Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1898-02-25
PROGENY OF FREAKS
sOME RESULTS OF ROMANcES IN TAAs
SHOW BUSINESS.
The Firn,t Real Living skeleton, His VIA
and Their Three Skin and Bone soma
An old Museum ard Side show Ma
sGer Taps His Memory Tank.

An Old Museum ard Side Show MAJ
.Ger Taps His Memory Tank.
According TO Manager T. r. Sacl..'
u the jon thsatef. isaac ". Spragus
waF th0 iirst Unra,Graliy on Gbnornall3
chm akin and AcUCs man to be exhibit
- 10 the publ.S anCcr the title II Il
living skolatcl. Il, was during this
palmy daya q Elrnnn : Greatest show
- Ea3tn. an oa 90 .hat celebrated
Snowman WIS i2Sl the continents ~
Ycerch @. cUrIo7.ties % 1867. Iuc.de1.
ally Nh Sacka,t sas in chose day3 vyl
Tons = .rur ar. c'raett was aet '1f %
dcorttnGor, nllaGer ED I'll a,.Ouo
man i.r Pd>,or. i.2 had ur,y.o1 Jt.>o
out @lil all!ie Christine. tno
ho@5ed qifi ana haa az eye GA, 20,
freaks Wl~n tha Tony Pastor sh1N
reached I's-r,l&, otpuo 81 MuTay'S CT
Gus cane tbep. The Old inhabitants
Mil remoc.ter Stone q Murray show
q Mas cortoMpo with Dan
Eico's Thayer % Doyls ard afterwaIc
with tho oolA Robinson circus. With
Stone e IGtar ra5 Isaac ~. SpragUe,
lhe LIVING skeleton Mr. aprague had
beer discovered nY Baurm in MasEa
-bus,.ts Es was the first living skclo
tou 49, 'N3 since The discovery Of the
uol a,, Aeam And Sprague was
real ... .c s.ole,on too. lie was moth
.ng a sAi. and bones, yet he was
ap..lts aa4 jol'y.
iu 1861 EruDu collected several CO.
49,, .a. including Sprague, and sens
..cl, ~ tour u the world SpragGs
wa- .ha Bag card. Next to him WAS
-.e--c,u woman, nearly as attenuatet
as S.a20o, whose n0mo has ESCAPED
Toe wonderful iIomory of Snowman
seek q. Amous the other freaks wit
which Bauum expected 10 and did az.
cor y ,bo world was Joyce Hcth, the
coloed woman he picked mp in the
sau,n, supposed 90 be l25 years old; ihs
"NaoolIy horse, aud Annie swan. tia
first 2.antes, aver on zhlbitlon,
e.rague. ~. tho steamer going ovel
to London fell desperately in love with
rho sEcletou woman. she returned hia
affection, ana. according to Manager
Eacsett, VINO was "a the voyage, Il WAS
a sight for the sentimental TO observe
the billing ana cooug Of these attenUat.
al specimens u Pharaoh's "lean kline. Z"
THE odtre love affair gave Barnum i
bas.uess aiut, which he was not slow %
take advantage ~. Ola their arrival IN
dear old "Lunnu" tho Snowman adyer-
used and heralded the Astounding facs
far and wide that on q certain day there
could be seen 90 st. james bah (whorS
they were .h0UinQ) something that thu
world had never before witnessed, nam9-
", the marriage Of two living, breath
ing skeletons. re also announced the
fact that never before in the annals OF
show business bad such tling as tbs
Wedding Of freaks been performed in
public. This WAC fact too.
OF tho enthusiastic crowds which sucn
unique announcement drew, or tLd
interesting conduct Of the living sholo.
toms, welded in the presence of "as.
somhled thousands" Manager Sackoti
is silent. Bat ne tells Of Fact, how.
ever. which Is Of such interest chat il
was recorded III medical works, but
ueyer hotolo has -een tine Light OF news
uapcr publication. That was that q
year after tho MARI age Of tho skelctouf
tho wife bore "a child WHICH also was 4
Giving skeleton. &"
Stranger still 20 relato-hut Sackets
stakes his fortune on tho truth Off it
two other children were also born to
Alr. and Mrs. Sprague, and they were
also Of the skeleton mold. For many
years afterward tho parents travelled
with their unnaturally thin offspring,
Nnd addcd to the stock Of the world &
establishment. intending both crowned
heads and tbosa that were bald The
original Spcag,.e and his wife are dead,
but the three s1oleton children, now
young men, are ErSwing about the coun-
/ nv, healthy, happy and rich.
This is the only case or succession ui
eases in medical auuals where father
/ and mother transmitted the disease II
wasting atrorhy to their offspring.
Mr. Sackett also tells Of another weird
case that came under his observation in
mis- peregrinating show days. Maic.
Burnell. "a celebrated Snowman Of the