Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-07
DROPPING TO PIECES.
n Negro Farmer Who Can Pull of f
Fingers and Toes Without Pain.

Negro Farmer Who Can Pull OF His
| Fingers and Toes Without Pain
An odd case of human wretchedness WIS
| reported yesterday by Justice John LAWNS
and Constable Frank Little, who had lust
returned from a trip to Chickasaw BAYOU.
| On plantation near the BAYOU thew fornd
a negro man who had been farmer until
| incapacitated by disease from working.
He first attracted their attention by hob
/ bling about on the stumps of what should
have been his feet, and exhibiting hands
| which were without fingers or thumb.
Too much accustomed to the sight of
queer deformities in the persons of the
negro race, they simply glanced at him
| and would have passed if the unfortunate
African had not deliberately unwrapped
bandage about one of his hands and
carelessly caught the remaining stump of
a finger between his knee and the wrist of
his other hand and with the utmost nom
| chalance pulled the stump off, He threw
1t away and again put his disfgured arms
In his bandages. He then scratched
considerable portion of his left foot off and
settled himself comfortably on the shady
side of the fence.
The peace officers recovered their equa-
nimity after a few seconds and held con-
sultatlon. They were not sure that if
they disturbed the man he would not
urloint himself entirely, and, not wishing
to be the cause of such a catastrophe, they
waited until he had time to grow quiet be-
fore they questioned him.
The curiosity started to lie at first. but
Justice LAWNS put him on oath to tell the
truth, and stopped this. The story told
was that about SIX months ago the victim
| noticed that his fingers and toes were be-
coming cramped and numb. He paid no
attention until one day using his index
hnger as a stopper for his pipe, he broke it
oil IN the bowl. He was alarmed and threw
the pipe away, and as he did so, parted
with another finger. Panic-stricken he
| fled to his home, and had voudou doctor
to attend him. The treatment he received
| did not benefit him, and he continued to
lose his toes until he became hardened to
1t, and OF late, when he found one growing
too dry, he would pull if off
| One of his feet was gone, and the toes of
the other was missing. The last finger he
| possessed was the one his audience saw him
remove, and he had stripped nearly all the
calloused flesh from one shin. He further
stated that he never felt pain.
After he finished the listeners were in
clined to doubt, and on the promise of
two-bit piece the darkey pulled off por-
ton of his left ear, which he said was
dying very rapidly, and would fall away
in few days anyhow. He did not seem
particularly frightened at his condition, as
he thought he had enough legs and arms
to last year or two longer at the worst.
None Of the mans friends were able to
explain how he contracted his disease, and
the man did not know himself. The gen
tlemen who were treated to the sight of
his condition were also unable to tell what
his trouble is, but are inclined to believe
that it is something of the nature of lep-
rosy or elephantiasis.-V icksJurg Herald.