The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1880-11-24
A VAN WlTHAMERMAID.
The Strange Creature, Half Woman and
half Fish, Now in St. Louis.

S'oSanJ AoteiJ 1osoiuoo ooPoh'
he is registered at the Lindell Hotel
from Yokohama, and in addition to
the interest that attaches to him, ow-
ing to the strange country he halls
from, he enjoys the further distinc-
ton of being known as the man with
a mermaid" A Globe Democrat re-
porter learned yesterday that Mr..
Doyle not only enjoys the distinction
mentioned, but really is the possesscr
of a genuine mermaid. The reporter
hunted up Mr.. Doyle and had a pleas.
ant chat with him. He had been in
Japan for several years and was
greatly interested in the many mod
erniziug influences at work in .he
Orient. Mr.. Doyle, who is an art
critic and collector, went into rap
lures over the richness Of Jspans' art
products, and this is just what was
expected from him, as be is here with
a large quantity Of rare Japanese art.
icles, as curious as they are costly.
But these lost all interest TO the re.
porter when a long deep glass cage,
in the shape of an Aquarium, was
exhibited, which held the most curl
GUS and the rarest of all the objects
in the collection. It was q wonderful
looking thing, almost bideous to look
upon, but possessing powerful It.
traction for the beholder, owing to the
queer amalgamation OF species dis
played in its formation. Those who
have seen the old-time geography H.
l~ustration, which has recently been
used as a trademark for 4 certain pat
ent hair restorative and which repre-
sents the mermaid rising from the
sea and combing her long locks with
one hand while in the other she holds
a small lookiug-glass, can recall this
picture and thereby form an idea OF
what the present monstrosity looks
like, barring, however, the beauty.
which is a distinguishing trait Of the
ideal mermaid. Mr. Doyle's strange
curiosity is half human, half fish.
The head, chest, abdomen and arms
are Enthusiastically human, but from
the abdomen down the creature is a
fish. scaly, fnny and formed like the
e1tremities of a dweller in the water.
The arms are covered with scales 10
the wrist, and the backs Of the small
hands have the same scaly covering
to the finger tips. The head is small
as that OF a baby, but is perfect in
every detail; the forehead does not
recede, but is high and straight and
is of the class that indicates an unus-
ual degree OF intelligence. The eyes
are soft, swimmy and lightless, as
those of O fish; but the mouth, the
ears, the nose, and in fact all the
other features, are pronounced hu-
man, regular, clear cut, and as per-
feet as a beautiful woman's face. A
light covering of brown hair, several
inches in length, and eyebrows Of the
same color, are the only hirsute OF
appendages. The spinal column is
clearly seer running up to the base
of the skull and falling down the back
until it is lost in the fshy extremity.
Ten ribs are easily counted upon the
breast, and the mammalian female
development for feeding the young il
readily discernible. The mermaid
measures almost three feet from the
crown of the head to the extremity o.
the caudal fin, and is said to be larger
than the only other specimen of the
kind ever seer in this country. The
other mermaid is now on exhibition
in the New York Aquarium, and At
tracts O vast amount of attention from
scientists az we'll as from the genera
public.
Mr.. Doyle is very proud Of his mer.
maid, and, although a great many At
tempts have been made to induce
him to sell the curious creature, he
has thus far refused TO part with her
He says the monstrosity has been sub
jected to the closest scrutiny by sci
e~ntists of the Pacific slope, all o.
whom have pronounced her the mos
wonderful natural phenomenon ersl
brought to their notice, and havs con
Cured in declaring mermaids no long
or myths. The curiosity was captured
two years ago by three fishermen
near Urishuba, in the great island sea