Connecticut western news., 1876-06-16
A MARVEL OF TATTOOING.
Remarkable Subject from the Hands Of
 the skiIlfuI Chinese Tartars.

Remarkable Subject from the Hands Of
 the skiIlful Chinese Tartars.
 Capt. George Costentenus, descend ant of 8 noble Greek family, from the province of Albania, arrived in New York recently. From head to foot on every inch of his body, inclrding even his scalp and the soles of his feet, he is mass of the most artistic and elabor- ately colored tattooing, in letters, signs, and figures of quadrupeds, birds, fishes, and reptiles. Captain Costentenus is tall, dark complexioned, of superb physique, and about forty-five years of age. He does not read English, but converses fuently in his own tongue, and in the Italian, Arab, Turkish and Persian languages, and speaks little French and German, and few words of English. The climate here affects him so that he keeps mufi1ed up in @ coarse cap pulled down over his forehead, and thick pair of gloves on his hands. His heavy beard only partially conceals the tattooing on his weather-beaten face.
 Costentenus' early history is that of many Albanians. He has always been a soldier of fortune. In 1867 he and eleven others penetrated Chinese Tar tary and sided with the rebels. The party were captured, and two or three were killed, and the rest were submitted to an ordeal of tattooing, which only two survived, Capt. Oostentenus and Q Spaniard, who has since died. The operation lasted three months, and was performed daily. Six men held him down while 8 seventh yielded the tat tooing apparatus. At the conclusion of the operation he regained his health, and was freed by the Tartars, instead of making his escape, as was reported. This tattooing was done to warn out side barbarians of the danger of pepe- trating the Tartars' dominion.
 Nothing like the captains person has ever been seen in civilized countries. By the side of his gorgeously embel- lished cuticle the tattooing of South Sea islanders fades into insignficance. The material used was indigo and cin- nabar, the former producing black and the latter red. Ata first glance the captains body seems to be covered with Turkish shawl, but closer ex- animation shows that the pictures in two colors are produced by unnumbered points. On his forehead are animals and inscriptions, and on the face star like figures. On the hands are uumer- ous red points, and figures resembling sculptures, as we'll as long tailed pan ther like shapes. The ears are absolute | ly the only part of the body free from tattooing, even the scalp belng embel- lished. On the neck, chest, abdomen, back, and extremities, the skin is mass of symmetrically arranged and admir- ably executed figures of monkeys, ele- plants, tigers, lions, peacocks, stalks, swans, snakes, crocodiles, lizards, min gled with bows, arrows, leaves, flowers and fruits. Between the figures are words in Berminian in blue and red let ters, and simple points or stars and cir cles. The original skin is invisible. On the palms of the hands are indescrib- able figures, and little figures are on the inside of the fingers. On the back sides of both feet to the toes are blue points, and from the toes to the nails are red lines. Altogether there are 3SS tattooed pictures on the entire body-on the forehead, two; neck, eight; chest, fifty; bacK, thirty-seven; abdomen, ffty-two; upper extremities, 101; lower extremities, 137-yet the captain is in perfect health.
 The instrument used in tattooing, tho captain says, was divided into three parts. The part holding the fluid was slit like pen four inches long and an inch and half wide, coming down to two points. In the middle was cylin- der of brass four inches long, and on top was a third piece, four inches long, of iron, with knob at the end. The three parts were joined by capsules. The instrument was inserted between the thumb and forefnger of the left hand to guide it, and the right hand made the punctures with extreme ra- pidity.
 The captain has several scars on his person as evidence of his numerous en- agreements, and these show plainly through the tattooing. He has seen every country in the world except America. He is going to the Centen- nial Exhibition.