Omaha daily bee., 1905-11-19
FREAKS OF THE HUMAN FAMILY
Extraordinary individuals whose
PecuIiarities Mystify Doctors
and Scientists.

There Is no end to the freak people in
the world, and, curiously enough, the most
remarkable of them are Of the fair sex. An
account Of a phenomenon observed in a
girl of u residing at Valdikavkaz, in the
Caucasus, has just been forwarded to Eng
land, says a London publication. The girl,
whose name is Luba, has marvellous mag
netic powers, and every object which she
approaches begins to move. II she goes
near a kitchen dresser the crockeryware
upon II begins to dance, washing hung on
line flies off, bottle standing on a table
is raised in the air and stones lying on
the ground leap in the air and fall again.
Doctors and professors of physical science
are unable to explain the strange power
while ignorant people assert that Miss
Luba is possessed of an evil spirit and that
she should be sent to Father John Of Cron-
stadt to have the demon exercised.
A very strange lady is Miss Evatina
Tardo, who was born on the island of
Trinidad some thirty years ago. From
childhood she has never experienced the
sense OF touch, and medical men are Of the
opinion that there is no connection between
the sensory and motor nerves in her body,
and she is therefore utterly devoid of physl-
cal feeling. Doctors have thrust needles
in her limbs and under her nails, applied
redhot irons to the soles of her feet, and
cut her flesh with a jagged knife: yet all
she said she could feel was a slight jar.
Miss Tardo can control the beating OF
her heart. stopping it at will and then per-
hitting 1t to beat again. She is proof
against poison and disease, and consump-
ton, diphtheria and typhoid germs have
not the slightest effect upon her. Alto
gether she is a veritable wonder.
A young lady of Narbonne possesses the
strange gift Of being able to see with the
naked eye as If with X-rays. Her wonder
full achievement has created a furore in
scientific circles, and she has been found
very useful by surgeons in diagnosing
fractures and examining the interiors Of
patients bodies. DIR. Ferroul OF Narbonne
and DR.. Grasset of Montpelier. who have
examined her, declare that she can see
through opaque bodies as clearly and pene-
tratingly as If her eyes generated Roentgen
rays.
In farm house near the Delaware river,
in Hunterdon county, N. j., resides a fam
lily of chronic laughers. The parents and
their children have an affection of the
muscles of the mouth and throat that COM
pels them to give vent to apparent merrl-
ment at frequent intervals during the day.
The malady first appeared in the father.
While seated at the dinner table one day
he, without any apparent cause. burst into
loud fit Of laughter and continued laugh
ing for several hours Doctors were con-
suited, but they were forced to admit that
the malady baffled them completely.
Some weeks later Susie, the youngest
child, burst into a similar fit during one
of her fathers attacks. From that time
onward she laughed without cessation for
four or FIVE hours at stretch. One by
one the remaining members of the family
fell victims TO the strange complaint.
Charles the eldest son, had his first at
tack while proposing for the hand of girl
at Wilkesbarre. The maiden accepted him,
nevertheless, and her children were taken
! as their father.
The entire family, including the grand
! children, have laughed necessarily for
/ years, and this has had a strange effect
on their voices. Both men and women tall
| In the same tone, resembling the voice OF
an alto singer.
A well known publican Of St. Louis is @
! living chalk man. His whole body has
become thoroughly impregnated with chalh
as the result of bad attacks of govt. Hi
| fingers have turned to chalk, and when hC
was visited by delegates of a surgical So
ciety he actually wrote his name on a slat,
with one of his little fingers.
Herman Harms of st. Charles in tht
state Of Minnesota, has been asleep FOL
over a decade. He fell asleep after supper
one evening and since then he has scarcel!
ever awakened of his own accord. wheI
he tegan his remarkable period OF rest h,
turned the scale at 1s2 pounds. but within
three years all his flesh vanished and he II
now a living skeleton, weighing onl!
eighty-four pounds.