Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-04-12
THE DAKWINIAN THEORY.
The skeleton of a Man with Tail Found
by Farmer of Prince Edward Island.
From the Charlottetown prince Edward Island)

The skeleton of a Man with Tail Found
by Farmer of Prince Edward Island.
From the Charlottetown prince Edward Island)
Observer.
| am a farmer, residing on the Mes
bitt Road, East Point, and engaged,
like most of my neighbors, in procuring
mussel, or marsh mud during the winter
months. At the southern end of my
land Is creek, about which lies con-
siderable tract of marshy land. For
the last two Or three years myself and
sons have used the deposits in this
marsh as a manure, and finding it an
swered exceeding we'll in one position,
have made pits of very considerable
depth. Being convinced thatthe lower
mud was the best, and our anticipa-
tons of being troubled by the rise of
water in the hole proving unfounded,
we have used the small pit for the past
two winters. Bearing this in mind, it
must not be matter of, surprise that
the pit is now excessively deep. The
substance is a kind Of heavy, black
peat, somewhat similar, fancy, to that
found in Lennox Island and in the
vicinity Of Big Shibboo, in the neigh
boring province. One day in the latter
part of the month, myself, my son Will
liam, and man in my employ, one
Alfred McAlduff, were engaged in pro-
curing manure from the pit The two
latter were in the hole, digging and
loading the sleigh, while l remained
above. | was about to light my pipe,
when suddenly heard loud exclama-
tons from my son, followed by SIM
| I 10 ri FRO !,
approached, and, to my infinite
surprise, beheld, projecting from the
mud, the cerebellum of human skull.
Gradually, and with the greatest care,
we proceeded to free the remains from
the superintendent earth, and at
length had the satisfaction to disclose
the entire skeleton of full-grown hui
man being. The skeleton, speaking
generally, was much the same as that
of large male specimen of the pres
ent Indian race. The skull, however,
was very much flattened on the top, and
the jaw bones very large and thick
The lower arm bones were much longer
than the usual standard The legs, on
the contrary, were short in very no.
ticeable degree. Behind the figure and
in a position directly continuous from
the back of the spine were nineteen
small articulated bones. There can not
be the slightest room for doubt that
these members represent the osseous
framework of tail. Of the great
number of persons who had been to my
house to view this most interesting
specimen of departed race not one
has failed, in the most explicit words
to indorse my own first former opinion
1t was argued, by our own minister that
it was quite possible that the bones, al
though undoubtedly the bones of a
tail, might be merely those of one
taken from some animal, and might
have been used by the man as a
weapon, offensive or defensive But
the position clearly invaiidates this ar
'gument. The hands were folded in
front of the body. and therefore could
not have been holding the tail, which
as it appeared to make direct junction
with the backbone, could not have
maintained that situation without some
support. Add to this the undoubted
similarity of the bones, and the oonclu
sion that the articulations were contin-
uous from the end of the tail to the
neck is inevitable.
The skeleton may be seen at my
house, where shall feel it pleasure
as we'll as duty, to give all the infor-
nation l can TO those who wish to in.
spect it. It'has been reported that a
glass flask, which had probably con
tanned some cordial or fermented bev.
erage, was discovered by the remains
This, however, is a mistake; no such
bottle was found. SILAs Wilcox.
Nesbitt's Road, East Point, March 3