The Washington times., 1903-02-16
THE SIAMESE TWINS
MADE HIS FORTUNE
Americas Oldest Living Snowman Now
Manages a Hotel.

The Oldest living Snowman. Judge Fl
P. ingalls,. friend and boon companion
OF Barnum. Forepaugh, Van Amburg.
and Robinson lives in Huntsville, Ohio.
ingalls, reaped fame and fortune with
the Siamese twins and made and lost
half a dozen other fortunes.
The old man long ago retired from
the circus business. but the scent OF the
sawdust and gasoIene torches stin has
fascination for this veteran Snowman
With his wife and family Of four chill
dren he is spending his declining years
in the management OF the hotel in
Huntsville.
7 supposed the boys had forgotten
me" said the veteran the other dav. II
was born March IS. 1926. near MerrImac
y. H.. and lived the life OF a farmer boy
although my earliest remembrance is a
longing for the life or a Snowman. When
l was twenty-four years old 1 went 20
/ New York city. Times we're pretty
/ tough then, and had difficulty in max
/ ing both ends meet However. after
| hard effort | got position as street car
conductor.
4 The free life OF the circus seemed 10
i
| l responded. I Joined old Frank Car
ney's hiDpodrome and got my first taste
OF the life. After a year or two with
this aggregation I Joined the Welsh &
Lent circus. and remained with them for
three years. l had during this period
raked and scraped together a little
money. and / decided to start in bust -
ness for myself
1t was in 1854 that I took charge Of
the old Philadelphia Museum. in PhfIa-
delDhia- There Il was that became ac-
quainted with Avery Smith. old man
Quick, Dick Sands Dan Rice and Others
OF the old-timers. I guess 1 am about
the only one now left OF them.
Shortly before 1 came into possession
OF the Philadelphia Museum. Captain
Colin. owner OF a trading ship. arrived
in this country with the Siamese twins.
He had secured them by some trivial
contract with the King OF Siam. The
twins were then eighteen years old. A
man named Zimmerman ATTEMPTED 10
| exhibit them. but his effort was not a
| financial success. and then l secured
them and showed them first Of all in
! Philadelphia at my own museum with
| great success
1t was at this time that / became so
well acquainted with p T. Barnum. He
had heard OF my initial successes with
the twins. and one day he approached
me 70 buy an interest in them.
The bargain we struck has never been
made public. but ! will tell you now that
BarnUm got a fourth interest in the
twins in exchange for his long expert
ence in the museum business. He then
toured the United States from the At
| lantic 10 the Pacific and exhibited to
big crowds. Then l took them TO Eng
land. where. on a Good Friday, we
( opened at the Crystal Palace and clear
ed So, 200 in that one day.
"Barnum and I had the twins for three
years. but when they reached twenty
one years they went into business for
themselves. They quickly made a for
tune and settled in Kentucky. investing
the money they had made in the slave
traffic. They lost their fortune during
the war and then exhibited themselves
over the United States again. and died
in the seventies. in Surrey county North
Carolina.
When Barnum and l were together I
found him a man Of wonderful magnet
! ism. He was a strictly temperate man,
and when inviting US down to his coun-
try home in Connecticut 70 spend sun
day he would say. Boys. come down and
spend Sunday with me: but il you want
anything 90 drink you had better bring
/ il along. When Barnum and l separated
on the wharf at New York when l was
first going to England. he said 10 me.
| ingalls,. l believe you are a temperate
man: but If you drink anything over in
! England be very careful. They got me
/ drunk over there once. and III never
/ hear the last Of it -