The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-06
MARRIAGES OF FREAKS.
When They Marry One Another They
Are Perfectly Happy.


From the Philadelphia Press.
''Do museum freaks as a rule marry
happily" asked a reporter of a purveyor
of freaks
Il cannot say. Where one natural curl
osity marries another I believe they do,
as a rule. They have been in the business
together and they know what to expect.
There is no stage glamour or stinsel at
traction in it for them; it is business, per-
haps with Il good deal of honest senti-
ment mixed up with it, but they get mar
ried with their eyes open.
zone of the most remarkable marriages
ever celebrated in this country was that
of Pat O'Brien, the Irish giant, and fe-
male giantesS in Pittsburg in 1882. Il
was a big affair, and accounts of it were
telegraphed all over the world Col
George O. Starr who is now Barnum &
Bailey's right-hand confidential man, en-
gineered the affair. Starr was managing
Harris museum at the time, and the
giants We're on exhibition at that house.
O'Brien was Irish, while his bride was a
German girl Both were over seven feet
in height.
THE wedding took place in the Luthe-
ran church, for the girl was of that de-
nomination, and would not agree to be
married in the cathedral as her affianced
uGSlItu- Inc results OF Undb marriage
were very happy Both were apparently
satisfied with their choice. They went to
Europe, and while in Paris Mrs. O'Brien
died. That was four or five years ago,
and O'Brien has never remarked, and,
what is more, says that he never will.
"As another example of freaks living
happily together let me refer you to Mr..
and Mrs. Tom Thumb. For over a quart
er of century they lived in the utmost
felicity
sit is when a museum freak marries
some one outside the profession, some for
! tune hunter or lOvesick sentimentalist,
! that trouble ensues tt doesn't take long
for the inflammation to wear off, and then
| come chickering's and determinations and
| finally separation.
"A number of years ago 1 knew a girl
who Travelled with pretty big show as
XXI, the Canuibal Princess. She was
pretty light mulatto that had picked
| up in Buffalo. Her hair was inclined to
be straight, and that helped the decep-
| ton, together with a few false tattoo
marks and necklace of human teeth
which [ had bought from a dentist.
| Eve got out to place called Connells-
! vile, somewhere IN the coke regions of
| Pennsylvania, where young fellow who
! saw the cannibal princes 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 hon
| est enough not to deceive him; she told
! him that she was a bogus princess and
| that her home was in Buffalo But it
! didn't make any difference to the coke
| country jay, and he married her. What
was the RESULT Just as soon as the
| glamour of the honeymoon wore off he be-
! gan to drink and his wife had to keep
| him Then | took hand in the business
! and told the princess that unless the
! prince consort kept out of the tent l
| would not only fire him but her also. The
! upshot of it was that the woman left the
| show and l was out about $500 on print
! ing I heard of her about three years
! ago; she was running a laundry out in
! Chicago and her husband had disap-
peared -