The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1870-11-10
Correspondence OF tie Cleveland Leader.

Correspondence OF tie Cleveland Leader
Yesterday, in company with Dr. Fl.
IL. Duff, Professor j. g. Hartzler and
others, | visited the curiosity OF all
curiosities," the ''the wonder Of all
wonders, " the Finley baby" The par
ents, Joseph Finley and Ann z. Finley,
live in Morrow county, ten miles south
east of Cardington, aud four miles south
of little town called South Woodbury..
The husband is forty and the wife thirty
three years OF age. They are plain,
ordinarily intelligent, honest-appearing
country farm people. lie is native of
Pennsylvania, she Of Virginia. OF the
two, she is perhaps the most intellectual
| She is a stout-built, large, healthy look
ing woman, and would weigh about one
hundred and forty five pounds. He is
rather slender built, medium height, and
would " eigh say one hundred and fifty
five pounds Besides this ''llttle won
der, they have three healthy, fine look
ing children, with nothing unusual in
their development, either mental or
physical. The parents are not related to
each other, and no peculiarly or phsica
Development was ever known among
their ancestry.
Mr.. Finley has small piece of land
with a new comfortable frame house on
it. We reached his house about noon
and found the mother up and about the
house and in moderate health. The
baby, or babies, the child or children,
Just as you see fit to call it or them, was
in the arms and care of matronlv look
ing, good natured, accommodating kind
4 f h,N
good deal of pains to exhibit ''the won
der," at the same time guarding it with
care to prevent improper handling or the
doing Of anything that would hurt or In
jure it. Some twelve or fourteen were
in the room at the time, and from each
an admission fee Of one dollar was col
lected and the sight was cheap at the
price. All were permitted to look until
satisfied. The curiosity at first was
crying at both ends. The nurse admin
istesed some kind of ''body food to it
at each end. which seemed to give it
satisfaction, and one end dronDcd to
sleep while the other was awake then
that cad woke up aud the other end went
to sleep. Where the word ''end' is
used the reader can substitute ''head' if
he prefers it, It is two weeks old To-
day, and seemed to be in as good health
as any baby could be at that age. al
the different parts and organs OF this
body, or these bodies, seemed to be per-
forming duty in a proper way, and the
indications now are that this chap" Or
these chaps" will live, if not killed By
showing and handling them.
The mother modesty seemed little
shocked at the exhibition of her off
spjing. The father takes 1t very cool.
and is inclined to think he has big
thing.
When the child vas TWO days old, Que
0. o. Bro9G, an insurance agent, att0r |
ney At law, etc., and sou OF :. Brown, /
j. T., Of Cardin2ton, with an eye TO |
business, entered into contract in writ |
ing with the parents, by the terms OF |
which the parents agreed 70 travel with |
him anJ exhibit the curiosity under his |
direction md management for the sum
9f fity dollars per month, Brown to de- I
yfay all expenses. IF the child dies. B. /
IS to have the body for certain sum.
This contract the parents repudiate and
refuse to perform. They have taken
egal advice. and say il Is void and worth
ess, and pay no attention to Air- Brown.
on the Other hand, Brown maintains
hat tie contract is good and binding In
aw, and if the parents viii not permit 1t
he can ennipel them by the
aid of the courts. The result Will proba-
Div be ''hig law suit. Brown is in
,lined to think that he has done 1t up
'Gloica that he has a large ele-
chant fact that he has NO. big