The Legless Wonder.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, 14 February 1890, Page 3

The Legless Wonder.

Now come the main fi"n,ks. Eli Bowen is the legless woudev. Ho born iff Pennyslvania on October, n,'18i5,.an l d.is consequently forty five years of age. His father -was of German descent; and his mother was a member of that peculiar nuse kuotfri its the Pennsylvania Dutch. He is one of a family of lon, four. boyVand six girls, allbnfc-lw being fully formed, well looking people. He wa'B'-born without Useful- appehdagea of legs, -hi« feet growing di-' rectlv froKi his thigh joints. He haa been on exhibition ever since he was thivteen jears of age, an object of interest and even wondi r to all who have-^eeuhim'. By long practice he hew. developed, immeniie mi^acular arm power, apd though a tety ; heavy man, weighing over 12 it ne, he is 'able to perform many f«>ttts upon oa a pole and trapejte which would ieverly teat thj? powers, of a professional ajhleje.^ _Hol. JP. .a xnatrtfTg^ttnißbrDamaiKon and addteps,,is posessed di a most amiable d(H|iiO»tio!ii' »nd *« the father of

in a Wry. h Godfrey," I called rut after him, v do you mind pulling the front door to in the large drawing-room as you go by ?" It aoeins strange now, but I could think of nothing else to say then, and I said it slowly and quite naturally. He assented and disappeared, and I, without noticing it at the time, took up the chair again, and with ray lamp ascended the short flight of stairs, and proceeded along the passage to my own room, walking slowly and guardedly. The mind had evidently been so shocked that it had not recovered its dominant sway over the body. Upon reaching my own room I put the chair carefully down and sat upon it. The lamp I had placed on the table! at the same time. I sat there a few neconds feebly Wondering which, room the tiger was in. Then I got up with a sudden alacrity, Jqok from its case^ large revolver,; .* and turned iuto the passage again. In a minute or so I was in Godfrey's I'oom. He was half undressed, "What's the matter?" he demanded, with startled eyes. When I had to!d him he took my hand and •wrung It. " You may thank God that you are, alive,, old. fellow." Then he di essed hurriedly, took a heavy rifle from a rack filled his pockets with cartridges. " Come along- ; stay, let me go first : your nervss are a bit shakey yet," We crept out and awakened the punkah-wallah, an old ■. and-- faithful Hindu, whom my brother once nursed during a dangerous illness — a brave, reliable, and trustworthy man, who would have laid, his life down for Godfrey. "It is the Maneater !" said the Hindu after toy reoital. ■ ■ : ' ■■ ' " You will come with us, Reme ?"• asked my brother. The old. ; man smiled as if the question were superfluous. , "Will the sahib let his servant advise him ?" " Yes, Banieo : tell me your plan." As the Hindu rapidly unfolded it my brother smiled dubiously at tho strange idea. " Cunning must be met with cunning," said ihftHjn^u. ..,,;.. ... " It'll three, houre> to - arrange," I remarked. •' Three hours will bring the dawn : now, who can see in the dark : not the .Sahib, but yes, the tiger." " Very well, " said Godfrey, " let's set about it at once. " From the gardener's outhouse we brought a roll of wire netting that had beon put there for fencing in a paddock a few days previously. Together we collected armsful of shavings the workJnen Had not cleared away, quantities of dried leaves, rags, everything we could find soft and pliable ; and having cut the wire into three square lengthi firmly lashed them together one over the other. When completed it was the shape bat rather larger than the window ,10.^6 room in whichjjhef iiger J«^'h'^4' n » ' *«« doora J of lAfilrWiHheen. mcked. Our operations so far had bt-en conducted upon the verandah outside, near the gardener's room : wo then rolled up the wire netting and car- t ried it round the corner of the house to within a few yards of the big window : here it was unrolled again and flatened out, then upon its surface wejpoured all the shavings, rags leaves and refuse we had collected and up ( on this mass smeared and spread ,& quantity f of lime left by the workmen for the morrow. This we smoothed, down as well as we ' were able till the whole mass assumed some consistancy and clung to the interstices of the netting. Eamee next took some-stout twine and improvised a roifgniJincLxjf needle^ from' a bamboo cane. With this implement he sewed all over the mass of stuff, thus making a string netting that helped to keep the composition in its place. So far, so good ; the most difficult operation yet remained. " Take my gun, "said Godfrey to me, " and give me the revolver. " " Sahib, " whispered the Hindu, placing a restraining hand upon my, brother, '• let Eamee complete his work— is it not his chity ? -If he. fails he shall suffer. '} -^ ■. xj " You foolish xnan^'said Godfrey, ': how can you do . it . alone ? we're wasting time." ';; Hfl pushed' the revolver in his belt, laid hoid of one end of the netting, and threw off his shops. With slow and noiseless steps the netting, looking^ very like, a hirge mattress, was carried exactly opposite tho window and laid gently down ; then both retired as silently as they had advanced. Romee then brought from the outhouse a ladder, and with a gesture of entreaty signed to" my brothor | to stand aside and take his rifle in his hand. With bave feet tho Hindu crept up to the window again and reared tho* ladder against the wall. Taking./* cpjl qf rope from his nei;!:. he deftly fftstonwl it. to the bighost wall staple of the .outside shutter. * Decending-, he quiqkly enlaced tha short ,strand,|n ( the netting, placed the 'ladder 611 tlie other, eid*, and ran the, thong through the other stapln. Ft r the first time he made a noiso. but it was unavoidable, and was caused by the netting being drawjfl, upward*, itil' it hung like a gr#rtt,'*tiurtnih:. . covering the shutter nyjfaliiftbig the window--, from .dtfut loaed.) •