A Man who sheds his Skin.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, 9 June 1891, Page 2

A Man who sheds his Skin.

■ ♦ • The case of a man who sheds his skin every summer, and has done so ever since his first birthday, has been brought to the notice/ of the Chicago Medical Academy. The individual in question, according to the particulars igjyen,; [changes his skin in the month of July every year, without his health; materially suffering. He is seized at the outset with a feverish attack, lasting a few days. His skin reddens, and when the attack is over it begins to fall off. He peels off the skin from his arms and legs, precisely as though he, were taking off . g loves or stockings, anu V6sMZ'&\S -"-He same time, his fingei* and toe naflsr As a matter bf course', the : fteW skin, being particularly tender and sensitive, the man is forced for Several days to take precautions to protect it by wearing garments of the softest material, and gloves day and night. These precautions, however, a week j after the change of skin, can be dispensed with, and the patient is able to resume his usual occupation.

.->"- .1.11111 l iill 'I '' fl'^-^l**'H Mill 11-WW_*-»W-— *~j MCOUf.-EOTrO^ OF- A LONDON DE- t KttVWJi _ eoTIVI j ._(c o ntinu<,d.} KJifc-boiom of lhe whole business— bad ruined him, foi-^.^.^^KW 111 was printed in cv, «7 hfl » °™ ***** '" . " fead the thin one any other name bepides Lanky?" I av ked when he had con•^Not as I knows on."' h , e answered. "Ye see, sir, I didn't like the *. ooks f ,} xm > and to didn't harsk to be interda ocea * Now, I happened to have . ''.™ «J U«;--tance with a rascal named a ° c , nacK »' Otherwise Lanky Lyp_.7*_ had v t ™ J»™ on two different occasions; andjbt[.^'">••mart sentences. Lanky was a dar. "2 ra 2* cal, quick to see an opening for his pt , *?/ r . s ' and had hitherto shown a certain origin*, "v In all his tricks which marked off his crii* * s , distinctly from those of the ordinary crim " Inal. It was easy for'hie'tb undeVstan_tha< . ■uch a man might have made an easy tool of Brunton, and I had already come to the conclusion that there must have been at least two engaged in the robberies, for, as Brunton had plaintively observed, he could not carry three clocks at once. I thought it might be well to give the clockwinder a chance to confess, and so trap the promoter sf the whole scheme. Accordingly I saw Brunton and questioned him regarding Lanky. As I had. feared, he loudly asserted that he knew no such mar; that he had never Jjfftn $n the Stpndiwitht »uch a person, k nevMm£i Po n^ ct i,' the office messengerTthere, anatnax Potfiflet was a liar ofthe first water to says©.., I. put it to him rather strongly that fowoMd be decidedly to his advantage to confess the whole, and have the lahky one tripped, but he became indignant and angry, so I had to leave him to his fate. But though I was thus baulked by Brunton's stubborness, there was no reason why I shonld nqUry /rota &c, pthw end. , Every itertuMn ramfol&^ c *^ t^'»&* J! ' Lanky Lynn, ancrthat rascal I thought I jhould have no difficulty in picWng^jj. X had seen him quite recently dqjwn'at* th'_ : Crystal Falaq-,; \ybeo he.h^d the effrontery, to give me an aristocratic salute-r-quite a f>atronising bow, : as'if he had be_n in earl at , east. My reply was to collar him, hustlfc liim out of the place, and see him off by the train— with some not very pleasant remarks as to what he might expect if he came back. He indignantly; declared, that he was there < on pleasure, not business, but the rip pl) *j made no differe_cl_'iri , th_ t_sult. '"'' Every one has noticed how when you don't want ai thing it is always coming in> your way, but the raoment^ou need it,; andmust have it, it vanishes. It was so with me and Lanky. I looked for him everywhere, and could not find him, and at length became convinced that he was not in London. One evening, when I was on duty jta another case at London Bridge Station, »nd watching closely the faces of the outgoing passengers as they went through the wicket, an incoming train from some of the watering places poured forth its passengers, and among them I noticed a tail, thin one who but for his fine clothes might have Eassed for Lanky. I ran along till I got to is side, and then found that it was just Lanky and no other. „.,••' " Hullo, Abe ; you've got hew togs," was my first remark. $c did not take it kindly.. He was in a hurry^too ; .but; so*w<WiL'aJKf when he hailed v a 7_ab- I jsteppfed in beside: him. He glared at me ferociously, changing colour rapidly. •■■*■■.