The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1854-11-04
Barnum,s speech ON uumbuv..

sDetirered at Stamford, on the occasion of
fAe horticultural Fair, Fairfield County.
1t seems to bca most unfortunate circum.
stance that should be selected to speak on
Humbug, as looking on the ladies, whose
profession il peculiarly is, find it hard to
express myself in their presence. Every
thing is humbug the whole state is humbug
except our Agricultural Socicty--that alone
is not.
Humbug is generally defined "dcccit or
imposition" 4 burglar who breaks into
your house, a fOrgcr who cheats you of your
property, or a rascal, is not a humbug:
hnmbug is an impostor; but in my opinion
the true meaning of humbug is management
tactic take an old truth and put il in an
attractive form.
But no humbug is great without truth at
the bottom. The woolly horse was n rcali.
ty. He was really born with a woolly coat.
| bought him in Cincinnati for $500 and sent
him on to Connecticut, but for a long time
doubted what ! should do with him, and
feared that hc would die on my hands. just
ut this time, in lSi9, Col. Fremont and his
party were reported to have been lost among
the Rocky Mountain; the public were great
ly excited, but shortly news came that he
was safe. Now came the chance for the
woolly horse.
la was duly announced, that after three
| days chase upon the borders Of the River Gil
Ia, an animal had been captured 10y the quar-.
termaster of Col. Frcmont's party, who par
took in singular degree of the nature Of
the buffalo, antc'olc and camel. This story
was so far true, that was myself the quar-
ter-mastcr who captured him, and charged
a quarter for the sight. The picture outside
the exhibition depicted the animal as jump.
ing over ledge Of rock, now fthc animal
had really leaped, as shown in the picture,
he must have passed over space Of five
miles. To have believed that he could have
survived such leap, would have been the
grosscst humbug.
But Col. Benton, who understands no
humbug but his own, arrested my scheme,
and prosecuted me for obtaining money un.
der false prctences, as the horse was moi
what il proiessed to be but think wrong.
ly, as the people who saw it were satisfied
and they got the worth of their money.
Now the scientific humbug should know
the precise moment TO act as did, or thC
world would never have been blessed with q
sight Of the wooliy horse.
When the woody horse arrived from Con
nccticut, he was put in stable near Love
Joy 5 Hotel. One of the boardcrs who can't
to see him recognized hin as an animal ht
bad seen at Bridgeport. Good heavcns'
he cried, ~ have seen that animal before
il is really an extraordinary humbug.' liz
took up friend from the same hotel, and af
ter he had seen the animal let him into TIN
secret, aud in succession, thirty seven per
sons were carried up, all Of whom took TIN
humbngging in good huInor except the las
man.
have not the vanity to call myself rca
scientific humbug, am oiily an humble
member Of the profession,
Ny ambition u be the Prince of lIumbug
| will resigu, but hope the public will taxi
the will for the deed; can assure then
that ;f ] had been able to give them all th
humbugs have thought Of, they would hav
been amply satisfied.
Before | went to England with Ton
Thumb, ! had n skeleton prepcrcd from va
rious bones. II was 10 have been mad
eighteen f"ai high il was to have beet
i....-ia ! uaI or 90 :" ci'i.. anl then du
up by accident, so that the public might lear
that there were giants Of old. The price
was to pay the person who proposed to pa
the skeleton together was to have been 81 J
But finding Tom Thumb more successful
than thought ! sent word not to proccc,
with the skeleton. My manager, who ncve
thought as highly Of the scheme as it dc
served, sold the skeleton for s5Oor S7J
Seven years afterwards received from
the South an account OF gigantic skeleton
that had been found. Accompanying it wcr
the certificates of scientific and medical met
as to the gcnuincncss. The owner aslser
$50, 1000, or S 900 a month; | wrote him
be brought it on | would take it if | fouad i
as represented, or would pay his expenses
not; ! found it was my own old origina
hnmbug came back to me again; Of courS
Irefiscd it, and never heard Of it after
wards.