Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-12-03
A,SCULPT0R'S HUM0R.
SOME ANECDOTES OF THEsEARLy
CAREER OF HIRAM POWERS

Making Wax Figures for Museum In
Cincinnati-A Comic Singer In Dupli-
cate..A Bust of Thomas Jefferson-A
Favorite Trick.
James II. Beard, the artist, tells some ancc-
dotes of the carly career of Hiram Powers,
the sculptor, which GO to show that be was
full of grim humor When Powers went to
Cincinnati be was engaged in making wax
| figures for a museum owned by O man named
Dorfield. The figures which be nodded were
delicate and beautiful beyond anything that
was known at that time. His ingenuity in
mechanics was remarkable, and Mr.. Beard
thinks that he would havo made as great a
success in mechanic arts as he did in sculpture
| if he had devoted his attention to the former.
There was a popular comic singer in Powers
day at Cincinnati named Alexander Drake.
| Powers nodded wax head of Drake and
fashioned figure to match the head
! Ono of brakes songs, which was in great
demand with audiences, was called Love
| and Sausagcs" Powers took his wax figure
to the theatre and placed it on the stage in
brakes favorite attitude, and when the
curtain rose for brakes song there stood be-
| fore the audience two Alexander brakes,
both perfectly natural Tho people were
astonished. They gazed and gazed in wonder
ment until the curtain went down and rose
again on single Drake. 1t was the wax
| figure, but SO like the singer that the audi
| ence cried and shouted and stamped for
| Love and Sausages.n The figure vas silent,
and the curtain went down without any rc-
Spouse being made to their calls 1t rose
again and there still was a single Drake con
fronting them. This time tho audience re
manned undemonstrative, not knowing what
to expect Ii was the true Drake, and when
he proceeded to sing Love and Sausages'
the mystery was intensified For about three
days the people talked of this double Alex
| ander Drake, and then the secret got out that
| it was one of Powers freaks
THOMAS JEFFEsoN's BUST
At another time Powers was at work on a
wax bust of Thomas jefferson There was a
| critic in Cincinnati in those DAYS named
Simms, who had incurred the displeasure of
| Powers and others He Yves told one evening
that the bust was completed, and WIS asked
to inspect il. 1t was i'll the days when the
only light was from tallow candles, and us
the room was dark he was given candle
with WHICH to make close inspection of the
bust He began to comment upon its I'M
natural appearance. declaring that the color
of the flesh was not natural and so on As
heleancd down for closer inspection the burn
ing candle was brought close to the figure
which suddenly dodgei back, winkei its eye
and shouted: Don't burn me-" II wa;
Powers himself Simms was in terrible
| rage, and when the story was told some time
atterwGrd in Taper owned by man named
Thomas, BE- was going to castigate the editor
Simns always denied the story. but Power.
told it with great Susto,
\ favorite trick of the artist, which ii
often performed in the museum and in pubic
places, was made possible by the long cloak,
which it was the custom 10 wear IN tho,s
days Any one who has seen the figures in
circus which are short and squat one moment
and apparently ten feet high tho next viii
understand the nature OF the joke Power,
would gather his cloak up in his hands AM
make himself apparently about three feet /,
height, and rs he passed around the museum
be would gradually become taller and tale
until at last, taking the collar of his cloag
and the rim of his hat in his hands be wouit
shove them far above his head and max,
himself appear very tall All the time n
would SO peering around at the sights Will,
most of the people were watching him as tn
biggest curiosity OF all-New York Tribune