Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-03-21
A VERSATILE FREAK.
Signor Carlo, Sometimes of Gotham.
Gives Away Professional Secrets.

Stgnor Carlo, Sometimes of Gotham.
Gives Away Professional Secrets.
A copper colored, long haired, smooth
laced young man walked into the Cen
sral police station and asked for lodging.
"You're welcome to all we have" said
Lieut.. Burns, "but if You'll tell us
whether you're black, white, brown or
red, shall see that you have the best
bed in the house"
The applicant scratched his head and
stood first on one foot and then the
other. Finally ne drawled out, ''My
grandfather and grandmother on my
mothers side were Indians. Ny fathers
father was a Spaniard, and his mother
Mexican. don't know what l am"
What's your business?" asked Lieut..
Burns.
'rve been in Barnum's band of brave,
bold, but bad Bedouins. I've played
Zulu, KafTir, Malay, Indian and 'Greas-
sr,' swallowed the sword for six months,
eat fire. licked hot pokers with my
tongue, danced on hot Goals, chewed hot
steel, breathed out fire from my nose,
walked over razors, broke glass with my
feet and played the human ostrich"
"Well, what is Your occupatioug'
asked Lieut.. Burns.
I'm a museum freak, n falSir, a sport
and bum" said tine copper colored
man.
IF you'll ten US how you work the
fakes You shall have feather bed. A" un-
blushingly promised Patrolman O'Don-
nell.
There amt no fake in the human
ostrich said the freak. THE ostrich
eats glass, swallows knife blades, stones,
pieces of iron and everything else he can
get hold of. There amt no fake in that.
Cause why? Cause you don't get a
chance to make fake out of il. If you
could we'd fake 1t, 1t amt trick TO eat
glass sandwich. just put thin piece
of glass between a couple of pieces of
bread and when the bread goes down,
down goes the glass, too People think
ats hard on the stomach, but that's only
imagination. saw fellow DO it, and
| did it ten minutes afterward There
amt any trick in stepping on glass. You
watch the fellows that do it. First they
stir the glass up with a stick to make
You think they're trying to get the sharp
pieces on top. They're just turning the
sharp points down. But a fellow must
have real dry feet or he can't do that. If
his feet sweat or are damp he'll get cut.
The fire eating fake is nothing. Il
you soak your hands and feet in borax
water three or four hours a day for a
couple of weeks you'll be able to stand a
pretty hot piece of iron. We don't run
any risks, but mix little paste and lots
of Oorax. We put coat of this ON our
hands. and when we pull hot poker
across it there's lots Of smoke, sizzle
and bad smell. We don't hold the
poker very tight or very long, but people
think they smell burning flesh. We
cover the bottoms of our feet the same
way, and dance around on hot Goals and
iron for few seconds. But if the paste
is wet your feet stick and you get burned.
You can fill your mouth with borax, Law
lots Of it on your tongue and lick a red
hot poker. 1t makes little fame, and
when people see it they think you're
breathing out fire."
But doesn't the glass you eat hurt
your stomach ~
Not mine. The only trouble is that
you're liable to cut your tongue, and
you've got to be careful"
The freak was turned over to Turn
key Eustace, who was instructed to give
him a good bed
Where did you come FROM" asked
Eustace.
From New York" said the freak.
foot or rail:''
Both"
Where are you going from here?'
I'm going TO get Job as soon as
can. and when | have couple of dol
lars I'll skin out
Whats your manner"
''Signor Carlo"
How old are your
Twenty. "-Cleyeland Leader.