The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-15
Twenty.one Persons with Tails.
ILnn1nn Standard

London Standard.
The discovery of the tailed man has been
so often announced that until he is actually
captured, photographed, lionized, and daily
reported on, we shall continue skepticsl re-
gaIding the northumberland statement
OF this interesting parsonage running wild
and preenm6bly naked-ln the woods of New
Britain. The fact that some extremely mac
cesslble spot has invariably been selected for
his abode has enabled successive &c nerations
OF romanoers to remain uncontradicted until
they and their story were forgotten. Since
the famous Lord Monboddos time there have
been plenty OF assertions which would have
been good enough proof for theorist ready
TO catch at any straw, though scarcely
weighty enough for eihnologists For ex-
ample, certain Colonel du Corrett reported
10 the French Academy at when in Mecca
forty three years ago be 50 at the house of
he Emir "Ghilane' slave made Bsllal,
who had tail three inches long aud
hexiabe as monkeys.
Unfori unately Colonel du CoIret
IS lot generally admitted to have ever been
IN Mecca, though the account which he
gives hes to an appreciable extent been re-
peated, il not confirmed. by other tellers of
wondrous tales. John Struys, a Dutch tray
eler who visited FOrmosa in 1917, asserted
that he saw in the interior OF that island a
savage with a tail more than foot long,
covered with red hair aud very like that OF
common to all the inhabitants, and was the
effect OF the climate" Hornenan trans.
Tered the story to the Nam Mans, who
we're evidently the people to whom M. du
Correct referred. Again and egain have trav-
elers in Ethiopia alluded TO the belief in the
tailed men which exists among the Abys-
siniaEs. DR.. Wolff was quite convinced of
the truth of the story of there being men
and women in Abyssinie with tails like
dogs and horses'-so poDderous that they
use them as weapons; and adds that such
people also live near China DR.. Hubsch sf-
firms that be saw. in 1852, in the CONSTANT.
nople Hospital, to which he was physician
a Mann MAN woman with q tail two inches
long and wolfiish expression quite in keep
ing. DR.. Hubsch was a nan of good status
though at the time his reputation for strict
adherence to the truth was not unquestiOned
by skeptics. In reality, it is now known
that such deviations from the normal state
OF matters are by no means unique. Setting
aside the Story OF a child IN Newcastle which
was born with tail one and one-fourth
inches long, DR.. Max Bertels. distinguished
German anthropologist, has, within the
last four years, investigated twenty
one we'll authenticated cases of per-
sons having been born with tails. There
Is, therefore, 20 reason for scouting the idea
that men provided with the supsrhuity in
question may exist. since it is an essential
principal OF modern biology that any pecu-
liarity may become hereditary, and that
there is tendency 10 perpetdste these acct
dental sports" for 1.-THE good of che species.
In early life the o. coccygis, or termination
OF the sacrum-which in the adult condition
is tucked in-projects some what. and Pro-
lessor Ernst Haecsl, who regards these bones
as an undeveloped tail, declares that there
exit rudimentsry muscles, the remains of
those which, according to this some what
wild evolutionlst, served to move the tail of
our ancient pTogenitors Unfortunately
the subject has never yet been reasonably
treated from q popular point of view, the
idea lending itself TOO much to DurlssqQs or