The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1896-03-07
PROGENY OF FREAKS.
SOME RESULTS OF RoMANCES IN THE
SHOW BUSINESS.

The First Real Living Skeleton, His Wife
An Old Museum and Sid Show Man
ager Taps His Memory Tank.
According to Manager I, L. Sackett
Of the Bijou theater, Isaac W. Sprague
was the first unnaturally or abnormally
thin skin and bones man to be exhibit
ed to the public under the title of a
Living skeleton" 1t was during the
palmy days of Barnum's Greatest Show
ON Earth. and while that celebrated
Snowman was raking the continents in
search of ~curiosities in 1854. Incident
ally Mr.. Sackett was in 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 s. Murrny's cir
Gus came there. The old inhabitants
will remember Stone & Murray's show.
1t was contemporaneous with Dan
Rice's. Thayer & Noyes' and afterward
with the John Robinson circus. With
Stone & Murray was Isaac W. Sprague,
the living skeleton. Mr.. Spra9ue had
been discovered by Barnum in Massa-
chusetts. He was the first living skele-
ton on record since tho discovery of the
world by Adam. And Sprague was a
real living skeleton toe. He vas moth
49,. h,f eI,s,, u,I 1n.aaa rak hA xx,oo
healthy and jolly.
In 1865 Barnum collected several Gu
riosities, including SpraRue, and sent
them for a tour Of the world. Sprague
was the big card. Next to him was d
skeleton woman, nearly as ~attenuated
as SpraRue. 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 DO 125 years old; tho
woody horse" and Annie Swan, tho
first giantess ever III exhibition.
Sprague, on tho steamer going over
to London, fell desperately i'll love with
the skeleton uni She returned his
affection, aud, according to Manager
Sackett, who was on the voyage, it was
n sight for the sentimental to observe
the billing and cooling of these %attenuat-
cd specimens Of Pharaoh 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 adver-
tised and heralded the astounding fact
far and wide that on a certain day there
could be seen Mt st. james hall (whero
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
fact that never before in the annals OF
show business had such IA thing as tho
wedding Of freaks been performed in
public. This was a fact too.
OF the enthusiastic crowds which such
a unique announcement drew, or the
interesting conduct of the living skele-
tons, welded in the presence of ''as-
sembled thousands" Manager Sackett
is silent. But he tells Of u fact, how
ever, which is of such interest that it
was recorded in medical works, hut
never before has seen the light of news
paper publication. That was that u
year afttr the marriage of the skeletons
the wife bore u child which also was a
Giving skeleton"
Stranger still to relate-bat Sackett
stakes his fortune on the truth Of it
two other children were also born TO
Mr.. aud Mrs. Sprague. and they were
also Of the skeleton mold. For many
years alterWard the parents Travelled
with their unnatrrally thin offspring.
and added 10 the stock of the vu, Ids
establishment. including both crowned
heads and those that were bald. TIE
original sprague and his wife are dead,
but The three skeleton childten, now
yuung men, arc showing about tne coUn-
try. healthy. happy and rich.
t.ls Is f1p only e. q Or knrcresiou =