Democratic Sentinel, Volume 21, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 January 1897 — VAMPIRES MAYBE TAMED. [ARTICLE]

VAMPIRES MAYBE TAMED.

One of tbe Species Ctnflned In a Cage for Four tears. Throngs of curious folks are dally crowding around the shew windows of a tailor shop in FUlton, near Smith street, to watch a genuine blood-suck-* lng vampire which Is exhibited there.] It Is confined in (. little wire-grated cage, not more that two feet in height, and even less In ength and breadth. Thene it hangs fr(m the top ban hay after day, apparently lifeless, except for the slightest movement of the < v/\T>> and then It moves Its head or sips from _ Jo* .J placed in a corner ofthe cage. A sign informs the curious the beast has. been hanging In the page for the last* four yean. The abearance of the vampire does not beff out the terrible stories told of Its klnJ It looks peace-* able and harmless eriugh. But, still, i it is claimed that nkny human lives are taken every jew In South Ameri-' ca by these overgsovn bats. They are supposed to live d&ost wholly on animal blood, lncludig that of man. 1 They kill whll» heir victims are asleep. During th day they hide In the impenetrable r esses of the jungle. At night, hovver, they go out, for prey... They fly lmost noiselessly, „ and when they se a small animal asleep slowly suck it Its blood. They! generally fasten th nselves to one of] the main arteries nd kill without! even as much as a lark, much less a wound. The specimen on hibitlon, however,! has been tamed. . W. Haines, the present owner, got from a traveling showman four yea ago. It waa part' of his little me’na rie, which he ex-! htblted In the Sc h and Central American States, he showman wag stranded In Mexlc but succeeded In bringing some of i animals, Including the vampire, t< he East, where he placed It in the re of Mr. HalnesJ Bach morning he eds It with three! bananas, which c stltute Its only food. During the ntlre time of its captivity It has ne r tasted a drop of blood. „But It seei to thrive, despite this change to vei arianism. In the day it generally stys, which explains its lifeless appeaice In the cage. Still, it has no awion to light. In fact, It rather sees to enjoy it, for when the first rayjf the sun touches its cage It wriggl its body and stretches Its wingiln keen appreciation of the genial Irmth. This done, it drops back into| usual lifeless position.

It hangs all tliqime, head downward. In appean :e it looks liko a bird, but it Is anhimal, the female bearing live offsplg. The forward and rear limbs arponnected with a fine skin, formingihe wings, which measure from tip tjlp fully four feet. The head of the amai is finely shaped and looks much ce that of a greyhound or wolf. Iti irs are sharp and pointed, one of tn being slightly mutilated. The igs are black in color, the belly lsial brown, while the back Is much filter, turning almost into white, te eyes are small and have an intigent expression. 'The tongue is long id sharp and feels as if It were cove, with tiny warts. 'lt has six small eth \a the lower ; Jaw and a full ro' >f them In tu. U p_ 'per. The little b< t is not at all Vicious, but rather ayful, and seems •to know Its masl well.— Now "iork , Herald.

A dispatch receled from the Lowell Observatory, FlaA&ff, Art, announces that the astronomers of the observatory have discovered that the P 1 * 11 ® Mercury and Vlnus each turn » Its axis durinTone abouj •the year on v