Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-07-12
.sWhere did you Get him?e

He replied: "Why, you know that
man well. He Travelled with you two
seasons. Come inside and talk with
him"
followed him, and no sooner were
we in the cage than the terrible wild
man" held out his hand to me and
said, GLOW do you do, Mr.. Coup?" The
voice was strangely familiar. I scru-
tinted the fellows features and rec
ognized in him a Russian who had
been exhibited in our sideshow as a
s'hairy man." He had allowed his
skin to be dyed yellow and his whis-
kers and hair black, and for a consid-
Grafton of about four times his usual
salary, was now posing as wild man.
He afterwards went west and contin-
ued this mode of exhibition for sew
eral months, until he was played out
in that capacity, whereupon a few
warm baths enabled him to resume his
former employment as 'Ivanovitch,
the hairy man."
Another celebrated fake which met
with success in the east was the stdog-
faced man." The Englishman before
spoken of engaged a variety perform
err who was an adept at initiating the
barking of dogs. The manager had in
his possession an old photograph of
"Jo-jo, the dog-faced boy" and was
resolved to place a good imitation of
this freak before the American pub
lie. He accordingly had made a very
expensive wig, which completely COW
cred the head, face and shoulders.
Dressing the man in the garb of
Russian peasant, he advertised him
as ssNicolia jacob, the Russian dog
faced man." So good was the dis
guise that they exhibited an entire
week at Jersey City museum, de-
ceiving even the astute proprietor.
Next they went to Boston, where they
played to the most phenomenal bust
ness on record. The proprietor of the
museum had very clever cartoonist
in his employ, and as the Englishman
and his dog-faced friend walked from
the station to the museum they saw
nothing but pictures of dog-faced
men. In front of the museum, in a
large cage, was one of the fiercest
wildcats they had ever seen, labeled,
''The pet of the dog-faced man."
They played, as I have said, to a
phenomenal business. For two weeks
thousands of persons daily struggled
LII C4iO VI PoJ ing tOh CCAtS
to see this amusing fake. At the end
of that time one of the employees be-
trayed the secret to a reporter and
the attraction was rendered valueless.
Strange to relate, the success of this
s.fake" was the means of bringing
from Europe the original dog-faced
boy, "Jo-jo," who for several years
drew good salary at the various
dime museums, but never created so
much excitement by virtue of his gen.
uineness as the "falxe" did.
Still another 'fake'' that not only
"drew," but positively deceived the
whole New York press, was the "Da-
honey Giant" About 1882 tall spec
linen of the African race walked into
an eastern museum looking for work.
He was actually over seven feet in
height, and had never been on exhi-
bition. Knowing that his value as a
negro giant would be but little, the
proprietors resolved to introduce him
as a monster wild African. After con-
sulting Rev. j. G. Woods illustrated
history of the uncivilized races, it
was determined to make a Dahomey
of the tall North Carolinian. A the
atrical cOstumer was set to work to
make him a picturesque garb. A
| spurious cablegram was issued, pur-
porting to be from Farini, of London,
stating that the Dahomey giant had
sailed with his interpreter from Lon
| don and would arrive in Boston on or
| about a certain date.
The man, with his interpreter, was
| then taken by train to Boston, from
which city they, in due time, wired
the museum proprietor of their ar
rival. That telegram was answered
by another telling them to take the
| first Fall River boat for New York
city. The press was then notified, and
| the representatives of five New York
papers were actually sent to the pie
the following morning to interview
the distinguished stranger from Da-
| honey. The man had been well
schooled, and pretending not to
know a word of the English language,
| could not, of course, converse with
| the reporters. But his interpreted
managed to fill them up very com
| fortably. At all events, long and in
/ teresting accounts of the sssnuff-col-
ored giant from Dahomey' appeared
in most of the dailies, and for several
weeks this Dahomey was the stellar
attraction at that particular dime
museum. The advent of summer and
it's consequent circus season closing
the city museums, the Dahomey
coined out" with a side show in
| which, for successive seasons, he
posed as Dahomey giant, Maori
| from New Zealand, an Australian
aborigine and a Kaffir. This mans
success was the initiative for score
of other negroes, who posed as repre-
sentatives of any foreign races the