Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-03-26
THE LIFE OF A SNOWMAN.

From the n. Y. Sunday Leaoer, March 16.
p. Z. Barnum, who few months ago was
| rcputed to be worth half million of dollars,
now comes before the Supreme Court, brought
| there by some of his creditors, to explain all
| about his property. He states that he now
| lives in this city, that the Museum, once his,
| and all its curiosties, have been sold for S24,-
600; that he paid ST., 900 for it fourteen years
ago, and that now he has not the least interest
| in it. He says that last June he was worth
$500,000. His property he valued at $500, 900,
| and he owed $500, 900. About this period the
Jeromes came along and wished him to en-
dorse their notes for 100000. Barnum did
it, and repeated his endorsement on similar
paper, as he supposed, to take up the former.
Finally he ascertained that he had endorsed
| to the amount of s464, 900, and so far as he
knows, there may be a million of dollars of
this paper out, as he often signed in blank for
| the Jeromes to put inwhat amount they chose.
! Still Barnum don't consider that he has failed,
as he says his refusal TO pay these ssclock
debts" of the Jerome's don't exactly consti-
| tute failure. He alleges that the holders of
| these obligations Of his were the very persons
who induced him to become responsible for
| the tJeromes.
The splendid paintings at Barnum's house
at Iranistan, he says he sold for $4,000, tho
| they cost him $4,000. His present assets are
| Crystal Palace stock, which is not worth half
| as much as the skin of the celebrated woolly
horse once in his possession.
Now, whoever has read Barnum's biography
written by himself, will consider it very strange
that he did not follow his own advice. Who
| that knows Barnum could believe that he
would endorse the notes of clock company
| to the extent of nearly every dollar he was
worth in the world, according to his own esti-
mate of the value of his property in June last.
He says he owned property which he valued
| at $S0o,000, and it was mortgaged for about
| $500, 900, which left him about $500, 900. At
| this very time he endorsed notes for near half
million of dollars, without even carefully
scrutinizing the responsibility of those whose
paper he put his name to. He even mort
gagged his property to raise SS0.000 for the Je-
romes in December last. There may be
woolly horse in all this reputed failure of Bar
mum after all. The Jeromes did not get this
$4,000. Barnum says he raised it in bonds
On several States. counties and towns, but a
friend of his just at this time had looked into
the affairs of the Jeromes, and told Barnum
that they were bankrupt, and he was ruined.
Barnum then sold these bonds at loss of
$4,000, and took the money, he says, to pay
his own debts.
There cannot be much sympathy for Bar
mum. Whoever has read his biography, from
his own pen, must be satisfied that his moral
principles were never strongly developed
His book, which he managed to sell in various
countries of the globe, has disgraced the A /
merican name. 1t is nothing but history of
the art of getting money under false preten-
ces; and the author, in moral point Of view,
is no better than thousands who have suffered
the penalties of the laws for such practices.
The world is always better off without such ge-
muses. as Barnum. No one pretends that he
ever possessed talent in any honorable and dig
nified employment. He is mere cunning
Snowman, who would seize upon other mems
ideas and apply them to the art of money ma
king without proper remuneration even in
business point of view.
ssShow me how you live, and where you live,
and where You get your means to live?'' This
was one Of the questions put to Barnum during
his examination and he replied to it by say
ing that he lived in this city, in Eighth street,
and kept boarders, and had no other means of
support, except some meat given TO him By
his son-in-law, in Connecticut, and some vcge-
tables which grew on his farm last year. He
said he had a gold watch and breast pin,
worth some four or five hundred dollars, which |
Ja n H.i
also casually remarked that he had two suits of
clothes and about twenty five dollars in money.
: A NAN OF BoNEs.-Here is curious fact
for you. The flesh of lirfng man once grew
into bone. 1t seems hard to believe, but I
suppose it was so for in the museum at Dub
lin, Ireland, there is, or was, the skeleton of
one Clark, native of the city of Cork, whom
they call the Ossi6cd Man, one of the greatest
curiosities of nature. 1t is the carcass of a
man entirely ossifed in his lifetime, living in |
that condition for several years. Those who |
knew him before this surprising alteration, af-
firm that he had been man of great strength
and agility. he felt the first symptoms of this |
surprising change some time after debauch;
by slow degrees, every part grew into bony |
substance, except his skin, eyes and intestnes;
his joints settled in such manner that no lig- |
ament had its proper operation; he could not
lie down or rise up without assistance. He
had at last no bend in his body, yet when he |
was placed upright, like statue of stone, he |
could stand, but could not move iR the least. |
His teeth were Joined, and formed into one en- |
tire bone; therefore a hole was broken through |
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