The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-03-04
PROGENY OF FREAKS.
SOME RESULTS OF RoMANcEs IN THE
SHOW BUSINESS.
The First Real Living skeleton. His wife
and Their Three Skin and Bone Sons.
An Old Museum and Side show Man
ager Taps His Memory Tank.


An Old Museum and Side show Man
ager Taps Hts Memory Tank.
According to Manager T. u. Saclzett
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 II
Giving skeleton" Il 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 III 1864. 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 Millie Christine, the two
headed girl, and had an eye out for
freaks. When the Tony Pastor show
reached Florida, Stone S Murray 5 cir
Gus came there. The old inhabitants
will remember Stone &; Murray's show.
1t was contemporaneous with Dan
Rice's, Thayer Il Noyes' and afterward
with the John Robinson circus. With
Stone &5 Murray was Isaac W. Sprague,
the living skeleton. Mr.. Sprague had
been discovered by Barnum in Massa-
chusetts. He was the first living skelo-
ton on record since tho discovery of the
world by Adam. And Sprague was
real living skeleton too. He was moth
ing but skin and bones, yet he was
healthy and jolly.
In 1865 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 Spra9ue, 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 1875 years old; the
"woolly horse, and Annie Swan, the
first giantess ever on exhibition.
Sprague, on the steamer going over
10 London, fell desperately in love with
the skeleton woman. She returned his
affection, and, according to Manager
Sackett, who was on the voyage, it 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 adver-
tised and heralded 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
fact that never before in the annals Of
show business had such thing as the
wedding Of freaks been performed in
public. This was fact too.
OF the enthusiastic crowds which such
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 fact, how
ever, which is of such interest that il
was recorded in medical works, but
never before has seen the light of news
paper publication. That was that a
year after the marriage of the skeletons
the wife bore a child which also was a
"living skeleton.
Stranger still to relate-but Sackett
stakes his fortune ON the truth of it
two other children were also born to
Mr.. and Mrs. Sprague, and they were
also Of the skeleton mold. For many
years afterward the parents travelled
with their unnaturally thin offspring
and added to the stock Of the world
astonishment, including both crowned
heads and those that were bald. The
original Sprague and his wife are dead,
but the three skeleton children, now
young men, are showing about the coun.
try, healthy, happy and rich.
This is the only case or succession o.
cases in medical annals where father
and mother transmitted the disease OF
wasting atrophy to their offspring.
Mr.. Sackett also tells Of another weirt
case that came under his observation il
his peregrinating show days. Majol
Burnell, celebrated Snowman of tn,
sixties, found pair Of freak twins il
the south, the offspring Of colored peo
pie. One of the twins, boy, was blacl
ub hOukO etOCh. lut Otutf, u RlTl, Wd
pure albino. The major engaged th'
twins for his show and exhibited then
for years The albino girl grew up ant
married an albino in the west. TIL,
offspring of the marriage was baby a
black as the ace of spades. OF cours,
this enhanced the showing price O
Charley and his albino wife, and Majo
Burnell increased their salaries accord
ingly.
d. X. Prescott was the discoverer O
the far famed Sleeping Beauty, whom
he found in Tennessee in the sixties H
brought her to st. Louis. She was
young girl Of SURPRISING beauty, witt
but one fault discoverable. She slep
nine tenths of the time. She was tn
greatest puzzle the medical men ha,
ever seen. 1t was one Of these latte
who deprived her mother Of fortun
and Prescott of one of his most popula
curiosities. The young doctor was lef