Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-10-24
MIR. RARNUM.

Next to Jenny Lind, MIR. P t. Barnum is at
the present moment the most talked about indvi-
dual in the United States. The queen of song
and the king of showmen divide the honors and
dollars of Gotham, and their names are borne TO-
gether by every pulsatOn of the telegraph to the
most distant parts of the land. This being the
case, word or two concerning the origin and
growth of this Napolean of curiositles and public
amusements, will not be out of place. Mr. Bar
NUNS native of the wooden nntmeg State, ne
having madeahis first appearance in Bethel, w.
july 5, 1910. At the age of fourteen he was left
fatherless and pennyess, and with the true Yam
kee instinct, engrated to Brooklyn, N. Y, and
entered a store. Two years after he opened
confectionery store in Danbury, Ct, then dry
goods store, then grocery. a few years after
he started the "IIerad Of Freedom" newspaper
and maintained 1t for three years, when getting
into quarrel with Judge Dagget, the latter ar
rested him for libel and placed him in prison.
He was also, about this time, a Unversalist mi
mister, according to the "Trumphet" In due
time he came out of Jail, and went to New York
We next hear ofhm as selling lottery tickets, a
which he made money, But it was evident tina
he had not yet iound his natural vocation Ira
yelling near Louisville he met very old blac'
woman named Joyce Heath. He purchased he
called her $50 years old-produced the paper
II. o1fN oh
was enriched to handsome extent by exhioltln
her all over the Union, when she died, ana
published series OF papers showing that IL
/. whole. affair hnsl aheen n humbug! After tl
Mr.. Barnum travelled IN connection with v
rety of public performances, and finally g
Master Diamond, the great negro dancer, and
, his assistance, realized much money. Bnt
, eventually came across the famous Tom Thum
and from that date his fortune was secured.
attended Tom Thumb from one extreme of tn
Union to the other, and always attracted sue
crowds as never before had been gathered t.
4 geher. He then took Tom to Europe, and by b
| ready tact and wonderful ingenuity, in which
s excels all other men living, Mr.. Barnum SOC
i brought Tom before all the crowned heads, al
c rapidly put away his thousands upon thousan
|. of solid cash. He had obtained the Amerc
Museum, then in fearful decline, and was e
abled to purchase and pay for it completely.
}, paid large prices for curiosites, and soon had
G filled with objects OF rare interest in nature
,. art. Next he added to it saloon performances
n moral kind in opposition to theatcal enterta
q ments. He succeeded in all he undertook. Go
~ luck followed him like spaniel, and he rapid
n acquired an independant fortune. Latterly
,s has erected beautiful country seat called ST
e nistan," near Bridgeport Ct, at on expence
"a over $4,000. which is the admiration OF
4 who behold it. He has enlarged his Museu
i fitted up an elegant one also in Philadelphia,
"a gorgeous saloon for afternoon and evening P
as formances in each, and may be said to clear
10 $4,000 year without any exaggeratons.
his crownng speculation was the engagement
-, Jenny Lind Nobody but Barnum'would h
dreamed of such an enterprise There is Ii
- doubt that this, his bodest, will also prove
" most successful stroke.-Boston Rambler.