"THE ODD FAMILY."

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2278, 15 September 1899, Page 5

"THE ODD FAMILY."

Orce on a time—lobs asoreexact in the reign of VVi'liam II 1.--there lived iu Ipswicb, in Suffolk, a family which,from the lumber uf peculiarities belonging to it, was distinguished by the name of "The Odd Family." Evtiy event remaikably good or bad happened to this family eu an odd day of the month, and every one of them had something odd iu his or her person, inanner.and behaviour; th« rery let tt rs iu tbt ir Christian names happen to have been an odd number. The husband's name was Peter, and the wife's Rabah. They had seven children, all boy*, viz , Solomon, Hoger, James, Matthew, Jonas, David, and Ezekiel, Now, the husband had but one leg, and, *trange to s«y, the wife had only one arm. Solomon was born blind of the left eve, and Roger lost his right eye by accident. Jamei was born without defect., but he soon bad his left ear pulled off by another boy in a quarrel. Matthew waa bom with osly three tinkers on his right hand, Jonas had a stump-foot, while David, not to break the family record, came iuto the world with a tiump-buck. All there were reinmkaUy short except David ; while I zekiel shot up t* the height of 6ft. 2in. befoie he was oineteea years of ags. The stump-faoted Jonas and the hump-backed Daviil secured wives of fortune, but no girl would listen to the addnsses of the rest. The husband's hair was as bUck as jet, and tbe wife's remaikably white ; yet all their children elected to adorn their heads with hair of the most pronouueed red. There was,l here fore.au odd number of each colour.

Some ot the incidents in their lives were equally remarkable. Fir example, the husbaad had the peculiar misfortune to fall into a deep saw-pit. where he was starved to death, in the year 1701. His wife was so overwhi luied with grief that »he refused every kind of sustenance, and died five days after him.

In the year 1703, E/ekiel enlisted as a grenadier, and although he was afterwards wounded in twenty-three places, hs recovered. And now w!) come to what is the most extraordinary coincidence of all : Roger, James, Matthiw, Jonas, and David all died at different places on precisely the same day iu 1713, while Solemou Bnd Ezekiel were drowsed together in crossing the Thames, in the year 1723. The father and mother thus died within five days of each other, sad all their children followed them on two days just ten years apart.