Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1871-11-18

vidual named John Frier, who was
squire, and at the same time followed th
honorable employment OF turner at Slat
town on the road between Ccnterville an
lowman's Creek. He was twenty-six year
ofage when he formed this conjugal alli
ance, and according to his own story,
was one not at all times calculated to con
tribute to his comfort or lead him to lool
back on the occasion with feelings of plea
sure. Though giving no evidence of mucl
education, he speaks quite fuently, an,
has variety of words at command. III,
is something of an elocutionist, and give,
Daniel Webster's eulogium on Washington
with considerable power and effect. Per
haps his most remarkable Accomplishment
Is that he can write system of phono
graphy, which he picked up out of the OLD
book, with considerable rapidity. The
characters are made with great legibility
aud he can read them at once. This is q
strange accomplishment, and shows the
manner in which he has employed his wild
home. lie uses the pen in other ways with
good deal OF dexterity, his specimens oi
printing being worthy of inspection.
His wife was twenty years of age when
he married, thus making her about six
years his junior, or forty-fve years old.
Until last March, or as the old man saws,
faoout the time the maple sap was running,
she continued to share his fate, but left
then, and though he has heard rumors of
her whereabouts, he has not been able to
learn definitely her place of abode at pre-
sent. The reason she assigned for leay-
ing him, he says, was that the boy was
getting too strong for her, that she was be-
coming afraid of him and not able to man.
age him. He hints, however, at some other
reasons for her departure, and when refer
ring to her desertion, speaks with an Ok,
dent dent expression of sorrow and one child, a
boy above Snrec years OF age
I'VE are now prepared to introduce our
readers to the main objects of curiosity
the children. These are boy and girl.
AS to their exact ages the father cannot
speak definitely. The practice of civilized
life of registering the ages of offspring in
the family Bible was followed by him, but
he says his wife destroyed the record or
took the book away with her. lie sup
puseS' however, that the Oldest child-the
giri-was oorn about three years after their
marriage, which Mould make her age about
twenty-five. Between her age and the
boys there is three years, making his age
about nineteen. AS they appear on exhi-
bition, they are clothed with red flannel
shirt and pants, buttoned loosely around
them ; the pants being little lacking in
longitude, and only coming the length of
their Knees. Their appearance is not at
all idiotic, but rather S,mDie. The faces Of
Ootn are sharp, the noses prominent, the
cheek-bones high, the mouths large, the
toreheaus thrown back itiln but not low.
their complexion ilorid. and lit up an tue
time with laugh. The hair of their heads
is the identical color of their fathers, and
is long and matted. Their lower eXtrcmi-
n tStn tnI 4 h, Ia Il,
of squatting on the ground with both their
limbs turned in one direction. Their skin
is rough and hard and covered with blotch-
cs and scratches from exposure. The girl
is stouter than the boy and is very docie
The boy has the appearance of being starry
ed, and has an ugly disposition. This he
maniiests sometimes by fighting with the
father, and the girl bears the marks of
several injuries inflicted on her while in
ill-humor. Most of the time, however, they
are kindly disposed toward each other, and
when pleased the boy manilests his plea
sure by attempting To scratch the girls arm
or face, after which he puts his fingers in
his mouth and does so again. They are
constantly muttering something to them
selves, us if making an effort to speak but
| there is no evidence that they understand
each other. Their early history may be
told in few words. Their mother was of
delicate nature, and both the children at
an early age were subject to fits. They
never manifested any disposition to articu-
late English. The father complains that
the mother let them run about through the
woods in the summer time naked, urging
as a reason for her neglect that they did
not require any clothing. In the winter
she made them mocassins and put cloth
around their shoulders, and during the ut
most vigors of the season, this was their
only clothing, The girl, especially, is very
hardy and adventurous. She has been
known to roam away several miles from
home and sleep out several nights in the
most intense cold. She often appeared
naked upon the public roads and upon the
approach ofa traveller would run into the
woods. Before being on exhibition her
method of locomutiOn was On all iours,
she having gradually become habituatcd
to this system of progression by seeking .Or
beech nuts among the lcayes in the woods.
This might furnish Darwin or some of the
advocates of the development hyputcsS"
with an instance of "Reversion, and he
might find in this creature one of the mis-
sing liuks SO long sought after. With the
exception OF the epileptic attacks while
young, the children have been very healthy.
Their diet has been principally POTATOES
and other vegetables. Their father owns
liity acres Of laud, where they were reared,
but they have never done any work. Their
nearest neighbor was u milo distant. His
name was Richard Rymou, lie was n
lumber dealer and owned a saw mill, and
II was principally through his ondeayors
that the father was induced 10 exhibit the
children. Since the time of their mothers
desertion, the father has had grcat difficult
~ in taking care Of them, especially US the
boy has manifested lately disposition Of
violence toward the gil. When lac wished
10 20 from home he had to resort To tying
them u distance from each other, as u
means of mutual safety.
The furniture OF the hut was bed and u
few rude seats The fithor says that the
house once could boast OF having a stove
called the "Monltor,"a round bOltomed
pat and kettle, and pau but these the
bay broke, aud htterly cooking was dono
~ meana of Hue, with the assistance of
sone pieces of shvetiron. la speaking of
their huusehold pFoperty, DC said tho FAINT
ly owned ,hVe sheets helulV hls wife
leit, bat lhese weTv rent aud unit ior scr
yioa, Ills ehlnawarV consisted Of Nw
drlf plates, which, however, we're Kept Ia .
trunk nuu only taken 0ut uIuu tho arrival