Los Cerrillos rustler. (Cerrillos, N.M.) 188?-1891, 1891-04-17
p. 7. BARnum DEAD.

away AZ 0.ea o'clock last evening IN the
presence Of his grief-stricken family.
The scene In the dying mans cham
her was deeply pathetic. Mr. Barnum
wasiully awake and conscious. although
his nearly exhausted physical powers
made Il impossible for him 20 talk. The
a~ffectionate messages he conveyed with
his cycs % the weeping attendants were
more expressive than words With the
exception Of himself all were IN tears
The physicians say that Mr.. Barnum
had no organic disease whatever. the
enfecbled heart action. which had been
apparent for the past few months, be-
ing due 10 a gradual failure OF his gem
eral powers resulting from old age.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
Phlncas Taylor Harnum. store keeper. lot
terry agent. editor. King of shoWmen. town
builder. legislator, lecturer. suthor. was
born In Bethel, Conn, July 8, $50
Never has a single life more thoroughly
typined the genuine American than bar.
NUNS. Pew men have had either the pluck.
the energy. the aggresslveness, the genial
good nature or the ability 10 md out what
the people wanted and 60 get n for them and
60 let them know that IL was az their service.
than he. And In no one man have these
qualities been better combined than IN this.
the Prince OF H~umbugs." who after all was
mover a distinguished humbuE.
Barnum's father was a country inn keeper
and a poverty stricken man.. lie died when
his son was but IS years OF age. leaving the
unlettercd youth TO fight the world as best
he might
But Phlneas was already fighting H. Att
years OF ags no entered usine and for
ave years did whatever came to his hand In
New York and In brooklyn WHITTIER he had
gone seeking employment The lad showed
that he possessed the Yankee knack OF nc.
cumulating dollars and returned 10 his ma.
tive village In 1875 with sufficient money in
his pocket to open up "A country store. This
he s%trnightwAy proceeded TO do.
The store was a success and the young
merchant waxed prosperous. lie took for a
year the agency OF a state lottery. whose
proceeds we're to be applied to the erection
Of the Groton monument. and this agency
also proved profitable. with success came
ambition and Bsrnum opened a larger store.
Here came his first reverse and Il affected
him-as all his subsequent setbacks did
about as much as feNion Injuries Damascus
steel. He trusted people too freely and bad
debts pulled him down.
For this misfortune he consoled himself by
getting married and starting a newspaper.
The marriage to a young lady OF his native
town In 1929, and the newspaper, the Herald
of Freedom, was started the same year. IL
was so entirely free In It's sayings as to
cause the imprisonment of It's editor for
sixty days.
This misfortune and others following IL
reduced Barnum's property aud he shortly
to New York seeking fresh fields.
A visit to Philadelphia drew him into the
business which has made his name and
kindly face known the world over. While
in that city he strolled into "A hall wherein
was being exhibited Joyce Heth," the nurse
of George Washington.
Joyce Heth was a slave woman. alleged,
and advertised by her owner as being iI
years old-ln Confederation whereof an
ancient, yellow bill of sale of the date of I7N
was exhibited.
Barnum bought tho woman lie paid
1000 for her. advertised his show In the same
vigorous manner as he later displayed in hls
amusement enterprises, and shortly was en-
ioylng an income of $1,000 IA week. Within
the year the woman died, and a post. norton
examination revealed the fact that her
former owner had generously added some
eighty years to her age.
This experience had infatuated Barnum
with the show business, and he went into 10
In earnest. lie travelled through the south
with small shows of various kinds which,
nv mn kNAA'A SAA9 NNAN AhlAtHN~
able.
In 1871 he did one OF those bold things
which have contributed so much to his sue.
cess, Although he had not a dollar he
bought scudder's American museum,
changed the name to Barnum's museum, adj
dod some now curlosities, and within Il year
had made the concern earn enough TO sup
port him and pay for itself. by 1913 1t had
grown TO be a great amusement enterprise.
His n rat npeut hit was u4unp tho yaur affnw
he bought the American museum. He had
heard Of Charles stratton, OF Bridgeport,
Conn, n matured man who weighed but
sixteen pounds and stood less than two feet
high. Instantly he engaged the pigmy STRAIT
ton, dubbed him Gen. Tom Thumb, exhibited
him all over the world, married him to
Lavinia Warren, n emale midget, and made
the name OF Tom Thumb well nigh rs much
a household word as that of Barnum.
Like everything else Barnum touched, the
little couple achieved wealth and world wIde
fame.
who does not remember Cen. Tom Thumb
and his dlminutive wife? What a Juror they
aroused In the days of their popularity, and
how the people Rocked to see them How
many men and women can remember how,
whom boys and girls. they stopped down to
kiss Lavinia and shake hands with Tom?
And thcro was the bringing OF Jenny Lind
to America, one OF Barnum's greatest sue
cesses. The great swedish cnntatrlce came
TO America after long negotiations with the
interchangeable Barnum In lsi9. She was to
sing at 100 concerts In the great cities, but
only appeared ut ninety five. Her reception
was something marvellous. and is talked
about to this day. Her ninety five concerts
drew s7l2,OOO, of which she received SIG, 600.
Barnum during these years was connected
with numerous other enterprises aud In 1885
he removed TO Bridgeport. Conn, where he
lived In luxury, directing the while his great
enterprises. To encourage u manufacturing
concern he Endorsed notes aggregatlng ST.
100000. The factory failed and Barnum's
fortune was swept away He had, however,
settled much on his wife, and visiting I'm
gland with Tom Thumb and lecturlug In the
principal cities there he soon returned with
his losses recouped.
Then he again took charge of the old mu-
scum on broadway. Now York, and in July,
1865, this was destroyed by fire. Another