The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-01-03
SECRETS OF sHowMEN.
How Cur.osiiics are Turned out for ,he
Museums.


"Eannah Battersby's husband runs q
blacksmith's shop at Frankfort Penn" said
the Snowman to Times reporter. He
used to be living skeleton, but he grew too
fat for the business Good living skeletons
are hard to get-almost as hard as two head
ed girls. They can't be made to order like
other curiositiesn
A real Circassan lady never was shown in
this country, the Snowman said. Circassian
ladies are the cheapest kind of curiosities.
The commonest female can be turned into
one in few days, and it is wholly unneces-
sary, according to the showman's idea, to 60
to far-off land after an object that domes-
tic resources will supply. Barnum brought
ont the first Circassian lady % years ago.
She was rather pretty creature of French
extraction, and before coming to this CONN.,
try she displayed herself Ia side-shows in
France and Germany. John Greenwood,
since dead, engaged het for Barnum. She
was dressed in Circassian costume. In less
than month every side.show and museum
u thessountry Ma drawing crowds to seeits
Circassian lady. Circassian ladies' multi
piled until many homes in the land were
blessed with them, and this day show is
incomplete without one. She is almost in
variably the wife of a magician, giant,
living skeleton, or some other monstrosity
or curiosity, who can pat herself to no bet
ter use than to turn herself into beautifui
Circassian, no matter how ugly she is, and
sell her pictures on q platform. Every
woman in the country who is not bald-head-
ed may become Circassian lady if she
desires by braiding the hair over long pins,
and saturating it with stale beer before re-
firing at night In the morning it will stand
straight up on the head like porcupine's
quilts The beer imparts wiry consistency,
without destroying the gloss or leaving it
sticky. The American girl who became the
wife of the Dahomey giant, afterward the
Abyssinian Prince exhibits her graces as a
Gircassian lady. Bearded women, unfortu-
nately for the showmen, cannot be brought
forth like Circassian ladies.
Seven hundred and twenty pounds is the
show weight of Hannah Battersby, the big.
she would probably go little above 500
| is an ensy thing to make fat women look
POO or 800 pounds heavier than they are.
They can conceal an immense amount of
padding beneath their dress about the waist,
and hustle still further adds to their appar-
emit vastness of proportion. Mrs. Battersby,
it will be remembered carried her husband,
the living skeleton, out of the old Broadway
Museum OF the time of the fire and saved
his life. She as beautiful daughter, who
is living with her fnther in Pennsylvania.
The next largest woman is Jessie Waldron,
l6 year-old mountain of flesh, who was
born and reared in Greenpoint, Long Is.
and. She is g feet G inches high and
weighs about i50 pounds. On the bills she
is put down as weighing GOO pounds. Emil
lie Hill is the lightest of the fat women,
weighing only about $50 pounds. She is
only feet high, aud it is her immense CIR
conference that makes her great curiosity.
Fat s~eesen ave .easy to pick up. 6howmen
find women all over the country that will
do, and by adding 200 or 300 pounds to
their weight on the gorgeous canvass they
awe the public with their immensely.
Living skeletons are the result of disease,
aud cannot be manufactured While,
doubtless, consumption and dyspepsia have
made few respectable skeletons, the cause
Of their thinness is, for the most part, mex
plicable No skeleton of consequence is
shown who has not been examined by more
doctors than all the other curiosities put to-
gether. Calvin Edison, who died 10 years
ago, and who, singularly enough, was a
violinist came into prominence 20 years
ago, and was the first living skeleton of ac-
count to be exhibited Isaac w. Sprague is
sill alive and enjoying the comforts of
home-life in Massachusetts, He married
and became too stout for the business. A
skeleton is made to look thinner by dressing
him in black, the same as a fat woman is
made to look fatter by covering her frame
with light or bright material. The trunk is
kept well covered, but the arms and legs,
which are the thnnest parts, are freely ex-
posed. Another trick is to place the skele-
ton alongside the fat woman, in which posi-
ton he looks much more attenIated than he
really is. ffFt
Dwarfs are simply natural curiosities
which must be put in contrast with larger
people; but six inches or more can be added
to giants without difficulty High boots
with high heels, high hats, and long coats
really contribute three inches or so to the
actual height aud foot in looks. Giants
nearly always wear uniforms to make them
appear imposing and they raise their arms
slowly to give them massive air. Captain
Bates, however, always insisted ON appear
ing in dress suit Chinese giants show to
the best advantage Their long gowns
give them the appearance of being taller
and heavier than they really are.
Living works of art did not adorn mu-
seums and side-shows until Capt. Costente-
nus the Greek, displayed his ink-fgured
Frame The second tattooed Greek was
Harry de Courcey, who was born in Brook
lyn. He was tattooed by Martin Hide
brant, of this City, especially for exhibition.
De Courcey was followed by the tattooed
Australian, into whose body the ink was
pricked in Philadelphia. As the natural
consequence of tattoood men, tattooed wo-
men came upon the scene. Bunnell brought
out the first female, a young woman named
Woodward, last Spring, who is supposed to
have been tattooed by her father. Martin
Hildebrant at once tattoocd his sister, and
she now stands forth is wonder. They
are the only tattooed women at present, but
will not hold the field to themselves long.
Both are blondes. A brunette, described as
being tall and handsome, is at present SUBJ
hitting her figure to the operation. She is
said to be the daughter of wealthy parents,
and is being tattooed with the sole idea of
placing herself on exhibition. The opera
ton is exceedingly painful and consumes
about three months. 1t reduces subject
weighing $50 pounds so pounds in flesh.
Recovery however, is speedy. Over one
half the body is tattooed ordinarily.
Cunosities can be made out OF any mate.
rial. and people who 60 to museums will