Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-02-11
A Woman Gives Birth to q Devil.

IT Is HAIRY AND HAS HooFs AND HORNS.
We find in the papers, without the usual
credit, the following horrible story which
imposes more than Mckinley tariff tax
on human credulity:-
Of al! the hideous human malformstious
ever heard of in Minnesota, the five weeks
old offspring of Charles and Sarah Miller,
of Mcleod county, is the most atrocious.
Accounts of horrible vagsries of nature
have from time to time been published, but
the awful hoodoo of the village of Plato
outdoes all previous horrors. The Millers
are young couple. The husband is a
shoemaker, doing fairly good business,
and the Millers had every reason to De we'll
| satisfied with the world as they found it
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 unenviabe
reputation. The religious residents of the
village and county sie in a ferment of ex
element as a result of the statement made
by Mrs. Miller anenr 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
crucifixion. He was told to go about bis
business, b1t pressed his wares in such q
manner that Mrs. Miller became exasperat-
ed ard declared that she would sooner have
the devil in her house than the portrait of
her Saviour.
THE FULL MEANING
of the preference she had expressed did not
dawn on the unfortunate woman until she
was brought face to face with the frightful
creature to which she had given birth.
This chiid-Or, as many p-rsons believe,
this deyil--was born with hair all over its
body nearly two inches long. The face snd
hands even are not exempt; they are SINH
| larry coated. The features are absolutely
fiendish in expression, and the eyes shine
like two little beads from beneath pair of
shaggy brows. 1t has tail eighteen inches
long This infant terrible was provided at
Its birth with full set of teeth. Two
short, sharp horns protruded from the skull,
and the c.aw-like hands are furnished with
claws like those of an eagle. The feet are
exactly like the hoofs CT a goat, and the
hair covering the body is as coarse as goats
hair, and similar in appearance. The Great
ure could crawl from its birth, and, refusing
the natural sustenauce of normal child of
like age, it left its mothers side, sliding on
it's hands and knees all ovar the house, de-
vouring any scraps to be found. This
child devil is nov five weeks old, and has
already shown itself "a ferocious beast.
1t snaps savagely at the restraining hand,
and the facial expression produced by an
effort to try and curb the tendencies of the
creature is inexpressibly frightful.
THE MOTHER Is ALMOST AN IMBECILE
as q result of her horrible experience. aud
the father acts as though crazed. Physi-
clans are pouring into the village in dozens,
and people from surrounding counties are
arriving constantly, all anxious to see the
freak. The authorities threaten to arrest
and heavily fiue any person known to
spread the report, the condition of the
mother, mentally and physically, being ex-
treuely pIecarious, indeed. A girl work
ing in the house, whose Lame is Withheld
by request, encountered the fya-week'sold
fiend on its way down etairs. She endeav-
ored to carry is back to the room from
which it bad escaped, when the creature
attacked her SO fiercely that she was com
PEELED to knock it down with a pitcher she
was carrying. 1t is impossible that the eff
forts at conceslmens can prove successful,
as the facts haze been communicated by
local physicians to their Co workers in the
Cities ard every train brings new additions
to the crowd already at Plato. Church
members are firm in the belief that the
freak has been sent as Judgment on the
m other for her rDholy sentiments.