The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-05-31
A LIVING cHIlp-MAN.
Extraordinary Discovery by a Doctor
Dickinson County Kan

Extraordinary Discovery by a Doctor n
Dickinson County, Kan.
There has been discovered in the
south part of this (Dickinson) County
one of the most remarkable monstrosi-
ties of the human family ever known
to exist. 1t is child-man, or rather
child's body with mans head. A
few days ago prominent physician
was making call on the family in
which the monstrosity lives, and while
talking with his patient noticed an
object in a cradle at the opposite end
of the room. 1t was carefully covered
up, but he thought he perceived a
beard showing from beneath the cover
ing. He could get no opportunity for
more careful examination at the
time. but in order to investigate fur
Their informed his patient that other
calls would be necessary. Upon a
subsequent visit he managed to be left
alone in the room with the cradle and
its mysterious occupant. Hastily pull
ing off the covering there was dis
covered sight which fairly made his
heart cease for the moment to beat.
1t was nothing less than mans head
Joined to an infants body. The large
eyes blinked at him, and the Inns.
bearded and mustached, made inarticu-
late sounds, but no CLEAN of recognl-
ton or intelligence was observable in
the beings face. Determined to inyes-
tigate the matter more fully, the ply
stefan called the man and woman of
the house and demanded an explana-
ton of the sight which had met his
gaze. At first they were angry that he
had pried into the secret that thew
had guarded SO well, but at last seeing
that further concealment was impossi-
BILE, they made clean breast of the
affair and told the following story:
Nearly thirty years ago man named
Reed moved into Kansas from Illinois.
His family consisted of himself, wife
and one daughter. The latter was
about seventeen years old, and rather
good looking. They settled near the
junction of the Republican and Smoky
Hill rivers, in the vicinity of what is
now Junction City, and the daughter
married a trapper. Her first child was
boy, and she died in giving it birth.
An older sister had come on from the
East by this time and she took the
motherless little one into her family.
Its father was killed during the border
troubles and she practically adopted
the orphan. The child grew and
thrived normally until it was about
four years and six months old, when it
seemed to cease developing. Soon it
was noticed that development had not
been arrested in ali parts of the body.
The head kept on growing as if it be-
lOnged to the sturdiest child in the
State. Year after year this strange
growth went on, and still there was no
change in the infantile body or limbs,
though the head continued it's growth.
The sister and her husband moved in
to Dickinson County, where they have
since resided, and took the child with
them. The grandparents are dead, and
the monstrosity has reached the age of
Twenty-Five years. Its head is as large
as that of an average-sized man, and is
crowned with heavy growth of coarse
brown hair. Heavy beard and mus
tache are on it's face, and lines of ma
turity show upon the cheeks and fore
head. The body remains, from the
neck down, that of four-year-old
child. The child, or man, can not sit
up, as the monstrous head IS too heavy
for the muscles of the trunk to lift. It
lies in the cradle helpless, and watches
with brute-like gaze the doings of
those around.
The mind is somewhat in advance OF
that of an infant, but is still practically
inactive. No speech or general intel
ligence has been evolved from the
strange being. It must be fed from an
attendants hand, and though its teeth
are well developed, its stomach can di-
gest nothing but the simplest foods.
The tiny hands and limbs are as soft
feshed as the veriest babes, while the
face and head have the harsher feeling
of maturity. There seems no reason
in the mind of the physician who made
the strange discovery why the mon
strosity should not live to the age of
three-score years and ten, though it
would seem to be a blessing to the
world to take it's life from it. The i'm
agination can easily picture what it
will be when gray hair has settled on
the head and beard. while the body re-
mains that of babe. The family,
ashamed of the possession of such a
monstrosity, has religiously hidden
this skeleton in their closet from the
world and few know of it's existence.
It was only by accident that it was this
time discovered. The doctors story
has led several prominent citizens to
make trip to the farm house to see
the remarkable freak, and all unite in
calling it the most wonderful being
they ever witnessed. None, however,
wish to make second trip, as one look
at the strange creature is enough to
sadden their hearts and give them
something to dream about for months.
Abilene (Kan.) Cor. ST. Louis Globe
Democrat.
No Time for Foolishness.-Deal
Ito countryman looking at clocks)-
'.Now, there's something unique in the
way of clocks, sir. When the hour be-
gins, a bird comes out from the top and