River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-01-21
FORTUNES IN DEFoRMlTy.
Museum Ereahs Vino Draw bigger sala.
ries than Accomplished Actors.

Museum FREAKS VINO Draw bigger ssla-
ries than Accomplished Actors.
/ The first dime museum was started
ON the Bowery in 1872. At first the
museums multiplied slowly, but about
three years ago they spraug up all over
the country. and now all large cities
have from one 70 three It is a bigger
thing TO be q freak than to marry a
rich widow Freaks grow rich. The
competition between museums has run
! up the price of curiositics until they
/ draw more pay than a receiver in q
railroad suit. A good freak makes
more money without opening his mouth
/ than the most accomplished actor. Lit
/ tie LuCi Zerate, the Mexican midget,
who is undoubtedly the smallest human
\ being ever exhibited, got s., 500 for
! four weeks in this city and now wants
/ 1900 week. ,jo-JO, the dOg-faced boy,
I gets $500 week The first week he
! exhibited he drew 500. but curiOsities,
as n rule, draw larger salaries on their
I first tour. The Greedy survivors were
! offered 81 600 week TO show them
/ selves, but the Government interfered
J The Turtle Boy, a mistit little dark
ey, whose limbs are frightfully distort-
ed, commands $50 a week. The gen
tleman with the elastic skin, who thinks
nothing Of pulling the skin OF the back
Of his neck over his face and make a
nccktie Of his nose, got $500 week for
the first season and now gets $3.50.
The two negro girls who figure as
"What-is-lts' are paid $500 a wee :.
Chang, the Chinese giant, won't show
for less than $3.50 "A week: Colonel
Goshen, who is almost as tall and runs
farm over in New Jersey, gets but
$50, but Mr.. and Mrs. Bates, the we'll
known giants, are in demand for 5000.
The Count and Countess Ma0ri
formerly Mrs. Tom Thumb and
the Counts brother, Baron Little Fin
ger, get 5000 a week. JOshephine
Myrtle Corbyn, the four-legged girl,
gets $3.50 a week The Aztecs, man
and woman, who originally showed
with Barnum, get $3.50. The Modern
Hercules, who loves to catch red hot
cannon balls, does about twenty nm
utes' work a day and draws 5000 a
week, but he is not properlT a freak,
although he is likely t. be one if
he ever misses the bah AID it hits him.
But these are high priced freaks. The
second class curiositie, manage to wor-
nv along on from $50 o $50 a week.
Fat women are in demand at $40.
Ada Briggs who is good looking and
heavy rs She is pretty gets 500. Dove
Navarro. the Fat Boy who by the
by, was not Il woman made managers
pay him 1925 a week. He died recent
". Living skeletons get from $40 to
$50, Ike Sprague drawing the latter
figure. Sprague is 50 delightfully."-
ethereal that he can't stand without
being propped up with straws. Arm
less men who do things with their toes
are bribed not to run away for $50 a
week. The Leopard Boy, a cQlored
youth, who IS turning white in spots,
commands $25 week. AlbinOs and
minor curiosities that are used TO fill in
the bill receive $50 and $50 week.
Musical families those families where
the old gentleman plays the violin, The
mother the piano and all the children
some atrocious chiefly
drums, draw from $50 to 500 week
Freaks die aud sometimes they 60 out
of the business. Captain CONSTANT
nus, the original tottoocd Greek, re-
tired upon Il fortune and is now living
on fine estate in Greece, but has be-
come blind. Dudley Forster, Hoppe
My-Thumb, very little fellow, made
enough in two years to buy his father
a nice farm. ~ PajlGdeiphia Times.