Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-12-23
AMAKBr OF MsHM1rDs.

New York Sun.
When Roome. the taxidermist, was living,
his sign, "Mermsids made and repaired,
hung upon an old fashioned huuae in Gar
mine street. Another sign in window,
hsnked by dssipated looking pelican and
q wlde-mouthed alligator, informed
the public that the dwellsr there.
in was q consulting natural
list, scientific expert and dealer in curl
osities of all kinds. Mr. Roome was
little man with glass eye, wonderful !
nose that seemed 10 De in mortal terror OF
the eye, and was doing It's pest to keep out |
of sight sit was jammed way over to
starboard," was tho subs quent ex.
PLANTATION.
10 reporter who called one day he
said Eyes, this 10 a queer sort OF bust
ness You might think, now, that man
would get gloomy working over these
bodies, but IL never seems 10 me as II they
are dead. | soon have them alive again,
leastwise as regards looks. Some OF them
old monkeys wouldn't part with for love
or money. They're just ike old friepds."
'Who buys such things2"
well, have my regular customers.
Ladies' have a great deal done 10 the way
of stufing oanares and pet dogs and cats.
and they come iu here sometimes weepin'
so you'd think it was a child. But it
pays, as l make it rule to charge
aocordin' to the grief, not to take advar-
tage of 'em. When the grief is great
they always bring photographs and want
me to give the dog the very look he had
when alive, SO you see taxldernist has
to be a sort of sculptor. IT l hits it
exactly they very often insists on maxim
nj nf OF
is a few gentlemen who collect birds, and
they don't want anything exceptit'snew and
rare. have good trade in birds nests.
good many boys go in for that; but the
best of the business--that is, the most
money-c0mes in from the show business.
All they want is something startling, and
they always pay for it; but trade amt
what it was 20 years ago. Here's an old
order had from man in California, d
sea serpent, TO be 100 feet long, feet in
diameter at largest part, and TO be III
sections and have an authentic history.
That was for big side Snowman, aud as
the mans dead | suppose he won't
object to my giving it away. de
didn't put no limit on me SO, as 1t was
my first order, thought d make my own
reputation and his fortune at the same
time, and / came pretty near doing it. At
that time there was big shark fishery OF
the Tybee river, so sent down piece of
skin about q foot square, aud offered a
cent apiece for all l could get of tine same
size, and as they threw the skins away
soon got all l wanted. made the frame
out of wood and covered it with canvass,
and then softened the sharks skins and
put them on, overlapping each other like
scales; the jaws were modelled after an
alligator's, only ten times IS big, and in
them / put whale teeth. The inside of
the mouth was lined with fish skin and
painted red and when it was done you
couldn't find place that wasn't natural.
The man gave me 500 more than asked,
and shipped it West made the jaws so
they would lift, and he used to snow ii
with young girl a standing in its mouth,
lie fooled everybody, and made lots OF
money"
81 see you have sign outside relating
TO mermaids ~
Eyes; | sell one once in while, and
have two or three orders for South Amer.
lea now, he said, as he piled aside cur
tain and showed in glass cases some NAM
fled SIRENS. Twenty years ago | sold
one Ike this" fondllng one in his hands,
"for 81, 500, and they were cheap at that
have it so as to stand close examination,
and then the pedigree costs nearly half.
People then were more particular to have
lies well braced up. Now, here's one, .
taking up a specimen about six feet long,
THAT was made in 1851, ahd has pedl
gree signed by the captain and crew of the
bargue R. ". LdDs0R That will give you
an idea to how much trouble and expense
people went / made this myself, on al
order, for 81 600, but it was never taken
because the mad died before il was done
be wanted it perfect SO that people aud
scientific professors and that kind coulc
look it all over as much as they wanteC
to. One of the stlpulations was that il
should have q pedigree, showing the
sworn statements Of the finders, also theil
names and addresses, SO that they eouit
refer 10 them"
"Was this all complied with ?n ..s"
Every bit ; and | tell you how 1t was
got the Oldest female monkey cou.t
get and fish called tine grouper tina
would skin well. The old monkey wa
killed and divided below the waist ant
prepared aud stuf.d regularly, aad tn
fish done the same way below the head
Then the two parts were joined together
This is the HARDEST part xcept the face
which has to bs stitfened to give look o
anguish like. The scales, which you Sc,
are very small, have to be put in by tn
Thousand, one at time, and graded on Il
the skin of the monkey, SO that the Join
ing will look natural. This done, 1t i
treated with acids to make it look old o
natural, as the case may be, and then th
making part is done
But how about the pedigree Y
4 - To-
found friend who was master Of shi
bound for China, and ne and fixed it L
that he should take the mermaid to Chin
and pretend to find it. So took it abosr
and the ship sailed, and after Will
arrived at Yokohama, and here the mat
was fixed Oae day all hands were give
liberty, and you may be sure that the
were all Jolly drunk when tdey came dow
to the boat The captain took the tillel
and the mate was in tine bow and whe
they were OF shore the mate gave a ye
and told them to stop pulling. Then Il
grabbed the boAt-hook aud struck yer
savage at something in the water, AT
finally he reached down and to all lnteu
and purposes lifted out OF tie water Il
mermaid. Is it dead yelled the captain
Yes said tho mate; L killed il the fir
hit, and stepping over the seats he toe
1t to the captain, just letting the men st
that It was regular mermaid, and e7el
one of EN- siguud paper seyiu that the
saw it swimmiu' around tile boat, aud ga
the mate xiii it and haul il aboard, III
also that il any one Doubted ii they cou
send to their address ashore, which WI
so-and-so. The mermaid was ,.brn auoar
and with the pap PACKED away ~
brought back to New York GnG hand,