the case of cuts or anything like that, that they did--well, I had the experience of knowin' that they did help. Like I told you yesterday, about warm milk and bread? Well, I know that that does draw. And Mrs. Timko was sayin' about her neighbor's boy having' either a boil or a carbuncle on the back of his head, back of his neck. And she said it was so sore that he couldn't turn his head or anything. He was even walking to the side because it was so terribly sore. And it wouldn't come to a head. And if you don't get that core out of it, it's going to form all over again. There was a peddler that came around, and some of those peddlers really know some things. I guess they went among so many different people, they heard differnet things. Well, this peddler came around, and he wanted to know what was wrong with the boy. Well, they told him. And he said, Oh, he said, that's nothing. He said, you take an onion and you crush it, and put that crushed onion on there as a poultice. And he said that will break it through and everything will come out and it will be fine. And she said that worked! I guess anything strong enough to draw will do it.

AV: That's interesting. What happened that time when some relative of yours had a wasting-away?

HF: Oh, that was my aunt's children. I think in later years then the doctors used to call that the rickets.

A. Varesano interviewing Helen Fedorsha -2- 7/23/72 Tape 23-2

AV: What happened that time?

HF: Well, my aunt took the child to Mr. Walsh (?) [Wahf]. And Mr Walsh [Walck?] used to do it all with prayer, nothing but prayer. And the, the children got better. She had trouble with every one of her children, with the exception of one of her twins. One twin had it, the other one didn't. And they just will not eat, and they get so cranky. And they can't sleep. They called that waste-away. But as I say, in later years the doctors called it rickets.

AV: Who was Mr. W

HF: Um-hmm. He used to be a [a pow-wow-er? !!] blacksmith at the colliery, at Hazelbrook. And he used to do that down in his home, but what he did was done with prayer, and nothing else. But he understood a lot of things, because when my dad took my mother down to him, it was during the First World War, and she was having an awful lot of trouble with her stomach. She just didn't feel good, and she didn't feel good, and she had pains in her stomach, and she was really getting very thin. So, she was doctorin', and she wasn't gettin' any results. And then Doc Tuppenmeier was called into the service, and my dad said to me, you know, I think I'm going to take her down to see Mr. W he said, because your color is gettin' bad and you're gettin' so thin, something's wrong. So he took her down to see Mr. W, and after Mr. W looked her over, he said, well I can't do anything for her, but he said I'll tell you what, he said, it's her kidneys. But I don't remember how many different kind of medicines there are for the kidneys because he said there are so many different things that affect the kidneys, and you see you have to get the right medication for it. So he said you go to your family doctor and you tell your family doctor that it definitely is her kidneys. And then it will be up to him to figure out what medication she needs. So, we had a doctor to take over Doc Tuppenmeier's place while the doctor was in the service, and he was a very nice person, and my dad talked to him about it, and he tested her urine and he gave her an examination and all. He had to send to Europe for the medicine! They didn't have it here. And I often heard my dad and mother talk about it, that it took quite a while before that medicine came. And when she started to take that medicine everything cleared up!

AV: What did Mr. W do for that child?

HF: Just pray over it. He didn't do anything else. You had to go down there at the setting of the sun. When the sun was setting, that's when he'd take you in.

AV: Every night?

HF: For three nights. Three nights. And all he did was pray. And if you would ask him what he charges, he wouldn't take. He wouldn't tell you anything. Nor, he wouldn't take money. If you wanted to leave any money for him, you had to leave it on the table or somewhere like that. He would never pick it up, that he would charge so much, or so much, for doin' things for you. If you felt like givin' him something, all well and good. If you didn't, all well and good, too. Then, he wanted to train his daughter, because I don't think he had any sons, and if he did they were dead, and he wanted to train his daughter and she wouldn't take it up.

AV: Did he ever treat anyone else in the town?

