The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-03-27
LIFE AMONG THE FREAKS.
Talk with Museum Manager Concern
ing Human Monstrosities.

"Ithink / will write book before /
die entitled Life Among Freaks. said
the manager of museum to Chicago
mail reporter. have material enough to
make as interesting volume as one
would care to read.
Have you any idea OF the patience and
tact required to deal with the strange
specimens of humanity that we have
constantly on exhibition? When we
once come to know their peculiarities
we soon learn how to humor them. but
the frequent changes keep us always in.
hot water. Superstitions! You never
saw the like.
For example, there is the elastic-skin
man. To superficial observation he is
Ievel-headed fellow, and yet he is the
victim of an odd illusion, against which
it is useless to argue. Some months ago
fortune teller, apparently in spirit of
mischief, told him that by invariably
getting shaved at precisely two minutes
past 1, every Friday, by light-complex-
toned colored barber, in a shop on the
south side of the street, and paying in
pennies procured at pawn brokers', he
would eventually meet stranger who
would bequeath to him big fortune.
Every time he strikes new town he
walks miles in search of the required
person and location, and in at last two
instances he has thrown up his engage
ment because one or the other could not
be found.
amulet, or taIisman, made of an en-
graved topaz attached to a rabbits foot,
and all the wealth of Chicago would
not induce him to enter the lions den
without wearing this charm over his
heart. Nor is it altogether safe to
ridicule his superstition. = Not long
ago he aimed a vicious blow with
his sword at a stage hand for doing
so.
"The curios halls have been the scenes
of some queer romances and heart-aches,
illustrating the power of physical con-
trast to kindle the fires of hopeless love.
It is a well known fact that Jennie
Qu1gley, the really charming and talent
ed dwarf, cherished a. devouring passion
| for Capt. Bates, the famous Kentucky
giant, and that the latter's titanic wife,
nee Swan, tenderly sympathized with
her forlorn little rival We had giant
in love with midget vocalist, and be-
came SO violently demonstrative that he
frightened her almost to death. We kept
close watch on him for week, fearing
that he might carry her off by force.
1.-The sight of a white cat will nearly
drive an alibno girl into convulsion
South Sea Island joe has an uncon-
cockroach Nothing can induce Sol
Stone. the lightning calculator, to write
or figure with blue ink or to wash with
colored soap. Coffin, the living skeleton,
would rather sit up all night than sleep
in a room with three windows. One fat
girl will not sit at the same table with
a red-headed man, and another insanely
dislikes all preachers. The Iron Jawed
Hercules is made deathly sick by the
perfume of peach blossoms, and several
musical airs are uncomfortable to the big
headed boy.
"Nearly all human curiosities have
the bump of superstition abnormally
developed and believe implicitly in mas.
cots. The fetch of one is white rat, of
another tiny mud turtle, and of
third stuffed kangaroo's paw. Spiders
are especially sacred to many of them
One carefully treasures half a dozen
hairs from black tigers tail and an
other wears monkeys tooth by day
and night.
''OuT experience uedCucS US GHaU Gne
unfortunate freaks are not the only
human beings with wheels in their
heads Robust and sickly cranks of
every degree swarm in upon us. They
have inventions and schemes enough
to stock a worlds fair. One modern
| Archimedes submitted the drawings of
an exploding and COMPRISING machine,
with which he said he could blow our
museum to the height of 100 feet in a
quarter of a second. and restore it to it's
| normal position in a minute and half.
t. He said it would be the greatest adVe ena
| thought so, too.
Another genius submitted the model
of mechanical hen, which, being fed