The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-08-03
A CHILD-MAN.
Extraordinary Discovery by a
Doctor in Kansas.
One of the Most Remarkable of
Human MonStrOSitieS.

ever known to exist in this section. 1t
| is child-man, or rather a child's body
with a mans head. A few days ago a
prominent physician was making Il call
on the family in which the monstrosity
lives, and while talking with his patient
he noticed an object in cradle at the
opposite end OF the room. 1t was care
fully covered up, but he thought he
perceived beard showing from be-
meath the covering. He could get no
opportunity for more careful examina-
tion at the time, but in order to investi-
gate further, informed his patient that
other calls would be necessary. Upon
a subsequent visit he managed to he left
alone in the room with the cradle and
its mysterious occupant. Hastily pull
ing OFF the covering there was dis
covered a sight which made his
heart cease for the moment to beat. 1t
was nothing less than a mans head
joined to an infants body. The large
eyes blinkcd at him, and the lips,
bearded and mustached. made inarticu-
late sounds, but no CLEAN of recogni-
ton or intelligence was observable in
the beings face. Determined to in YES
tigatc the matter more fully, the physi-
clan called the man and woman of the
house, and demanded an explanat ion of
the sight which had met his gaze. At
first they were angry that he had pried
into the secret that they had guarded so
well, but at last, seeing that further
concealment was impossible, they made
clean breast Of the affIir 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 juno
ton of the Republican and Smoky Hill
Rivers, in the vicinity OF what is now
Junction City, and the daughter mar
riei a trappcr. Her first child was a
boy. and she died in giving it birth. An
older sister had come on from the East
by this time, and she took the mother
less little one into her family. It's
father was killed during the border
troubles, and she practically adopted the
orphan. The child grew and thrivel
normally until it was about four years
and six months Old. when it seemed to
cease developing. Soon it was noticed
that development had no: been arrested
in all parts Of the body. The head kept
on growing as if it belonged to The
sturdiest child in the State.
Year after year this strange
growth went on. and still there
was no change in thc infantile body or
limbs, though the head continued its
growth. The sister and her husband
moved into 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 nine years. Il, head
IS rs large as that of an average-sized
man, and is crowned with heavy
growth of coarse brown hair. Heavy
beard and mustachc are on It's face, and
lines of maturity show upon the cheeks
and forehead. The body rcmains. from
the neck down, that of a four-year-old
child. The child, or man. cannot sit
up as the monStrous head is too heavy
for the muscles of the trunk to lift. 1t
lies in The cradle helpless, and watches
with brute-like gaze the doings of
those around.
The mind IS somewhat in advance of
tina: of an infant, but is still practically
inactive. No speech or general iatelh-
gence has been involved from the strange
being. Il must be fed from an at tend |
ants hand, AMI though its teeth are we'll
developed, its stomach can digest moth
ing but the simplest foods. The tinv
hands and limbs are as soft -feshed as
the veriest babes, while the face and
head have the harsher feeling of maturi-
ty. There seems no reason in the mind
of the physician who made the strange
discovery why the monstrosity should