Morning journal and courier., 1880-07-17

fins on the under side, and scales grew up l among the hair on the chest and hair grew down among he scales There was no evil dence of artiice. My naturalist was puzzled. 'tThen 1t is good mermaid '' said IT bought 1t and put it in the safe of Moses Y Beach of the Sun. Pretty soon letter was written from Mobile to the New York Herald giving good account of the crops, politics etc.
 and ending with the incidental announcement that man had landed there from the Sand wieh Islands, bringing a genuine mermaid It had not been seen and would not be ex- h1b1ted, for itsEYas on it's way to the London geological gardens for which it was caught in its native waters. This was published and copied all over the country, and it made a sensation. In another week a letter from Charleston announced that the wonder had arrived there, on it's way to New York, whence 1t would sail to London. A more detailed account of the wonderful creature was given. This served to swell the curiosity. From Baltimore came still other letters and then sent my man to Philadelphia, carrying the mermaid in close box, nicely made and dec orated He put up at the best hotel, and cultivated the landlord only. To him, just
 @ as ne was paying his bill and leaving, he con fided the immense secret that he was the eel ebrated Englishman who had caught the mer- maid and was carrying it home. My God!" said the excited landlord, raising his hands ln astonishment, lis it possible that wonderful creature is in this house ?" ''Yes," said my agent, 'tbut you mustn't say word about It j;
 am sorry that anything got in the papers :" stNow, see here,S said the landlord, you are good fellow, and you must let me see It. v After much persuasion the mermaid hunter yielded, and the landlord was in an ecstasy Of delight. Then he said ''See here, you must let me show it to one or two reporters The geological garden folks won't know any thing about it, and it will help my house. ' Affar more iToDortuTitv the weak RritiSler yielded and limited exhibition was permit | ted. The Philadelphia papers blazed with it next morning. They had columns about it. ! The next day it was brought to New York, and the same performance was gone through ! with at the Astor House. The papers were | full of it, and the city was all agog. Thou \ sands f1ocked to zee it, but no exhibition was allowed except to reporters. I was not known | in connection with it, but got three wood I cuts made, one from life-or, rather, from death-another of the traditional mermaid ! combing her hair by the waves, and another of the exciting capture of this half human ! monster in the South Sea. took one to each | of the principal Sunday papers-the Herald, Atlas and Mercury-and told the editor had procured the cut from the proprietor ex- pressly for his paper. Each one used his cut next morning, under flaming heads, and with a splendid puff, supposing he had the only picture. They were the maddest men you ever saw. Ropes of the Atlas expressed his
 annoyance when met him, and was modified l only when I showed him how Bennett had l been similarly fooled himself. This mer- maid added to my notoriety very much, and when such a splendid curiosity was added to 1 the museum without extra charge, money poured into my coffers. never was partic-
 l ularly proud of the way in which the mer- | maid campaign was conducted; but I don't 1 know to this day who made it, if it ever was ] made, and 1t certainly was marvellous curl- ] osity, whether natural or artificial.