The Washington times., 1919-12-21
Strange Case of Two Western
Ten-Year-0ld Boys 4gno-
rant of Ordinary Speech
Arouses Scientists.


Not Difaeult to Tame.
sHe had 20 clothes and was
like a wild animal. He lived on
Wild plants.
"But he was not difficult to
tame. He learned very quickly, and
ear for speech to begin with.
Characteristic of their speech is
the failure to sound properly
consonant and a vowel. together.
They give a vanishing vowel
sound. Instead of saying 'Woof
(as we initiate an animal sound),
they say 'oo,' but with the lips
formed as If to say. W. and that
gives a queer hint of the w at
the beginning of the sound.
Then, there is a STORY of an
ancient king Of a romantic land
who believed the language of his
people was the tongue OF God.
"He planned to prove his
theory
He set apart two peasant chill
dren-put them in hut with
one guardian who was forbidden
to communicate with them in hu-
man speech. They were left to
develop their own speech, which
was intended to prove the kings
theory. He said the first word
they uttered was the word in his
language that meant bread. All
Of which obviously is not true"
Facts In Strange Case.
The two Seattle children whose
case is attracting so much attention
nf
great city, possessed of the mental
faculty of other children and the five
senses, and still, after ten years in
the world, are unable to speak 3
single word of any civilized tongue.
Herbert Koss and his brother Ell
mer are the sons of William Koss,
an aged hermit OF Green river. less
than 100 miles from Seattle, and until
they came to the Seattle Orthopedic
Hospital recently, neither OF the boys
could so much as lisp the syllables
Of Mamma"
nurses who have examined and tested
and studied them. simply have never
been taught to speak. Their hearing
is good. their vocal cords are normal,
and DR.. d. A. Nicholson, expert on
mental conditions, declares them pos
sessed of brains of normal size and
OF ordinary potentialities.
The father, who is more than sixty
years old. is an eccentric individual,
according TO Superintendent OF
County Schools 4. s. Burrows, who
speaks only when compelled to, and
the boys were reared by sister who
is said to be deaf and dumb. The
mother died some years ago. The
family lives some miles from Raldi. q
logging town in the Green river val
ley, and the Goss hut lies across
Green river. 1T is accessible only by
basket swung across the turbulent
river on a cable.
Kept In SelusiOn.
Three years ago Burrows first
learned of the children, but, though
occasionally the father would come
across the river and talk of them.
Mr.. Burrows never was permitted to
visit the house, and believed the chill
dren were deaf and dumb. Unable to
find place for them in any public
or private institution, Mr.. Burrows
finally gave@np an attempt to investi-
gate their condition.
Recently il became known to him
that the children were normal. and
then under the law that permits the
county to assume authority for the
aid of neglected children. he caused
them to be taken from the father and
brought to Seattle. Following exam
ination at the school clinic by DR.
Ira c. Brown. the children were sent
10 the Orthopedic Hospital and will
remain there under care and instruc-
tion until some means of final dispo-
sition has been found.
At the hospital the children arc
having a unique and, so far as can
be learned, glorious" time. The sim
plest things of civilization captivate
them. They seem to have no fear of
anything or any person. Elmer sub
mitted to anesthetic administered so
that enlarged .tonsils might be re-
moved without protest, whereas Miss
Adeline NJ. Hughes. superintendent
Of the hospital. says ordiary children
frequently "ba4k" at the prtlimin-
aries to such operations
/" It's c0sy TO become a Good Fellow,
ynat write v0mP NAME fe1Ifu~ L..