Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-04-24
PROGENY OF FREAKS.
SOME RESULTS OF ROMANCES IN TIE
SHOW BUSINESS.
The First Real Living Skeleton, His Wife
and Their Three Skin and Bone Sons.
An Old Museum and Side show Man
sger Taps His Memory Tank.


According To Manager T. T.. Sacket
OF the BlJou theater, Isaac w. Spragu,
was the first unnaturally or abnormall,
| thin skin and bones man To be exhibit
ed to the public under the title Of 1
| Living skeleton. 1t was during tn,
| palmy days of Barnum 5 Greatest Show
on Earth and while that celebrated
| Snowman was raking the continents il
| search OF curiosities III 1864. Incident
ally Mr.. Sackett was III those days with
Tony Pastor. Mr.. Sackett was acting as
doortender, manager and all around
man for Pastor. He had previously been
out with Mile Christine. the two
headed girl, and had an eye out for
freaks. When the Tony Pastor show
reached Florida, Stone q Murray's cir
Gus came there. The old inhabitants
Will remember Stone & Murray's show
1t was contemporaneOus with Dan
Rices. Thayer q Noyes' and afterward
with the John Robinson circus. With
Stone d. Murray was Isaac w. Sprague.
the living skeleton. Mr.. Sprague had
been discovered by Barnum in Massa-
chuSetts He was the first living skele-
ton on record since the discovery Of the
world by Adam And Sprague was a
real living skeleton too He was moth
ing but skin and bones, yet he was
healthy and jolly.
In 1860 Barnum collected several Gu
riosities, including Sprague, and sent
them for tour of the world. Sprague
was the big card. Next to him was a
skeleton woman, nearly as attenuated
as Sprague, whose name has escaped
the wonderful memory Of Snowman
Sackett. Among the other freaks with
which Barnum expected to and did as
tonish the world was Joyce Heth. the
colored woman he picked up in the
south, supposed to be 125 years old; the
woody horse" and Annie Swan, the
first giantess ever on exhibition.
Sprague, on the steamer going over
to London, fell desperately in love with
the skeleton woman. She returned his
affection, and according to Manager
Sackett, who was on the voyage, il was
a sight for the sentimental to observe
the billing and cooling of these attenuat-
ed specimens of Pharaoh's "lean kline. "
The outre love affair gave Barnum a
business hint, which he was not slow to
take advantage of. On their arrival in
dear old "Lunnon" the Snowman adyer-
tlsed and beralded the astounding fact
far and wide that on certain day there
could be seen at st. james hall (where
they were showing) something that the
world had never before witnessed. name
ly, the marriage of two living, breath
ing skeletons. He also announced the
TACT that never before in the annals Of
show business had such thing as the
wedding of freaks been performed in
public. This was a fact too
OF the enthusiastic crowds which such
a unique announcement drew, or the
conduct of the living skele-
ons, welded i'll the presence Of "as-
'embled thousands, Manager Sackett
s silent. But he tells Of fact. how
EVER, which is of such interest that il
vas recorded in medical works, but
lever before has seen the light of news
)aper publication. That was that
'ear after the marriage of the skeletons
he wife bore child which also was
living skeleton. -
Stranger still TO relate-but Sackett
takes his fortune on the truth off it
wo other children were also born to
lr. and Mrs Sprague, and they were
lso OF the skeleton mold For many
ears afterward the parents travelled
With their unnaturally thin offspring.
nd added to the stock of the worlds
including both crowned
eads and those that were bald. The
riginal Sprague and his wife are dead,
ut the three skeleton children, now
Dung men. are showing about the coun-
~, healthy, happy and rich.
This Is the only case or succession Of
lses in medical annals where a father
nd mother transmitted the disease Of
'asting atrophy TO their offspring.
Mr.. Sackett also tells of another weird
use that came under his observation in j.,
Is peregrinating show days. Major ,
celebrated Snowman Of the /,
kites, found pair of freak twins in :
he south, the offspring of colored peo- 7
lie. One Of the twins, boy, was black >
-, 4,
pure albino The major engaged the =
wins for his show and exhibited them '.
II years The albino girl grew up and !.
arried an albino in the west. The :,
fspring of the marriage was baby as :
ack as the ace of spades. OF course =
rs enhanced the showing price of :,
harley and his albino wife, and Major :
urnell increased their salaries accord =
ely. Q
ID. X. Prescott was the discoverer of :,
q far famed Sleeping Beauty, whom -
found III Tennessee in the sixties. He :
ought her TO ST. Louis She was a .
ung girl of surprising beauty, with =
it one fault discoverable. She slept :,
ne tenths of the time. She was the :,
eatest puzzle the medical men had -
or seen. 1t was one of these latter a.
no deprived her mother of fortune =.
d Prescott of one of his most popular .,
riosities. The young doctor was lefT
)ne in the showroom one day while -