The Cape weekly tribune. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1914, 1914-03-27
MANS BODY
is FILLED
WITH PEARLS
81 Dainty, Valuable Gems En-
tracted From Patients Back
on Operating Table
BODYCUARD is EMPLOYED
Risen From Poverty TO Riches by
Youthful Folly When Back Was
Filled With Bird Shot

Albert Mollusk, young man who
lived in the Cape for several months
and who it is said was employed as
a barber in the shop of Charley Hill,
passed through the Cape Tuesday on
his way South from st. Louis, where
he has been confined in hospital
for several months. His experiences
as he related them exceed far the
famed fable of the goose that laid
the golden egg.
Before leaving this city, Mr.. Mol
lusk suffered considerably from pcu-
liar afIlction which puzzled the local
physicians. The nails on his fingers
and toes became affected and from
some unknown cause seemed to
raise from their moorings in the
flesh, causing him much suffering and
reducing him to such n state of help
lCssncss that he was unable to work
Upon the advice of friends he went
to the city where he entered a hospi-
tai The doctors proceeded to re-
move the nails, and found on the
undcrsidc of each, peculiar heavy
growth much resembling mother of
pearl, and in fact so perfect and so
clear and of such size as to give
them Il high market value. After the
injured members had healed, the
surgeons proceeded to remove bump
| like substance. with which the patient 5
back was covered, and which at first
was thought to bc malignant grOwths,
caused by the young man having re-
ccived charge of birdshot in that
particular region while raiding hen
roost in his youthful days, When
the flesh was laid open for the re-
moval of the first one, there was
revealed To the startled surgeons
view what developed to be perfect
black pearl Of the rarcst and most
delicate tint, almost the size Of Il
Concord grape, and Of value incstimable
Before the operation was completed
twcnty-scvcn Of these highly price
gems had been extracted from tn,
back Of the cndormCc, all Of uniform
size and quality, enough to form
necklace for princess and dcCorat,
her in display Of jewels too rar
to be duplicated from It combuco
collection of all the rarcst SpcCl
mems possessed by the royal faIuilic
of the world, This phcnominal con
dition was explained by scientist
whose interests were attracted t
the case, by the fact that the fluid
in the young mans body were pos
scsscd Of certain qualities that formc
' around the bird shot and hardened
t on the same principle that pea
q is formed when some irritating sui
p stance comes in contact with I'll
! sensitive flesh of the oyster. AGtC
performing the operation and bcfol
sterilizing the instruments used,
2 thin pcarly substance formed an
a hardened over the blades, much r,
/ scmbling the mother Of pearl use
in the manufacture Of knife handle
One of the dotors, for cXpermen
allowed the handle Of one Of his il
strumcnts to rest in a vessel contain
. ing some of the blood discharge
from the patients body, with I'll
result that beautiful and daint
=. covering of pearly substance formc
= and hardened during the night
In his affliction the young ma
y developed an impaired and stiffenc
= condition of all the joints in his body
. and when subjected to the N-rayt
. tit was found that the articulatio
y at every Joint was hampcred b
objects resembling in shape the pearl
that had been taken from his flcsf
= and it is believed that morbid c
animation will prove that he is
veritable "pearl bed"
Mr.. Mollusk states that he ha
arranged the sale of his body
g Tiffany's for a consideration of
:. vast amount of money, and that b
g is constantly under surveillance OF
I trusty bodyguard to see that he
a protected against the designs Of ger
@ collectors
He continued his journey to He
springs Wednesday, where he WI
! take the bath treatment for fc
weeks, when he expects to retur
to the Cape and make this his hon
in the future.