AN EXTRAORDINARY TALE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 9410, 13 May 1882, Page 3

AN EXTRAORDINARY TALE.

;Mr William Andrews,' F.R.H.S., honorary secretary of the ; Hull Literary Club, is publishing a book entitled " The Hook of Oddities," which includes chapters on " Whimsical Wills," " Revivals After Executions" "Female Jockeys," "Sin-, gular Wagers," "Curious Weddings," etc, etc. The following i« an extract from the book, which is worthy of quotation, being one of the most unique tales we have read for some time! We will not ask our readers to believe, nor will we say whether we place any confidence in the truth of the story, but will leave them to be their own judges. Here it is—and whether it be, true or not, Mr, Andrews deserves at leajut oredit fo.r the able manner in whipli lie has told it:— "Kitty Hudson,' who has been termed I ' the human pincußhron,'was a. native of Nottingham; She was born in the year 1765, and at the age of six years was transferred to the care of her grandfather, who held the office of sexton of St. Mai/s

Church. Nottingham. A young womeua who was employed as a servant encouraged the girl to collect pins and needles in the church, and for every mouthful obtained in sweeping the aisles and. peijrs she received a stick of toffy. We are told that the poor child. followed this practice, till she could neither eat, drink, nor sleep without pins in her mouth, and that she would leave bed very often to obtain them so that sleep might be had. Before her friends knew she carried on this practice, her double-teeth were almost destroyed. By-and-bye she began to feel a numbness of her limbs, and could obtain little or no rest. Many remedies were triad without effect,' and she- was at lenath removed ;to the Nottingham hospital. She remained jther'e some sirae, and sent away I cured. During the period she was in the hospital, numbers of pins and needlef were taken from her feet, legs, and arms, aad other parts of her body, and both her breasts were amputated. Her old sweetheart, John Goddard, used to cheer her by saying he would marry her if she lost all her limbs, providing her life was spared, and she afterwards said it was his kindness that enabled her to bear up under her protracted' sufferirigsJ She married him six months after she left the hospital, and b6re r hini no less than 19 children, none of whom lived to the i age of «18. < After?: Gdddard's>deith, she; was married a second ?fime to 'Henry lum, of South Wingfield, Derbyshire, where she lived to the; age of 70. No children were born to the ? second husband, but he had a ion by a former marriage—Charles Ludluin, a shoemaker who still lives in^^ and he vouches for the truth of this narrative.'- Kitty is said-■'to 'have beennearly six feet in height, and as long as she lived pins and "needles kept' coming! at intervals from her body, A black spot first showed'itself on the ;'sl?iri, r which soon"; began to fester, and then ampin's head would appear,; which ; wa»; pulled out, and then the place would I heal!:up. These ; came out in all parts of her body, which, to use the;Words of her* stepson', was like a cullender :full of Utile holes.-i Her health was pretty good, and she appeared to; pursue herl ordinary l avocations personal inconvenience."