HF: Yeah, our John was treated by him. He got very, very cranky there for a while and he didn't sleep during the day, he didn't sleep during the night, and the people had an idea that if you put another child in your child's cradle, that that child will take away your child's sleep. Well, nobody was ever put in his cradle. And still and all the kid didn't sleep. You were up with him day and night. And by doing that, he was failin'. So my

Angela Verasano interviewing Helen Fedorsha - 1- 7/23/72 Tape 23-3

dad had a lot of faith in Mr. W[????]. And he said to my mother that we should get ready and that we would take the kid and we're gonna go down and see Mr. W [???] . So they went down to see Mr. W [???] , and after Mr. W [???] looked him over he said, it's no problem. He said someone took his rest from him. And he said, It's simple. He was showin' my dad, but my dad never asked him, he didn't think of askin' him--Do you as though you are closin' a door, or as if you are opening a door?--he didn't ask him. He used an ordinary house key, and he put it in the kid's mouth-- but this is the thing that my dad didn't ask, Are you closin' or are you opening (you know, if you close it you turn this way, if you're opening, you turn the other way), and while you do that, you say In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. That's all to it. He told my dad he said. You can do that any time at all. But my dad never thought of askin' him whether you do it as though you are opening a door or do you do it as though you are closin' a door? AV: You turn it over, once? HF: You turn it over once, but I don't know which way. Because my dad never asked him. Well, the kid was all right after that. And I know there were an awful lot of children that were treated by him, and there were things that he knew that doctors didn't know it was her kidneys. Mr. W knew right away. AV: Do you know of any other instances where he treated people around here? HF: There were a lot of people in town that were treated by him. I couldn't begin to tell you who all was treated by him. My dad was the first told about him by Mr. Barron, George Barron's father. My brother John had yellow jaundice. He was very sick for fourteen weeks. Any you could see that -- because my mother said when they have yellow jaundice, whether it's a baby or a grown-up person, you'll get yellow behind the fingernails, your color gets yellow, because it's your liver that is affected by it. Well, it's hepatitis, they call it hepatitis now. And he was very cranky. So, they were at their wits' end already, they didn't know what to do any more. So Mr. Barron came into our place one day, and my dad started tellin' him about it. And he said, don't bother with doctors, they can't help you with that. And my dad said, What are we supposed to do, wait until the child dies? And he said, Oh no, you don't have to do that. You go to see Mr. W [???] , over to Hazelton. He was a blacksmith over there. Go see Mr. W [???] , talk to him about it. So my dad went over there, he walked over to Hazelbrook to see Mr. W [???] , and told him about it. And Mr. W said you bring the boy over tomorrow night at the setting of the sun. He went over with him 3 times, and he prayed over him, and that was it! AV: Did you ever know what prayers he used? HF: Hm-um. You hated to pry into his privacy, and although I think if you really would have asked he would have told you. Because, I saw the man once but I can't can't place him no-how. I went down there once with my dad, and I don't know whether it was John that we had down there, I don't know when it was, because then when he moved from Hazelbrook, he moved to Freeland down on S[??????] (Schwabe) Street. And that's were he was livin' AV: What did the people regard him as? Did they regard him with--what attitude? HF: With a lot of respect. A lot of respect. AV: Did they fear him? HF: Hm-mm. Hm-mm (No). AV: Did they think that it was immoral in some way, in the sense that it was against the laws of......

A. Varesano interviewing Helen Fedorsha -4- 7/23/72 Tape 23-2

HF: Not the people that I knew. Not the people that I knew. Never felt that way about it. As far as I know, they had an awful lot of respect for the man.

AV: Where did they think that he go his power?

HF: Well, you don't get that power from anyone. I think that you get that power from The Man Up Above. And, did you ever hear of them talk about a child bein' born with what they call a veil?

AV: Yes.

HF: Well, when the children were bein' born at home, nobody knew about it. They'll tell you that you shouldn't tell if the child is born with a veil. But if you tell, then they don't have any powers. And if you don't tell, then when they grow up they have powers.

AV: And you don't even tell the child?

HF: Well, I guess when the child is old enough to know....And, ah, but how, with children bein' born in the hospital, you have no idea. If they are, they are destroyed.

AV: What were you supposed to do with a veil?

HF: You were supposed to put it away. You were supposed to keep it.

AV: How?

HF: Well, I never saw them, Angela. I never saw it. I haven't the slightest idea. All I heard was that it looks like a cap. You know, like a baby's cap. But I never saw it at all. But Mr. Machella is supposed to have been born with a veil.

AV: Which Machella?

HF: Oh, he is dead now. They were our neighbors. And someone of his family told. And they claim that if you tell, he don't have any powers. Now, how much truth there is to it, I don't know.

