Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1884-05-10

the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Ar
buckle was waiting for train to 60 to
his home In Carter county, and when in
terrogated stated that the revenue raid
was almost barren of results, but that he
had made a discovery while prowling
among the mountains down below Bar
bourville that lie felt sure would be Of in
terest to newspaper readers. His story, in
his own words, was as follows:
Two days after leaving Barbourville l
spent the night at the cabin of poor far
mer among the hills, and during q social
family conversation, in which | partici-
pated, after supper, some one incidentally
spoke of Hector Davis, "the man without
bones" l Immediately asked what was
meant by the expression, when my host
explained that Hector Davis was one of
their "neighbors, living soma three
miles further on amohg the mountains,
and that he actually had not bone in his
body. AS expressed some skepticism, he
volunteered to show me over to Hector's
the next morning. We knocked at the
door of the Davis cabin about o'clock
next day, and the first thing that struck
nv attention upon entering was middle
aged man sitting bolt upright and sup
ported by rude and peculiarly shaped
frame work.
He was introduced to mo rs Hector
Davis. at once entered into CONVERSE
ton with him, and discovered him to be
man of fair Intelligence, and eager to tell
all about himself, in voice that was as
strong as my own. grasped his hand
upon first entering, but his fingers all
rolled up together like cabbage leaf in
mushy sort of way that made me glad to
let 90 of them. Taking hold of his limbs
they yielded to the pressure until they
were flattencd ont to twice their proper
width. The only indication of bone was
in his skull, which, while pliahle almost
as shoe-leathcr, still offered kind Of pro-
lection to the poor fellows brain.
His neck was rs Timber as dish cloth,
and when his head was released from its
support, which was something in the
shape Of n similar cOntrivance used in
photograph galleries, it rolled helplessly
about upon his shoulders like football.
His arms dropped at his side, but with tic
aid of the muscle he was enabled to partly
raise the forearm, although the hand
curled over Imply and gave the whole
sort of zigzag shape. He shuilled of his
slipper and requested me to step on his
foot. did so, and it ut once spread itself
out until it looked rs if 4 railroad train
had passed over it. 1t slowly resumed its
natural shape, but it WAS fully half hour
before he was able to get the foot in his
slipper again.
"Perhaps you would like to tie my leg
in knott" he suggested.
found no difficulty in performing this
feat, while my friend accomplished the
same with the other leg, and after we had
also tied knots in both his arms he pre-
scented very knotty problem, indeed, and
one that would have set professional
contortionist crazy.
When we had unravcled all the knots
and Strengthened his limbs again, he re-
frame work and place him upon the floor.
This wo found no easy task, for his body
slipped around in our arms like an eel,
and it was only by securing iirm grip
upon his clothing that we managed to
keep him from falling. We finally sue
ceeded in Strengthening him out upon the
floor, and then my friend, who seemed to
thoroughly understand the homeless mans
programme, seized barrel standing near,
and which afterwards learned contained
turnips, and swiftly upending it, ut once
proceeded to roll it over the PROSTATE
Davis, from his toes up to his chin, and
back again to his toes.
The only manifestation OF pain he made
was when the barrel passed over his heart
and lungs, but it left him in horrible
shape. can only describe it by comparing
it to that of man made of mud and then
thrown up and flattened against wall.
But had no time to contemplate his flat
ness, us he almost Immediately called to
us in a rather weak voice to "rOll him up"
This we proceeded to do by doubling his
head over his chest and then continuing
to "roll him up" as you would carpet,
until he came to his feet, and he formed i
perfect cylinder about rs large around as
half-barrcl. A voice fcebly piped from
the center Of The cylinder for us to unroll
him, and we soon had him once more
spread out over the floor.
While his body was resuming its former
shape 1 learned from his old, specialized
mother, who had sat during all these pro-
ceedings knitting in her rocking-ch air,
that Hector, who was forty years old, had
always enjoyed excellent health and pro-
vided well for her until the beginning Of
his peculiar affliction two years ago. He
first observed softening of the bones OF
the toes and this rapidly spread to all
parts of his anatomy, although, beyond
making him helpless, he never expert
enced any inconvenience from it. All his
vital organs performed t'lsir functions
properly, and she believed he would live
to good old age. She had Il younger son,
then in the field at work, who assisted her
iii handling him, and altogether they got
along quite comfortably. She did not
know what the doctors might think of
Hector, rs she Chad not seen a doctor up
in them thar hills for nigh onto twenty
years" After my friend and had re-
placed the homeless man in his frame work,