The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1890-05-22
ARTIFICIAL MERMAIDS.
THE GIRLS OF THE SEA" MANU-
FACTURED BY SKILLED HANDS

fRC OHGO 6r OhilLGD f1NlNOo.~
Monkeys Bodies Joined to Fishes Tails
with Cunning and Dexterity-How The
People Are Deceived by showmen and
Their Aids-The Mermaid Maker Talks.
"Mermaids made and repaired" Such
an advertisement was we'll calculated to
attract attention, and, as it confronted
me one day in little frcquented 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 a 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
ether objects strewn about told of the
trade of the taxidermist
THE MERMAID MAKER.
YES" said the old man, in reply to
my questions. Il am a 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 upunder
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 large number of people believed
in them; and if the work is fairly done
the production is one of the best cards
show can have.
"One day a 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 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
contingency. told him l could do it,
and received the order to go ahead.
"GeneraIly in cheap work | stuffed
the skins with cotton or something of
the kind and let them 60 bat in this
case | went to work on scientific princi-
pies. | took the skin Of monkey and
separated it at the waist; then allowed
it to dry as mummy WOUiI, all Of which
l helped along by the application Of heat.
l now took a fish common in the China
sea, one that would not be familiar, and
treated it in similar way, and finallyI
H. - .'',''N''
tho,,. a.',' ',''
dnrol son'a ha;.- T....,, -, Wv, 49, GlI,
,,o,.ti,,n. ISrnaeIa, ,,y.,..' c.o,,.I
and tJ,oro a,I .-,o,t 49,. l.ar,
m and dawn tIo ajnInn,o,, tI,,.,,.,o.,,
,rh;cb or1 ONO o,,,,Il r.,,,;I, ~, No. ~,
o,5 tIo io;,,i,,,r - ~, ,.>,'.,,yr.,.,,
..T,,o f,oo ho,1 l,r,o,,. -. ,,.~,,:.,.,
look the hands wcro r};-' vel mi ~
in ali # was ono ~ rho ,,,o.+ Gis.~,..,(,,-
hIa sirbts oror cow o,-on tI,a,,oI| IA
Drod,5co II
..yos i c.,,o co,,,.ro.a eo+;sfn,.4;,,,
When tbov exI,iG;tni II ciyfI, r,ns
Thrown over tho nod o,,I ,,.In,, o.,v
Question was raised tI. nrn.l,.;o+or ,,c1,!J
saw that he would leave i +, . no,or,;t-
tee of medical mo, 1lrs h.f,o confident
of obtaininr some I,a.3r:,,y In onac.,a
q number of proyi9ci;l doctors were com
pletely deceived. and sir.!rl ? D3Dor r.
tracing certain st2taalr9t5 wn;eL fI,av
had made to the effect that the mermaid
was sham.
EXHIBITING TIE FREAKS,
The old mermaid maker has p3s.al
AWAY. but EXAMPLES Of his work are often
seem either in rrno shan, alonm tia I7,.-
Dor streets in shinDino towns. in old tav-
erns and occasionally j, = orsour. The
mermaid il generally an aIiu,ct of the
aide show or second rate circus c,1ch y
one T recentlv cow TT voe of Ioro, cir,
and kent in q t,n,; of vatar sTiri4ol
naintino on canvas den;ctod y hn1uttrul
mai,en half fish n33tiuo rnon tho
vaves while tbe vounn man who stood
nv sbouted b;s storv of tha .Todv of thn
Seas" unconscioualy we will assume.
givinp the ipnression that t1,a mermaid
was alive and frisking about the tank,
The little inclos,re WAS well potron-
ized and Il was curions 70 I;ston to the
con,n,o,,+S of tbosa who mill tba roo,,;ro1
dina T. vos boI;dor and ror,,t. mo-,
ond ,vonon rere saarcb;nr fn,. Sot1o nx.
orc. r. srand tl,o;r o,,.,,;r~S whon fan
~ t,ro,,.a ,,;ot;n,, h.J o,afborod tI,o ,,,.l,-
rr;otor would ,rinL at . fr;nnd borrow
bic como and beoi, . lact,,ra ran,.r3,,g,lo
fnr tha o~act rsnatit;a,1 If IT, nn;nts in
Wnlch ne e ehpialneu ,aa a we m ss En1
was nan llsh anu l'ali eiuinali' anu Iiaa