The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1891-01-24
Birth In d Minnesota Village
Of a Most Horrible
Morstrosity.
A Woman Who Would Rather Have
Devil In Her House" Than
Portrai. of Her Savior.
Many Persons Believe 1t Judgment
on the Mother for the Bias
phemous Remark.

HOWARD LAKE, Mimi, Jan. 23.-Of
all the hldeous human malfOrmRtions
ever heard Of in the state the 5-weeks-
old offspring of Charles aud Sarah Miller.
OF Mcleod copnty, is the most atrocious.
Accounts OF horrible yagaries Of nature
have from time 70 time been published,
but the awful hOodOo OF the village OF
Plato OutdOes all previous horrors. The
Millers are q young couple. The hus-
band Is a shoemaker, doing fairly good
business, and the Millers had every rea-
son tO be well satisfied with the world Is
they found IL until five weeks ago, when
Mrs. Miller gave birth to the nondescript
creature whose presence has Mortified
the community and conferred upon the
parents an unenviable reputation. The
Catholic residents OF the village aud
county are ia q terment OF excitement as
"A result Of the statement made by Mrs.
Miller anent happenings preceding the
birth OF the mOnStrosity. Two months
ago, three weeks prior to Mrs. Miller's
confinement, a Jewish peddler came TO
the house selling colOred oleographs of
the crucnxion. He was told to 60 about
his business, but pressed his wares In
such i manner that Mrs. Miller became eX-
asperaLed and declared that she would
sooner Have the Devil in Her House
than the portrait Of her Savior. The
full meaning OF the preference she had
expressed did not dawn on the unfOrtun-
ate woman until she was brought face TO
face with the frightful creature 10 which
she had given birth. THIS Child-or, as
many persons believe, this devil-was
born with hair all over It's body
nearly two inches long. The face and
hands even are not exempt; they are
similarly coated. The features are alb
s0lutely tiendish in expression, and the
eyes shine like two little beads from be-
meath Il pair OF shaggy brows. 1t has u
tail eight cen Inches long. This enfant
terrible was provided at It's birth with q
full set Of teeth. Two short, sharp
horns prOtrude from the skull, and the
claw-like hands are furnished with claws
like those of an eagle. The feet are eX-
actly like the hOOfs of goat, and the
R8aF saHan1E dHd sInfTtEy IN appearance.
The creature could crawl from It's birth,
and, refusing the natural sustenRnce OF
a normal child Of like age, II left Its
mothers side, sliding on It's hands and
knees all over the house, deyOuring any
scraps 70 be found. This child devil II
now five weeks old, and has already
shown itself as ferociOus beast. IL
snaps savagely at tho restraining hand,
and the facial expression produced by
an effort 10 curb tho tendencies OF tho
creature Is in"Npresstby frightfuL
Anxious to Sec the Freak.
The mother is almost an imbeciIe as
result Of her horrible experience, and
the father acts as though crazed. Ply
sictans are pouring into the village In
dozens, and people from surrounding
counties are arriving constantly, all
anxious to sec the freak. The authOri-
ties threaten to arrest and heavily fine
any person known 10 spread the report
the condition of the mother mentally and
physically being extremely precarious
indeed A girl working in the house
whose name Is withheld by request, yes
tcrday encountered the 5-weeks-oid
frnd on Its way down stairs. She en-
deavored TO carry 1t back 10 the room
from which II had escaped, when the
creature attacked her so hercely that
sAe was -eetRPa44eA to knock II down
with a pitcher she was carrying. II Is
impossible that the efforts at conceal
menL can prove successful, as the facts
have been communicated by local ply
sicians TO their CO-workers In the cities,
and every train brings new additions TO
the crowd already st Plato. The Catho-
tic religion Is predominant there. and
the members OF that church are firm In
the belief that the freak has been sent as
a Judgment on the mother for her un-
holy sentiment,