Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-04-24

The Little Fellow Who Was One of Bar
NUNS Chief Attractions.
Charles S. Stratton twice filled the COT
fers of Barnum at times when the show
man most needed money. ~
{ !: !:
General Tom Thumb" as
the midget was called, was GaN @
discovered" by the cham * y
pion amusement purveyor ,ls& x
in 1871, and after som nHHs4MrzMhs
months of travel in the IN VS. s:
United States was taken to w
England. There the little = sn,, .,r,o,,
fellow created a tremen-
dous sensation, and thrice appeared "by
royal command" before Queen Victoria,
her family and friends.
The presentation scene was amusing in
many ways. Barnum and the general were
received in the great picture gallery, at one
end of which were the queen and Prince
Albert, the Duchess Of Kent, the Duke of
Wellington and others. ''The general"
Barnum recounts, "walked in looking like
a wax doll gifted with the power of loco
motion. Surprise and pleasure were de-
picted on the countenances of the royal
circle. The general advanced with firm
step, and as he came within hailing dis
lance made q very graceful bow and ex-
claimed, Good evening, ladies and gentle
men, A burst of laughter followed this
salutation. The queen then took him by
the hand led him about the gallery and
asked him many questions, the answers to
which kept the party in an uninterrupted
strain of merriment,"
He told the queen that he liked her pict-
ure gallery ''first rate" and expressed
desire to see the Prince of Wales. The
queen told him the prince was in bed, but
that he should see him on some future oc-
casion. The general then Went through
his regular performance, gave his dances,
Songs and Rotations, and after a chat
with Prince Albert they were permitted to
withdraw. Barnum had. however, shocked
the lord in waiting by his failure to OBJ
serve the rule of not addressing the queen
directly, but she did noS appear to care
about the infraction of it, and was as affa-
BILE as possible.
The Duke of Wellington frequently
called to see the general at his public le-
wees. On one occasion the little fellow was
marching UP and down the platform per-
sonating the emperor and dressed in the
well known uniform of the first Napoleon.
The ''Iron Duke" asked him the subject of
his meditations, to which the reply came
lHHleu4dUely, ! WAS thinking OF Gne loss
of the battle of Waterloo" ''This display
of w.t." adds Barnum, twas chronicled
throughout the country and was of itself
worth thousands of pounds to the exhibit
ton"
The little general made second visit to
Europe in 1857. again under Mr.. Barnum's
management, and in company with an
other midget Miss Lavinia Warren. The
two fell in love, and their marriage suisse
quently at New York was conducted with
all the notoriety that Mr.. Barnum could
compass. They became man and wife in
the fashionable Grace church, on Broad
way, and the ceremony was witnessed by a
great crowd of aristooratic people.
Their welded existence proved singu-
larly happy one. A child, born of the
union, died in infancy. Stratton died some
years ago, and after a proper season of
mourning his widow entered into second
nuptials with another diminutive specimen
of humanity who figured on the play bills
as Count Magri