The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-21
RATHER FRAYEO
Standard Museum Attractions
Going TO Europe.
THEY GET BETTER MONEY
Fat Ladies in Tights. Bearded Women
and Two-Headed Girls Are Still
Good Drawing Cards Across
the tlantic Ocean.

From the Chicago Chronicle.
The standard and stereotyped mu-
scum freaks are getting rather frayed
in this country. Most of them have
been relegated to the shades of private
life or have fled to Europe, where fat
aides in tights. bearded women and
two-headed girls are still good things.
Through the medium of the dime mu-
seums the American public became so
familiar with all OF the freaks of the
day that the prodigies and monstrosi-
ties began to wane in popularity some
time ago. Fortunately for these art
ists,'' just now when their former ad-
mirers are growing tired OF them In this
country they are becoming hot favor
ties across the sea. One of the biggest
circuses of his Int is now holding
forth In London. The side shows, with
all of their human "abnormals.' are
completely eclipsing the kings N
queens of the sawdust as drawing
cards. "A living curiosity" which
would to-day draw a salary OF only $50
in this country can run over to the old
world and get about six times that
amount.
You see. the point is right here"
said an old-time museum
the people have seen about all the
1lEdkS tnat are 10 Dt seen. wv
have seen things NICE they will not
keep on paying to see them over again.
The modern cheap-priced museums
with their many attractions have en-
abled the people to see all of the freaks
that bbe up. So we find that the
museum patrons have seen about all or
the standard attractions that have ever
been brought out. There has been no
| change in public taste at all. People
taN. inst 90 much fnndnpSS for the
| things tina excite a morbid curiosity
as they ever had and they will go to
see them Just as readily IL they are
things which they have never seen be-
fore.
Right there is the problem for the
museum manager. If he Is a man OF
ingenuity, as he should be, he will de-
wise things which will take the place
of freaks of nature very effectively. IL
he can find a new freak or contrive
| some attraction to take it's place he
will get as large crowds as he can well
accommodate. Old freaks cannot be
presented as feature cards. That Is the
reason that to-day the museums are
exploiting such features as the mailing
of people to crosses. etc.
Across the water they have never
had the cheap museums as they exist
here. Freaks OF the worst types have
been exhibited at the country fairs and
freaks of the better class have been ex-
hibited to some extent in theatrical
houses. There are no museums similar
to those which we have in our city. In
the great mass of the peo-
pie over there are not familiar with
the freaks as our people are here. SO
the well-known kinds of freaks are GO
ing down in popularity here n going
up over there
There are. perhaps, fewer freaks In
Chicago now than ever before. III you
ask the museum managers the cause
YOU will be informed that most OF the
good ones are in Europe for the rea-
son that they can get far better sal
aries than they can get here. Should
a good new freak come along, however,
he or she would not nave to go TO Eu-
rope to get a big figure for an gag
ment of several weeks. At one TIM or
another all of the freaks of any note
that hay been shown in TINS country
have been exhibited i'm Chicago. For a
brief time Chicago was their home as
much as any city, for few of them real
ly have homes while they are in the
business. over IN Clark street IL a
hotel which has been the temporary
home of many of these stars, as IL IL
now the home of most of those who are
sojourning in the city. The other day
the keeper of the hotel was in an ami
able and laxative mood when a rep
resentatiye of the Sunday Chronicle
asked him about the private life OF th'
freaks.
THE freaks are a great deal more in
teresting off the stage than they are
on. If you may call the museum 9
stage" said the hotel man. "Of course
a few things transpire that are not ex'
actly pleasant. but we can't help that
Few people get much enjoyment on
| of seeing the armless man at the tab
eating with his feet, but he can't hell
IL because ne has to hold his knit
and fork between his toes. n w
should look upon his table manner II
a charitable way. The maj withou
; any legs never kicks up much of a fus
about anything unless ne happens t
I, be forgotten up on the top floor In cas-
of a fire or something of that kind. Yo'
would actually be astonished the wa!
= he gets around by wadding and jerk
I ing his stump OF a body.
"Oh, yes. once in a while / have som
, queer experiences with my odd board
ers. one time had a win skeleton
e who came very near breaking me W 4
I business. He came here for a long stay
Q as he was going to make the rounds o
ALI the museums i'm town. His manage
v came TO me and made arrangement
. for the skeleton to live at my hott
while he was in the city. | suppose
that a living SHELTON didn't live %
much of anything but water, so | mad
? him "A rate away DOWNS a week,
: belieye-it was for board and room
The skeleton arrived early one morn
ing. so the first meal he had at the he
tel was breakfast.
after he had finished his breakfa
d and rome TO his room i went to I'll
o dining-room and asked the waiter whs
the skeleton had eaten. ! nearly fe
e dead when the waiter told me that III
" new boarder had consumed three cuI
J. of coffee. two orders of beef steak, foy
q fried eggs. two baked potatoes. ha
a loaf of bread and a plate of bucl
: wheat cakes. What do you think
! that? That was certainly the wor'
~ surprise party I ever experienced. B'
I" there was no way but of IL. | ha
made the rates and l could not FIR