The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-05-21
| BONELESS MORTAL.
MuLAArToN AND rHe MooNsHlNIRs.
A Man Who Can bo Flattsned Out Like y
Pancake md Rolled mp Like
Carpet-A Remarkable
Discovery.
Lexington tKyJ special.l

Yesterday your correspondent was in
trodlced TO Isaac .Arbuckle, member Of
United States Marshal's posse, who had
| Just returned from raid in search Of
moonshine whisky manufacturers in the
mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Ar.
buckle was waiting for train to take
him to his home in Carter County,
and, when interrogated, stated that the
revenue raid was almost barren Of results,
but that be had made discovery while
prowllng among the mountains down be-
low Barbourvllle that he felt sure would
be of interest 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
farmer among the hills, and during So
cial family conversation. in which ! par
ticipated, after supper, some one incident
ally spoke of Hector Davis, 'the man
without bones" Immediately asked
what was meant by the expression, when
my host explained that Hector Davis was
one OF their "neigllbors," :" "livingsome three
miles further on among the mountains,
and that ho actually had not n bone In his
body. As depressed some skepticisrn, he
volunteered TO show me over to Hector's
the next morning, We knocked at the
door OF the Davis cabin about nine o'clock
next day, AMI tbe FIRST thing that struck
my at,entol upon entering was middle
aged man sitting bolt upright, AMI sup
ported bya rude end peculiarly shaped
frame work.
< He was introduced 70 me rs Hector Da-
Wis. lat once entered into conversation
with him, and discovered him to be man
Of fair intelligence, and eager to tell all
about himself, ina voice that was Us
strong as my own l gFasped bis hand
upon. lrst entering, but his fingers all
rolled up together ina musliy sort Of way
that made me glad TO let go Of them. TAX.
ing hold OF his limbs they yielded to the
pressure until they were flattened out TO
twice their proper width, The only indi.
cation of bone was in his skull, which,
while pliahlc almost as shoe-leather, still
offered kind o. protection TO the poor fel.
lows brain.
l. His neck was timber as a dish-cloth, and
WHOM his head was released from It's sup.
port, which was something in the shape of
I similar contrivanco used in photograph
galleries, IL rolled helplessly about upon
/ ais shoulders Ike foot hail. His arms
dropped at his side, bu. with the nil Of the
muscle he was enabled 10 partly raise the
forearm, although tho hand curled over
Imply, and gave the whole sort Of zig
rag shape. He shufiled off his slipper and
requested me to stop on his foot. did so,
and It at once spread itself out until it
looked as II railroad train had passed
over it. 1t slowly resumed its natural
shape, Lut It was fully half hour before
4 be was able 10 get the foot in his slipper
again.
"Pcrhaps you would like 70 tie my leg In
knott" he suscesied.
found no difficulty In performing this
feat, while my friend accomplished the
sGme with the other leg, nnd after we had
also tied knots IN both his arms he pre-
sentcd a very knotiy problem, indeed, and
one that would have set professional
contortionist crazy.
When We had unrhvellcd oil tho knots
and siraightensd his limbs again, he re-
questcd VS. 10 LIFT him gently from his
framework and place HIM upon the door.
This we found no easy task, for his body
slipped about in our arms like an Gel, nrd
it was only by securing firm grip upon
his clothing that we manage TO keep him
from falling. We finally succeeded IN
strengthening him out upon the floor, and
then my friend, who seemed 10 thoroughly
understand the mans programme, seized a
barrel standing near and which after.
words learned contained tarnips, and
swiftly upending IL, NJ once proceeded tc
roll It over the prostrGto Davis, from his
toes up to his chin, and back again to his
toes.
The only manifestation OF pain be made
was when the barrel passed over his hear.
} and lungs, but It left him In horrible
shape. can only describe it by compar
ing II TO that Of man made OF mud, ant
then thrown up and Aattened against Q
wall. But l had no tins 10 contemplate
his na.ness, as he almost Immediately call
ed TO us In a rather weak voice 10 ''roll hin
up" This we proceeded TO do by doublin;
his head over his chest and then continuing
to "roll him upn as you would carpet
until we came to his feet, and ho formed I
perfect cylinder about as largo as q half
barrel. A voice feebly piped from th,
centre OF tho cylinder for us TO unroll him
and we soon had him once more spread ou
over the floor.
While his body was resuming its formel
| shape, learned from his old, spectacled
mother, who had sat during all these pro
] ceedings knitting in her rocking chair, tina
Hector, who was forty years old, ha'
. always enjoyed excellent health, aud pro
vided well for her until the beginning o
his peculiar nffiiction two years ago. IL
first observed softening OF the bones o
the toes, and this rapidly spread TO al
parts OF his anatomy, although, beyon,
$ making him helpless, he never experience
any Inconvenience from Il. All his vita
I organs performed their functions properly
1 and she believed ho would live to goo
|, old age. She had younger son, then In th
e field at work, who assisted In handling him
r and altogether they got along quite CON
$ fortably. She did not know what tho dot
, tors might think OF Hector, as she 'had nc
: seen doctor up In them thur bills for mig
. onto twenty year" After my friend an
/, ( had replaced the boncless man In hi
4 framework, we bade him goodbye IN
> came away.
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