The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-06

Sic Is Very Remarkable Ape From
HOrneO,
From the New York Journal.

From the New York Journal.
This concerns Jon James CHRISTOPHER
Benjamin Binns, and it has no reference
whatever to his ghost, for John James.
etc.,is very much alive, as any one who
saw him yesterday on the deck of the
British steamship Indrani can testify.
Ben. as he is called for short, is from
Borneo, but he never heard of the wild
man Of that far Eastern isle. If he could
talk Ben would ten you that he is a Glib
bon, or anthropoid (manlike) ape, and he
fuzzy justifes his title, for he comes as near
TO the accepted appearance of the missing
link" as any creature that ever reached
these shores.
Ben is the property of Capt. Theophilus
Trotter, commander of the Indraui, and his
chief engineer John Drew. They bought
him for song from a woman In Java
who had made him a domestic pet Ben
did not relish Che idea of a sea voyage and
he objected 10 going aboard the Indrani
lie was seasick at the start. but he recoV-
cred before the steamship entered the Med
iterranean and he had found his sea legs
and was all over the vessel long before she
glided out on the long Atlantic swens.
He was standing at the port
rail when the Indrani was locked at the
south Central pier, Atlantic Basin, and
he displayed a fiVe-inch smile when one of
the dock laborers called to him to: Bear
n hand, viii ye, ye lazy divil?" and as
Ben still continued TO widen his grin. the
irate man on tho wharf. who could see
only the apes head invited him. with a
line mixture of eNpletiyes, 10: Come out
o that and IN put a smile on We thaCn
beat the one We have there by mile"
Then, as Ben climbed on the top of the
rail- apparently to accept the invitation,
the tongshoreman's face took on a puzzled
look and then he yelled Holy Moses -
while Ben merely looked after him as he
ran, grinned wider than ever while a
sort of chuckle broke from his long lean
throat.
Ben is a little more than two and a hart
feet tan, and he has legs and arms that
are longer by half than his slender body.
Like all of his kind Ben never uses his
hands in walking, but stalks along in an
upright position with his broad shoulders
Wen braced back. His face is ebony and
looks very human. The coarse, dark brown
hair that covers his body is sparse on the
arms and legs but grows low on his fore
head which shows not more than two
inches of bare skin.
His eye brows are arched above a pair
OF big brown kind looking eyes. which
lack entirely the cunning look that is rs
ual among members of the monkey tribe
These eyes are mild in their expression
as llllO ana DldnO as those OF a MOnUOl-
ian. The nose again favors the human
animal 1t is not so fiat as that of most
apes. The mouth Is large, and when open,
as il often is displays a fine set of teeth.
The chin recedes, but not more so-as
Capt Trotter asserted-than some of the
human apes seen In civilized countries
Ben wears whiskers a Ia Kruger-that is
running from ear 10 ear under his chin in
the style that used TO be called the New
gate Frilr' IN England
The whiekers are long enough for Ben
to stroke. and he does SO when he is puz-
zled. on the voyage he became a thorough
sailor, and not one Of the rars can climb
to the masthead any quicker than he He
made friends, too, with Jack, the ships
dog, a mongrel of uncertain age. and with
lille, a maltese cat which he used TO
lead up and down the deck at the end of
a chain. The cat was obliged to follow.
but Jack often rebened and after a few
steps would stop short and the ape would
turn a somereaut
Throughout the trip Ben slept i'm bunk.
by himself in which he stretched himself
at full length and put one hand under mis-
mead for a pillow. In the morning he was
on hand with the others for his coffee.
but he refused "sait horse" and fruits
had to be substituted.
Visitors were received on the Indrani
yesterday in the most dignifed way He
shook hands gravely with every one the
captain presented,