St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-06
GERTIE NEWSOME.
Experience of Delaware Girl. Taken
From her Home and Transformed
Into a Museum Curiosity
Her Story of Five Years of Show Life. Be-
coming Disguised, She Runs Away From
the Peoples Museum.


at the various station-houses were notified at
roIl-call yesterday morning to ''look out Tor
13-year old girl wearing a Mother hubbard
dress, who escaped from the Peoples Muse
um at O'Clock this morning" While OH
Ger Thomas P. Scahill, of the Bremen DIS
trict. was walking through Lincoln park
about o'clock yesterday morning ne no
ticed a girl answering the description given
above Scahill approached the girl and was
told by her that she was the one Tor Whoin
he was looking She was dressed in check
ed Mother Hubbard dress, broad-brimmed
straw hat, and wore pair of heavy, coarse
shoes. The girl willingly went with MIN 10
the office of the Chief of Police, and that Of
fetal advised Scahill to take her to the enid
ren's Home, which was done. At this place
the girl was interviewed by an Enquirer re-
porter. She told a strange and romantic
story of her travels, how she was taken from
her home in Delaware five years ago. tray
eled with a Snowman all over the country,
and placed on exhibition as ''Circassian
Girl" The story of the girl, as related to the
reporter, is as follows:
''My right''na is Gertie Newsome, and 1
was born in st, Georges, Delaware. l am
now ID years old, and have been travelling
over the country for the last five years as a
Circassian girl. While on exhibition was
known as Mile Zulu, and sometimes as
Gertie Craig. I have been travelling with
man named John H. Craig, who is also
known under the stage name Of Powers.
He weighs RS pounds and is 80 years Old
| have two sisters and four brothers, father
and mother, but whether they are all living
now | do not know, as have not seen nor
heard from any of them for five years. My
father and mother did not live together, and
remember of seeing my father but two or
three times. When I was years old, Craig
the Snowman, came to st. Georges and gave
an exhibition of his show, exhibiting him
self, his wife, who weighed 87715 pounds,
and a little girl, whom he called the Circas-
sian Girl. l don't know how he got ac-
quainted with my mother, but he told her he
wanted to take me with him and place me
with him on exhibition.
''My mother was poor, and had to work
hard to support US children, and after receiv-
ing the promise from Craig that he would
send me to school and write to her about me
often, my mother consented to let me go. L
went with him, and remained five or six
weeks, not doing anything, when the girl he
had with him as Circassian girl. ran away,
and he told me he was going to make Cir
cassian girl out Of me. 1t only took few
days to prepare me for exhibition, which was
done by combing my hair straight up and
down, and keeping it that way with hair pins
He also put something on my hair, and in
few days it was stiff and straight and made
me look like genuine Circassian girl. The
long hairpins remained in my hair, and were
so tight that it hurt my skull and
made my head ache terribly,
Int it was no use to complain.
Tn first time 1 was placed on exhibition
was in Miles Orten's circus, somewhere in
the east. Craig was also on exhibition there,
and we remained two months, when he
lgain got a show of his own. l Travelled
about with him all over the country
under the name of Mile Zulu. When
asked by the people where | was born [
would tell them in Circassia, and Craig told
me other things to say when people would
ask questions of me. Every winter We
would go to Craig's house at Danville, Ind,
and remain there until the next spring, when
we would go on exhibition again. Craig
owns property at Danville, and while there
during the winter I would comb my hair
down and work in the kitchen. During all
the time we were at Danville l only went to
school four weeks, which is all the schooling
l ever had, and I cannot read or write.
About three years ago Craig's wife died, and
and year after he married another fat wom-
an, who is also snake charmer, and has
been travelling with us ever since. They
have both been on exhibition
at the Peoples Museum for the
last week, and so have |. Last summer we
were both with the European circus, which
beat Craig out of everything he had. We
then went to the Kansas City museum and
remained on exhibition there four weeks.
We were also at Minneapolis four weeks and
Chicago two weeks. We exhibited at Dan
vile one night, and came here week ago.
Craig often made me go on the stage and
ing, and sometimes l would take parts in
,ylays. He also made me charm snakes be-
fore the public. did not like this, but had
to do it. Once a snake thirteen feet long
bit me on the arm, and while in Chicago
Craig got new snake nine feet long. /
had it wrapped around me one night, and it
it bit me in the face, spreading its mouth so
much that the upper teeth bit me in the
forehead and lower ones under my chin.
Here the girl showed scar on the arm,
the marks of snake bite, and those on the
forehead and under the chin were plainly
visible, not having yet healed The snakes
were so heavy l could hardly lift them.
When l was bit the second time l refused to
have anything to do with any more snakes,
as the third time is a charm, and did not
care how much Craig kicked.
''The snakes were not poisonous, although
he told the people they were. They were the
n1,rI 10
of his head. Craig never gave me any mon
ey- He had lot of little books printed with
some stuff he made up and called it my his
tory. sold these and also my photographs,
ane he told the people that all the money 1
received from the sale of the books and
photographs he gave to me, but he kept the
money himself and never gave me a cent |
have made good deal ofmoney for him, but
he would hardly ever give me a nickel when
| asked for some money to buy peanuts. He
whipped me several times, and once when /
could not dance jig lie struck me on the
arm with a stick. Here is the scar yet. He
tried to make me wait on his wife, but l
would not do it, I got tired of travelling long
ago, and want to settle down now. He has
no claim on me, and can't take me again if
he wanted to. Our engagement closed at
the Peoples Museum night before last, and
l went off the stage at 10 O'clock. had to
work until O'Clock in the morning helping
him pack trunks. Then we went to bed.
We have been sleeping and eating at the
museum, and last night l made up my mind
to run AWAY. | gathered my clothes together
and hid them in 4 place in the museum, and
at O'Clock this morningI got up and slipped
out of the museum while Craig and his wife
were asleep, and ran out on the street I
wandered all over, thinking might meet
somebody l knew, but Ibid not.
when l saw the policeman coming in