Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-07-24
WITHOUT LEGS OR ARMS.
Entry Into Social Life OF . Child That
Can Neither Fight Nor Run.
lsan Antonio CTex.) Special

lsan Antonio CTex) Special
This city is marveling over the birth of
q colored baby that his mother legs nor
arms. The child is six months old, bu {
nothing concerning its singular lack Of all
The members OF motion that belong to the
human body was known until yesterday.
Its mother died sud lenly OF heart disease
Neishbors came in to perform the last
kind Offices for the dead. When they
lifted the child out of the cradle they dis
covered that it had no legs aid no arms.
Their astonishment was great. TIE news
spr cad through the town, and thousands
OF peorle came to see The infant, which
looked like a little black ball. Some COM
pared 1t to a dumb-bell, the neck being the
middle, 'ne body one ball and the head the
other.
At the funeral in the Shiloh Methodist
Church, the armless and legless child was
carried into the church as the only
mourner, by the eoiored minister's wife,
and at least 1000 people crowded In the
church and about it to see the remarknbl
sight.
The colored baby, which Is called Absa-
lom Peter Johnson is remarkably bright
and intelligent. Though only six months
old 1t has voice like a 'longshoreman's,
and can be heard crying for milk six and
eight blocks. Its voice is as strong and
well developed as that of a man. 1t is
thought that IL IL can be put on wood
en- legs and fit 'ed with wood m arms when
IL grows up it will make a great actor,
though il may always be criticised as q
wooden Ctor."
When Ahsalom Peter was only two
weeks old his father was caught stealing
turkeys and was given three days to leave
the State. He disappeared and has not
since been heard Of; and the general safe
ty OF chicken roOsts here produces the i'm
preston that he has let g State.
The child has no guardian or protector,
and the people are puzzl 81 to know what
to do with it. Some Of the colored people
propose to rafil5 it Off at the church fair
next week in the African Methodist
Church. Mrs. Calvin Simpson, the wife of
the colored member OF the Legislature
from this county, offers 20 keep "a table''
for the baby. A color a mechanic here
has made a chair for the baby to sit in
while being rain "a or.
IL looks tonight rs IL tho colored church
fair would come or withou. this rafls, for
it was learned this afternoon that circus
agent had come into town TO buy all the
chances. Lstters have been received from
half a dozen circus prOprietors. besides
half q dozeii te!cgraphic dispatches from
Barnum, Bailey & Hltchins)n's show at
Bridgeport, Conn. Three or four side
shows have offered TO adopt this baby.
The feeling in San Antonio is stron
against having tho child adopt n circus
life before 1t Is year old Whom it is six
or seven years old. the colored people say,
1t will be big enou n TO jud e for itself.
TIE cO!ored Methodist shepherd has
taken a great interest in the baby. He
says that il it has no legs and arms it can
lean on religion, nnd that the Methodist
Church will he sufficient for IL to stand on
A mechanical engineer looked at the
child to-day and said that 1t would be pos
sible to make il walk and feed itself, for
he said that it could be provided with
wooden legs and arms, fastened on lsy an
ingenious mechanical arrangement and
connecting with the neck by system Of
elastic bands and springs, Sd ihat by tho
movement of the neck the lecs could be
made to go and the arms 10 perform their
functions.
At present the child moves across the
fsor by rolling like n ball. 1t is not be-
lieved that he shoull 90 rolling through
life, and an eff Jrt will lie made when he
gets larger To procure some device which
will partly supply the place of his legs and
arms. 1t is thought that il wooden legs
could be made for him he could get along
without arms, because hs could learn to
cat with his toes.