Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-07-08
Monstrosities to Order.

adding daub of glue to the dorsal
fin of the mermaid, "is something
they can put on the canvas that will
draw folks in. The side shows are
getting ready to start out. They
have their fat women, albinos, Bra
LILLIAN apes, big snakes and that SORT
of thing, but they won't draw. Folks
will stop and look at the canvass, say
that they have seen snakes, monkeys
and fat women enough, and will pass
on. But if the side show can hang
out q mermaid or sea serpent or an
alligator boy, folks will pay their
dimes and step right in. Usually
they find the monkeys alone are
worth the price of admission, and
they are not disposed to find fault
because the mermaid is not alive.
But if some one does find fault the
side Snowman says to him:
"Look here, young feller. Dye
s'pose that if I'd got hold of that
mermaid before she died I'd be show
in her up country here for ten cents
head? No, sir; you'd have to
come to the city to see her, and pay
yer dollar"
Cutting hree.cornered piece out
of the Goldfish skin and neatly draw
ing it down around the paper-mache
body of the mermaid, the artisan
went on: II used to be in the magic
line taking up his shears, swallowing
them, and picking them from beneath
his kneepan], but magic doesn't pay
any longer. 1t pleases the intelligent
public, but the public is small"
"How came you to 20 into the manu-
facture of monstrosities and curiosi-
ties?" asked an Item reporter.
"Well, over in New York, one day,
/ saw in show window one of these
japanese mermaids. The price was
$500. Up country a little while after
that l saw mermaid advertised at a
side show. 1t was one of these Japa-
nese make. l thought if the Japs
could get $500 for mermaids l could
manufacture them profitably at those
figures"
Here the artist gave the mermaid's
tail an upward and sidewise twist, put
on some glue, and set it up to harden.
"This mermaid" he said, "is made
to fit some expensive canvas that
Western man has got hold of cheap.
Here is sketch of it,"
1t was rough pencil sketch of a
mermaid sporting in the ocean, and
lasso descending over her head from a
boat. In the distance was the ship
from which the boat came. The
scene represented the capture of the
mermaid in the Pacific Ocean, 400
miles off San Francisco.
1T isn't a bad way" said the arti.
san, "to make the curiosities fit the
canvas that is to be displayed outside.
In that way the sights fill the bill,
and the public is not deceived"
"For what is the chief demand this
spring."
"Mermaids, alligator boys, sea SER
penis and double babies"
What docs an alligator boy cost ?"
"Here is one," leading the way to
an inner room and pointing to crea-
tion which he had recently finished,
"that cost S75. You see it is about
four feet long and covered with
leather. The monstrosity is supposed
to have been born of negro parents in
to have made its escape
into lagoon when about seven years
old. and to have been found dying on
the bank after hard fight with
bull alligator"
"And the double babies ?"
"They are modelled after the one
that was born of Italian parents here
last year. l went to see it, as 1 go to
see all monstrosities that l hear of.
Double babies have two heads, four
arms, four legs and only one body. 1t
is a job to get them up as they should
be, and they are rather expensive."-I
Philadelphia Item.