The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-06-28
CIRCUS FREAKS.
BY w. G. COUP.


0s0sossselSs
(BeIng an extract from 'Sa wdust and
,spanglcs," published by Herbert 5. Stone
- Co. Copyright. 1901. BY Herbert s.
P Barnum said the American public
liked to be humbuggcd. and the truth Of
his words have been proven. time after
time by the showmcn OF. the country.
In his "Sawdust and Spangles,' published
by Herbert s. Stone A. Co, Chicago, Mr..
w. L. Coup gives much interesting In
formation regarding the inside OF the
American circus. menagerie and museum.
lie separates the real from the unreal,
the genuine from the fake, and supplies
"A narrative that should interest every
habitue OF these forms OF entertainment
The following chapter taken from his
book describes n. number or freaks and
fakes with which the American public
were successfully humbugged.
Mo saying attributed to i. +. Bar
In mum has been more widely
quoted than the remark that tho
public likes to be humbugged." Ger
tainly this comment Oh the credulity
of the masses opens up a most curious
and entertaining field. and its men,
tion in "A company of old showmen
is sure TO provoke IA flood of remin-
i~scences on the subject of fakes,
freaks and takers. There is scarcely
another line of experience concern
ing which veteran showmen more
enjoy comparing notes-possibly be
because it touches on the secrets Of
the craft. Though il is true that Mr..
Barnum was "A master in the science
Of humbugging the public. and did
not disclaim that distinction, il must
he said in Justice to him hat in the
course of his professional career he
gave the people more for their money
than any other Snowman, living or
dead.
4 little inside information on this
hidden side of the showman's business
may be entertaining 10 a public which
has often experienced the pleasure of
being humbugged. Certainly no fake
j. entitled to take precedence over
the celebrated Cardiff Giant This
was the invention of "A certain George
Hull. He lived, think, at Bingham
ton. New York. and manufactured the
giant in a rude shop on the small
farm which he worked. Hull was
sircwd, energetic and very persist
' AA ~ AhhN w ( Nv tn1 IItt that
the elaboration of the idea Of his fake
and its execution occupied him more
than four years. He thought the
whole matter out, eve to the most
minute details. before beginning work
on il. Without any knowledge Of the
art Of sculpture or the science Of an
atomy. he set himself resolutely at
work TO remedy these defects of edu-
cation. lie had considerable aptitude
with the chisel, and gradually deve,-
opcd the skill necessary TO hew out q
figure that was TO be put before the
public as n relic of an age so remote
that no person would be likely closely
TO c~riticise its proportions. Hull also
knew that, no matter what the age
in which a giant was supposed to have
lived. the remains" must show pores
in the skin to pass the scrutiny Of
even the unlearned. The making Of
these pores required more time and
labor than all the other work of max
ing the Cardiff Giant" The work
performed in the Studio or shop
where il was at last finished to Hull's
satisfaction.
Preparations were then made for
the giants burial in order that when
brought TO public view it might show
the proper evidence of antiquity. IL
was buried in the side of a hill only n
few rods from the outbuilding. whe-e
u had been chiseled from a huge block
~ stone taken from that very hill.
IN al this work, huge and heavy ms
the uncut stone and the giant hewn
y 81 IL we're. Hull had only the
assistance Of one man. a sled and n
yoke OF oxen in moving them. This
helper was a green and stolid Ger
man immigrant, utterly devoid of
curiosity, and the man who helped "a
bury the giant was another OF the
same description.
The statue was allowed 10 remain
more than two years in the ground
before its maker considered il to be i'm
proper condition for accidental" dis
eovery. Hull then promptly dis
covered and dug out the 'petrifica-
non, and placed il on public view
70 amaze and pcrplex people generally
ana TO delight the antiquarians. who
found u an argument to uphold some
OF their most cherished theories. 1t
TOOK IT'S name from the fact that near
ne spot where it was buried and res
directed was a small hamlet called
' ardrff. The public career of the
= ardiff Giant was not of long con-
'lnuancc, however. but was sufficiently
lengthy TO enable Mr.. Hull to make
money out Of his clever
conception. lie declared, however.
nat ne might have made more money
y nc had accepted Mr.. Barnum's offer
made at the time of the giants first
appearance in public. Mr.. Hull knew.
,o"' that exposure was bound TO come
~ the end, but that mattcred not 10
nlin' For many years thereafter the
,arn'h Giant rcposcd neglected in
ne very shop in which il was made:
IVY Us owner and inventor averred
nay nc was entirely content with the
"nahcial result of his ingenuity.
me year Of 1884 is n memorable
one ~ the annals Of circus history.
circus men remember IL rs the
Nh htfA