The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-06-14
ARTIFICIAL MEBMAIDS.
THE "elRLs OF THE SEA" MANU-
F6CTURED BY SKILLED HANDS.

FAcTURED BY SKILLED HANDS.
Monkey Bodies Joined TO Fishes Tniis
with Cunning and Dexterity--H the
People Are Deceived by showmen and
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 a large eastern city, determined TO
make the acquaintance of the maker OF
these incongruities. Pulling an old fash
ioned brass bell handle, little old man,
crowned with a square paper cap, came
to the door, and after eyeing me suspi-
ciously for moment invited me in.
There was the ''beggarly array of empty
boxes, vials containing strange animals,
curious stuffed birds which peered from
high shelves and were laced together by
cobwebs laden with DUST while many
other objects strewn about told of the
trade of the taxidermist.
THE MERMAID MAKER.
Eyes" said the old man, in reply to
my questions, 81 am a mermaid maker,
and fiatter myself that have produced
some of the most artistic mermaids ever
placed upon the market Why, sir, "
continued the speaker, warmingupmder
the recollection Of his triumphs, 81 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 a
show can have.
Zone day "A man came to me and
| knew the moment saw him that he was
Snowman. He said he had mermaids.
but that on the last trip a 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. l told him l could do it,
and received the order to go ahead,
"Generally in cheap work l stuffed
the skins with cotton or something OF
the kind and let them go, but in thi,
case went to work on scientific prnci
pies. | took the skin of a monkey ano
separated it at the waist: then allowed
il to dry as mummy would, all of Whicl
l helped along by the application of heat
| now took a fish common in the Chin;
sea, one that would not be familiar, ant
treated it in a similar way, and finally
Joined them both. fastened scales upol
the monkey portion and carefully graded
them up among the hairs; then intro
duced some hairs down upon the fisl
portion; balnacles were fastened her
and there, and a great cut was left opel
up and down the abdomen, through
which any one could readily see the rib
and the joining of the vertebrH.
1.-The face had been given an agonize,
look, the hands were clinched, and al
in all, it was one of the most disagreea
Bile sights ever saw, even though l di,
produce it.
"Yes, it gave complete satisfaction
When they exhibited it a cloth wa
thrown over the body, and when an
question was raised the proprietor woul
say that he would leave it to a commit
tee of medical men, thus being confden
of obtaining some notoriety. In one cas-
a number of provincial doctors were CON
! pletely deceived, and signed paper re
tracing certain statements which the
had made to the effect that the mermai
was sham.
EXHIBITING THE FREAKS.
\ The old mermaid maker has passe
away, but examples of his work are ofte
seen either in grog shops along the hal
q Dor streets in shipping towns, in old tav
p erns and occasionally in museum. TIL
mermaid is generally an adjunct of tn
side show, or second rate circus. Such
one | recently saw. 1t was of large si2
and kept in a tank of water. A spirte
e painting on canvas depicted a beautifl
Y maiden, half fish, floating upon tn
y waves, while the young man who stoo
', by shouted his story of the "Lady of-th
Seas" uncOnsciously, we will assum,
giving the impression that the mermai
e was alive and frisking about the tank.
. The little inclosure was well patror
lied, and it was curious to listen to tn
comments of those who paid the require
=. dime. 1t was a holiday, and young me
i and women were searching for some e.
b cuse to spend their earnings When te
5 or twelve victims had gathered the pro
y prietor would wink at friend, borro'
his cane and begin lecture remarkab
for the exact repetition of its points, j
which he explained that the mermai
q was half fish and half human, and ha
been captured in some foreign sea an
brought to America at enormous e,
pense. AT least one-half the people wh
4. gazed at the mermaid evidently had
e suspicion that it was fraud, while
}. third accepted it as a fact and expresse
t their amazement and wonder at it, all {
d which shows that with all our educi
!, tional advantages we are still credulol
d perhaps to an extreme.
r One of the most skillful workers in th
1 uncanny art was well known to us, an
E, from whom many hints as to the way
.s which are dark were obtained. In Sc,
n eral large popular unscientilic museum
IF of the country remarkably hideous me
:, maids are exhibited, generally und,
N glass cases, while with them is offered
paper purporting to be the testimony
II the Captors. 1t is remarked that in man
cases the names signed to these paper
are not fictitious but evidently given
II good faith There is but one assumption
,t that either the men were bribed or d
e ceiyed, Cor. Philadelphia Times.
II To Obtain sleep.
u Among the various remedies for sleel