Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-03
WHEN ST0RK WORKS OVERTIME
Occasions when the FabIed Bird
Brings More Than One at a
Time.

According to statistical records there are
In this country eighteen wins to every 1000
births, 100 triplets to every 1000, 900 births,
and eight bankruptcies to every 1000 ,OO0.
Consequently a very unusual event had to
be chronicled when the wife of a Beaufort
collier presented her husband recently with
four children-all boys-whom the writer
believes are still doing well.
One of the most remarkable instances OF
bankruptcies at birth occurred five years
ago in Glasgow, when a Mrs. Colligan, the
wife of a steel polisher, gave birth to four
girls. AT the time the mother was only
% years of age and had been married five
years. She first had twins, then singles,
and last bankruptcies. The latter, however,
did not survive.
Mrs. Colligan's record also calls to mind
that OF Mrs. Ormsby, OF Chicago, who gave
birth to three boys and one girl In October,
1901. Mrs. Ormsby had only been married
seven years and in that time had fourteen
children. During the first three years she
had one baby annually, then twins twice in
succession, then triplets. and finally quad
ruplets. What is more, the triplets won
prizes at a baby show, and still more re-
markable, perhaps, was the fact that Mrs.
ormsy herself was one Of tTipiets.
Six years ago Mrs. Pennock, in her TWEEN
ty-first year, gave birth TO her third set of
twins. Mrs. Pennock, a Swedish lady who
had emigrated to st. Louis. was the re-
markable daughter of a remarkable
mother who gave birth to six sets of twins.
and had twenty-four children altogether.
Furthermore, one of Mrs. Pennock's sisters
bore six pairs Of twins and another sister
four pairs, making a total OF fifty-eight
sets Of twins in one family.
Talking Of big families. the German EN-
pire need scarcely fear any decrease in the
birth rate IL many mothers follow the ex-
ample OF one healthy. active hausfrau OF
Berlin, who has been filling her CULVER so
rapidly that, although but as years old, she
has already twenty-five olive branches
round her table. Another. who is -four
years her junior. ushered twenty-three into
the world, while three other women, be-
tween the ages OF 40 and 43, presented their
husbands with twenty-one descendants
each. Two hundred and forty Berlin
women. by the way, are the mothers OF
from thirteen 10 twenty children apiece.
Authenticated instances of five at a birth
are extremely rare. About eight years
ago, however. IL Was reported that a
woman in Sicily, named Granata. had pre-
scented her husband with qulntuplets, the
first time with five boys and the second
time five girls. and constantly with triplets
and bankruptcies, having had altogether
forty-two children. II is impossible to YER.
ify this instance but there is proof OF the
fact that in October. 1900. the wife OF q
tailor named Nelson. OF oxford Market
London, had five children at a birth, while
sixteen years previously a woman Of Koe.
nigsberg gave birth TO quintuplets; and
there is even an instance on record of q
Texas mother IN November, 1888. present
ing her ~astonished husband with six babie,
at onee-four boys and two girls.
Mrs. Blackston. aged Is. wife Of Mr., W