The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-07-05
a HUMAN CUCUMBER.
fhs Arabian SIght. Ostdone In Peacefu
Georgia.


Is a piece which exudes or bleecs from
the stem. One OF our prominent north
ern truck growers, Jared Benson, cut
his hand year or two ago and this
juice got into the cut and his hand
commenced 10 inHame, and an erup-
tion similar 10 erysipelas made its APP
pearance on his hand and extended up
his arm, and finally spread over his
whole body. Strange 20 say, there
was no pain atte7ding these eruptions
OF erysipclas, and he continued
20 gather and pack his cucum-
bers and prepare them for ship
ment. To the great surprise Of every
body these little erysipelas pimples
assumed the appearance and form OF
small cucumbers and continued 20
grow. Although Benson kept well and
hearty, he was compelled % strip him
self and take 10 his bed. or course
the news Of this strange phenomenon
spread far and wide, and the doctors
and scientific mcn visit d him from
various sections Of the country. One
prescribed one thing and one another
Onc wished % blood him; one wished
10 cut the cucumbcrs oil; another said
not 90 let him have any water and they
would dry up; another said stick hole
In each cucumber and they would die
and new skin form; another wished
20 wrap him up In mammoth poulticc
OF barn-yard manure. and draw them
all 10 one head; another said they
ought 10 be scattered.
Each had "A different remedy, but
they all disagreed. So there was some
hope that the patient would get well.
But the small cucumbers grew into big
ones. and his whole body was com
pletcly covered with them from head
TO foot and the commenced to ripen
and turn yellow and hang down, aud
the man assumed the appearance OF "a
huge bunch Of bananas When they
got ripe they began to shrivel and dry
up and so did the man. His sap was
all gone and he died. The doctors pro-
cured the consent Of the family TO per-
met nm autopsy TO be made, for the
btll'lI vi 6tltlItt hllAl llltI iib llbo
him with their knives, aud TO their
amazement found no flesh, no bones,
no muscles, no sincws, no veins, no
arteries; but found only one solid mass
Of cucumber seeds. 1t was so remark
able that IL would be useless TO have
tho remains Inferred and foolish TO
have them cremated, and the widow
concluded that she would keep them in
the house. She had the corpse hung
up by the hair i'm the barn. The next
spring some Of the children picked up
some Of the seed which had dropped
on the floor and planted them.
They grew rapidly and matured, and
instead Of being like the parent stock
Of cucumbers, they were pure pickles
and needed no vinegar, no pepper, no
salt, nothing but simply packing into
barrels and shipping TO market and
selling or course, news OF the dis
covery spread rapidly and multitudcs
of applications for seed flowed in like
tho incoming tide, and thus enabled
the disconsolatc widow and children
TO turn the cause Of their bereavement
into "a means Of maintenance and sup
port. The wind OF ailliction was thus
tempered to these shorn lambs. They
sold small packets OF seed for big
prices and could not supply the de-
mand. The vine grown from the new
seed is perennial evergreen and can
be propagatod from cuttings, blooms
in the spring aud bears in the summer
bountiful crop Of perfect pickles.
Tho widow sells the seed at "A dollar n
papcr. -Gritlin CGal NewS
A Performance witch "a CoIored brother
Termed IA waste of strength.
We rolled into ono OF tho railroad
stations in North Carolina just rs the
clocks were striking midnight, and it
was rs dark as black cats and the rain
coming down with n steady pour. Tho
station was closed, not n person about,
and whCn the train had departed we
were left in moro senses than one.
There wcro five OF us altogether, and
after hasty consultation the Colonel
started of down the platform saying
he knew the way up town. was next
to him. and all OF sudden | missed
him. Next instant found him, how
over. My feet stepped out to find
nothing TO rest ON, and one after the
other thrcc "camc tumbling after"
We had walked of the end OF the plat
form and taken drop of six feet, and
the first two Of us struck big hog who
was swectly slumbering the night
away The porlIcr got up just in timo
to be knocked down again by the third
man, and before he got away he upset
every one OF us two or three times
over. Each man was covered with
mud when we reached the hotel, and
none OF us had got over being mad
next morning when n colored man
came around and inquired for "them
ar gents from de Moth" Tho Col
onel went out TO see what was wanted.
Say. some of you'uus moas' killed
my hog down to dc depot last mite"
said the man.
"Was that your hog?"
''lle was. Dat hog. he"
The Colonel picked him up and gave
him lift which landed him on his
head in flower bed between the fence
and the veranda He maintained his
poise for half n minute, and then his
feet camc down and he gathered him