Judson’s Mountain Herb Pills, a companion product of the Indian Root Pills, had an even more romantic origin—­so remarkable, in fact, that the story was embodied in a full-scale paperback novel published by B.L.  Judson & Co. in 1859.  According to this book, the remedy was discovered—­or at least revealed to the world—­by a famous adventurer, Dr. Cunard.  Dr. Cunard’s career somehow bore a remarkable similarity to that of Dr. Morse.  He was also the scion of a wealthy family who spent much time traveling throughout the world, and in this process becoming fluent in no less than thirty languages.  Eventually he encountered an Aztec princess about to be tortured and sacrificed by Navajo Indians; he interrupted this ceremony only to be captured himself, but by virtue of successfully foretelling an eclipse (happily he had his almanac with him) he won release for himself and the princess.  Thereafter he led her back to her home, in some remote part of Mexico, and lived among her people for a year.  As a boon for having saved the princess, he was given possession of the ancient healing formula of the Aztecs.  Upon returning home Dr. Cunard, in an experience very similar to Dr. Morse’s, found his mother on her death bed, but he effected an instant cure by the use of the miraculous herbs he had brought with him.  The news spread, soon a wide circle of neighbors was clamoring for this medicine, and in order that all mankind might share in these benefits, Dr. Cunard graciously conveyed the secret to B.L.  Judson & Co.

These stories were told entirely straightforwardly, with the intention of being believed.  How widely they were actually accepted is difficult to say.  In retrospect it seems extremely curious that persons as prominent, as successful, as wealthy as Dr. Morse and Dr. Cunard were never seen or heard by the public, were never mentioned in the newspapers, never ran for public office, their names never listed in any directories, biographies or encyclopedias, and in fact they were not noticed anywhere—­except in the advertising material of Comstock & Co. and B.L.  Judson.  Perhaps such credulity was not unusual in the 1850s, before the advent of widely distributed newspapers and other means of communication, but more than fifty years later, in the early years of the present century, essentially the same version of the history of Dr. Morse was still being printed in the Comstock almanacs.

The Struggle for Control of the Indian Root Pills

The agreement of August 10, 1855, between Andrew J. White and the Comstocks established a partnership “for the purpose of manufacturing and selling Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills and for no other purpose,” the partners thereof being A.J.  White as an individual and Comstock & Brother as a firm.  The new partnership was named A.J.  White & Co., but White contributed no money or property—­nothing but the right to Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills.  The Comstock firm supplied all of the tangible assets, together with the use of their existing business premises.  In turn, Comstock was to receive three fourths and White one fourth of the profits.  In brief, the new firm, although bearing White’s name, was controlled by the Comstocks.