Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-06-26
SOMEWHAT STRANGE.
ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF
EVERYDAY LIFE.
Queer Episodes and Thrilling Adven-
lures Which Show that Truth is
Stranger than Fiction.

Stranger than Fiction.
THE skeleton of a colossal animal has
been discovered near Highgate, Canada.
The whole of the teeth, eight in number,
four in the upper and four in the lower
jaw, have been found complete. They
are eight inches long and rather more
than three inches and a half broad.
The structure of the teeth indicates that
they have served admirably for the
grinding and mastication of tough, hard
vegetable substances. A broken piece
of one of the tusks measures about nine
feet eight inches. In its complete state
it must have been from twelve to four
teen feet long. 1t is slightly curved,
and its circumference at the thickest
part is twenty-four inches. These are
some of the bone measurements: Hind
leg, from the thigh to the knee joint,
AZ inches; circumference, 35 inches;
two foreleg bones-the humerus- from
the shoulder blade to the knee joint, 3
feet four inches in length and feet A
inches in circumference. The atlas joint,
upon which the head is set, has a
breadth of IS inches. The shoulder
blade measures 3 feet 2 inches by 2
feet 1 inch in the widest part. The
longest rib is 81 inches, and has a cir
conference of 10 inches. The lower
jaw, the inferior maxillary bone, meas
ures feet. The length of the animal,
gagged by the measurements of the
bones found, is, from the point of the
nostril to the foot of the tail, about %
feet. This is greater than that of the
celebrated mastodon discovered near
Newburgh, N. Y, in 1S45.
FORTY years ago Masen Evans, a school
teacher in. Monroe County, Tennessee,
was Tilted by ayoung lady. He forswore
communication with fellOw-men and
buried himself in the mountains. He
has become celebrated through that whole
section as ''the wild man of the Chill
howee." He has maintained an unbroken
silence during all these years, keeping
away from the haunts of men and living
in the almost impenetrablc Businesses of
the mountains. Occasionally he would
accept offerings of clothing to cover his
nakedness. Several men in Athens,
Tenn, employed party of colored men
| to capture him, and he was brought to
Chattanooga for exhibition. The police
hearing of the affair, arrested the entire
party, and Evans returned to his hermit
resort. His forty years of unbroken
silence has made him forget the use of his
vocal organs. He seems to understand
some things spoken to him, but very
little. He is of pleasant countenance,
though his gray hair is unkempt and
scraggy, and his beard matted and dirty.
His feet are bare, and the skin as tough
as leather He is large of frame, and as
strong as lion. With nothing but an
oaken staff he has battled with the wild
beasts of the mountains and hunted the
bear and deer for his winter supply OF
food.
THE peasants in Belgium have pecu,
liar fancy for smashing the telegraph in
sulators, and as they have cultivated the
ancient art of stone throwing to point
of considerable excellence, the destruc-
ton of the insulators has of late become
very serious question. An unbreakable
insulator was devised, which was sunk in
protecting cover of galvanized iron
but this was found to be both extremely
heavy and extremely costly. Another
system was adopted. As it was thought
that the large white insulator offered ar
irresistible attraction to individuals of {
destructive turn of mind, it was decided
to try the effect of a less obtrusive color
and the porcelain enamel was colored {
greyish brown, the color of the posts
making it difficult to distinguish the in
sulator from its support. A line wa!
selected and provided with 102 insulator
of each kind arranged alternately. Ii
one year twenty-five of the white insula
tors were broken, but only thirteen o
the colored. All broken white insulator
are now replaced by brown ones.
CURTIS HICKS, of Racine, Wis, is a
completely an ossifed man as was th
famous Jonathan Bass. The feet, toes
ankles, legs, knee-joints and even th
hip joints are perfectly ossifed-in fact
solid and stiff as bone--and the skin o
hard, reddish color. The arms, hands
, fingers and all the joints of the same ar
in like condition. The jaws and teetl
are set and cracker can only be force
| between the teeth. The body is in
perfectly healthy condition and his min
clear. Mr.. Hicks was first taken sic
April 26, 1879. He worked all day, wen
, home, did his chores and went to bed. A
about 11.20 that night he was awakene
with a pain in his right side. Doctor
, pronounced it pleurisy, but were unabl
, to give any relief, and since July, 1886
4 Mr. Hicks has not moved from his bee
Within the past few weeks he has II
ceived offers from dime museum me
throughout the country, but has avoide
giving publicity to his condition.
RICHARD L. EDWARDS, nineteen veal
, old, was drowned while rowing on th
: Ohio The body was swept beneath som
barges and could not be recovered. A fe'
: days afterwards corpse was found floa
ing in the river near Rising Sun, Inc
On the body was watch and ring, bot
, bearing the Initials R. L. E. Apparentl
] the body was that Of man at least tift
: years of age with snow-white hair. Et
j wards's brother positively identified tt
I body from the jewelry and clothing
! When the young man fell into the rive
! his hair was coal black; that of the corps
! was pure white Fright doubtless mac
I the change while he was struggling Il
] life. There has been great excitemel
] along the river over the mysterious cas-
!. 1t is the first instance on record where
= man was prematurely aged while drowl