San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-04-03
SOME OF THE ATTRACTIONS.

time.
SOME OF THE ATTRACTIONS.
The "legitimate' as well as the "illegiti-
mate" business is found among dime museums
and low price shows, and there are those who
do what they advertise, and work on general
business principles, although they may not
appeal to the higher tastes and do not con
tribute to the culture which Matthew Ar
mold looked for in vain among Americans
IL is, however, the poorer class which affect
Springfield most-the sort which occupies
vacant stores on Main street, or tents on
vacant lots when the country fairs are not in
progress A rather confidential dime museum
man in the city not long ago was easily led to
talk about his brotherhood, and the facts
here set forth are mainly as he described
them. He had in his exposition" snake
charmer, an AbysSinian beauty, bodilcss
woman ard a two headed calf stuffed The
museum was in a tent about thirty feet in
diameter, and the curios were arranged
around the sides Two or three glaring sheets
of canvas were stretched about the entrance
to depict what the show contained. To be
sure, the snakes on the illustration were
thirty feet long, while the realities were
about thirty inches, and the calf was repre-
sented as specially lively, but the Abyssinian
and the bOdiless woman were fairly portraye
except for an amount of physical beauty
which the originals could never have DOS
seSSed
The account of these attractions which the
proprietor gave was delightfully."- naive The
snake Charmer he asserted, was the daughter
of a real Indian charmer, who was brought
over by Barnum. She became enamored with
a concert ticket seller, and, as he had ambi-
tiOns to start a museum, married her, and
their only child was then doing the ''snake
act" on the EpostoiIice lot in Springfield. The
faEir said that the mother really had power
over snakes, but the daughter used toothleSs
snakes and chloroform. She is, however"
he said, very fond of snakes, and would
sleep with them if would let her"
Tho "Abyssinian beauty" Princess Irymi,
was described as 23 years old, native Of
New York, and descended from poor but
honest Irish parents. At the age of II she
was employed to scrub goors in New YORK
Bowery dime museum, and there learned the
secret of bleaching her hair and being able 10
make it stand upright. She was paid S.
week for her services.
The bOdileSS woman was the faEir's wife,
who had formerly been character dancer in
a variety show. The man said that there had
been a time when the 'bodiless woman act
had been whole show, and then he had been
able to coin money. The calf, or the remains
of what had once been a calf, he asserted,
was legitimate curiosity which he had bid
in at an auction sale of curios for So. 80. He
said that his whole outfit cost S5S and his
salary list was from SIT to S25 a week. with
his other expenses about $40 week, and his
receipts were from SIS to S35 day
WHY THEY DON'T LAY UP"
Two don't lay up nothin', though, because
when we lay off we have to go with the boys,
and we all buck the tiger a bit, and, of
course. in the long run that beats us.
He told of many hardships they had
to endure, and said that they are al,
ways afraid of getting stranded away
from home. Very few of the SO called
freaks are what they seem, and are
''dOctored" in a more or less ingenious way
Men are all the time doing some strange
thing simply to get job to pose for won
der, as they are too lazy to work
One Of the most seductive fakes is the trav- |
cling store, and it is safe to say that nine |
times out of ten they are swindles, one way
Or another. and still they are always largely |