Grady Stiles Jr.(1937-1992)

Grady Stiles, Jr. came from a long line of people with ectrodactyly, or "lobster claw" syndrome. His hands were split down the middle and fused to form two-digit "claws", his feet were small flipper-like appendages and his legs were shortened. Grady was born in Pittsburgh in 1937 and inherited his condition from his father, Grady Stiles, Sr. Grady could not walk and used a wheelchair in public, but could crawl around on his incredibly powerful arms and could perform nearly any task using his "claws". He was married twice to Maria Teresa Herzog and once to Barbara Browning and had four children, two of whom, a boy and a girl, also had lobster-hands. When his eldest daughter Donna was engaged to marry a boy of whom Grady disapproved, Grady shot and killed the boy. However, Grady escaped a prison sentence on the grounds that no prison was equipped to handle his disability. Although he was very strong, he exploited his handicap in order to gain sympathy. He was given fifteen years probation, and soon after the trial re-married Mary Teresa and continued to physically abuse his family. In 1992 Mary Teresa mentioned to Grady's son-in-law, a blockhead, that "something" needed to be done about Grady's abusive behavior, and he in turn hired a neighbor to kill Grady in the family's trailer in Gibsonton. Fred Rosen's Lobster Boy offers a biography of Grady Jr. and descriptions of both trials. The remaining Stileses still reside in Gibsonton, but are private people who are, understandably, not affiliated with the sideshow. Cathy is married to carnival worker Tyrill Berry and the couple have a daughter, Misty, who was born without legs and ectrodactyly in her hand. "Little Grady" has a normal daughter, Sara. "Grady Stiles and his daughter ran a single-O with one carny where I had the side-show concession and they did better than I did with ten acts. Grady thinks the world of his daughter; if she had been normal, it would have broken his heart. He shows himself first and then charges extra to bring her out. The Stiles aren't as unique as some freaks I've seen, but the public loves them." -Joseph Hilton