Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-02-06
MAKING FREAKS
HOW 1T rs DONE FOR THE DIME
MUSEUMS.
There Are Fashions in Freaks. and
q Successful Manufacturer Has
TO Keep His Eyes open-what is
in Demand Now.

Riding down town on New York ele-
waited train, News reporter peered Out
of curiosity into the windows of the
buildings that are but few feet distant
Nothing unusual was noticed until the
train neared Houston street, when he was
fairly startled. Through an open win
dow was seen decrepit old man bending
over what seemed to be a human form
and energetically driving tacks into the
head.
Leaving the train, at the next station
the investigation began by crossing to the
opposite side of the street, that the win
dow might be located; this done, an en-
trance to the building was easily made,
three flights of narrow stairs mounted and
tap at the rickety door was answered
by the invitation, ''Come in.n The door
was cautiously opened, and before the re-
porter could fully realize where he was,
the old man turned and said sharply
"Come for the mum, have you9 / told
you couldn't re-skin him in less than
three hours. He won't be done for an
hour YETI
1t was some seconds before the reporter
could recover his wits, for never before
had he seen such collection of rubbish
like material, consisting of paper, rags,
leather scraps, battered tin pals, sheets
of zinc, bundles of rags, punches of
feathers, and in various stages of con-
struction were mermaids, mermen, sea
serpents, flying-fsh, Egyptian mummies,
devil-fish and other monstrosities of land
and sea, for this was none other than the
factory from which the dime museums
obtain their supply of such, to exhibit to
the innocent and unsuspecting public.
The freak manufacturer soon discovered
his mistake, and explained that that
morning the proprietor of an uptown
museum had brought in an Egyptian
mummy for repairs. 1t had done good
service some years ago, but had been
cast aside among the properties, and as a
consequence of such treatment had suf-
fered no little damage, which must be
repaired before it could be again ex-
hibited as a defunct king of Egypt.
Fashions change in freaks just as they
do in hats, fans, canes or anything else,"
said the old man; "a few years ago num-
mics were all the style; no side show nor
dime museum was complete without one,
but mummies gave place to sea-serpents,
which in their turn gave way to FIVE
legged calves, and such monstrosities,
and, by the way, mermaids were all the
go before mummies came in style. I
think that mummies are the rage this
winter, as I have repaired several, and
filled orders for three bran new ones
within the past three months"
"What is the cost of a mummy ~
tPrices vary. The first one made
some ten years or more ago, was snapped
up quickly at $780, There's one over in
the corner that's just as good specimen
that'll sell at SIS, !" said the freak maker,
pointing to the mummy, which, in turn
seemed to nod assent and put on look
that indicated that a change of scene
would be desirable at almost any price.
"The scheme of manufacturing artific-
ial monstrosities for exhibition purpsses,"
continued the old man, originated like
so many other clever notions of the show
business, in the teeming brain of P. T.
Barnum, shortly after he had opened his
0rst museum in New York, many years
ago. The story of an alleged sailor,
who claimed to have been wrecked off
the FIJI Islands, giving circumstantial
and detailed account of the mermaids he
had seen there, was then going the rounds
of the press and attracting general atten-
tion. Barnum saw there would be bar
rel of money in exhibiting the only gen.
r1ine FIJI mermaid ever presented to the
amusement of the public, but how to get
the mermaid was the question. He men
toned the matter to an ingenious young
English inventor, who is still living in
New York, and the result was that some
papier mache, rags, wire, turkey bones,
the dried eyes Of a turkey and the tail of
Goldfish were speedily transformed into
very respectable looking dead and dried
mermaid, which, exhibited in glass case,
proved splendid card for the. show and
won him his first great success. Their
successful achievement of the mermaid
emboldened Barnum and his inventive
friend to attempt the construction of
other monstrosities and the manufacture
and sale of them soon became well es-
tablished branch of the show business.
" All / need is a selection of paper, pa
pier mache, wire, rags, sawdust, brown
Holland, whalebones, rubber cloth,
chicken, turkey and hog bones, paints,
glue, eyes of various animals and birds,
feathers, pigs ears and sharks teeth, and
/ can produce to order specimen of any
walking, creeping, flying or swimming
thing that the most morbidly vivid imag-
nations can possibly think or dream of, ?
said the old man as he drove long tack
in the back Of Pharaoh's head as clin-
cher.
eff the fashions in freaks change now,
do you keep up with the times and know
what to have in stock?n
81 Judge somewhat from what is or
dersd. For instance, just before Christ
mas / got an order for four-legged tur-
key. / thought that such fake would
be drawing card, and so I made up
three others, which are sold, and another
ordered. All the dime museums run
variety shows in connection, and as the
bill is changed weekly, the actors are
continually changing from one museum
and from one city to another. An actor
may play house in this city this week,
and next week be in Philadelphia or Bos-
ton, and in six weeks time he is possibly
in New Orleans or Chicago. The man
ayers Of the museums find out from their
people anything new that comes out in
the freak line, and they know where to-.
come for what's in fashion.
81 also watch tha naners closely. and