The New York herald., 1922-04-02
NEED ANY FREAKS?
CALL ON GUMPERTZ
Magnate Who Runs Market
for Strange People Tells
of Their Habits.
ZIP THE MOST POPULAR
Women Growing Stout Like to
Reassure Themselves Be-
fore Real Fat Lady.

Sam Gumpertz freak magnate who
collects human curiositics as some men
acquire paintings, Colonial furniture or
first editions called at Freak Hall in
Madison Square last night while the big
show was booming in the arena.
/, After the Strange People--as they SEN
lsitively prefer to be called-had crowded
around him, or he had visited such as
could not walk or shake hands, and the
general buzz of pleasant greeting had
died away, he chatted about the oldest
business in the world and of the queer
deals he has made in three legged boys.
transparent men, blue men. bearded
ladies. giants and midgets, ossified men
and armless wonders.
4 Not a week passes that this dealer in
natures whims does not receive per-
fectly matter of fact, businesslke tele-
grams reading something like this:
Rush half-woman, fat lady (young),
two midgets and blue man for street
fair Bucyrus, Ohio, week Of April l."
Hate Sympathy or Pity.
It's a great game" said Sam Glm-
pertz. as he idly watch krao. the
Eiamese Bearded Lady of the circus.
knitting sweater for her husband.
opera stars have nothing on the freaks.
lf they travel they have got to have
Pullman compartments, and they de-
mand the best there is in hotel accom-
modations. You've got to be careful
what you say to them or in front of
them. They hate 10 be pitied or SYM
pathized with.
I've been handling freaks for good
many years and they've certainly kept
efn
freaks come from central Europe than
anywhere else in the world, Hungary
iand the Balkan States produce a lot,
probably due to the fact that the mar
rage OF close relatives is common
rat women are always in demand
ana the market is usually firm in living
skeletons Human psychology enters
lnto the popularity Of fat women
Femnine visitors to the circus love to
ailrong around the fat lady and console
themselves, even if pretty plump. that
they will never get to look like her
Living skeletons are objects OF intense
curiosity for something OF the same
reason, and people always ask the liv-
ing skeletons what they eat that keeps
them so thin
OF all the freaks mdgets are prob
boly the most popular and OF the sun
slest disposition. Little Princess Wee
'f'S usIC IdS lTicIlus dll over the COun-
TRY, and has been entertained in good
eoInes in many cities
Most dwarfs are obsessed by the
Notion that they are growing bigger.
and whenever mdgets meet at the
beginning of season there Is the most
sollcitous examination of each others
height TO see IL by any i'll luck the
~ action Of an inch has been added
II Zip Best known of Strau.. rnIL
Who is the best known freak in the
fWofld? on, suppose our old friend Zip,
the Human What Is 1t? here Is entitled
40 that distinction. We know that Zip
lis ~ least So and IL he knew the facts
ot his youth il would turn out probably
fhat nc was much older Zip was first
heard Of IN 1856, sNty-six years ago
when sailor took him to Barnum's
Museum at Broadway and Ann street
i1hc sailor told Mr.. Barnum that he had
rescued Zip from Il Chinese ship in
Singapore harbor. Barnum studied Zip
while then asked: What is it,"
Don't ask me- said the sailor. Bet