| Answering the question of whether something is | | | | well. I also remember several other wells he |
| fact or fiction is very hard. The reason being, | | | | "witched". This was the common term in our area |
| there are people who believe and then there are | | | | for finding waster. |
| those that feel if mainstream science cannot | | | | When I was a little older, I was working for a |
| prove it, it must be false. Speaking of dowsing is | | | | man that could take two wires and hold them in |
| no different. | | | | his hand and find the direction of flow for an |
| I was raised in the mountains of eastern | | | | underground stream or water pipe. I was never |
| Tennessee where many superstitions were born | | | | as captivated with this method as with the |
| over the years. There are many superstitions | | | | witching of water. This seemed to easy to fake |
| that I call false that my grandmother swears by. I | | | | to me. Still, I cannot prove this man wrong. |
| am sure you have heard of many of them so I'll | | | | To these people and to others there is no doubt |
| get on to the dowsing. | | | | that "dowsing" or "witching" is a fact. I cannot be |
| When I was a young boy all those years ago | | | | 100% sure but I have no reason to doubt what I |
| many of the people around eastern Tennessee | | | | saw. I do know that not everyone has this ability. |
| were very poor people. They had to rely on their | | | | It has to be some sort of witchcraft if it is that |
| knowledge and abilities more than on science. One | | | | secretive. |
| of these people was a dowser. I had a chance to | | | | Scientists have done several studies on the |
| know him rather well since he was a close family | | | | process of dowsing with no results proving it is a |
| friend. | | | | fact, but not completely disproving either. One of |
| I saw him one day walking around the lawn and | | | | these tests had the dowsers in an upstairs |
| close pasture fields of his house with a funny | | | | section of a two story barn. Water was run |
| looking stick in his hand. I ran over and asked him | | | | through a pipe on the ground floor and they were |
| what he was doing and he ignored me and walked | | | | asked to pinpoint the location of the water pipe. |
| away. I thought I had done something to make | | | | These tests were completed over a two year |
| him angry. | | | | period for a total of 843 tests. Of the 43 |
| I went to his wife to inquire about what hew was | | | | dowsers competing in this test 37 never found it |
| doing and to find out how I may have offended | | | | at 6 averaged better than chance at finding it. |
| him. She proceeded to explain to me that he was | | | | Proved or disproved? I haven't a clue. |
| looking for a spot for them to make a well. | | | | I can only say that science cannot prove or |
| Naturally I was very inquisitive and asked if he | | | | disprove that of which there is no background. |
| would show me how to do it. She proceeded to | | | | Maybe it must be outdoors as to not interfere |
| tell me how he couldn't just tell anyone. It had to | | | | with the earth's electromagnetic field. There are |
| be a certain person he told. He could only tell | | | | several factors one cannot take haphazardly |
| another man and it had to be one of his children | | | | when trying to prove or disprove superstitious |
| or grandchildren. I don't remember which. I do | | | | acts or findings such as these. |
| remember that he did find water when he dug his | | | | |