The morning call., 1891-12-26
HUMAN BONES.
A Philadelphia Who Deals In
Grinning Skeletons.
He Handles a Great Many Of Them-More
Than Thousand Imported Every Year
From Franco for Various Purposes.

10 deal In the bones of human beings
would be an occupation repugnant to most
men. Yet in the vicinity of Sixth and South
streets lives an old Frenchman who finds
more pleasure In this occupation than in
anything else In life.
His store is veritable den of skeletons
The weather-beaten sign swinging over the
door, creaking dismally with every gust of
wind, bears the simple legend: IN. de
Robaire, Parfumerie," from which it is
evident Monsieur would have the world be-
leve that he deals almost exclusively in per-
TUNED waters so dear to the feminine heart.
Living as he does in a neighborhood thick
ly populated by ignorant negroes, who are
as a rule very superstitious, De Robaire has
found it necessary to ply his queer trade as
secretly as possible.
Such another bed chamber as the one &C.
cupied by the old Frenchman probably does
not exist. and how Monsieur manages to
sleep the sleep of the just among such grue-
some surroundings is an insulyable mystery
to the few who have been admitted to it.
The walls of the small room are orna-
mented with skulls and crossbones, and real
life-siZe skeletons, or rather death-size skel-
etons, in all sorts of grotesque positions.
-Four hideOus skulls grin at you from their
positions on top of the four posts of the he'd,
and close to the side of the bed stands a
skeleton with arms outstretched doing duty
on clothes-rack.
The whole is dmly lighted up by feeble
gimmer of light, emanating from lamp
made of CHASTITY skull suspended from the
middle of the ceiling with thongs Of
TANNED HUMAN HIDE.
De Robaire himself is an odd looking
man, and the resemblance between him and
one Of his own skeletons is decidedly strik-
ing. He has gaunt, wolf-Ilke features, his
thin upper lip and bony chin being adorned
with an lron-gray muStache and imperial.
His head is entirely bald save for few
briStly hairs standing up on his forehead
like small bonfire, and under pair of
bushy eyebrows of the same fiery hue his
small, black eyes glitter like Goals of fire.
Fer score of years he has been carrying
on his business in the old place, having emf
grated from France in 1865. coming direct
to Philadelphia, where no established him
self in business.
Late in the '60s, when the Knights of
PythlaS were organized in the State, the de-
mand for skeletons increased, as they were
used to a great extent in the lOdge-rooms.
DE Robaire prospered as a consequence,
since most of his competitors had mean
while given up the business.
On and OIL during the following twenty
years business was brisk and duh by turns,
but the old man has amassed a small fort
une and there is no reason why he should
longer continue in the business except that
lie HIS taken Il uhlD3 10 HIS WOTh, SuCn as
every true artist does
The doctor" while standing in his
workshop. few days ago, with his sleeves
rolled up over his skinny arms, thus held
forth on the subject nearest his heart:
" This skeleton you see me operating on l
have imported from France. You will
notice the high polish on the bones. due to
method Of preparation
PRACTICED ONLY BY THE FRENCH.
They clean the bones by process of
maceration with muriatic acid, the whole
operation requiring two or three months
time, while in this country the bones are
hastily and carelessly boiled and come out
rough and dirty. In all my twenty years
service have never come across a Chinese
skeleton.
The different prices of skeletons are
based upon their degree of hardness and
Wilderness, upon the development of the
bones and the amount of absence of fat in
their eXtremetes For this reason the
French article is decidedly OF more value
than the American or German.
up to this year over $500 skeletons have
been imported into this country, but they
have become scarce OF late for some reason,
and to supply the demand | find it necessary
to manufacture them of paper. OF course l
have 4 stock of them in my bedroom, but |
would not part with any of those. Mon
Dieu! l have come to look upon them as
dear friends and companions.
Here you see some of my artificial skele-
tons made of papier mache, with artificial
teeth. and the whole covered with white
polish, which gives it the appearance of the
genuine article. l can make three of these
each week, and they bring me SO to SIS,
while the imported genuine article costs
from $50 to S35, and the domestic $40. But
then the limitations are bought only by secret
societies.
Yes. have grown old In the business
and love it, 1 have articulated and handled
over 5000 skeletons in ray time."-Philadel-
phia Record.