Morning journal and courier., 1891-09-03
SHAVING DEAD MEN.
Experiences Of Several Barbers
 This Gruesome UndcrIakfus.

Experiences Of Several Barbers of
 This Gruesome Undertaking.
 Fifty cents:' said jolly looking fat man who had occupied the barber's chair and the barber for over half an hour. sT wouldn't pay it only that I have just been left legacy" and with good-humored smile he dropped an extra quarter into the hairdresser's hand and vanished.
 'tI was left 8 legacy once," timidly sug gested the barber ss he lathered my face, and as made no objection his low conver- sation gradually crept into story of this remarkable occurance. 'Yes, and I was nearly cheated out of it, too. But I was too early for them. It was a man had been shaving for I don't know how many years, and he made will that was to shave him after he died and fix up his wig, which was so good that nobody ever knew that he wore one, and had always had the care of his wigs. He had four of them; wore one very short the first week, then a little longer for a week or so on to the fourth. When he got to the last, 1 used to say out loud: 'Your hair is get ting a little long, sir. 'Yes, but haven't time today" he would say, and would tip me half dollar. The next day he would put on his short wig, and 1 trimmed his hair up to it. That's how it was nobody knew he had @ wig, because sometimes his hair was long and at others just as if it had been cut.
 'sWhen he died he left me S10O in his will, and I, was to fix him up. But his brother, who was one of his heirs, tried to cheat me out of it by not having the corpse 4 ,k s-.1.. [. before the funeral, and when the under taker had gone away we turned the body out of the box on the floor, and I shaved him. It was pretty difficult job, and my knees were stiff for weeks after, because the ice had melted and run on the floor But got my money"
 "Have you shaved many dead menf"
 Perhaps half O dozen or SO. It is not the kind of a job to run after. It's diff cult, too. You cannot turn the mans head around, and have to get it into all sorts of positions to make a good job of it. Then if you make little slip with the razor there is great gash, because of the skin being so tightly drawn, and water comes out. No, wouldn't shave a dead man, unless it was to oblige the friends of some old customer"
 The proprietor of the Coleman house barber shop, one of the deftest hands in the business, was asked his experience of shaving dead men.
 '1 never did it but once" he said, "and that was while I was an apprentice and could not very well help myself. I was sent to shave Major Bowen, one of the fin est men and leading citizens of the state of Georgia, which is my state. I don't care to shave dead men, and, as 6 matter of fact, l had never been called upon for such work since I came north. The under takers generally do it now adsys."
 'I thought it was a job extra well paid fort"
 ''It is. The old charge was always 8, and I believe it is to-day. This high price is charged because the barber is supposed to throw away the razor he has shaved a dead men with. The undertakers no doubt charge s to-day, and one of their assist ants does the shaving or they send for a cheap Italian barber and pay him fifty cents for his work, pocketing the rest.
 A German barber in another establish ment said that he had shaved several dead gentlemen, and did not dislike the job. The price paid was S5, but he always divid- ed it with the undertaken, as 8 matter of course. He was a member of the Barbers' Protective Union, but their was nothing in their rules as to the rate to be charged for such work.
 'I only shaved one dead man, observed young barber with black curly hair, land so I says not no more of them for me. got much work to shave clean under the chin, and make a little nick-just yer little-when that dead man he open his mouth all wide, like that. I was in all a. tremble and persifeIation at once, But the undertaken pulls piece of muslin un- der the chin and says: Dead man tell no tales when the mouth is tied up And so I get my money and put it on Salvador, and he win the race"
 'Ts the money for shaving a dead man luckyp
 "Alwsys. Every barber tell you that We always back & horse with it, and the horse he dead sure for to win"