El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-23
STORIES OF
THE STREETS

There is a man in this city who has
the most remarkable eye that was ever
put into a human head. There is only
one other like it, and that is the COM
panion to it. 1t is an eye that creates
in the one who looks upon it. mingled
feelings of fascination, repulsion, in
terest, horror,-and very great wonder.
No matter what the result of human
life and emotions that may play around
it from day to day, it never changes its
expression. 1t never dilates with sur
prise; it never contracts with anger.
1t has never been known to give the
| glad eye" and it's indifference to
scenes of sorrow or joy, mirth or sad
ness, tenderness or sympathy is pitt
leSsly absolute. II is an eye from
which the heart has been separated.
and the gamut of the human affections
can be played before it in vain; no
CLEAN of kindly recognition lights it
when the countenance of friend
comes before it; no quick CLEAN of af-
lection is seen upon its surface in the
presence of kith and kin, and no pas
sion sparkles in it's retina as it greets
the face of the loved one for it is a
dead eye; more than that it is a pet
rified eye
There are many wonderful speci-
mems of petrifation. and some of them
d
petrified human eye is indeed a rare av-
Is among the curiosities of this world of
ours. 1t is therefore, no matter of
wonder that the owner of this one
should set it above all his other earth
ly possessions and Notwithstanding its
CHASTITY character ii never leaves his
person. To insure this he has had a
hole drilled through its adamantine
substance and wears it as a watch
charm. The man VINO thus decorates
his person with this gruesome relic is
William Wiley. tonsorial artist in the
basement of the Sheldon hotel. A re-
porter fer The Herald happening to
notice it in the idle moments that come
to al men who have TO submit their
heads to the barber, inquired and was
informed of its nature.
What is commonly known as the
white of the eye mas the appearance of !
white polished marble, and is intensely
hard. The back of the eye is rough
and black. This is said to have been
coagulated blood and through the pro-
cess OF petrifaction has become an iron
Here where the or'
nerves enter the eye, a hole has been
drilled for the watch chain ring. Mr..
Wiley gives the history of it as far as
his knowledge extends, as follows:
"A friend of mine by the name of
John Burns. formerly OF Missouri. gave
the eve to me. He found the head
from which it was taken, while pros
pecting on the top of SocorrO mountain
near Socorro, in New Mexico. twenty
three wears ago The head was found
near the surface and was the most per-
feet specimen of petrifaction ever seen.
Even the brain had been petrified,
though it's substance had fallen away
in placed and become hcneycombed. |
Both of the eyes We're intact. and for !
twenty years they remained in the I
head at his home. He. however. pre- !
scented me with one of them. and it
was removed for me by a travelling
jeweler when he went through Socorro. |
The theory is that the head was that |
Of an Indian, judging from it's con- /
tour and shape. but how many hun
dred. perhaps, thousands of years it !
mad lain there. of course, impossible !
TO ascertain. The eye is so hari that /
it Is almost Impossible to get a drill /
that will make any impression upon !
it; even n diamond Will not cut the :
surface. ! found this out when I |
wanted &c convert it into a watch .
charm. and the only place where I !
found it at al! impressionable was at
the juncture of the optic nerve with