Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1901 — MAN WITH 24 FINGERS AND TOES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MAN WITH 24 FINGERS AND TOES

Prof. Frederick Starr, of the University of Chicago, who is looking for people with an extra allowance of fingers or toes, would lie delighted to meet a servant of the Marquis de Baliueourt, who is exciting much interest among European scientists. He is a young man, and on each hand he has six welldeveloped fingers, while on eat-lSf foot) he has an equal number of well-devel-oped toes. It is not known whether he inherited this anomaly. His supernumerary members are of no special use to him, but he is never allowed to forget that he possesses them, as his comrades, for au abvious reason, have nicknamed him “Twenty-four.” Dr. Capitan, a well-known ethnologist, writing on tills subject, says: “There are two forms of this singular phenomenon, the true and the hybrid.

In the true form, as seen In the case of the marquis’ servant, the supernumerary fingers and toes are complete additional members, the fingers being usually placed beside the thumbs and the toes beside the great toes. In the hybrid form, on the other hand, the additional fingers and toes are merely a result of a division which has taken place in the regular members. “The thumb is the part usually affected, and it may be divided at the first Joint, though the division generally starts at the base. All the other fingers may be divided in a siifillar manner; indeed, as many as fifteen fingers have been found on one band. Atavism is evidently the cause, but one would have to travel very far back in order to discover the origiu of such fingers and toes.”

Theodore Watts-Dutton's memoirs are to be published in a few months. He was a friend of Swinburne, Rossetti, Morris and several other important figures in Victorian literature. The new novel by Mrs. nugh Fraser soon to appear tells of a Scandinavian consul at a Japanese port, his daughter and a British nobleman. The daughter’s name occurs in the title of the book, “Mama's Mutiny.” Preston \V. Search lias had a fruitful experience In the graded nnd ungraded schools, in colleges, in commercial schools, normal and high schools, as principal aud superintendent, and iu his “An Ideal School,” which will be published by D. Appleton & Co., he gives a record of ills observations. A general view of the legnl condition of women throughout the United States will be presented in a volume by Prof. George James Baylos, of Columbia University wfiich is to be published by the Century Company in n few weeks. In It women’s property rights nnd the grounds for divorce arc fully considered.

“A Wiuter Pilgrimage’’ is the title of a new book by H. Itider Haggard wbieb will soon be published. It deals with Italy and the near east, and is the result of a Journey made by the author last year through Palestine, Italy and Cyprus. The volume will be illustrated with, thirty-nine illustrations from photographs. George W. Cable's new novel. “The Cavalier,” will be published by the Scribner’s without previous serial publication. “The Cavalier” is a story of the Civil War and the scene is set In Ooplah County, Mississippi, in 1863. The hero of the story is Net! Ferry, chief of Ferry's Confederate scouts, while the heroine is Charlotte Oliver, a Confederate newspaper correspondent, who was of great service to the leaders in that vicinity by furnishing them with information. “Memories of a Musical Life,” by Dr. William Mason, the dean of his profession in America, will be issued by the Century Company. The writer's musical exiteriences began over fifty years ago ami his book will coutain reminiscences of Meyerbeer, Schumann, Mosehcles, Wagner nnd Liszt, as well as many of the moderns, including Ilubcnsteln, Von Bulow, Paderewski and others. The illustrations will Include many reproductions from an autograph book which Mr. Mason lias kept for many years.

HAND WITH SIX FINGRRS.