Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-07-05
WITH THE CIRCUS FREAKS
Entire World Ransacked for Alb
normal Men and Women.
Champion Freaks Amass Wealth Of No
Mean ProportiOns-They Have
All the Pride Of Shake.
pearean Actors.

Magazine of the New York Evening
Post)
only the philosopher, perhaps, has
taken thought Of the circus side-show
freak as being who, aside from ply
sique and weird accomplishments, Diff
fers In no material respect from the
general run Of humanity. Undoubtedly
from the standpoint Of the Snowman and
Of the prodigies themselves this is Just
as well. For. after all. the fact that they
are different is their great-their only
asset. Were the public. for instance,
aware that n famous bearded lady once
shaved her hirsute adornment and ap-
peared at the altar as a blushing bride,
the incident, however romantic, would
Probably operate in some elusive, in
tangible way to modify her drawing pow
er. AT least this is the showman's the
DRY. theory he retains in spite of the
splendid sequel which saw Madame
Meyers fall into a marital pet one day
as a result Of which she abandoned both
razor and husband and returned to the
side-show platform--where she sits to-
day.
Be that as 1t may, the drawing power
Of the guild Of quaint and curious per-
sons whose physical vagaries have put
them in the way of livelihood that
big league baseball star or a bank pres
ident might envy is unequalled in show
dom. Their popularity Is unique as it is
enduring, hold. by the way, which
showmen, naturally versed in the psy
chology of the crowd. assert has its inn
pulse In something deeper than morbid
curiosity. Vanity, they say, Is the real
explanation. Proceeding. they point out
that nothing affords such pleasure to
your man or woman Of obese or extreme
ly atsenuated proportions as to stand
beside a fellow creature who so far
transcends them in heft or sparseness Of
flesh as to make him, or her, appear nor
NAL by comparison. Assuming the show
men are right and adding this gentle
human failing to instructive interest in
abnormal humanity, 1t is clear that
freaks have an important as we'll as lu-
crative place In the scheme of things.
No self-respecting circus dares to be
| without them, and the demand for new
and interesting additions far ex ceeds the
supply.
When Mackinaw. the Russian giant,
died in Moscow some years ago, the
world was deprived of the most altitude
| nous man ever known. He was eight
| feet seven inches tall, a champion freak.
Now the death Of the champion of the
freak class, especially giant or a dwarf
the rarest and hence the most valuable
Of all freaks-comes 70 the sbowmen of
| the world as n calamity particu,arlv
| in the limited States where the scone
| ingenuity. and ~,erpv which character.
| lie the freak industry are but a reflex
Of popular interest in abnormal physique.
| The demise of the towering Muscovite,
thus, was regarded as an economic, not
to say scientific, catastrophe. The side
show lost not a little Of its SAVIOR and
! Mackinaw's Mace on the platform con.
tains but n vacant chair.
D.>-c.cvCD r,,C u,o,,D
NA'>o1'>ND M "oi
Ihe worid was ransacked Tor FREAK
to replace the lost Mackinaw. and hope
had ABOUT peen abandoned wnen WORD
came from the Marineili brothers. Bel
siah agents Oh great american circus
tnat IN an obscure belgian village lived
| Two prothefs' ANTOINE ana batiste hugo
VINO were credi'eo win neights ranging
from WE'VE 10 fourteen rect inVestiga'
ZION revealed not lhcohsiderapie exag
geratioh' OUT, even So ANTOINE hugo
win MS eieht rect 1iVe lhcnes-oniy TWO
inches shorter thah the departed fus
siah-was quite tail enough 10 walk into
the champion class. 1t took six months
10 ihouce Ahtoihe-tearing the oceaf
Journev-to come TO the United states
|
week. put eventually ne !leioed 10 en-
treaty ne died last spring IN this coun
Try, rich man several rows OF apart
ment houses IN Paris and property II
ltaiy are fruits or the renown OF thu
.nannp'o" oo.n mere anu aoloau. ii
p'"eo as","S' VIC sN'
because v !''"n 10 nNo"u " e"'S, wiz
eo.es WIN ooVo'a' '"."ee " iiuso
o INC pese"' en"inp'oi, N"p.
Heorse Auser' a" A"ericah' WHO al
80 ".sein =, r'o"''e' sai"' 10 e's"' iec
'our inc"eS ta"'
na'is'e nuso. A".o,ne prother' eish
Zee. tnlee l"ches tau, hau alhasseo
snus io'.une :" nuIopean uen'res oetor
mo oI ~. !" .ne summer VI I'i', w, .ner
',e ue"" Ao' nm III WIG o"i'e'
o'"te'' oe1"uso !" '"'e country oN'
.no.o ,ieanS a'C euceoe'iu' WIN s'',
d. ue neau Vi wha'ever GLASS; he-or 81
may happel u DC m
man 10 she'e'o''' nc must
u sNe'o,o" '"". any man III III
y, i"'. ~ NUS We eupienio
ne oo1s'y. samuel w, ouihper'A,
Aslahu' VINO ,uim's"eS a'.rac'ioi'
VIC pAfnuh n"ney anu Hihsi'
49, x 20 uno on'ei aN nipies"'I.
,s e me- a,"i'er vi re'a'i'e i'eanish"es'
&C., pas'es ASSAY ne icoeNea !"
'os,a =. q uhlee years ehkaseHeht VIII
$780,. use' anu SHOWS anu ma
avon.uou., :" ' on or
thronss .,,o,.,. ,. III. e .,, III
nrow,Ssd ~ ,s s.,'' a 49,
p"'
ONLf THE GENUINE.
contrary 10 general peiief' spuriou
freaks are not tolerated by any reputs