River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-07-04
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him"
[ followed him, and no sooner were
we in the cage than the terrible wild
man. held out his hand to me and
said, How do you do, Mr.. Coup?'' The
voice was strangely familiar. / scru-
tinted the fellows features and rec
ognized in him a Russian who had
been exhibited in our sideshow as
"hairy man" lie had allowed his
skin to be dyed yellow and his whis.
kers and hair black, and for eonsid.
GRAFTON of about four times his usual
salary, was now posing as a 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 10 resume his
former employment as 'IvaIoyitch,
the hairy man
Another celebrated fake which met
with success in the east was the "dog-
faced man" The Englishman before
spoken Of engaged variety perform
err who was an adept at initiating the
barking of dogs. The manager had in
his possession an old photograph of
"Jo-io, the dog-faccd boy" and was
resolved TO place q good imitation of
this freak before The American pub
lie. He accordingly had made 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 "Nicolia Jacob, the Russian dog
faced man" So good was the dis
guise that they exhibited an entire
week at a Jersey City museum. de-
ceiving even the astute proprietor
Next they went to Boston, where thev
played to the most phenomenal bust
ness on record. The proprietor of the
museum had a 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
large cage, was one of the fiercest
wildcats they had ever seen, labeled,
The pet of the dog-faced man."
They played, as | have said to
phenomenal business. For two weeks
thousands of persons daily struggled
for the privilege of paying ten cents
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
fake was the means of bringing
from Europe the original dog-faced
boy. "Jo-jo," who for several years
drew a good salary at the various
dime museums. but never created so
much excitement by virtue OF his gen
uineness as the flake" did.
Still another flake" that not only
drew" but positively deceived the
whole New York press, was the 'Da-
honey Giant" About 1852 a 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 Tarini, of London
stating that the Dahumey giant had
sailed with his interpreter from Lon
don and would arrive in Boston on or
about 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 We're 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 word of the English language,
could not. of course, converse with
the reporters. But his interpreter
managed 10 fill them up very COM
fortably. At all events, long and in
teresting accounts of the "snuff-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
its consequent circus season closing
the city museums, the Dahomey
Joined out with a side show in
which, for successive seasons. he
posed as Dahomey giant, a Maori
from New Zealand, an Australian
aborigine and Kafiir This mans
success was the initiative for a score
of other negroes, who posed as repre-
sentatives of any foreign races the
side show proprietor wished to ex-
hibit.
The spread of the dime museum
craze created great demand 70,
I rraol.S npd n CONSIGNMENT rise IN thpir