■ ) '* "Where to, sir ?" safd the cabman, touching his hat vaguely, not sure which had hailed him. f - . , " Old Jewry," I said coolly and sharply. i Lanky seemed disposed to rise and make a dash for it, but I gripped him hard — the grip left a blue mark on his wrist for days— and pulled out my handcuffs, saying — " Do you want these on, or will you go without ?" He decided to go easy, and having reviewed his position, said lightly — , " What's the damage ? what's it for ?" i At the Office his curiosity was gratified, ■when, as a matter of course, he loudly protested that he knew nothing of the clockwinder, or the robberies, or, indeed, of anything but his own immaculate innocence. I brought Brunton up to face him, and the clockwinder protested as loudly that he had never seen Lanky. The pair of innocent lambs were then led off to separate cells. On searching Lanky and his travelling bag we found not a trace of any of the articles taken by the clockwinder. There was a good supply ofjnoriey in his pocket, but it wis. i„7gc>rd; ; and Lanky made'no secret ,of thei: fact that he had been at the seaside for a fevr _ays l "re_reation md 'rest. All that pointed to a successful robbery, but there was really no evidence to connect him with the clockwinder's crime. Pomflet, the office messenger, was summoned to have a look at him, • a^nd ideqt jfied J-um as the man he had met with the clcckwinder, but that proved nothing against Lanky, though i told against Brunton, On the occasion o. this visit P6mi__t -aid-to m_£> * " "How is it the clockwinder sometim* wears a glove on his left hand ?" I told him the hand had been injured in some way, and nee__a a covering, to which he replied, with emphasis — " 'Umbug— pure 'umbug. He had no glove-, op wfen Acsrobbed /.oUr;pffices that morEta]^ I W^pirtic-M^tW-^htsMeft 'and was as 'oleas mine." My answer was to have Brunton brought back and !thft-doM*aa*-lf from his hand, when Pomfler'coWMfl*l-b|[lr deny that the hand was not only injured, but that it wanted the best part of the .two fore-fingers as well. . x • r y{ s"fi '~J "Well, I 'never 1 ! thY wagabone! He's done that since I saw.it!" Pomflet exclaimed. " Oh, he's an orful villain; he's fit for anythink. . Take him away and give him ten ' years for trying to impose on people." This answer did not convince me. Indeed, the sapnful l^k-of Qurprisorfefknd his indigaaM sileSfi »@J»fSsfe^|m- ' phatic tmurMr PoTnßet_ vfiuble abuse. It was proved beyond doubt that Bruntdn's hand had b«en maimetiT|fonU»> before, and yet Pomff^t^aiid}hlionsi4morning of the robbery T«r such maiming was on that hand. The first suspicion that the robber and Brunton were different persons was roused in mj ;-n»fns by- that simple contention regarding the maimed hand. The day after the arrest of Lanky a woman called at the Office and stated that she was Lanky's wife, and wanted the property taken with him, and particularly the money. She was not obliced, but I h-.->'l her followed to her lodging — a very qu-eu place . which I should neVer i h_.v_ i _fei V ii-„ i Ye.V c.* ter- • ing alone, except on the most impe .uive business. . Pomflet had givfen the name "Neil'" as having been owned by .Lanky's companion » in the Strand; an* ir-'n_w _fr_cl£ i *ifle'as possible to try a bold stroke to get at that companion. The» $^k, ty-ajifriqne- I £*red for, but the idea that na^struck,ms*was i too • 'gpod to be abandoned or handecLover to -fnother. I dressed '•a^-i!^-i_j*bf'Tn_fnselveß. md wentto the place late. *at v Tijght carrying Lanky's bag and Jfc, contents, without the money. I had some men behind me. but I could not take them near the place, or I should never have g_tintb>hes_en. I could only tell them to come to me in a quarter of an hour if I did not return. As bad luck would have it, the woman who opened the door was Lanky's escort, but in the darkness she let me 'pass. I heard the big iron bars fastened on the door behind me with no pleasant ".feelings: I asked for f^anky's pal, Ned," and was told he wm ' (To be 9ootinuecj.)