Freaks of Nature.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, 11 February 1890, Page 2

Freaks of Nature.

Human Cu'.-ios sketched at Buknum's

! From time immemorial there hare been dwarfs and giants, monsters and prodigies, and they have always been the subject of interest to their more normally built fellow men. We therefore reproduce from the P.M. Budgett the particulars & ttsTtum.tn curios at Barnnm'sA exhUJ&ion in London. The Bearded Lady. We will begin with Miss Annie Jones, the Bearded Lady, or aa she prefers to call herself, " Bernum's Esau Lady." Miss Jones was bora on the nth of July, 1865 at the pretty little town of Marioo, Virginia. It is stated that the h«ur on her head at the time of her birth was two feet in length, and that ' her face was covered, with soft black, down. Her parents tried every means to get rid of the unsightly growth, but without avail. When she was two years old Barjuwv' 1 h.eard of her, and after some* pressure, persuaded her parents to let him exhibit her at his American Museum in New York. Here she appeared on November 20, 1867, and in March 1868, the luuseum was burnt' to the ground. After this accident the little g rl was stolen from her parents by a showman, but was recovered, and from thence on till to-day she has been constantly before the public. Her hair reaches to the ground, and it ig «s soft as silk. She is amiable and intelligent, and her busband, Mr R. J. E liott, i 9 one of the assistants at the Olympia Hall of Curiosities. The, Fat Girl. Miss J Annie Bell is the fat girl — the fattest girl probably in the world, She was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1870 She is consequently just nineteen years old. Her weight at present is just 33st 3lb^ aad • she is taking on flesh every day. There was nothing extraordinary nbout her when she was born, unless it be that she was rather under than over the usual size. She is a very small eater, and says that she does not toal the slightest inconvenience frj^f enormous amount of suporfuous adipose tissue she carms about ■with her. "Hop o' my Thumb,". Dudley Foster, otherwise " Hop o' my Thumb," is one of the tiniest specimens of the human race on the face of the earth. A bright; jovial mischevious little imp, born inNovia Scotia, August 18th, 1871. He is in every respect, well, formed and developed, and nqtbyany mean* the only undersized meuiberof his family. For strange to say the father and mother have had twin daughters, Ohsy and Victoria, equa'ly " diminutive. The rest of the family, ■ like tho father and mother, are duly grown proportioned. The sisters died when they reached the : ! age* of seven years. Master Dudley- i« a very small eater, as might be expected, an ordinary hen's egg, it is said, being sufficiently' large to hfold ■ill the food he desires a*, a time and two thimbles full of coffee qtienohing Ins thirst. He is considerably under three feet in height, and- his actual weight is eight pounds. . -..,,.. The Expansionist. . ■<.. ?.< James Wilson, the Expansionist, is the individual who possesses- |he remarkable power of filling nig lungs to such an abnormal degree that from measuring 36£ iuenes around 'he chest he is able to mcc ease the size by a mere inhalation of air to bo} inches. He ■was.. born in Kilkeel, county Down, Ireland, on June 15, 1845, and was originally a blacksmith. He discovered his peculiarity by accident, and proceeded to develop it until he reached is present condition of perfection. He has only recently, little over a 3'ear ago, become afpublie performer, and assuredly his feata are ©f^ raps t astonishing order. The Texas Giants. The Shields Brothers; the' twiu To?as Giants, George wftd'Gus, were born in the Lone Star State ofparents who th inselves are giants Indeed their gigantic size is not only hereditary, but is shared by their five brothers. They have spent al* most all their lives herding cattle on the vast plains of Texas,- and acting is guards and scouts on the frontier. From this exciting life- they were persuaded to join Barnum's show some three years ago and'have been with him ever since. I ike the ma* jority of grants they are simple, good uatured, and kindly hcarte), and possess none of the ogreisk properties attributed to the giants f f the. story books of our youth. The Snake CHmreK. Uno 14 the namo by which ih« young lady is known whoso apr »ient chief delight it to a >>m her peraon with snakes and boa' constrictors pythons aad ttnacond;s. and Vh^se particular pet is a white' asced adder, siid to be the only oue of its kind takes frtim its native country. Uno was bom somewhere in the Eastern

wiffoof Circassia, and was taken bj her>paient3 when a mere child ti '• AnWica, whn-e she was brought up \^2Ahp4 always shown a great fondness for pets of ev> ry kind, but espeoially for snakes, thus emulating in her 'own person the characteristics of oar fir si mother Eve. The Skeleton Dtjdk. " The Ske.pton Dude: " this is the 'We by which Mr Johu YVilii»m Copy j- known ia every city, town, and hamlet through out the 13 uiied Saates. This odd spqcunoi of humanity was reduced to his present emaciate 1 condition within a period v twelve years, during which he was ru! ject to » terrible disease called progressiv. mnacular atrophy. From being a tall mai of 5 feet fl inches and weighing^ nearly* twelve stone, he hat. wasted until she now weighs less thanfitty pounds. The disease seems to have stopped short during the last five yeari, hut it is not probable that he will recover his lost flesh. He is just upon thirty-eight Syears of age, a quaint caricature upon mankind, with a mmd as full of odd conceits as ia his booy to look npon. Withal he is gentle, gemaJ, ana kind hearted, and much liked.