The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-07-05

| mum, the snowman.
 From his Grassy Plain country store l experience he became a clerk in a Brooklyn store, and here he continued i his lottery activities, maintaining his | lottery agencies in Bethel and else where through a perfected system whereby he left the responsibilities to ! others and derived a goodly income | from the sale of tickets.
 | The following is from the Danbury Recorder, Wednesday, Jan. IA, 1929.
 DIR. PETERS ALIVE AGAIN. A Remedy for Hard Times Phineas T. Barnum, having recover ed his health would again give notice that he has on hand a small supply of tickets in Connecticut lotteries from | one dollar to Five and that his friend Peter is ready and willing to enrich all who will favor him with a call.
 N. B. All persons owing me for 1 tickets will much oblige me by set ting for them immediately. 1 F. T. Barnufn, Bethel, Jan l. | When he returned to Bethel, he had developed a keen interest in political affairs, and he began to write for the Danbury weekly paper the Recorder | He enjoyed publicity. When he was ! IS years old he caused the following advertisement to be printed in the | Recorder, then edited by Orrin Os- l borne:
 False Reports: A large assortment of second hand false reports, such | as tea table talks, etc, of the finest texture, and composed entirely of sly, | cunning, and yarn, and that which is ! most likely to deceive, on hand and | will be disposed of at cost and on an unusually long credit.
 PHINEAS T. BARNUM. F. S.. The subscriber would respec- lively give notice to the women who manufacture the above article that he can dispense with the use of their ton- gues and due notice shall be given them when they are again wanted"
 It was while he was clerling in tn Grassy Plain store that one Saturday evening when about to return to his Bethel home he met the charming country lass who was to be the first ity Hallett, tailoress. It chanced that neighbor upon whom Miss Hal- lett was calling, knew of Barnum' S custom to return home weekly, and she besought him to escort her far caller to her home the night appear came enam cured. He described her as fair. rosy checked, buxom with beautiful white teeth. They met rarely after their first meeting until many months had passed. Then their acquaintance was renewed, and when
  ly married in New York city with but a few relatives and friends as wit nesseS.
 Barnum was only 21 when he be- came newspaper editor. He had pronounced political views and he through the Danbury Recorder. His communications at length became so radical that the conservative editor declined to print them. Promptly Barnum procured an outfit and began to publish the Herald of Freedom. His aggressiveness, combined with his inexperience. resulted in his becom- ing involved in three libel suits in as many years.
 How Barnum turned to account those things that might prove disas- trous to others is shown by his atti- tude in the last of these libel suits. He published a story to the effect that a prominent Bethel man had practfced usury upon an orphan boy. It hap pened that the victim of the editorial attack was an old time enemy of the Barnum family. He instituted a crim- inal action and Barnum was fined $100 and jailed for 60 days.
 Barnum was given a comfortably furnished room in the jail and he brought his newspaper outfit with him and continued to print as usual. The notoriety attaching to his incarcera- .tion resulted in keen interest in it's weekly appearance. His circulation increased by leaps and bounds. When he was released, at the expiration of his sentence, he was given an ovation which his own paper described as fol- lows:
 ''P T. Barnum and the band of music took their seats in a coach drawn by six horses which had been prepared for the occasion The coach was preceded by 40 horsemen and a ,c1, 11 ,sy 4l,o -ko ard. Immediately in the rear of the coach was the carriage of the capl- tai orator and the president of the day followed by the committee of ar engagements. and 60 carriages of citi- zens, which joined in escorting the editor to his home in Bethel.
 When the procession commenced its march amidst the roar of cannon. three cheers were given by several hundred who did not join in the pro- cession. The band of music contin- ued to play a variety of national airs until their arrival in Bethel, a dis tance of three miles, when they struck up the beautiful appropriate tune, Home, Sweet Home. Then after three hearty cheers the procession re- turned to Danbury. The utmost har- mony and unanimity of feeling pre- vailed throughout the day and we are happy to add that no accident accur- req Io IIldr tue ISSllNll1eS oL lAe oc- casion."
 This is from the Herald of Free dom, Dec. 12, 1S32,when Barnum was 22 years old.
 Barnum's first interest in the show business grew out of his purchasing part of the managerial rights of Joice Heth, a remarkable negress, whose grave is to be found in Bethel Congregational cemetery. It was claimed she was 161 years old when Barnum became interested in her. She was announced as the nurse of George Washington, the oldest woman in the world, and though very feeble she was able to sing fairly we'll and to converse intelligently. Barnum was in a way to make fortune when death removed her. The claims made for the the woman have often been disputed.
 Then he engaged an acrobat going under the name of Signor An tonic. at SIP per week and expenses. He changed the mans name for Vii valla, printed in an Albany newspaper story of the mans accomplishments, as piece of news rather than ad- vertising, and thereby established precedent for modern press agents. Newspapers throughout the country took up the story and wherever the SIP per week acrobat appeared, Bar mum gathered a golden harvest.
 While he was in Philadelphia, hiss came from the gallery. Barnum turn- ed this too good account. He claim ed the hiss came from one Roberts, or aorohaf uho was anuio11S ond ro1yo