The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-08-15
HOW TOM THUMB WAS FOUND
Barnum's First Introd nc ton To the Great
Little Man-An Interesting Chat.


I'm the man who was the means Of
Tom Thumb being found by p. /. Bar
mum, Was the remark made BY MIR
Henry Folsom, of South William street
10 a Reporter the other afternoon
How so was the query Of the person
10 whom this Information was youehsafe,i
Well, will tell You how it came IL
pass, Mr.. Folsom responded about
forty Years ago knew a family named
stratton who lived In bridgeport. Conn
The head of the family was in the habit
Oh LhdulslnS too freely in liquor Some
people called him hummer, hut a> far
lever Knew, he Was quiet, inu..rnSive
man He WAS IN very plar condition
financially, and hls family sometime, sui
Tered Tor the want of the nereSs,trles ~
llte This man had s1n. Who WAS the
smallest child of his axe ever SAW in my
HE The little fellow was probably or
years OF age Al the time lie WAS Gun
ming -ugSter. and the wouler of tho
nelshboghaod in which he lived This
small chap was thartr> :. >tratton. after
Mard known Is Tom Thumb
but how did hiruum find him.
oh, l II explain that 10 you presently
here WAS restaurant AMI liquor saloon
IN hridsepnrt in thu>s. DAYS The pruprle-
tor hal trap door In tho floor Of HIS
saloon that opened iutaa sort Of cellar
where CLANS Mere kept Thu, establish
meht was situated ON the docks, 81 that
boats beaded With CLAIMS could come
alongside for the purpose Of dumpin.
f.,t..l iR.f.. ~
large number OF men who We're eu gagged
IN The Clam business We're in the habit If
irequentnns this place There were other
customers who came there 10 eat ,howttr
and to partake of the liquid retreshmeut
offered al the bar The saloon became
known As the headquarters Of a class of
HAPPY ~ lucky men, uf whom the elder
Stratton was one of the acknON lodged
leading spirIts. The elder Stratton often
brought his dwartel boy into the saloon
toamu,e the men who congregatrd there
Nobody then had any idea that the little
fellow would ever be Of much account
was thea acquainted With l. I Barnum.
At that time Barhum Kept small mu
scum His museum was such one
horse affair that there WAS not sufficient
Income from it to keep It's proprietor irom
financial embarrassment
-One day liarnum asked me ii | would
take the trouble the nrNt time visited
Bridgeport to 70 to his brother, phllo
Barnum, who lived tire, and obtain for
the Snowman a loan of So | did the rr-
rand as requested Feeling Interested in
Barnuln'- museum enterprise, naturally
BEGAN to think about ways and means of
helping him in his business said to him;
See here, Barnum, there is a dwarf
named Charlie Stratton up in Bird yeport.
He isn't bigger than a pint Of cider. II
seems to me that IT would he a good idea
for you Ia get him for your museum
Thank you for the suggestion, returned
Mr., Barnun and I'll - mp to see the lit
tie chap lBarnum accordingly went to
Bridgeport aud saw Charlie Stratton lie
was greatly pleased with the dwarf, and
forthwith resolved To bring him to New
York and place him on exhibition It. was
not difficulty task to make u bargain
with the elder Stratton. who was he
lighted at the prospect Of making little
money without having to work for IT,
Well, To make n long story short, Charlie
STATIONS hamc was changed to Tom
Thumb and he was exhibited as the
smallest and most wonderful dwarf on
the face Of the globe He was a great at
rtiun Tor the museum, and II was not
long before the proprietor began To realize
the fact that Tom Thumb was trump
card People came from far and near to
visit the llliputan wonder New York
Star