Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-17
HE WAS A TARGET
FOR the Importuning Glass Of
Chronic Mendicants.
BARNUM'S MUSEUM OF LETTERS
Solieeted and Preserved BY the creas
Snowman as Curios--Peopls Who
Insist Upon Division.


wrote an article N response TO the re-
quest Of . friend. giving in detail some
Of the peculiar and interesting letters
received by HIM during hls long and
suceessful career. The article Will ap-
pear IA Tnx HERALD for the first time.
II will be divided into three pArts, the
frss part appearing tnls NOR q ing: He
gays
81 have often asked my friends and
visitors who have heard rue point .
Joke over the frequent curious and
crank letters which l have been for
many years receiving IN large volume.
10 give some printed account of them;
and yield now 10 = strong Emporium
ity To 90 II. These letters come OF
course from people VINO are entirely
unknown To me. and they constitute
no small part OF my mail matter re-
eeived each week. don't pretend that
l am the only victim OF this sort of
correspondence. the WRIST part
OF which IS begging impositons- Al
IA 80 every one whose name is often
Before the public and Is often seen IN the
newspapers gets more or less Of these
strange eplstles. Jenny Lind. who Was
lently inclined, Was sorely afflicted by
them when she was IN this country.
When the Russian Grand Duke ALEXIS
was here he was also much pestert Il by
them; and men like Horace Greedy
ano Peter Cooper were conspicuous
targets for the begging and the crank
correst oudent.
One OF our greatest American humor-
SITS. VINO once saw some of them at my
house, considered them amazingly
funny; and while they are certainly
provocative of mirth, L am much more
ANXIOUS, ia this case 10 have them serve
rs dreadful example to be stunned
and so point moral with them-tnau
90 publish them Tor q humorous pur-
pose solely The reason given for ask
lDg IL, that | am supposed to have
money, and the petitioners do not have
% much as they want. Some letters
oder mortgagesn yheir property in
amounts OF from $1,000 to $1,000, but
make no scruple OF asking to borrow
from two to five times more than the
property IS worth. Asking for money
TO educate some stranger tor the min
istry, TO give TO young lady lessons IN
music. and to help some unknown and
alleged boarding scnooisis frequent
among them. IL will be noted that n
large number of the begging letters are
written by women, and written, as they
pay, without the knowledge of their
husbands" (who sit by debating these
very letters.
Onsrs OF Security
Some of the benevolent or charitable
schemes brought to my attention for
pecuuiary help are grotesque aud uu-
paralleled. One writer proposed that
should wind up my benevolent Ca
Ieer by building an immense santa
rum IN Palestine for the benefit of the
jews, who are expected to return to
Jerusalem and be converted to Chris
tianity some time before the world
comes 10 an end. have among them
proposals for investments IN all sorts
,f schemes-gold mines. flying ma
,hines. shirt factories and more things
han II is necessary TO name. Letters
rom borrowers ask fo- from IS to $500
and occasionally few thousands; and
IN most of these cases | am offered
"fhe Lord wilt surely repay you" rs
pecurlty. Some OF the winters want
b2J or $50, but are willing, If | cannot
give So much, to take 81. One abated
MS claims to the extent OF agreeing to
De satisfied with consignment of
some old clothes" The boys who
write ask, among other things, for po-
sIes, bicycles, young elephants, mon
kevs and free uekeLs.
This preamble will do, perhaps. for
general description. In giving speci-
mems OF them here, / omit, for obvious
reasons. not only the names OF the
writers, but the names of the towns
y. a.Nx 81
presslons that would help TO identify
The authorship. The orthogrsphy of
some OF them. which would do credit
10 the late Josh Billings is left rs it
stands: though 10 would be wrong TO
intimate that this class of correspon-
dents Is, "a general rule. iIIiterate.
of course. persons who have som, thing
genuine 70 cell have a valid reason for
writing.
stone Woman.
A man IN OHIO, who evidently
thought be had a match for Lots wife.
wrote me 81 follows. on September 5.
is1s. "sIr--I Thought That | would
Drop you fus lines | want To know II
ron would like To Buy stone woman
| mean She WAS dead and Burned some
years then Turned 10 stone | WAS
raid on about nine years ago 20 heaip
To Take this woman up and Buried hlr
In a nsuther place q Lady standing by
put the end of his Parisaul on
The corpes Il Ratified like on any
author stone ! only seen hIr face hir
wsit convince me abe was all stone
now II you uill make me liberal bid
slii make q examination IN Next
msunth answer soon have auther
parties IN vewT
A Mormon whtsker Chais
From a Utah pcnitensisry came the
Following Up. Il. Bsrnum, Esu Sir.
] suppose YOU have read snd heard of
iae numerous arrest. and convictions
Of the Mormons IN this Territory for
folygsmv and tohabitat on. under a
special act Of Congress known "a the
thdmund<Tucker Bsll.' TTpcn their
arrival IN the prison some Of them
have very long boards, but they share
Inc fate of ali convlcts, loose their
vurly locks and iowing besrgfs.
II am a prisoner here working in The
barber shop, being one Of The two bar.
hers who shave THE prisoners have
,avesf the whiskers vf the n0st noted
ard prom inent Mortnous. sucn a. spos-
lies, presidents. bishops. etc. and manu-
ssetursd them into wsten guard
seous ar feet long nicely finashea with
suttens Or knots, with TIE hair of no.
I'D Morwou's second wifs. Thinking
ven rnighs wish 10 purchase i give
yoa the frst offer
or-rs . gassss
The foiiosing writer. sfsers . ph1nix
ard vito would probably throw "a -
hfode'' n boss. . ssnethi Hg Of = hn-