ABOUT FREAKS.

Mataura Ensign, 27 January 1911, Page 5

ABOUT FREAKS.

INGENIOUS FAKES." WHAT THK JTHLIC- UKE* It seems strange that freaks, irom lit** legless wonder to tin' cilt, should possess Midi a strange fascination lor nine people out of ten, yet this is undoubtedly the case, Of <••.■11 r*e, there are many so-called ireaks which have no business to l»e railed In kucJi an unpleasant name, io." it «me argues from the dictionary, a ireak in a monstrosity. and a monstrosity in the generally accepted word is something horrible. The giant and the dwarf are interesting ami unusual hut certainly should not be railed •'freaks"; indeed, it is a libel ol the grossest kind. It would se.'iji tliat our forefather* were not obsessed In the morbid cravtin* unusual and grotesque which olten shows itself nowadays. or jwrhapK their highly superstitious ideas prevailed over their curiosity, (or anv unnatural physical attributes Here almost always put down to the direct intiueti<<> ol the evil one. Hunchbacks were an exception to the rule, for all kind* of powers Mere attributed to them. There are some very sensitive people to whom the sight ol anything in the nature ol a monstrosity is absolute pain, and women are fortunately tew and far between who fall in love with a n..uister because of Ins monstrosity. a> in tin* ca*c ol Victor "i/litiiiuiic *jtii Hit." The ordinary individual comes across very few physical freaks, and one cannot but wonder w hence the show man's rank and lile is recruited. Perhaps, if the truth were known, more than hp If of the show freaks are "fakes." There are many good stories told of these sham freakfcj who, owing to some contretemps, have "given the show away." 'Hie follow i.j<r is a good e\ample. Among tlie tleaks ol a certain show wa ; a 'domesticated gnril!a," to quote the handbills, and he prove] one of the finest draws the show had ever had. Alter the performance no one would have recognised the gorilla, as he then took the shape of a very quiet, ordinary little man. The public particularly enjoyed seeing the gorilla swing from the horizontal bar by his tail, an appendage which is very slightly developed in the species as a rule. This tail was a masterpiece of ingenuity: it wan made of flexible steel, and so contrived that when it took a turn round anything it locked into position until it was released by the gorilla touching a spring concealed somewhere near his waist. The thing worked splendidly for a long time, until one day the gorilla put hi* tail through the bars of his cage, and a lady standing by took hold of it. Well, the tail acted automatically, 4 usual, and, of course, when she felt it tighten round her wrist the lady screamed. The gorilla pressed the hidden spring to no purpose. To make a long story short, the men standing by rame to tlie ladv'n rescue, took hold of the tail—and pulled it of!. When the poople Maw the leather fastening and buckles, thev "cleaned out tlie establishment." an the proprietor afterwards remarked.