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