The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-11-14
The Tiniest OF Babes.

Peter B. Shearer has two of the most
remarkable children in the country. He
dwells at Stonersville, a little, struggling
village ten miles nearer Philadelphia
than Reading, His house is plain, two
story frame, and Mr.. Shearcr turns an
honest penny in the blacksmith pro.
fession. The agents of show people have
become so annoying to the Shearers
that the father of the wonderful off
spring keeps gun on hand loaded with
salt, to give warm reception to those
who call to secure the children for eX-
hibition purposes.
The blacksmith is a stalwart man of
about thirty eight, with black hair and
beard and dark eyes His wife, and the
mother, is II well,developed, healthy
woman, The Record reporter found two
little cradles in Shearer's neatly.fur-
nshed house. They were half as long
as ordinary cradles, and looked as if one
of full growth had been cut in half and
remounted on separate rockers. They
were little, old-fashioncd affairs, brown
in color, with the varnish well worn off.
Each contained "babe." The father
raised one of the children to his lap and
the mother the other Strengthening
little people, dwarfs, thin and pale and
mere shadows of children. The father
held the eldest and called her Oily"
for short. She is eight years old and
weighs about eleven pounds Blind and
dumb, and Just able to stand alone, she
is indeed an object of pity. The little
dwarf is about thirty inches tall, yet her
lower limbs are as thin rs an ordinary
cane and her head about the size of Il
tea-cup.
"Can she hear?" was asked of the
father.
con, yes; Just listen" lie gave
Oily" to the mothers care, and
stepped into an adjoining room. An
organ stood there. The father played
lively air; and the first few bars set
the little ones to jumping and smiling,
When Oily was born she weighed
about pound. When she was a year
old she could cover her head entirely
with an ordinary tea,cup, She was
blind all the time. This little dwarf has
luxuriant growth of silken blonde hair
that descends to her shoulders. A pretty
set of teeth is in her mouth. The eight
year.old child does not look to be over
eight months.
Just here very healthy young boy
entered the room. He is about sixteen
years old, full-breasted, square-shoul-
dered, erect, full of life, with great dark
ewes and ruddy checks. "This is one
of our children" said the father, "and
here is another, younger than the
dwarrs." A little boy came tripping
into the room, full of mischief, stout,
hearty, robust, and of full growth for
his years.
"You see" continued Mr.. Shearer,
eve have children older and younger
than these two, who are in every way
healthy and of natural development.
The younger of the dwaris is six years
old, and her weight is about pound
lighter than her sisters. We tie them
to small scales and weigh them once a
year, on their birthday. They appear
to grow in length, but not much in
weight. They did not increase three
pounds in three years. Why, just look
at their arms and fingers; Just like
shadows, and fingers less in thickness
than pipe-stems. Occasionally they are
quite cross, but their time is principally
passed in sleeping They are as healthy
now as most children, yet they do not
grow. They cannot walk, nor see, nor
talk, and in nearly all respects are help
less
Mrs. Shearer was in perfect health
prior to the birth of the first child, but
there had been scarlet fever in the
family and several of their children
died. Prior to the birth Of the second
dwarf, the mother had her diminutive
child with her all the time. The next
child born was as healthy as any child
possibly could be.
The children have the appearance OF
idiots. Their foreheads are very much
depressed, the top of their heads being
very small. The eldest child has the
look of person fifty years of age, while
Virginia, the younger dwarf, has a
pleasant countenance, like that of an
infant. She, too, has full set of teeth.