Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1884-07-18
MisGellamenMs.
THE MAN WITHOUT BONES.

Your correspondent was introduced to
Isaac Arbuckle, a member Of a United
States marshaps posse, which had just
returned from raid IN search OF moon
shine whiskey manufacturers in the
mountains Of Eastern Kentucky, says
letter from Lexington, Ky, to the Gin
cinnati Tn,es-,Star. Arbuckle, when in
terrogated, stated that be had made
discovery while providing among the
mountains down below Barbourvillc that
he felt sure would be Of interest to nows-
paper readers. His story, in his own
words, was as follows:
Two days after leaving Barbourville
| spent the plight at tho cabin of poor
farmer among the hills, and during So
cial family conversation, in which par
ticipated, after supper, some one Incl
dentally spoke Of Hector Davis, the man
without bones. Immediately | asked
what was meant by tho expression. when
my host explained that Hector Davis,
was one of their "neighbors," living
some three miles further on among the
mountains, and that he actually had not
a 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 0 o'clock the next day, and
the first thing that struck my attention
upon entering was middle aged man
sitting bolt upright, and supported by
rude and peculiarly shaped framework.
He was introduced to me as Hector
Davis. / at once entered into conversa-
ton with him and discovered him to be
a man Of fair intelligence, and eager to
tell all about himself, in voice that
was as strong as my own. graspcd
his hand upon first entering but his
fingers all rolled together like cabbage
leaf in mushy sort of a way that made
me let go Of them. Taking hold of his
limbs, they yielded to the pressure until
they were Hattencd out to twice their
proper width. The only indication of
bone was in the skull which, while
pliablc almost as shoe-leather, still Of
fered kind Of protection to tho poor
fellows brain. His neck was as timber
as dish-cloth and whom his head was re-
leased from it's support, which was
in the shape Of similar contrivance
used in photograph galleries, it rolled
heIplessly about on his shoulders like II
football. His arms dropped at his side,
but with the aid Of the muscle he wus
enabled to partly raise the forearm, al.
though the hand curled over Imply
and gave the whole sort Of zigz,a
shape He shufiled off his slipper anl
requested me to step on his foot lrl
so, and it at once spread itself oul until
it looked as il railroad train bad
passed over it. II slowly resumed its
natural shape, but it was fully half an
hour before he was able to get the foot
in his slipper again.
"Perhaps you would like TO tic my
leg 10 knott" he suggested.
I 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 presented very knotty problem in
doed, and one that would have set pro-
fsssional contortionist crazy.
When we had unraveled all the knots
and Strengthened his limbs again, be re-
questcd US TO lift him gently from bis
framework and place him upon the floor,
This we found no easy task, for his body
slipped about in our arms like IN eel, and
it was only by securing a firm grip upon
bis clothing that wo managed to keep
him from falling. We finally succeeded
in strengthening him out upon the floor,
and then my friend, who seemed TO
thoroughly understand the homeless
mans programme, seized barrel stand
ing near, and which I afterward learned
contained turnips, and swiftly Impending
it, at once proceeded TO roll it over the
PROSTATE Davis, from his toes up TO bis
chin, and back TO bis toes.
The only manifestation Of pain he
made was when the barrel passed over
his heart and lungs; but it left him 10
horrible shape can only describe
il by comparing il TO that Of man
made Of mud and then thrown up and
hattened against wall. But had no
time to contemplate his Hatness, as he
almost Immediately called to US in
rather weak voice to roll him up
This we proceeded to do by doubling his
head over bis chest and then continuing
to "roll him up as you would carpet,
until We came to his feet, and ho formed
a perfect cylinder about as large around
as balf-barrcl A voice feebly pipcd
from the centre Of the cylinder for us to
unroll him, and wc soon had him once
more spread out over the floor
While his body was rcsuming its for
MGR shape learned from bis old spec.