The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-12

what would you consider a good
salary for a first-cIass freak?" was
asked recently of a number of persons,
and in answer one guessed Sc a week,
one SIS, one $50 and one, whose guess
was thought by the others to be out Of
all reason, 500. This is fair iIlustra-
ton of the opinion Of those members
of the public who have any such opin-
ion, about the value Of a really star
freak, While as a matter of fact the
weekly salary of such an attraction
ranges from $3.50 to 5000 a week.
Equally vague are most persons ideas
about the lives Of the freaks outside OF
the museum. Who they are; where
they come from and where they go, are
questions about which most people
never bO<ler themselves, yet some in
teresting stories are found in the lives
of these people; stories of change
from lives of the most abject poverty
to that Of comparative wealth, and
from being objects of pity, and in many
cases of cOntumely to a position in
which they are able to dictate terms to
successful business men, and to feel
the power that money alone gives.
Freaks are the cards on which
wide-aWake dime museum manager
wins or loses. This is not because q
great deal OF money is made from
them, the contrary being the case,
when the freak in question has become
a standard ATTRACTION ana commands a
large salary. In this case, with the
extra expenses in advertising and pro-
Viding special surroundings, the cost
of the attraction runs up TO something
like 81 200 a week, and after this is
paid there is little left from the extra
receipts. But the public is so skeptical
of everything shown at dime museum
that, unless a number OF these stand
ard attractions is shown every year,
the attendance viii fall of.
DISCOVERY OF NEW FREAKS.
1t is in the discovery and presenta-
ton of entirely new freaks that the
money and the glory lies, for when one
OF these is shown at a museum 1t not
only greatly Increases its reputation,
but is a source of large profit, for few
freaks have at first any idea Of their
value, and they car usually be engaged
for a comparatively small salary For
this reason the manager of one of the
large museums viii travel almost any
distance, and go to almost any amount
of trouble to secure q, genuine novelty
in this line, the more so as new freaks
are becoming rarer and rarer every
year.
Freaks are, as a rule, persons of
is probably due TO the fact that almost
all Of them came from country places.
This seems rather strange, the popular
idea being that life in the city is not
so Wholesome as that in the country,
and that the former ought TO result in
more distorted forms of life. 1t is also
true that nearly all Of them have gone
back to the country. usually TO the
places from which they came, where
they enjoy the prominence that their
rise in life has given them among their
old neighbOrs. Many, after making
comfortable competence, spend nearly
all their time on these country places
leaving them, perhaps, for only Two or
three weeks in the year, as much to
crafty a. desire TO see a little of city
life for a while as from any wish for
gain. Even for so short d time as this,
however, some of them will not leave
their homes, and none of them viii do
so at all unless they set about their
own price.
WILD MEN OF BORNEO.
Perhaps the best known freaks in this
country are the wild men of Borneo,
who were brought here nearly fifty
years ago. in The interim between that
time and the present they have rolled
up fortunes for the several persons who
have exhibited them, and have lived to
see most Of them dead and buried. As
nearly as can be aSceTtalned they We're
brought to this country about 1850 by
Captain Hammond, who found them
on one OF the small islands in the
Pacific. lie called them the wild men
of Borne0 because everyone was ac-
ouainted with BOrneo as the largest
island in the world. CAPTAIN Ham
mond died and they were taken charge
of by Henry Harvey OF Boston. After
his deceaSe II. \. Warner of Waltham,
41arg he hgG he
come blind from age, 50 that his son
Ernest has TO take them on the road,
although they still live with his father.
In spite Of their age the little fellows
are as cheerful and full OF life as when
they first came TO this country. Their
eyes are bright, their hair shows no
signs Of gray, and the only signs of
approaching old age are a slight deaf
ness and a diminutiOn OF their eror- !
NOUS strength. When they were in their
prime one OF them could lift two good !
sized men with ease, although they
stand only about three feet in height, !
and weigh but forty-fiVe pounds. Even |
now they are extremely strong and |
active but do not lift these great /
weights. while their whole life is much !
more quiet than it used to be.
WILD MEN At HOME.
When they were first brought out |
they created q tremendous sensation, !
and were shown al over the country at !
a salary of $500 TO $500 a week. AT |
that salary they had continuous en- |
gagements, running two or three weeks |
in one town and then going directly to |
another engagement. Now, however, !
they have become so we'll known that |
they do not command much of a Sala- |
~, and Mr. Warner will not take them |
on the road for a sinai. one.
They have pleasant life at Mr. |
Warmers fine place, where they have
the best OF care, and are givtn about |
everything that they want Their de-
sires are few and simple, and they
seem to find the most enjoyment in |
helping to take care Of the place
Although they seem so bright and |
quick they have never mastered the
English language, but understand sim
pie things that Mr.. Warner says to
Them. In speaking to strangers they
converse almost entirely by sign Ian
gllage, but they have a language of
their own which Mr. Warner has never
been able to understand.
THE BIG FOOTED WOMAN.
one Of the most interesting cases of
the rise Of a freak from poverty to
aff1uence is that Of Fanny Mills the
big-footed woman, who was discovered
by Frank Stone, the Boston dime
ma a I'D e