The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1881-09-03
CAMDEN's BABY MERMAID.
philadelphia lines, August 1G ]

"Say, Mr.. hev you got that ere sea
sarpint in here?" cautiously inquired
Jersey farmer as he poked a frowsy head
through the doorway of Brokers liquor
store, Second and Federal streets, Cam
den, at noon yesterday.
"Ycs, sir; walk in," replied Brooker.
:" Be this it," asked the farmer, as he
stood and pointed "a sun-burnt hand
towards a lively young Florida alligator
in a glass box. .-
"Not exactly; only second cousin or
SO. There's the thing you came to see,
hanging up there on the wall"
"Well, I'll be swashed if that don't
look just like Jenkins new baby, over to
the village Tain't child, is it!
When told that it was mermaid
fresh from the depths of the Atlantic the
countryman's eyes stood out on his cheek
bones and he gazed around at the crowd
with bewildered stare.
ga mermaid! Well, well. I've heern
tell of such things, and my darter what
works over to the colonel's used to read
out of picture. books bout meermaids
a-comen' their hair in the ocean, but I
never seed one afore," and the old mans
curiosity and wonderment knew no
bounds.
The object in question described by
many as a mermaid from its resemblance
to the human family, hung by string
on the wall and was being inspected by
a crowd of the curious. 1t was about
two and half feet in length and so many
points of resemblance to new born child
did it have that many persons manifested
little reluctance in pronouncing it a gen.
uine baby mermaid. It's body, with the
exception of the feet and tail and the To-
cation of the arms, was in appearance
the same as that of a child and might be
described as revised version of a skinned
monkey. The head ran to peak at the
top and was set on a short neck and we'll
defined shoulders. The eyes were sunken
and were covered in lieu of eyelids with
gristly scales. The nose was quite prom
inent and ended in the mouth, the lips
which were of hard, gristly flesh and
fringed with eight teeth on the inside
four upper and four lower. The tongue
bore an almost perfect resemblance to the
human tongue, and back of it could be
seen two small tonsils. The breast and
abdomen were remarkably similar tc
1hose OF man, the ribs being well formed,
out about forty in number. The arms
extended to the hips and terminated in
hve fingers, with claw-ike nails, the
JOINTS beng at the point of connection
with the body. The legs were long, ter
minating in fms, and bore resemblance tt
those of baby. At the end of the back
bone well-defned tail, five inches i,
length, protruded, ending vertically int,
two small fins. Strange to say, ther,
was not the sign of scale, a soft, flesh,
skin covering the entire body, whicl
was destitute Of hair. The weight of tn
creature was about six pounds.
II was fishing for founders or weak
fish about seven miles off Brigandin
Beach, in company with a yachting
party" said James Garrison, Jr., of Cam
den, to reporter, "and when got tire,
of the sport I changed the bait and thre,
the line in another direction. Prett
soon I felt o strong jerk, and 1 thought
had a good-sized fish. I pulled in tn
line rapidly, thinking had on founder
but you could have hoored me with
feather when hauled that thing on decl
The captain yelled ont, 'Shiver my to,
gallants, Garrison, but you've caught
mermaid l sat down and looked at til
thing Hopping around and almost G,
pected 1T to walk up and speak to me-
took the hook out OF its mouth and pr
it in pail of water, but it lived onl
two hours. Why, felt as though w,
killing human being when pulled IL
barb out of its flesh. 1t looked SO muc
like dying child that the captain, WI
is tri1e superstitious, wanted to talk
it, and felt so sorry that he almost blu
bered like little girl. brought it i