Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-11-05
3TON SPECTATOR AND GENERAL ADVERTISER
"KRAO." THE MISSING LINK.
HE CURIOUS LITTLE CREATURE BROUGHT
FROM SIAM TO THIS COUNTRY.

THE CURIOUS LITTLE CREATURE BROUGHT
FROM SIAM TO THIS COUNTRY.
"Krao," the so-called ''missing link, !"
whose history and appearance have con-
siderably exercised scientists and amused
the curious in Europe, arrived in Philadel-
phia yesterday morning, in charge OF
George Shelley, who accompanied Carl
Book, the traveller, to Siam few years
ago, when the child was captured. Mr..
Shelley sat last night in an upper room at
the Bingham House with ''Krao" beside
him and discoursed learnedly and volum-
inously on his little charge. The child,
who is believed to be between eight and
nine years of age, was neatly dressed in a
pretty terra-cotta gown, red stockings, and
buttoned kid shoes. Heavy silver brace
lets adorned her hairy arms; cord, inter
woven with gold thread, encircled her
waist Though the nose is flat and the
face and forward are covered with black
hair of varying length and closeness, the
child is saved from responsiveness by her re-
mark ably large, dark, gentle and intelli-
gent eyes, and her general expression of
sense and good nature.
"Krao,'' says Mr.. Shelley, "was cap
tured with her parents in January, 1881, in
the wilds of the Laas country in Northern
Siam. All of the tribe that have been
seen are completely covered with hair. In
their natural state they live in trees, are
destitute of clothing and almost without
language Their food is fruit, nuts and
| fish. They have few implements and do
not possess the knowledge of fire. The
name "Krao'' is simply the Siamese for
ape.
| Mr.. Shelley, who is a believer in the OAR
winian theory, while not pretending that
Krao and her tribe supply the only link be-
tween man and the higher apes, holds to
the idea that these curious people are allied
to the chimpanzee in many physical points,
with much resemblance to civilized man in
intellect He instances as Krao's ape-like
characteristics the following facts: She has
thirteen dorsal verebrB and thirteen pairs
of ribs, instead of twelve as In man. She
has pouches in the mouth where she still
stores nuts and sweetmeatS. Her cranla
measurements correspond with those OF the
higher apes. Her ears and nose are with
out cartilage. Her fingers are abnormally
flexible The hair on her body grows IL
directions that characterize the Similar
hirsute growth.
| Krao, since her captivity, has learned
. to read, write and speak English, and has
has also acquired some knowledge of Ger
man. From wild, untaught little savage,
she has developed into docile, affectionate
and remarkably intelligent child. She
still has recollections of her wild life in
Siam. The child last evening wrote bel
name in full, ''Krao Farini," with pencil
in large, round, copybook hand, picked
up a handkerchief with her toes, and gooC
naturally opened her mouth to show where
she had stored away nuts in her curious.
ape-like pouches.-Phila. Press.
| MEMORIAL CHURCH IN ABB's VALLEY
''Max," the Tazewell correspondent o.
the Richmond Dispatch, says:-"Have yor
any readers who have not heard of Abb's
Valley? dare say they are few. but ever
to them it will be interesting to learn that
to-day memorial church, was dedicated
to the memory of those brave pioneers who
| persisted in the Shawnee massacre there il
1886 Two years hence centenary cele
bration will occur with suitable memoria
services. The building of the church il
due to the popularity and untiring energy
Of my venerable friond, William T. Moore
the grandson of that James Moore, who
sleeps now where he fell in defence of BIZ
hearthstone century gone.'
The Richmond Dispatch relates the fol
lowing, which should be encouraging t.
| farmers:
Yesterday prominent physician Of thi
city recalled a "Reminiscences calculated tt
prove very encouraging to the farmers. H,
stated that during drought about the yea
of 1882 he was at dinner party at Clifton
| Cumberland county, the residence of Mr.
Randolph Harrison. The conversation
turned upon the weather and its probable
effect upon the crops, when Mr.. Harrison
who was then seventy years of age, salt
that during season in his (Harrison' S
youth wheat was sown in ground so dr.,
that it did not sprout until Christmas week
when it was brought up by snow, and ye
the crop was a fine one.