The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-24

on South Capitol avenue The last heard
OF her she was in Whites London Dime
Museum, in Chicago. There are quite
number OF freaks and museum workers
claiming this city their home. The two
latest people in the country live here when
not exhibiting themselves on the curio
platforms and indianapolis is the home
OF two or three celebrated midgets. Some
how Indiana seems to supply more fat peo-
pie to the museums and sideshows than
any other State and it has become a IA
vorite joke among the folks of the profess
sion TO say that all fat people come from
Indiana.
GIANTS FROM THE WEST.
"Most of the giants come from the West
| ern States. The tallest one of them all has
never as yet been connected with any
| show, as his parents object to having him
placed on exhibition. They are foolish to
| have such sensitive feelings on the subject,
as the young fellow cannot go out upon
the street without having everybody star
| ing open-mouthed at him. and he might
well be receiving a good salary in return
for the attention he attracts. His home
is in a small California town, but he is
| often to be seen on the streets of San Fran
| cisco. During the Spanish-American war
| he became fired with a desire to enlist with
] the California volunteers but he couldn't
| get into the army 10 save his life The re-
| cruiting officer refused to accept him for
! three reasons-frst, because he would make
his companion soldiers look like pigmies
! beside him; second. because special bedding
| and other made-to-order things would have
| to be furnished him. and lastly. because he
| would make too good a mark for the enemy
to shoot at. The young giant, who was
! then only twenty years Old was almost
| broken-hearted over his failure TO get into
| the service, and, in sheer disgust of things
in general accepted my terms to go on the
road as a living curiosity, but before /
could get him out of town his father
stepped in and put stop to our negotia-
| tions
IF person is different from his fellow
men he might as we'll make the best of
things and get all the benefit 70 be had out
| of the trick that nature has played upon
| him. Travelling with a sideshow isn't the
most enviable job in the world, but there
are more decent people engaged in this sort
of life than the public imagines. and
the better class of dime museum circuits
you will find plenty of good honest folks
that are compelled, through force of cir
cumstances, to mount the 'curio platforms
There is not nearly so much taking
there used to be, and most of the freaks
you nowadays genuine. L remem-
Der the time when a Snowman could secure
almost any kind of so-called curiosity from
a in New York that made speciality
Of preparing freaks for exhibition, but
don't think there is any business of that
kind in existence to-day. OF course, the
tattooed people haven't all been captured
by blood-thirsty savages who amused
themselves by decorating their captives
with indigo pictures. There artists in
New York and Chicago that can tattoo
you from head to foot. and do the job more
thoroughly and in less time than any saw
ages could possibly do it.
CARNIVALS HELP FREAK BUSINESS.
1.-The popularity of the street fairs and
summer carnivals in small towns nowadays
has helped the business of the sdeshow-
man wonderfully, and there are more
amusement enterprises of this sort now
touring the country than ever before. For
awhile there was a craze for mystic
mazes, Moorish theaters and shows of
the kind that became famous during the
worlds fair in Chicago, but there seems
to be a tendency now on the part of the
public to literally patronize the old-time
sideshow with it's fat people, its tattooed
wonders. its Albinos, snake charmers.
Punch-and-Judes and other familiar fea-
lures. AS for the dime museums, they are
more numerous than ever, and it's sur
prising that city of the size of Indianapo-
lis is without one, as this town was always
: considered a good dime museum place if
teen and twenty years ago. Philadelphia
: is the best of the museum towns now
5 There are more show places of the kind
! there than in New York New York comes
D second in it's number of museums, and Bos-
ton comes in a good third Don't for q
moment imagine that the business of the
dime museum and sideshow man is on the
wane. Just so long as there are people de-
sirous of seeing curiostities there will bt
2 plenty of showmen to stick TO this old-fash
5 toned style of gathering in the dimes