The Portland daily press., 1890-06-23
MONDAY MORNING. JUNE 20.
SOLD HIS SKELETON.
a Freak who can ois'ocate MS
Iolnts without Difficulty.
brooklyn Eagle.l

IolNts wItnoNt Sh''SNiSfs
TBrooklyn Eaglel
A freak, who is in no sense of the word
q fake. is Charles E. billiard. Hs dislo-
Gates his joints and replaces them at will
to the great establishment of the many
visitors. The most eminent physicians
in this and other countries have tried to
solve this mans peculiar gift, but all
have failed and he remains as great a
puzzle, to himself as well AS others, as
when he first discovered he could loosen
himself, so to speak, without doing any
harm or causing any pain. Mr. billiard
is of medium height, 1.-THE and graceful,
and is possessed of his share of manly
beauty. An Eagle reporter interviewed
this stumbling block to science yester-
day-bearded him in his den as it were
and drew from him life history which
is full of incident and novelty.
81 was born at Martinsburg, w. Va.,"
he began, son Aug. 16, 1857. | grew
up to schooling age the same as any
other child. One day remember it
WE'LL climbed into an orchard from
which little boys were supposed to be ex-
cluded, and, catching sight of dog,
quickly jumped the fence into the road
way, turning my ankle when l struck
the ground. 1t didn't hurt any, so
kicked against the fence and snap it went
back into place again. Invent home and
scared my parents almost into Mysteries
by repeatinamy snap act, and they sent
post haste for doctor
THE DOCTOR PUZZLED.
He twisted me and hammered me,
and found a lot of new places that could
be broken without pain, finally giving
up the puzzle with the consoling theory
that there was a screw loose somewhere.
In school soon learned to unjoint my
head, and could write on the blackboard
and look squarely at the school at the
same time. l always cracked my ankles
instead of swapping my fingers to attract
the teachers attention, and if found
was being beaten in foot race always
managed to have broken leg or twisted
foot for ten or fifteen minutes as an ex-
cuse for having lost. When bucket of
coal was needed my wrist was always
dislocated; during harvest time dislo-
Gated knee came in very handy. /
couldn't carry water with a dislocated
shoulder, nor weed the garden with three
broken fingers on each hand, so | man
aged to have things pretty easy during
my childhood.
GAS grew older l found there were
few joints in my body that could not
dislocate, and it gradually got to worry
ing me. l consulted one doctor after
another, and one word, enigma, gives
the result of all their investigations.
When l gave it up in despair and re-
solved not to bother myself any more
about my failing, as I called it, the doc
tors began. DR.. st. Clair, of the Port
Huron Medical college; DR.. Pauerest,
Philadelphia; DR.. Bliss, New York; DR..
Howell, Baltimore; Dr.. Chambers, st.
Louis; DR. Doremus, Philadelphia; DR..
Adolphus, Atlanta, Ga, and thousand
and one others tackled me one after
another, and as regularly gave me up as
being an unexplainable mystery.
81 now began to get used to being on
exhibition through having SO many doc
tors experimenting with me, and re-
solved to accept one Of the many offers
that kept pouring in upon me to visit
medical colleges throughout this coun-
try and England, and after exhibiting
for time before surgeons and students
at home | took an engagement in the
Royal college in London, where they
kept me for seven years, and yet could
tell me no more when left than when
entered. When l returned took turns
at the prominent colleges in the large
cities, occasionally shifting off to sea-
son in a museum or side show for a
change. 1have become completely hard
ened to criticism and curiosity regarding
my defect or gift, which ever you have
a mind to call it, and am just as well
satisfied here or in museum as before a
crowd of students that are aching for my
corpse whenever they see me.
SOLD HIS SKELETON FOR SO 1000.
college work pays me best, though.
get $3.50 a week at college or where
am now, but have worked as low as $75
in museum just because wanted a
change so much. By the way, suppose
you read in the newspapers few years
ago how sold my bones. had received
various offers from half dozen cranks
scattered over the country Of from 81 900
to 81, 900 for my body after death, money
to be paid on date of contract, but paid
no attention to them.
"Finally, one day while was exhibit
ing at the Bellevue hospital, Philadel-
phia, DR.. Doremus came up to me with
apleasant smile and the equally pleasant
greeting of, We'll, billiard, how much
for your bones todayY They're $4,000
today said 1, laughing. It's a co. he
answered, and the next day he sent me
check for that amount, and | signed a
contract giving him my skeleton after
death, but reserving the right to use it
myself until death occurs. | thought at
first it was joke, but soon found out it
was straight transaction and business
from the word CO."
Mr.. billiard has never known what it
was to be i'll, and is in perfect physical
condition. His disjointing and rejoint-
ing are done quickly, and among many
others include the following disloca-
tons, which viii give some idea of his
peculiar formation: Complete disloca-
tons of the wrists, elbows, fingers, an
kles and knees; four different disloca-
tons of the shoulders and four of the
hips; eight dislocations at the same time,
embracing shoulders, hips, knees and
ankles, and twelve dislocations at the
same time, embracing toes of each foot
and the two ankles. While thus dislo-
Gated he shows seven different forms of
what is known as club feet. Mr.. Hill
lard is married, well educated and a
very pleasing conversationalist
Grim DecImais.
Youths Companion.]
In legislative discussion of a bill tt