Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-02-27
ABOUT A FAMOUS MAN.
Charles Jamracb. of London, and His
wild Beasts and CuriositIes.

Charles Jamracb. of London, and His
wild Beasts and CuriositIes.
Charles Jamrach, whose death was
recently announced from London,
was hardly less generally known in
the world of showmen than Barnum
himself, says the New York Sun. He
had collected in his London shop for
nearly fifty years wild birds and
beasts from all parts Of the globe,
and had distributed them among the
geological gardens and travelling me.
| nagerieS of every civilized country.
His place of business in Ratcliff high
way, East London, was the Mecca Of
the sailor from the South Seas, who
found there ready sale for any
curious fowl, reptile. or savage brute
that he had taken in the tropics.
Jamrach was Omnivorous. A rat.
tlesnake or an elephant, monkey OF
tiger. a parrot or panther, were
| alike welcome at his door. He would
! buy a polar bear as readily as he
would buy a spring chicken, for he
was wealthy, always had large sup
ply Of money at hand, and had such
widespread relations with the ami
! NAL dealers of the world that he was
sure in due time to find IA market Tor
every rare specimen. He had, more
over, establishments in Antwerp and
Hamburg and to keep all the places
well stocked he was obliged to buy
freely.
The power Of Jamrach in the cap
| tive animal world was well illus
trated in 1865, when Barnums me-
nageric was destroyed. lie received
most of the orders to duplicate the
lost animals. and in a remarkably
| short period had landed in London by
his numerous agents the collection of
wild beasts which Barnum subse-
quently exhibited in the biggest
show Oh earth"
As betltted man named Jamrach
in an English city, the curious old
man Of Ratclif highway was some
thing Of a universal genius. Late in
| his life he did not COnfne himself to
collecting animals, but opened his
shop to all kinds ofcurioS Porcelain
from China, carvings from Japan,
| weapons from the South Seas, cloths
! from Asia Minor, and ornaments
from the dark continent were gath
cred by him with careful choice yet
in large quantities. ANYBODY in
| London who wished something odd
went to Jamrach's, and few persons
left the shop empty handed.
| Ilpspitp many NJ trontiDpg 90
the curious it is remarkable that
wealth and fashion found its way to
| Jamrach's place. for the shop was
not tree from dangers and was in a
very disreputable neighborhood. The
| wild beasts of jungle and plain were
IN only temporary cages and had not
been broken by confinement Acct
| dents were frequent, and Jamrach,
who never felt fear, had many life
and-death combats in his dingy place
| once leopard burst his bars while
some twenty children stood before the
cage. Jamrach sprang forward with
a switch in his hand, and by a little
whipping and audacity drove the
beast back to its place.
! Jamrach had the Germans knack
OF living at peace with quarrelsome
and abandoned neighbors, yet the
sight Of his establishment was in a
sink OF a great city's iniquity. Sean
dinayian, Slav, German, Portuguese
Arabian, Chinese, and Jap, were his
visitors, agents, and neighbors. The
surrounding shops bear signs for all
wares and all languages Here is
'PoSada para Manilos Y Chinos. "
there 'Danske Skomager," and near
by a studio where anchors, birds of
paradise, ships and wOman's heads
are tattoocd on sailors arms at the
lowest market rates Opium Joints
abound near Jamrach's, and fights
are as thick as thistles in meadows.
Some woman is usually cursing and
staggering along the gutter and
about everybody is after a chance "a
rob somebody else. Yet Jamracb
lived in all this riff-raff and hurry.
burly without even killing his man.
The last of Jamrach's seventv-six
years were not his best from a trades
mans point of view. The decline of
country fairs with their travelling
shows and the abating of the fancy
Tor pet parrots and monkeys and inn
ported cats and dogs reduced the ac-
tlvity of his business notably, and
Jamrach often incurred for the DAYS
when nc could afford losses through
Illness and other causes TO the ey-
tent of Sl5, 900 or more annually
Still Jamrach never complained bit
terlY and died as he had lived, at
| peace with the world