Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1890-09-13
ARTIFICIAL MERNlIe,
THE GIRLS OF THE SEA. :.
FAcTURE0 BY skulrn VAN

ASerity-H.
'p'' are Deceived by shown
Their Aids-The Mermaid Ma,
Mermaids made and repaired,
an advertisement was well oa, 81
attract attention, and, as il ooas
me one day in little freouento"la' '0a
IN large eastern city, | datas.l. 81
make the acquaintance Of ~" illei
these incongruities. PULLING a. maksf
Toned brass bell handle, liitIa o'a y
crowned with square panor O'd u
to the door and after cycling ~p a
clously for a moment invitoa Ie s04
There was the 'beggarly arrav -, ae
Boxes walls containing stranca = =. sla'1
curious stuffed birds which n y anna
high shelves and were laced toaasa ~
cobwebs laden with dust ,rI ee''e'
other objects strewn about lola sa
trade of the taxidermist S u
THE MERMAID MAKER
Eyes, said the old man il
my questions, Il am a mermaid Y,
and fiatter myself that hava n. 'uais
some of the most artistic merr, r;Yuuei
placed upon the market WI e's
continued the speaker, WARMING M NJ y
the recollection of his triumnbo ~ Epaas
duced one that fooled even tbo Pe
You see, mermaids have been m nsI''a
long as anything. The Chinese a.'
featured them centuries ago and ~4a'
that large number of peopla h.g
in them; and if the work is fairIv a
the production is one of the bast ~. use
show can have. ''ia'
One day a man came to ma
knew the moment | saw him thatba
Snowman. He said he had mo,r.'
but that on the last trip a man b.1
fered to wager him $500 that ba ~
not dare to allow the mermaid tn /.
open; sohe wanted something tbat Nv
bear inspection and be ready for snS
contingency. told him could 4
and received the order to go ahead
Generally in cheap work s,rs
the skins with cotton or sometime
the kind and let them 90, bu, in ~
case | went to work on scientific wra
pies. | took the skin of a mopksv.
separated it at the waist; then MI,
1t to dry as mummy would, all oi,ga
helped along by the application oiI1
| now took fish common in the
sea, one that would not be familiar i,
treated it in similar way, and fnsT7
Joined them both. fastened scales upr
the monkey portion and carefully grada
them up among the hairs; then irtn
duced some hairs down upon the "a
portion; barnacles were fastened he,
and there, and a great cut was left ole
up and down the abdomen, thrOu,
which any one could readily see the rid
and the joining of the vertebr@.
1.-The face had been given an agonzs
look, the hands were clinched, and an
in all, it was one of the most disagreea.
BILE sights l ever saw, even though did
produce it.
"Yes, it gave complete satisfaction
When they exhibited it a cloth va
thrown over the body, and when az
question was raised the proprietor wul
say that he would leave it to a COM;
tee of medical men, thus being confls
of obtaining some notoriety. In oHaoQ
a number of provincial doctors were CON-
pletely deceived, and signed payers
tracing certain staJelnentr. ..sllich tbq,
had made to the effect that the mernay
was a sham. (
EXHIBITING THE FREAKS.
The old mermaid maker has pass
away, but examples of his work areohz +
seen either in grOg shops along then
Dor streets in shipping towns, in oldur
ems and occasionally in museum. III
mermaid is generally an adjunct Of ID 4
side show, or second rate circus. Sual
one l recently saw. 1t was of largel
and kept in a tank of water. A spirit
painting on canvas depicted a beaudii
maiden, half fish, floating upon t.
waves, while the young man who st@
by shouted his story of the LADY ofta
Seas" unconsciously, we will assun.
giving the impression that the merma
was alive and frisking about the tank
The little Enclosure was well parE
lied, and it was curious to listen tOA
comments of those who paid the requr-
dime. 1t was holiday, and young DE-
and women were searching for some
cuse to spend their earnings. Whenn
or twelve victims had gathered thep
prietor would wink at a friend, bon
his cane and begin lecture remark
for the exact repetition of its polnh
which he explained that the meFp1
was half fish and half human, andS
been captured in some foreign sea
brought TO America at enormous
pense. At least one half the peope W
gazed at the mermaid evidently baa
suspicion that it was a fraud, VILE
third accepted it as fact and expfes
their amazement and wonder at IT, sD'
which shows that with all our eau.
tional advantages we are still creduD
perhaps to an extreme.
One of the most skillful workersin =
uncanny art was well known to 1
from whom many hints as to the y
which are dark were obtained III
eral large popular unscientitic mus
of the country remarkably hldeou' :
maids are exhibited, generally -
glass cases, while with them IS onSl..
paper purporting to be the testim0u' ~
the captors. 1t is remarked that u =
cases the names signed to these r.
are not fictitious but evidently gi'I
good faith. There is but one asSuiDP
that either the men were brlOeu
ceived. Cor. Philadelphia Times
nI..ofn SIeRn.