The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1890-05-14
ARTIFICIAL MERMADS.
THE GIRLS OF THE SEA" MANU-.
FAcTuRED BY SKILLED HANDS.


FAcTURED BY SKILLED HANDS.
with Canning and Dextority-HOw the
People Are Deceived by Showmen aud
Their AIds--The Mermaid Maker Talks.
"Mermaids made and repaired" Such
an advertisement was well calculated to
attract attention. and, as it confronted
me one day in little frequented street
in large eastern city, determined to
make the acquaintance of the maker of
these incongruities. Pulling an old fash
Toned brass bell handle, little old man,
crowned with square paper cap, came
to the door, and after cycling me suspi-
ciously FOR moment invited me in.
There was the 'beggarly array of empty
boxes" walls containing strange animals,
curious stuffed birds which peered from
high shelves and were laced together by
cobwebs laden with dust, while many
other objects atrewn about toid of the
trade OF the taxidermist.
THE MERMAID MAKER.
"Yes," said the old man, in reply 10
my questions, II am mermaid maker,
and flatter myself that have produced
some Of the most artistic mermaids ever
placed upon the market. Why, SIR
continued the speaker, warming upundef
the recollection of his triumphs, ~ pro
duced one that fooled even the doctors.
You see, mermaids have been made as
long as anything. The Chinese manu-
| featured them centuries ago, and SO well
that a large number of people believed
in them; and If the work is fairly done
the production is one of the best cards q
show can have.
Zone day u man came to me and
knew the moment saw him that he was
a Snowman. He said he had mermaids
but that on the last trip g man had of
fered to wager him $500 that he would
not dare to allow the mermaid to be cut
! open; so he wanted something that would
bear inspection and be ready for such Q
contingency. | told him could do 1t,
and received the order TO go ahead.
Generally in cheap work l stuffed
the skins with cotton or something oil
the kind and let them go, but in THU
case wont TO work on scientific princi
pies. took the skin of a monkey anG
separated 1t at the waist; tlsen allowed
it to dry as a mummy would, all of which
helped along by theApplication of heat
now took fish common in the CHM
sea, one that would not be familiar, ant
treated it in similar way, and finally
| iainaI than, hotI, aatsa.,.,d e,.a loo ,,,,N,
the monkey portion and carefully graded
them up among the hairs; then intro
duced some hairs down upon tho fist
portion; barnacles were fastened here
and there, and a great cut was left oper
| up and down the abdomen. through
which any one could readily SEQ the ribs
and the joining of the vertebre.
1.-THE face had been given AN agonized
look, the hands were clinched, and, al
in all, it was one of the most disagreed
bic sights ever saw, even though die
produce IT,
Yes, it gave complete satisfaction
When they exhibited 1t a cloth wa
thrown over the body, and when am
question was raised the proprietor woult
say that he would leave it to commit
tee Of medical men, thus being confiden
of obtaining some notoriety. In one cas-
n number of provincial doctors were com
pletely deceived, and signed a paper re
tracing certain statements which the,
had made to the effect that the mermai,
| was a sham.
EXHIBITING THE FREAKs.
| The old mermaid maker has passed
away, but examples of his work are Offer
seen either in grog shops along the har
Dor streets in shipping towns. in old tav
erns and occasionally in a museum. Tn,
mermaid is generally an adjunct of thu
side show, or second rate circus. Such 1
one recently saw. 1t was of large siz,
and kept in tank Of water. A spirited
painting on canvas depicted beautiful
maiden, half fish, floating upon th,
waves, while the young man who stoot
by shouted his story of the Lady Of thu
Seas" unconsciously, we. will assume
giving the impression that the mermait
was alive and frislking about the tank.
The little Enclosure was we'll patron
lied, and it was curious to listen to tn,
comments of those who paid the required
dime. 1t was q holiday, and young mer
and women were searching for some ex
cuse to spend their earnings. When tel
or twelve victims had gathered the pro
| prietor would wink at friend, borrow
his cane and begin a lecture Remarkable
for the exact repetition of its points, il
which he explained that the mernIait
was half fish and half human, and hat
been captured in some foreign sea an'
brought TO America at enormous ex
pense. At least one-half the people wh'
gazed at the mermaid evidently had
suspicion that it was fraud, while /
third accepted it as fact and expresses
their amazement and wonder at it, all 0
which shows that with all our educa
tional advantages we are still credulou
| perhaps to an extreme.
One of the most skillful workers In thi
uncanny art was well known to us, ans
| from whom many hints as to the way
which are dark were obtained. In sew
eral large popular unscientiiic museums
of the country remarkably hideous mer
maids are exhibited, generally undo
glass cases, while with them Is offered
paper purporting to be the testimony o
the captors. 1t is remarked that in man,
cases tho names signed to these paper
are not fictitious but evidently given il
good faith. There is but one assumption
that either the men were bribed or de
ceived.-Cor. Philadelphia Times.
To Obtain Sleep.
| Among the various remedies for sleep
lessness htely advised IL that IN whicl