The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-01-28
uNINvITlNo BUSINESS.
a Detroit Woman who Dresses the Hat
OF Dead Customers.


II was only twelve years old" said
a prominent lady hair-dresser, Of this
city, "when I was called on by the
friends of an old lady who had died to
60 and dress her hair"
"And did You gop"
mo. ran and hid myself under a
bed and staid there whole afternoon.
Although loved her and had often
dressed her hair when she was alive, /
could not bear the idea Of doing it after
death. But I have done many heads
since for dead persons, and while do
not like it. I have professional pride
III making them lcok we'll fol- the last
time"
ut must be very distasteful to you"
mot always. 1t comes in the way
Of my business, and naturally my em-
ployes shrink from going. Sometimes
we have call through the telephone. TO
come to such a number, and dress n
lady's hair. One Of the young ladies
will be sent with curling irons, po-
mades. hair-pins and other things, only
( to find that the lady is a corpse. The
girl will not, or can not, undertake it,
and l go myself. There is only the
front hair to crimp and arrange becom-
ingly. One day last week I dressed
Mrs. IS hair for the last time. She
was young and very pretty, and looked
as if asleep. The hair does not die, so
that it is easily arranged. When it is a
wig or crimpee / have it sent to the
store, and when it is dressed. take it
to the house and put it on. Let me
tell you something that happened late
ly. A lady died in this city who wore
a gray wig. dressed it and put it on.
You can just think how surprised was.
when couple of weeks later, q men,
ber of the family came in here and tried
to sell it to me. She said they had il
taken off just before the casket was
closed for the last time"
"And did you buy itp''
"Buy itp Certainly not. 1t is moi
very long since man came in and
offered me number of switches of diff
ferent shades and color would not
buy them, and sent for policeman. a.
l thought he had probably stolen them.
But, as it turned out. they came from
an undertaker's, and were the un
claimed property of strangers who hat
been given pauper burial"
"Is it customary to dress the hair O.
the deadp"
"lt is. have some customers wht
; have eXacted a solemn promise from
me that will dress their hair wher
they die and make it look natural ant
becoming. l have even been sent fol
! by those who had only few hours tt
live and taken my instructions from
their dying lips"
'Is the process the same as with th'
livingp"
"Just the same. except that l do no
arrange the back hair in all cases. Blu
sametimes the hair is dressed entirely
just as it would be for an evening party
: And frequently furnish new switches
crimps or bangs, at the request of rela
tives who want no pains spared"
''And you are not afraid?'
Madame shrugged her handsom
shoulders
ut is a lonesome task" she said
"and it certainly does make mo nerv
Gus. Once the corpse opened her eye
and looked ut me; or imagined it.
nearly tainted. And once lady VIII
was holding lamp went out of tn
room moment, leaving me with loci
, of hair in the crimping pins. A gus
of wind blew the door after her, and
, was in the dark alone with the dea,
woman. l think if she had not opene'
, the door just at the moment she did.
should have fallen inscnsible. .''-Detro,
Free Press.