Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-10-14
MARRIAGES OF FREAKS.



Perfectly Happy.
DO museum freaks as rule marry
happly?' asked Il Philadelphia Press
man of Il purvCyor of freaks.
Il cannot say. Where one natural
curiosity marlies another | believe
they do, as Il rule They have been
in the business together and they
know what to expect. There is no
stage glamour or tinsel attraction in
it for them; it is business, perhaps
with Il good deal of honest sentiment
mixed up with it, but they get married
with their eyes open,
'One of the most remarkable mar
riagcs ever celebrated in this country
was that of Pat OBrien, the Irish
giant, and female gianteSs ut Pitts
burg in 1882. 1t was Il big affair and
accounts of it We're telegraphcd all
over the world. Col. George O. Starr,
who is now Barnum u Bailey's right
hand confidential man, engineered the
affair Starr was managing Harris's
museum at the time, and the giants
were on exhibition at that ho' F..
OBrien was Irish, while his brid aaS
a German girl Both were over seven
feet in height.
THE wedding took place in the
Lutheran Church. for the girl was OF
that denomination, and would not
agree to be married in the cathedral,
as her affianced desired The results
of that marriage We're very happy.
Both were apparently satisfied with
their choice. They went to Europe,
and while in Paris Mrs. O'Bricn died.
That was four or five years ago, and
OBricn has never remarked, and.
what is more, says that he never will.
AS another example of freaks liy-
ing happily together, let me refer you
to Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb. For
over a quarter of a century they lived
in the utmost felicity.
ut is when a museum freak marricS
some one outside of the profession,
some fortune hunter or lovesick sen
timentalSt, that trouble ensueS 1t
doesn't take long for the infatlmtion
to wear off. and then come chickering's
and recriminations and finally scpara-
ton.
"A number of years ago I knew Il
girl who travelled with pretty big
show as 'Ki-Ki, the Cannibal Prin-
cess She was a pretty light mulatto
that | had picked up in Buffalo. Her
hair was inclined to be straight. and
llliI Hclptl illc ueccpllOu, toScllltl
with a few false tattoo marks and n
necklace of human teeth which | had
bought from Il dentist.
I'VE got out to place called Con
nellsville, somewhere in the coke re-
gion of Pennsylvania, where young
fellow who saw the cannibal princess
fell in love with her. He followed
the show for two weeks, until we got
down into Ohio, and then he married
the girl. She was honest enough not
to deceive him; she told him that she
was Il bogus princess and that her
home was in Buffalo. But it didn't
make any difference to the coke coun-
try jay, and he married her. What
was the result? Just as soon as the
glamour of the honeymoon wore off
he began to drink and his wife had
to keep him. Then | took a hand in
the business and told the princess
that unless the prince consort kept
out of the tent would not only fire
him but her also. The upshot was
that the woman left the show and |
was out about 5000 on printing. |
heard of her about three years ago;
she was running a laundry out in Chi
cago and her husband had disap-
Dcared."