Newport daily independent., 1905-05-23
HUNTS HUMAN SKULLS
Peculiar Hobby Which Occupies
 Leisure Time of a Texan.
Has Visited Many Lands and CSuA. tries in Search of the odd CuriOs and He Has an Interest.
 fug Collection.

The following advertisementa appeared in the newspapers of St. Joseph. Mo-. rs- gently:
 "Wanted-Human skulls! must be h good condition; will pay literally for fine specimens. Apply Hotel M. Charles w. Jenkins"
 Jenkins was a temporary resident of St. Joseph. where he has considerable realty interests. but his real home is in Corpus Christi. Tex. He has probably the oldest fad of any collector of cur1os who has ever been resident of that city. MT. Jenkins is very anxious to increase his collection of skulls. and in the pos session of medical students. physicians and colleges of St. Joseph are specimens taken from various burying grounds that have ksen unearthed in the OK. cavations for buildings on sites that hundreds of years ago were repositories for the dead of the ancient red man.
 'T have now in my possession S4S perfect specimens of human skulls" says Mr. Jenkins. 'They represent the hu- man of many ages, and Ind them an interesting study indeed. How did ! como to Indulge in such strange tadt We'll, iu my youth 1 made . study oi anatomy. and became intensely insse' ested in the constfuction of the human franc. I gradually acquired taste for this form of bric-a-brac.
 "I got my real start as collector ol skulls in 1887. During excavations in St. Joseph on property in the possession of my father several specimens of an ancient race were exhumed. and straightway found resting place upon . shelf in . cabinet in my home. I wis., ited the former home of the mound builder in Colorado and New Mexioo. where other specimens Of the ancient inhabitants were discovered. They dif- fer materially from the skulls found in St. Joseph. Then visited the holy land in search of specimens. From there I drifted to the lands of the Ptolemies of Egypt. Here some valuable acauisi- tions were made. have tramped over the Pampas of South America. the moun- tains of Peru and Chilli. and even pene- trated into tho wildernesses of the Anna xon. where. fin deposits of earth and stone. I have brought to light perfect specimens of human skulls. represent ing periods which History does not chronicle.
 "In my experiments have found that some skulls tAke on a very beautiful polish. and must say that. under tho hand of . skillsd artisan. they are made magnificent. These specimens occupy . cabinet by themselves. have a number of skulls taken from the wreck of tho Galveston storm. also have specimens from other disasters on this and other continents. Five victims of tho Mont Pelee disaster are represented ia my collection. This business of collecting skulls is . great aid in the study and rs- tention of important facts in history. [ have in my possession the skulls of nea It times prominent In tho history of this nation. How came to have them [ do not care to say. However. money b a means of gratifying the tastes of anyone who cares to make a collection of this kind. Because have acquired liking for this work. spend much time during the winter months wandering about between rows of grfnning heads. philisophizing. after the fashion of tho grave digger in Hamlet. upon the brev- 1ty of human life."