AV: And did you ever hear of anyone else that had powers?

HF: There were some that claimed, but they could not do what Mr. Wald did. Regardless of how they claimed. There was a man in Freeland by --oh, gee, I don't know, was it Mr. Acres--his wife used to work in the cigar factory. I don't know whether his name was Mr. Acres or what it was. Well, some said that he could do the same as Mr. Walt did. But I don't think he did. Not from what I heard. And...

AV: What did you hear?

HF: And then they would charge for doin' things. But Mr. Walt didn't.

AV: What did you hear about this other man?

HF: Well, that he attempted to do those things, but they don't think he knew how.

AV: Did he do it with prayer, or?

HF: I don't know, I never saw the man. I never went to him or anything. I never, well, I did see Mr. Walt because I was down with my dad. And I don't know whether our John was small at that time, did we have him down there, I don't know, but I know that I was with my dad. But I was so young that I can't, I can't remember too well. All I do know was that Mr. Walt had a German accent, that I do know.

AV: You must have been about six or seven?

HF: I don't know how old I could have been.

AV: And did you ever hear of any other people around here that had some kind of power like that?

HF: No. We didn't have anyone here in town, nobody.

AV: I heard, too, about the seventh son of a seventh son.

HF: They do say about the seventh son from a seventh son, yes. That they have powers. But that happens very seldom. It's really unusual to have seven straight

A. Varesano interviewing Helen Fedorsha -5- 7/23/72 Tape 23-2

HF: son, and then to have the son have seven sons. Very, very unusual. And today, with all the abortion and everything, you couldn't have it. And you know, those people don't stop to think, the ones that favor abortion, don't stop to think that maybe, not only maybe, but it is very possible that there are a lot of babies bein' destroyed that, if they were allowed to live, could be a blessing to this world. Some of them maybe, if they were allowed to live, would be very famous men, maybe they would do something very great for humanity. But they put them to death. And then they don't consider that murder. That is worse murder than anything. And they are going to pay for it. Anyone that has that done is going to pay for it, because that is a horrible crime. When you think of -- Angela, you never saw a little baby, you never saw a little baby. Well, all I can tell you is that they are so, so innocent, so helpless, that when you look at them, they just remind you of a little animal that is lookin' for your love. They are so helpless. They can't do anything for themselves. If you don't do it for them, they can't do it for themselves, and you can't help lovin' them. No matter whose child it is, you can't help lovin' them. And, and then to think if a woman goes pregnant, she knows that she has conceived, she knows if she lets that child go through the nine months, she knows what she will have. Maybe she will have a beautiful child, maybe she will have someone that in years will be very famous. Maybe someone that will do a world of good for people. And, they have them put to death. I don't know how they can live with their conscience. Because I don't care whose child it is. I always said, I never, never saw a funny baby, or an ugly baby.

AV: You like them all?

HF: I think all babies are lovable, and especially after a while when they are able to notice. Because they don't notice things at the beginning. The only thing they do, their fingers attract them a lot. They'll put their hands up above themselves, they'll move those fingers all the while. But after they get a few weeks older, and they are able to notice, and they know when you are talkin' to them, and they'll coo away to you, as you're talkin' to them, that's all they can do is coo, coo!

AV: Where did you see them?

HF: Where did I see them? Oh, gracious, I took care of twins, I helped out our Mary's, when she had her twins.

AV: The twins were Ann's...

HF: No, my brother Pete's. And then our Mary had twins. I had to help out because she had a very serious operation then in December -- in November -- and then her twins were born in May. She wasn't allowed to walk around too much or anything. And me and our Anna usesd to help out with the twins. When one stopped cryin', the other one would start cryin'! They didn't cry at the one time, they didn't sleep at the one time!

AV: Mrs. Zosak said yesterday that Pete Goodroth had some kind of thing attached to his birth. He was born with a collar?

HF: Not that I know of. I never heard about it.

AV: He was the seventh son?

HF: I never heard about it. That was my brother-in-law. I never heard about it. And he wasn't a seventh son.

AV: How about the ones born on New Year's Eve?

HF: I don't think there was anything special about them, unless, unless they are born with something special. Being born on New Year's Eve doesn't mean a thing.

AV: What sorts of powers did they say that these kids born with a collar would have?