The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1907-01-10
Famous Dime
Museum Freaks

ran across" said Frank M. Drew, an
old timer in the dime museum bust
ness, to a Cleveland Plain Dealer re-
porter, was Mile Christine, the two.
headed nightingale.
"Millie certainly could sing. And
she had two heads all right enough,
which caused me several times two
kinds of troubles.
Mile was colored and highly edu-
Gated. The heads would hold CONVEX
sations with each other in all sorts
of languages. She had Travelled all
over the world as freak, and she
had learned every language.
She could give an entire pro-
gramme by herself. First she would
sing an alto solo, and then soprano
solo. Occasionally she would sing a
duet.
She had four arms and four legs.
When it came time for the instru-
mental music she could play sim,
pie thing with two hands, or she
could play an intricate composition
with four hands. Great girl, she was.
L
had was Lucy Zarote, the Mexican
midget. She was really the smallest
woman in the world. She was about
% inches high, and played like a lit
tie child. She got $40 an hour for
sitting on the stage.
Il don't believe there ever was a
boy who hasn't heard of Barnum 5
what is ito The bills called him
Zip. He was southern colored man
with peculiar shaped head. | don't
believe anyone really figured out just
what was the matter with him.
Living skeletons and fat men and
women were plentiful as the air. The
best skeleton we ever had was Isaac
Sprague.
Isaac used to walk around with a
can of milk in his hand to keep him
self alive. He sure was a thin one
We had fellow who was almost as
thin as Isaac, who could eat any
thing and everything. l never saw
such an appetite. Still, he couldn't
get fat.
During one particular week we
had two fat women on exhibition.
Big Laura Wolford was the star, and
Hattie Bowen was the other. Laura
was colored, Hattie, white; Laura
weighing almost 1000 pounds, and
Hattie weighed little less than 500
"A Circassian girl could be made
in few minutes. All that was need
ed was luxriant head of hair or a
good white wig. Nothing else was
needed except little bleaching mate
rial for the long haired girl.
"Jo-Jo and Creo were the once
Both We're completely covered vita
hair-real hair, too. There was moth
ing fake about them.
The camel girl was a funny look.
ing object. Whenever she walked
she walked away from herself. From
the thighs down her legs were turned
the wrong way. If she stopped over
her knees would stick out behind like
camel's.
"Ivanovitch, the Siberian exile.
was one of the most versatile eX-
hibits. He was a hideous little fell
low, nearly covered with hair.
"One day he would be the exile
Next day he might go into a cage and
be wild man. He got better sal
airy for being a wild man, but it didn't
make much difference to him which
he was.
IF anything he would rather play
the exile, because the wild man had
to try to eat raw meat. Ivanovitch
didn't like that much.
"Trip was the armless wonder. He
used to travel with Barnum's. Trip
was really good. He could write,
sew, feed himself and do anything
else merely by the use of his toes.
I'VE had a girl, too, who was born
further and played the piano with her
toes. That is no joke.
Next to the Circassian girls, snake
charmers were easiest found Any
body could go into cage with the
snakes.
bill Doris had the largest one that
ever played Cleveland. One of them
died at the museum. 1t swallowed a
big wooden blanket and choked to
death.
Sad end for him. The blanket
got caught in his teeth You know
their teeth slant backward, 50 thar
whenever food is swallowed it has
to remain in the stomach until it is
digested. That is what queered this
reptile.
The ossitied man | found up IN
Canada. | brought him down here
by paying the expenses Of himself aad
his son and giving them a little
money. They stirred up the most at
tention the museum ever had
Myrtle Corbin, one of the four
legged girls, was good drawing
card until she was married In her
travels she found man from Ken.
lucky and married him. Now she has
three of four children. They live in
the Kentucky mountain region, and
so far as | know are perfectly happy.
Annie Jones was the best bearded
lady we ever had. She married a
lecturer with the museum. 1t is a
peculiar thing about freaks that prac-
tically all of them are married They
marry each other, or they marry some
one who wants to get in on the sal.
airy they make.
I'VE got a lot of free advertising
out of Lizzie Mills, the big-footed girl.