Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-11-23
POINTS ON FREAKS.
SOME BORN TO THE PROFESSION
OTHERS THRUST UPON 1T.

II Nature Hasn't Been Kind to You In
Giving You an Odd Number of Limbs or
Hirsute Adornments Where They Ought
Not to BE, You Must Achieve Notoriety.
ANY one wlro has remarked the
gregarious element in human nature,
which makes every one eager to see
what the other has seen, will not mar
vel at the success which notoriety has
attained in the show business" said
the manager of a popular museum.
"Notoriety, no matter how and where
obtained, is just SO much stock in
trade, and people in our line of work
are willing to pay any price for it. 70
make no account of the money value of
the advertisement. they are delighted
to know that they are being talked
about and speculated about, and to see
their names in the newspapers. You
see how high that dome isf" he contin-
ued, pointing to the arched space far
above the ropes and bars stretched
across for acrobatic performances.
well, man came in here, offered to
jump from its highest point down to
the floor SO as to make a name for him
self. 1t would have been certain death,
you know, to attempt it, but he said he
had practiced jumping, knew how to
manage and would escape injury. He
begged to be allowed to make the jump
and was much cast down at. our refusal.
"That man only expected TO jump
once. After having performed the feat
he felt that he would be curiosity
worth money to see.
Anyway, we business people see
that the public crave amusement of this
kind, and we are delighted to crafty
them.
''At the time of the white Cap agi-
tation, when there was SO much talk in
the papers about their outrages, man
offered to exhibit himself as tarred
and feathered victim just returned from
the west, and we let him do it. More
over, the public encouraged him to do
it, for they came in flocks to see him.
The tattooed woman who was paid 500
a day was tattooed right here in New
York, but the work was ma1yelously
well done, and the fairy tale about her,
as told by the Snowman, only height
ened the crowds interest and harmed
nobody. She was represented III the
story as having been stranded on one of
the Sandwich islands, shipwrecked,
with her husband, who was put to death.
Her life was spared, but she was put to
torture, having these extraordinary char
acters tattooed all over her body. There
were from 800 to 200 people at each
one of the 81 daily performances at
which that tattooed woman was exhib-
tied, and all were pleased at the show,
for which they paid 10 cents. -
"Do many Of these freaks, remark
able for various reasons, get fine sala-
RESP
Indeed they do. We paid certain
midget $500 a week. Her father and
the family travelled with her, and got
rich out of it. Then that wonderful
Oregon horse with the trailing name
and tail was paid 5000 week for sew
eral months. The two headed negro
girl, or girls, has made fortune, and
I could mention any number Of cele-
brated freaks who have profted finan-
cially.
Each day we get letters from all
over the country-all over the world
offering us freaks of nature. This one
sends photograph of a sheep having
fifth leg and hoof growing out of his
shoulder. This one sends COW with a
horn projecting from her back. Here is
letter from handles man in West
Virginia. lie writes with his toes and
writes very good letter.
That box of photographs unearthed
from little used recesses to refresh the
showman's mind! What galaxy, not
Of beauty, but Of the bizarre and the
grotesqael Bearded women taken in
decollete gowns, their masculine faces
in revolving contrast to the feminine
neck and arms; men without legs or
arms; tremendously fat men, and men
SO thin that they were photographed
prone upon a couch, limp and helpless;
men who had starved themselves in or
der to live. The strong woman is there,
and her remarkable sister, with yeri-
table horses name growing upon her
back.
"That was clever scheme this fell
low devised" said the Snowman, ad-
justing his glasses SO as to view like
ness He represented himself as hav-
ing a gunshot wound through and
through the body, and then be fixed up
an optical delusion apparatus which
made it appear that people could look
straight through him. We displayed !