Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-11-26
TRADES IN KELETONS.
AE IlLAoELFHlAFR NcHMAN's GREW
SOME Bu lNEsS.

Iousand Skeletons During His Lugu-
b iOus Career-HId' pus Decorations of
Bedroom-A BeIn That Loves Bones
To deal in the bones of human beings
would be an occupation repugnant TO
most men. Yet in the vicinity of Sixth
and South streets lives an old French
man who finds more pleasure in this oc-
cupation than anything else in his life.
His store is veritable den of skeletons.
The weather beaten sign swinging over
the door, creaking dismally with every
gust of wind, bears this simple legend,
IN de Robaire, Parfumerie," from
which it is evident monsieur would have
the world believe that he deals almost
exclusively in those perfuned waters so
dear TO the feminine heart. Every fam
lily has a skeleton in the closet, however,
and monsieur's family, which consists
only of himself, is no exception to the
general rule. He has his skeleton-in
fact he has scores of them-in closets
and otherwise, the majority otherwise.
The truth of the matter is, the old
Frenchman deals in skeletons.
The second floor boasts of only two
small rooms, the rear one being used as
a workshop, while the other, directly
over the store and fro lting on the street.
serves the double p,rpose of bedcham-
Der and storeroom.
Such another bedi hamber as the one
occupied by the old Frenchman prob
ably does not exist, I'd how monsieur
manages to sleep tn sleep Of the just
among such grewsoI surroundings is
an insolvable myste Y to the few who
have been admitted it.
7 he walls of the 81 all room are orna-
me tied with skulls nd crossbones and
rea life size skeletC Is, or rather death
size skeletons, in all sorts of grotesque
pos tions. Four hidec is skulls grin from
the positions on top Of the four posts
of 5he bed, and clos to the sides of the
bed stands skeleton with arms out
strt tched doing dut as clothes rack.
The whole is dimly Ii hted up by faint
gliI inner of light ema ating from lamp
ma lie of a CHASTITY SKI Il suspended from
the middle of the Gel ing with thongs of
tan ned human hide.
THE SKELETON TRADE.
De Rebaire himself is an odd looking
man, and the resemblance between him
and one of his own skeletons is decidedly
striking. He has gaunt, wolflike fea-
lures, his thin upper lip and bony chin
being adorned with an iron gray NOUS
tsche and imperial.
For a score of years he has been carry
ing on his business in the old place, hav-
ing emigrated from France in 1855,
coming direct to Philadelphia, where he
himself in business. For a
time he had hard struggle to keep body
and soul together, owing to the number
Of competitors in the field, together with
the dullness of business. 1t soon became
necessary for him, in addition to his
other trade, to set himself up as drug
gist, and he still runs his little shop.
though principally as decov.
Late in the sixties, when the knights
Of Pythias were organized in this state,
the demand for skeletons increased. as
they were used to great extent in the
lodgerooms. De Robaire prospered, as
a consequence, since most of his compet-
TORS had given up the business.
Off and on during the following twenty
years business was dull and brisk by
turns, but the old man had amassed a
small fortune, and there is no reason
why he should longer continue in the
business except that he has taken lik-
ng to his work, such as every true artist
loes. He is an artist in the full sense of
,he word. There is undoubtedly no one
who can articulate skeleton as neatly
IS he, and it is no idle boast on his part
when he claims that with eyes blind
folded he can take mass of bonesrepre-
'enting the human frame and build up
,he skeleton as it was originally, with
,ut one bone out of place.
WHAT THE DOCTOR" SAYS.
The doctor" while standing in his
To, kshop few days go with his sleeves
oil ed up over his ski ny arms, thus held
or on the subject nearest his heart:
IT lis skeleton you Sc me operating on
h; We imported from France. You will
lot ce the high polish on the bones, due
% l method of pre- Jaration practiced
)nlT by the French. They clean the
,oI es by a process C maceration with
nu iatic acid, the W lole operation re-
lui ing two or three llonths' time, while
n I lis country the be hes are hastily and
ar ,lessly boiled an; come out rough
Int dirty. In ali my twenty years serv-
ce have never com, across a Chinese !
Ike eton. This is dus to the fact that
Ch. naman believes | 2 will not reach
lea ven unless his bon IS rest in the Flow
.ry Kingdom.
The different pri( es of skeletons are
,as ID upon their de srees of hardness
INC whiteness, upon ne development of
he bones and the an cunt of absence of |
at in their extremitios. For this reason
he French article is decidedly of more
Tal Ie than the Am rican or German.
Up to this year over 800 skeletons have
,ee imported into this country, but
he have become acarce of late for |
op reason, and to upply the demand |
Il id it necessary to manufacture them |
If aper.
of course | have stock of them in |
ny bedroom, but uld not part with |
my of these. Mon Leu! have come to |
90 upon them as dear friends and COM
,an ions. Here you see my artificial skel-
,tols, made of papier mache, with arti-
ici4;l teeth, and the whole covered with |
. white polish which gives the appear
snce of the genuine article. l can make |
hi of these each week, and they bring
rom ten to fifteen dollars, while the i'm
ported genuine article costs from thirty
20 thirty-ive dollars and the domestic
twenty dollars. But then the limitations
Ire bought only by secret societies.
Yes, l have grown old in the bust
hess and love it. have articulated and |
handled over 8 ZOO skeletons in my time"
Record.
Taught Lesson.
The fo111, ,,f Hir+;pn NTH cfraDOa |