The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-24
A CASE OF DUAL
CONSCIOUSNESS.
From the Strand Magazine.

"Of course" said the doorkeeper, "we
calculate, in the dime museum business,
to deceive the public a little now and
| then, but as it is done for the amusement
and instruction of the public, don't see
as any one has any call to complain. Sup
pose do exhibit freak7 that isn't quite
genuine! If it draws it is because the
public likes it, in which case the public
ought to be satisfied. If it doesn't draw,
the public doesn't pay out any money to
see it, and naturally doesn't feel that it
is swindled. Now, ] was swindled once,
and pretty bad, too, by an artificial
freak and it was me and not the public
that suffered If you want TO hear about
it I'll tell you the whole story, though |
shouldn't like it to be known in the pro
fession, for it don't do any credit to me as
a professional man.
II was exhibiting in Boston good
many years ago, and am free to say
that | was losing money. Boston don't
seem to care for natural freaks 1t goes
in for philosophical and philanthropic
freaks r yfs
Il don't like to lose money any more
than you do, and things were looking
pretty blue for me, when one day car
riage drives up to my door and a chap
sends in word that he wanted to see me
on professional business. / told my man
to show him in, and when / saw him put
him down for rascal without waiting to
hear him speak. He told me that he had
just arrived from Europe with a two
headed girl, and that she was the biggest
thing that any museum had ever offered
to the public. He had her with him in
the carriage, and Twas the first manager
that he had called to see since he landed.
"Now knew well enough that two
headed girl is about the scarest thing that
a museum can get hold of. j never knew
OF but one specimen of this kind. and she
was worth pretty near her weight in
gold.
II went out to the carriage and had a
look at the girl. There she sat, wrapped
up in big shawl, as far as could see
she was all right. Anyway, there were
two heads above the edge Of the shawl.
and they were as pretty heads as YOU
could find in any English young ladies'
seminary. If the two-headed girl only
corresponded to the sample saw in the
carriage she would be the biggest attrac-
ton that Boston or any other city had
ever seen. H
"Well, 1 went back to my Office. and the
fellow and ! talked the thing over. He
said the girl was a Laplander and
couldn't speak word of any language ex-
cept Laplandish. She was 16 years old
and had never been out of her native vii
lage until he had accidentally seen her,
and hired her for five years tour of the
world. So far he had not exhibited her
anywhere, and he wanted her TO make
her debut in my show, so as TO give her a
respectable standing in the profession
from the start. Her terms were 500
week and benefit every six months. and
he said that he should ask any other man
ager 1925.
II told him TO bring in his girl where I
could have a fair look at her, and then it
would be time enough to talk about terms.
He brought her in, and l noticed that she
elm down out of the carriage with
considerable difficulty. The agent helped
her into my Office, where she sat down on
the sofa and smiled at me with both
heads in a way that would have been dan
gerous If she had tried it on some mana
gers that know.
There she is said the agent. eThe
only genuine white Two Headed Girl the
world has ever seen. Above the waist.
where she is joined together, She is per-