Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-04-08
DEATH or =. Y. BARNuM.


times, being probably the creates
Snowman Of all history.
"Phnoas Taylor Birnum was born II
Bethel, Conn. July 0lh 1910. Ills lthc
was an innkcepor and country merchant
who died ia 1873, leaving no property
aud from tho ago NJ thirteen 10 eighteen
the son WINS lu business IN various places
riri Of ihc timo In Brooklyn and Ncw
York Ciy. Having accumulated o. NH
monoy, ho rrirrned 10 icihci and opened
% small store. lfeto he was very success.
ul, especially af,cr inting the agoncy foi
n year ~ lottery chartered by the State
for building the Gr0ion Monument. OPP
pnsite New London. Whom the lottery
charter expired, he built a larger STORE Ia
Bethel, but through bad debts the cntcr.
prise proved failure. Ancr his mar
riasc In 1872 be established and edited n
weekly newspaper entitled Tie Herald Of
t'ncoioH, aud Tor the 'roo expressions VI
his opinions no WIS imprisoned sixty
days Tor libel. In 1854 he removed %
New York. his property having become
mugh reduced. lie soon aferwar1 visit.
cd Philadelphia. aud saw there on exhib.
iilon colorod slave woman namyd Joyce
iieth, advertised ~ tho nurse ~ George
Washington, one hundred and siStv-ono
years old. Her owner exhibited M an.
cloni-looking. tlmc.colorcd bill Of sale,
dated 1871. Mr.. liarnum bought her for
1900, advertised her extensively, aud his
receipts soon reached $500 a week.
within year Joyce .Iiolh died. aud a
ppst.moflom examination proved that
tho Virginia planter had added about
eighty yoirsto her age. Having thus
acquired taste Tor tho show business,
Mr. Barnum travelled through tho South
With small shows, which were generally
Unsuccessful. ia 1871, although without a
dollar oi his own. he purchased scuddcr's
AmcriNn Museum, namod II liarnum's
Museum. aud. by adding novel curiosl.
ties and advertising freely, he was able %
pay Tor II tho iir.t year, and Ia ISIS he
had added TO Il two other extensive col-
lcciion-. beside. several minor ones. In
isie he frst hcnri Of Charles :. siral,on,
ofBridgpPori, Conn, thou loss than two
fcei high aud Weighing only sixteen
pounds. who soon became known 10 the
world, under Mr. Biuum's direction, a.
Gen. Tom Thumb, and was exhibited In
the United sAles aud Europe with great
success. Ia 1870 Nj. Btuum, nfer long
negotiations, engaged Jenny Lind to sing
In America for i5l nights at 1900 night,
anda concert company va, formo1 10 sup
port her. only ninoty-nye concerts wore
givcni but the gro.s receipts Of the tour
In uino months u 1869 aud 1851 we're
,Ils.lGl, upon which Mr.. IsTnum made
aisrgs profit. Ia 1855, after being con-
nociod with many enterprise. besides
those named, he retired 10 an oriental |
villa In bridgeport which he had built in |
isi0. IIeerpended large sums In i'm
proving that city, built up tho city Of
East bridgeport, made miles OF sircot-,
aud thoroln planted thousands OF trees.
lie encouraged manufacturer 10 move
TO hls new dly which has since been
united with Bridgeport. hut In 1857,
TO encourage largo manufacturing com.
pany % remove there, he bcclme ~ i'm
pressed with conddence In their wealth
mud certain success, that he endorsed
their notes for nearly sl,OOO,O0O.' The
went into bankruptcy, wiping
out Mr.. Barnum's property but no had
,et,led a fortune upon his wife. lilo went
10 England again with Tom Thumb, and
octufed with success In London and
lthor English cities, returning In 1857.
Ills earnings aul his wlfe's assistance
'nablcd him to omorgo from his financial
aud hc onns more took
iharge Of tho old museum on tho corner
u Broadway aud Ann street, aud con-
luciod Il with success, I'LL Il was burned
m 18th July, 1865 Another museum
Which ho opened was also burned. Ho
hen. In the spring u ISL, established a
treat travelling museum aud monagorle,
rare equestrian and athletic
performances, which, amer tho addition Of
! representation ~ tho nnci-nt Roman
races, tho great elephant
Jumbo, and other novelties, no called
T., n. Barnum'sGroalosi Show ON Earth
'lr, Barnum has been four times IA mem-
'er OF tho Connecticut legislature, and
mayor of bridgeport, 10 which city no
resented apublio park His other bene.
actions have bcon large aud numerous,
Imong them a stone museum building
ircsentod to rufi, college near Boston.
Mass, allied with specimen. Of natural
history. lilo la, delivered hundreds OF
ccturcs on temperance and tho practical
'llairs of life. ilo published his aulobl-
lgnphy ,Now York, 1855; enlarged obi.
Ion, Hartford, islD, with yearly appen-
licesl,. 'Humbngs OF the. WORLD tNow
York, 1861 and Lion jack story
lsIel.h
Mr. Barnum dealt only In shams or
certain class, aud the humbugs he
for the amusement OF the
inbllc were exposed by his own pen,
70 that what was deception on his part
n one way was not In another. He
Fss opposed TO social, political and re-.
lglous can't and hypocrisy, and he led
strictly tpmuefato nud tunraI No.