The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-18
MAKING FAT WOMEN,
The Story tha: a Snide Snowman
r Id a RepOrter.

| Inc SIOrK rhas a SnsOe Snowman
Il Id n Reporter.
A New York Star reporter after tax
ing in the snide shows inquired of the
showmen where the fat women all came
from, and was Stonished at being in
formed that they "made them over il
jersey" The reporter inquired again:
"Then you mean to say that women
are made fat, for the show market%
'That's what | mean to say every
time"
"Well, by the bones of Bernhardt, Pve
heard of anti-lean nostrums and such
things, but l had no idea of anything like
this"
Don't go off half cooked. They amt
made fat by takin' medicine"
"NoT
Certainly not; they blow 'em up."
Then the reporter grew livid; his
blood forsook his face. "Look here" said
he; edo l look like a Herald reporter? Is
there anything in my manner that indi-
Gates the dramatic interviewer? Haven't
l treated you in a perfectly respectful
mannerw
"You're too anxious" replied the
Snowman. Don't vacate your nut; you
wear too many spirit frills. What l tell
you is dead-letter; | don't lose anything
if you don't believe it? They've got fac
tory over in Jersey where they git those
women up for the New York Tattersalls,
as it were. About a year ago German
doctor found out way to puff out an or
dinary fat girl to twice her size"
"Was it by foodw
"No, it wasn't by food. Pm goin to
tell you what it was by, if you'll let me.
He put pipe into her arm and pumped
some kind of gas into it. What do the
doctors call that mean when they jab
you in the arm and"
"Hypodermic injectionw y
"Well, sir, that's the trick. He found
that he could blow up the flesh"
"Hold on; that will do, you know"
90 well, perhaps you don't want to
know anything about it? | thought you
were looking for information"
Every well, 60 ahead"
"Why this German Doctor found that
he could make an arm as big as he wanted
it by his plan, and not damage the
woman bit; but the trouble was that
there wasn't any demand in the market
for big arms, and that led him to-"
"To whatW
"To try it on legs. There was de-
mand for them you know"
"I don't know what you mean"
"Don'tyou? Why how awful fresh you
are, amt you? Don't you know that big
legged women are in great demand on
the variety and spectacular stage? Well
sir, he invented a machine by which
woman could expand herself whenever
she wanted to by pumping in a perfectly
harmless kind of soda water. 1t hurt a
little at first, but after while her sys-
tenn got used toit. Why, they were six or
eight expanded girls playing at Niblo's
last season. You understand they weren't
expanded all over, only in the exposition
parts of their bodies-the limbs The
thing got around among the women and
the inventor began to have calls from
women in private life who wanted ex-
panding. Then the idea came to him
that he could expand whole woman.
He experimental for about six months
and at last he got the thing right. He
found that there were some kind of girls
that could be blown up, so as to speak to
any extent. And that's the way he came
to make the first fat woman. 1t was
Belle Clampson. She showed for while
in the Bowery. And there was such a
demand TO see her that the Doctor got
more orders for fat women than he could
fill. Clampson used to let herself out at
night, but the other women that come
afterward generally pumped in for a
week."
What kind of gas was it they usedw
ooh, nothing but soda water. believe
some of them do use Vichy but it isn't as
reliable for steady thing,
"And you mean to say that they in
iect under the skin?
"Well, Pm blessed if know whether
it goes under the skin or under the flesh;
but they pump it in with big machine"
at must shorten their lives"
"Of course it does but that doesn't
make any difference"
"You mean that the girls don't care
for that?"
"No. When Miss Beldon. the queen of
the fat women, was sent to the Doctor by
Bill Slawson to get expanded for the
North American Consolidated Side
Show that he was running at that time,
she was quite slim girl.
"Do you know said the Doctor, that
this will kill you in about two years?
ooh yes, said she; but I'll be looked
at for two years. There was the, But
tercup Sisters that Nixon wanted to put
as genuine arsenic eaters. You remem-
Der 'em? Lord, what compilations they
had They was told that they couldn't
stand it more'n two or three years, but it
would improve their complexlons, and
they said: "All right, go on with the
show"
"But about this expanding. You say
that great many women in private life
have taken to the practice"
81 only know what the doctor tells
Il. 4. L ID L.