The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-06-26
CREDULOUS GERMANS
4 BERLIN NEWSPAPER AND IT'S READ
ERS NEATLY TAKEN IN.

4 Story ~ Jeany Lind nDd Bsrnum, Cred
Ned - Maurice strakosch snd Worked
on ON the Editor Of Das TsgebIstt ~
vsritsbis History.
II there IL any limit 90 the crcduIity of
tho German journalist touching all mat
ters relating % America, or nt Icast all
those which rolfcot upon tho American
character, II ms not yet been discovered.
A recent feuilleton Ira Das Taacblntt Of
Berlin, entitled "Jcnny Lind and Bar
mum. was written by somebody who calls
himself Franz Fridberg, who vouches for
the Literal trnthfuiDcss' Of the story,
which bo says was told him by Maurice
Strnkosch. P0gr Sfrakoscb, alas, IL doad
and cannot defend himself. He was u
most amiablo racoDtcur and none Of his
friends was eyer disposed 10 exact tho nn-
adorned truth from him when hc was In
dulging his fondness for reminisccncc, but
1t Is an insult 10 his memory to attribute
story like this Of Fridbcrg's TO him.
Tho story In brief WAS M follows: Jenny
Lind had won great popularity In Eng.
land, but earned no money. For tho latter.
convenient commodity she was obliged To
Wulb Via bu0 Guulc W Alutflc0. 0hJ NlblU
was brought about In this way: Gold
schmidt, her accompanist, had gone TO
America to seek his fortune. 1t had been
hard parting. for he loved the singer <he
sfterward married her), and the result was
disappointment. He was about to return
home when he met Barnum and COM
planned TO him OF his III luck. Barnum
vas equally unhappy. He had tried every
O<.to tkAvt ,l~~<. IL.
educstad apes, learned locturers'-but all
In vain. Then Goldschmidt suggested
that be knew singer In England who
might be u card In America. t
A siugcrf Pahl What's her namer'
"Jenny Lind"
"That's no name"
"But she sings beautifully"
"Good thing for her, but no business for
me-"
But she's the greatest singer in Eng
land"
Better still for her. But we'll talk
about something else"
After while spent In talk on other sub.
jects GoldschWidt returned to the attack.
"For Gods sake" Barnum broke In
impatiently, "leavo me In peace with your
singer. We have as many singers as there
are sands on the seashore"
"Pity," replied Goldschmidt oarelessly;
"perhaps, after all, something might be
done with the Swedish Nightingale"
Barnum leaped to his feet. whats
that? Swedish
"That'swhat they call her in England.
"What Is she calledP"
"The Swedish Nightingale"
"The Swedish Nightingale Telegraph
uk 80 H. n
her for 100 concerts; 500, 900 down, free
voyage and living for three persons. AT
epoep'
"But, my dear friend, you haven't
hard hertz
about musicP Swedish Nightingale I'm,
mensei And you, unluoky wretch, wait
till now before telling mel'
0oldschmidt rushed to the telegraph Of
noe, sent the message, received an answer
and the thing was 'donei
This much Of the story might bo accept
ID good naturedly, even II the facts were
not Of record that the contract between
Barnum and Jenny Lind was negotiated
by Mr.. Barnum's agent, J. II. Wilton, In
January, 1850, with the singer herself;
that this was year and four months be.
lOkC oOluSCuIulut WuO JOluc0 ueI
company here in May, 1851, after Mr.. Ju-
Illus Benedict the original pianist, had re.
turned to England, ever saw America, and
that the telegraphic message so peremp.
torily ordered and promptly sent was dis.
patched eight years before there was I'm
Atlantic cable!
But the marvels arc just beginning. A
new bridge was building in the harbor.
The newspapers announced that 1t was to
be dedicated when Jenny Lind arrived.
There it stands, a regal structure. crowd
ed with humanity waiting for the ship.
Only invited guests have been given access
to 1t. The ship comes in sight. A tre-
mendous excitement seizes the masss All
crowd forward shrieking "Hurrah!' wav.
ing handkerchiefs, stamping with their
feet. A crash, scream Of horrorl The
bridge has collapsedl Was 1t an accident
due to the faulty construction of the
bridget Oh, mol 1t was Barnum's most
mastery trick. He had provided the
money to build the bridge, hired the Gin.
vited" public to stand on 1t at $40 per
head, placed those who could swim farthest
from the shore, the others nearer, and the
moment the ship landed the piers wers
pulled away and the structure, with all up.
on 1t, precipitated into the water. A few
hours later kilograms flashed In all direc.
tlons: Horrible catastrophe! Five hun.
dred deadl When the ship which brought
the Swedish nightingale to New York
hove In sight today, there was such a
crowd and scramble on the newly built
landing bridge that IL collapsed. Five
hundred persons drowned. When Miss
Jenny Lind heard of the dreadful catas-
trophe, she wept bitterly, and at once the
pious artist resolved to devote tho proceeds
Of her first concert to the relief Of tho fam
lilies of tho victims" And Mr.. Franz Frid-
berg concludes, putting the words into the
mouth Of the genial Maurice: "Barnum
did tho biggest business he ever did In
America that Is, he did get bigger card
the white elephant'' IL
would bo an insult to the American intel.
ligence to reprint this story were It not for
the fact that 1t Is published by ono of the
best newspapers of Berlin as veritable his
York Tribune.