San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-20
FREAKS OF REAL MERIT.
RECOLLECTIONS OF A MAN WHO
HAS HAD MANY TRADES.
Details of Museum That Once Flour
ished in st. Louis-The Elephant Man,
the Horned Man and the Vegetable
Boy-How They Were All Cultivated.

the Horned Man and the Vegetable
Boy-How They Were All Cultivated.
He was pale, spare man. who didn't in
the least resemble the ordinary CONNER
cial traveller, but that's what he was, and
ne used to say sometimes that he could
stalk q new customer closer than most
men in his business. But he had gentle,
almost debilitated manner, which gained
him sympathy among strangers, and he
always sold big bills of dye stuffs, which
was his cline" His name was Evander
Thompson.
Just now he was walking feebly about
New York with cloth manufacturer from
the interior of New Hampshire, whom he
knew in the way of business, and who had
come to town to buy wool and whom Mr..
Thompson had met by chance. The New
Uampshire man had been attracted by the
faring announcements of dime museum,
and the two men had just been exploring
its maryels.
As they came out and walked slowly
down the street Mr.. Thompson said in his
diffident way: ''Now, | don't think so
much of those freaks in that place. Seems
to me if had that show I'd find some
thing more worth while exhibiting. l
used to be in that business once. Oh, it's
a good many years ago, and it was only
small show that had for few months in
st. Louis, but VOW it was more of show
than that"
SHOP said the New Hampshire manu-
facturer who'd IA thought you was ever
in the museum business? What did We
have?"
SUCCESS IN A SMALL WAY.
"Well, :" said Mr.. Thompson, as he gently
rubbed his chin with his left hand, 81 had
two or three things which | never saw
anywhere else There was the elephant
noSed man, as we used to call him, because
he had a nose like this" and he described
q long curve in front of his face with one
pale, thin finger 81 made him myself, that
is, the nose part of him, and thisis the way
it happened:
81 had a neighbor out there that was
given to boils: he used to have 'em most
anywhere and he finally got a big red one
on the end of his nose. Well, saw it, and
| got him to poulticing the thing, and
poultices are pretty stimulating, and some
way tho thing got started agrowing, and
you know Natures queer, she is. When
YOU once get her started you can't stop her
till she gets ready. And SO with this fell
lows nose It got a-growin', and Pm blest
if it didn't grow right on through that
boil and come out all right on the other
side of it. In few days the boil appeared
to be way up on the bridge of his nose,
and the nose grew for several weeks steady,
till it was full s long as this"
Here Mr.. Thompson paused TO breathe
Ill oh a
foot apart "That was what suggested the
show to me. told the man I'd take him
into partnershipto go out on the road with
me as a freak. He was to furnish the
nose and the business management, and
we would divide even on the profits.
Well. he didn't like the idea at first, but as
his occupation--he was the French horn in
brass band-was gone, he was kind o.
discouraged and willing TO take up with
most anything. We showed to big crowds
everywhere and made heaps o. money,
and one day ! got an idea for another
freak.
'rhere was a man came into the hall one
day where the combination was showing
with great big wen on his forehead, and it
occurred to me that il could get that fell
lows wen started to growing the way did
the other fellows nose l could make
horned man of him. | saw he seemed
kind of interested in the business, so eK
planned matters to him, and he agreed TO
let me experiment on him. Well, pared
or the top skin aud commenced pOulticing
the wen. Sure enough, it grew out kind
of queer and crooked, but he made fine
horned man, aud in month had him on
the road. too
THE VEGETABLE BOY
''The horn grew out high up on his fore
head, SO he couldn't wear a hat, and he
had to wear kind Of hood, like an old
lady's, when he went out of doors. He
didn't like that very well, and he used to
complain sometimes about having to tell
people who asked him how he came TO be
shat way that he WIS just born so. But
we made lots of money, and by and by
cot nav last idea. That came about in this
way:
''One day heard doctor tell about
boy that had come to him a few days be-
fore with pain in his ear, and how it
turned out TO be caused by Sprouting
grain of corn that the boy had pushed in
there for fun. Well, I thought about that
for a while and it wasn't long before !
found Just the right boy for my ideas. He
was an orphan, and the town authorities
were looking for some one to take care of
him. aud 7 said would. So | took him
along with me, and as he had good big
ears thought I'd try laying in couple of
gourd vine seeds and see what they'd do.
Well. il was warm and moist in there, and
in few days they had started we'll, and
little vine started out of each ear. Pretty
coon the vines ware long enough so | could
loop them several times around his neck.
'swhiIe all this was going on was try