The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1865-02-09
VOLUME LUMBER III q.
. a Wonderful Freak of Nature.

-
There was a strange spectacle at the
depot recently says the Cleveland Lead
era man Of whom accounts were pub
lished, years ago, in newspapers in this
country and in medical journals in Eng
land, who has been in a. state Of almost
complete ossifcation for thirty years
His name is Valentine Perkins; he was &
born fiffSyy-two years since in Henrietta,
Monroe county, New Y orl, but has been
a resident, for the last twelve years, Of
Mantau, Portage county Ohio. At the
age of eleven years he was thrown from
a horse and his knee was injured BY the
fall From tEhat time ossitic ication set irl,s
and the process made adyance cement, joint
by joint, for fifteen years, when it had
completedits work Heis thoroughlyand s
totally ossifed. with the exception that ae
can move tHo of his fingers, and- make Z
the slightest perceptible motion withsoqe
or two os his toes. BE has not opened
his jaws for more than thirty years, but
still he canstalk. with ease. Of course he S
has to be fed-the foodbeing placed with
in his lips and ther left under the guid-
ance of mother Nature, who seriously
insures its safe conduct into the stomach.
He lies on his side upon a low bed or
couch, which serves also as a litter, with
his feet drawn up somewhat, and his right. gilt.
hand caught up near his shoulder; lies Z
thus all day long, shifting his position but
once during twenty four hours, when he
is turned over on the other side. While
he is thus completely ossifed-a human ris
block of limestone, as it were-his SKIN
retains its normal character and condition,
and discharges its functions pertectly-
being, perhaps, more sensitive, however,
to the touch o.. any object; as that Of q fly,
or q hair, Than Is usually the.case, When
the light. strikes the skin of his hands or
face, it looks like marble of q yellowish
.tinge brought upsto the highest possible
state of polish. BE lies there on his couch
like REDUNDANT statue. His health is
good; he has an excellent appetite, and
i lives withal a hearty life. One is natu-
rally curious to know how his mind is is oe-
cupied through all. tie dreary hours He
for he has been totally blind
4 for thirty -rears. Cut off from that re-
! source he is necessarily cast back upon
! his memory, and he has a most wonderful !!
i Idevelopmentsof his faculty. It is exceed
ingly tenacious he remembers the most
minute and apparently trifingg incident Of
circumstance, has the entire past every
fact and event in his experience before
him, piled up like strata and summons at
viii, or as occasions requires, occurrences
! which have faded from the minds of his
friends
His recollection of. localities is wonder.
ful. Places that he had visited years ago,
q before struck with blindness, he can iden-a
4 tifys as he rides along-so vivid a recollec-s
ton. has he of the relative position of
I things, as bridges, rivers, &c.:s
1 He is possessed of much more intelli-
gence than we would suppose it possible
4 fol. one in his condition to have. He is
very expert at n,atheraatical calcnlation,
and canswith great readiness give, for 1ex@
Z ample, the number of square inches in
an area for number Of whose square feet
or rods is given him. Of course it must
be world of work to take care of this
i helpless man; but his friends have cheer
I. fully borne the burden for more than for
.tty years. He has now gone to Panesyille
as county charge
DEp1oRABLE CONDITION OF KENTUCKY.
IA recent issue Of the Louisville Journal
!. says:
an object Of much solitude. Society is
], fearfllly disorganized, and we no longer
. appeal to the statutes for the redress of d
wrong. Lawless bands roam at will, and
the pcaceable citizenis hunted down with
J; tho greatest eagerness, and robbed and
{ murdered in the coolest manner possible.
!. The desperadoes bid defiance tosall ar-
: tbority, and they mock at all attempts to
! bring them into subjection. A ruthless
warfare is.waged. The knife is red with.
! the blood of innocent victims, and the.
8 brand of the bold incendiary is applied.
], with feelings of exultation, and the black
!. ened ruins of many homes attest how well
). stbe work is and has been done. Trade is