New-York daily tribune., 1865-11-30
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
RARNUM ON HUMBUGS.

curiously fruitful theme is WV IT,,
H,uoth by an experienced master VI 'n'
No man knows better than the celebrated sDo" ".""
A. .o,rot of attracting public attention. anu '.o
~ which those who have less that Is val
a. than himself seek to take advantage
;,,noranee and creduty. In the pub
ws,o,,s notice prefxed to the volume, son'e ho'
'..A. a., made between the different kinds
- hnmbuo. and the question is brought iorwaro'
how far the cpithet may justly be applied 10 MI
p.-,nm He himself discourses rather glngcrly Oh
A., nont in the Introductory chapters OF the book,
and presents plausible ease in favor of a liberal
construction of the tesas In his view, the hunbug
- not to be confolnded with the swindcr, the
forrcr. the pickpockot, the general imPos'er but
NAV properly be described as one who resorts 10
novel and eccentric expedionts in order to gam az
tentjon TO the occupation which he purSues, OF inc
wares in which he deals. He loses sight of TINS
d;sinction, however, in the progress Of his BOOK
and nreseuts a proiuson Of glazing, mclodramauc
rsctnres of the impositions which have been p'"c-
tieed in all ages on the good-natured srhpho''!
Of the public He is not careful TO group the o'i-
ferent classes of human decisions, but sets 'hem
forth promiscuously as they occur to his memory
or strike his faney bet he has certainly gathered
%,cotber a strange mass of whimsical incidents,
which throw fresh light the follies of the world,
and the gullibility of even "thc best regulated
&milies" An amusing episode is given relating
70 the adventures of "Old Adams the famous
California hunter which furnishes a fair specimen
Of the more readable portion Of the book.
OLD GRIZZLY ADAMS.
James c. Adams, "Grlzzly Adams, rs ne war
tu from fact
% many grizzly bears and encountered such iedrlui
perils BY his unexsmped daring. was an eXtraoIdai!
character For many years q hunter and tralpef III
the Rocky and Sieisa Nevada Mountains he occurred
Q recklessRess which, added to his natural hVlhoiu"
courage rendered him truly one Of the most slriHinS
MN of the age. He empnatjcally what the EnesA
can man Of "pluek." in 1860 he arrived IN New
York with his famous collection Of California ANIMALS
captured BY himself consisting OF twenty or th' M i
nense grizzly bears at the head OF which stood Oid
Gampscn"-now in the American Museum-wolv,s
half a dozen other species OF bear, California hoSs
tigers. bufllo. elk etc, and Old Neptune the great
Oea.iop from the Pscilc, .,
Old Adams had trained all these monsters so that WIN
him they were doce MS kittens, While many OF 'Ae
most ferocious among them wonld attack stranger
without hesitation il be came within their grasp In
kct the training of these animals was no fools play
= Old Adams learned to his cost for the terrific blows
which he received from time 10 time. While teaching
them "docilty," finally cost him his life
When Adams and his other wild beasts Qor he was
nearly ss wild as any of them) arrived IN New'forE
be called imme diatey at the Museum He was dressed
IN his hunters suit Of bnekkin trimmed with the skis
End bordered with the hanging tails OF small ROCKY
Mountain animals; his cap. consisting Of the skln OF
wolf head and shoulders from which depended severa
tails as natural life. and under which appeared BIZ
stiff bushy gray hair and his long white grzzly beard
1n fact Old Adams quite as much OF show as me-
bears They had come around Cape Horn the clip
per-shp Golden Fleece, and seavoyaee OF three an'
shali months had probably not a1ded much to Tho
beauty or neat appearance Of the old beaf-huDter.
During sation, Grizzly Adams took of bis
cap and showed the top of his head. His skal' wa
literally broken in. 1t had various occasions beer
Inv fhetp fu1 nQV of
the last blow, from the bear called General Fremont
lad laid open his braiu so that its workings were plain
ly visible. remarked that thought that was dan
\ gerous wound. and might possibly prove fatai
Yes" replied Adams, that viii fix me out. II ha
the tbifd fourth time. before left California ana
did his business 50 thoroughly, I'm usedup ma
However, reckon ! may live Six months OF a ye
This was spoken as cooly as if he had been takii
about the life OF q dog. 49,
The immediate object Of "Old Adams" in callir
upon me was this had purchased one half interest
his California menagerie from man who had come
way Of the IsthmDs from California and WHO elaine
70 own an equal interest with Adams In the show.
ans declared that the had only advanced him son
money and did not possess the right to sell hall Of u
eencern However the man held bill Of sale for on
half Of the California Menagerie." and Old Adam
finally consented TO accept me as an equal partner
the speculation, saying that lie guessed could do u
managing part and he wonld show mp the animals.
obtained tent and erecting il on the prese
sic Of Waliack's Theater. Adams there opened b
1Ove California Menagerie. On the morning OF ope
cages, down Broadway and up the Bowery; Old Adam
dressed in his hunting costume heading the line. VII
platform wagon on which were placed three nmeni
grizzly bears. two Of which he held by chains while
was mounted on the back Of the largest grizzly. wh't
stood in the center ana was not secured In any mann
whatever. This was the bear known as General Fr
mont" and so doclle had be become that Adams sal
he had used him paekbear TO carry his cooking az
hunting apparatus through the mountains for SIX month
and had ridden him hundreds Of miles. But apparent
docile many OF these animals there wos not OF
among them that would not occasionally give eve
Adams q sly blow or sly bite when good cbaDt
offered; hence Old Adams was but wreck Of his 70
ner self and expressed pretty nearly the truth whe
he said:
Mr. Barnum, am not the man I was five yeal
sgo. Then ielt able TO stand the hug Of any ari1
living, and was always glad TO encounter siDgle.hant
Cd any sort of auimal that dared present himsel
But j have been beaten to a jelly torn almost lin
from limb and nearly chawed up and spit out by thes
trescberous grizzly bears; However, i ana good for
few months yet aud by that time hope We shall gal
enough to make my old woman comfortable, for Iay
been absent from her some years"
His wife came from Massachusetts to New York. an
unrse1 him. DIR. Johns dressed his wounds every day
and not only told Adams he could never recover, b
assured bis friends that probably q very few week
would lay him in his grave.
But Adams was as firm as adarnant and as resolnt
- lion. Among the thousands who saw hin dresse
In his grotesque hunters suit and witnessed the apps
Pcnt vlgOr with which ne "perorwed" the savage
most perfect dociy. probably not suspected tha
this rough fierce looking, powerful demi savage Ia
appeared to be, was suffering intense pain from hi
broken skull and feveTed system and that nothing KEEP
him from stretching himself his deathbed but tina
most ndomitabe ard extraordinary will Of his.
After the exhibition bad been open six weeks, tb
Doctor insisted that Adams should sell out his share
the animals and settle ny oil his worldly affairs for b
assured him that he growing weaker every day
and his earthly existence must soon terminate.
81 shall live a good deal longer than you doctor
ing after all to realize the truth of the Doctors
top he turned to ne aud said: well, Mr. H., yOt