New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-23
TIE IRON JAW MAN.
The Pretty Female Sampson-Starvaai,
nf RMx

The Fretty Female Sampson-Starva1iol
! Of Boy.
The man Of the iron Jaw, the beautiful
female Sampson, and the daring boy VIII
performed with them, created quite q sensa
tion at the Academy of Music last season.
The St. Louis Dispatch speaks of them q.
all French by birth, Of their performances al
OF the most extraordinary character, and
! adds, what many of our readers know.
The man was accustomed to lift enormous
weights with his teeth, and the woman, who
was a veritable female Sampson in strength
carried cannon, massive iron bars and clus-
ters OF men on her arms and shoulders.
The child, a very handsome little boy. also
did many difficult and perilOus feats in aid
OF their performances Before they left this
city rumOrs became current that they habit
ually used him badly, but these rumora
were not publicly confirmed until the par
ties went to Cincinnati and thence to Phila.
delphia AT one or the other Of these cities
an attempt was made by legal process to
take him from their custody; but the at
tempt. unfortunately, proved to be unsuc-
cesstul. The following, from Fishkill Land
ing to the New York Herald. relates a sad
sequel to the persistent inhumanity of his
brutal guardians:
But brief dispatch has been sent rela-
tive to horrible case of starvation in the
o'Brien menagerie troupe, which performed
at Stormville, Dutchess county, on Thursday
night. Connected with the troupe ia q per-
former known as Atalie, the Man of the
Iron Jaw, and also q French woman, who
is denominated the Strong Woman. They
take with them also little boy. seven years
OF age, whose name can not ascertain, but
who, it is stated, was purchased in Paris by
the French woman for 800, especially to
aid in the performance. It was this little
fellows duty to be thrown about by the
man with the iron jaw in various ways
every one being dangerous in the extreme
as, for instance, in one scene he is fastened
to the iron jawed man by q belt, and the two
are drawn from the ground to the top Of
the tent, where the man fires pistol and is
let down; then in some way the little fel-
low is hoisted up the same distance, hang
ing by ingenious cOntrivances from the
mans jaw. He is also required to aid the
French woman in scene where she places
q six FOUNDER ON her shoulder, and he gets
up on it and fires it of. 1t seems, therefore,
necessary that he should not become too
heavy for the business. While stopping at
Stormville the French woman, from some
cause. is alleged to have tied the little boys
hands behind him and shut him in room
alone.
staggering 10 Tue WlnOOW ne begged OF
the cook to put up ladder and give him
piece of bread and butter. She had to
throw it on the floor, when he snatched it
up and devoured it eagerly. Another boy,
said to be the real son of the French
woman. observing the movement, informed
her OF it. She at once flew into a rage,
and going to the boys room, it is said. beat
him numerically, saying How dare you
do so when | told you if you did l would
pound you'" The little fellow begged of
her not to whip him, for he would not do it
again. He did not look as if he had drop
OF blood in his body. When his condition
was ascertained, q DR.. La Mount was
called in, but he died the same night, and
was buried the next morning. The doctor
has said DE died Of starvation. Parties are
already moving for the arrest of all con-
cerned, and the inhabitants of Stormville
are so indignant that if they are brought
there it is feared they will meet with
violence. The Poughkeepsie Eagle of to-
day says that the cruelty practiced by this
woman and the iron;jawed man on the
children have attracted attention elsewhere,
and both have been denounced by the
press. These parties were arrested in
months since for cruelty to
this same child, but managed to escape
punishment.