Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-08
A CHILD WITH A TAIL.
A Louisville OctOrOOn Gives Birth to q
Child Which Puzzles the Doctors.


Child Which Puzzles the Doctors.
In a shady lane below Thirty-e1ghth
street, between Bank aud Market, says
the Louisville Commercial, stands a neat
frame cottage, newly coated with white
wash. The house is surrounded with
trees and shrubbery, and the front yard is
divided into blooming flower plats. The
house is occupied by james Clark, his
wife, and an adopted daughter. The lat
ter has been given the name of Ruth. On
a cold winters night, sixteen years ago,
she was left on the dOorsteps, and Mrs.
Clark has kindly watched over her since.
She has grown to be tall, and, although
an octOroOn, has complexion Of almost
perfect whiteness. Her hair 10 long and
black and curly. Her teeth shine like
two rows Of pearls, and are splendidly
displayed beneath her thin arched upper
lip.
Since Monday Mrs. Clark AYERS that ga
thousand Of people have visited the
house" The visitors have been mostly
colored people, with a considerable sprink-
ling of medical practitioners. Yesterday
a body Of thirty-three medical students
were at the house an hour, and went
away promising to return in a few days
and bring their note books with them.
Six weeks ago yesterday a messenger in
the shape of baby girl came to the house
of James Clark. 1t was born to his adopt
ed daughter, and presented a striking
freak of nature. Celia Alexander, doc
tress, OF 1921 High avenue, was called in
TO administer medical attention. Being
somewhat superstitious, she is said to
have declared that some great fatality
was about to beiall the family when she
viewed the infant. 1t was a pretty child,
with black eyes and black hair, perfectly
formed, except in the region of
the pelvis. The lower end Of the
Yertebr9 extends below the trunk
of the body, and formed a very
marked and distinct tail. The
appendage measured an inch in diameter
at the body and appeared gracefully for
length of four inches, when it ended alb
ruptly with a slight curl, and few
strands of coarse hair. Another striking
deformity was the double hips which the
child possessed. The abnormal pair were
like two banks of flesh, in the centre of
which could be felt a hard, bony sub
stance. To sum up, the child had hips
and a tail which bore a pronounced re-
semblance to the American hog. Since
its birth the little freak has been very
healthy, Notwithstanding his mother has
been lying seriously i'll. The tall and alb
normal hips have developed alarmingly
rapid, and threaten to become the most
prominent features about the child. The
tail yesterday measured six and one
quarter inches, and the hips would have
a fair showing in a canvas ham bag. For
this reason the mother Is uneasy. She is
afraid the child Will turn into all tail and
hips.
off it Does" she said yesterday, II will
travel with it with some circus. Two or
three of my friends haYe'already told me
that / could exhibit the child and make a
barrel of money"
"But you won't do anything of the
kind" said Mrs. Clark, angrily, who
heard the remark of her adopted daughter,
''If that tail keeps on growing | am going
to cut it off, and what's more, those two
arms must be dOctored some way to stunt
their growth. Why, she never could walk
around in stylish dress with that de-
formity on her hips"
'The little freak Will prove wonder to
the profession" said DIR. III. w. Peters, OF
$50 Third street 81 intend to observe il
closely, and prepare some sort of an opin-
ion about it myself. Natures freaks are
always interesting, but one of this charac.
ter is doubly so. While its origin is
easily accounted for, such perfect develop
ment of the abnormal parts as the child
presents is nothing short of phenome-
non. The mother was evidently chased
or frightened by a hog. Nothing else /
could have produced such wonderful
result"
Meanwhile the child continues to grow
and laugh and kick. 1t has already eX-
hibited peculiar fOndness for corn bread,
and, unlike most children of its age, had
no desire for milk. 1t will be an object Of
much curiosity among physicians and
eminent scientists.