CHICAGO'S WEIRD FREAKS.

NZ Truth, Issue 160, 11 July 1908, Page 6

CHICAGO'S WEIRD FREAKS.

The Home of a Hundred Human Curiosities.

Fanny Mills' Feet.

The Human Telescope.

There'- seems little doubt that freaks no longer enjoy the popularity that once was ••, theirs. There are unmistakeable signs that the demand for them (is declining, and this is particularly noticeable m "Chicago, which is known throughout the world as the headquarters of the freaK profession. It is m Chicago every - year that hundreds of circuses, carnival companies, fair concessions and museums select their attractions. Atvthe end of the season the show people return home, to make arrangements for another engage-, ment. For this reason Chicago is even more popular than New York among this class of public performers. But the number of available freaks is steadily growing smaller. The day was when a string of museums extended from coast to coast m America, but now there are only about a dozen museums, scattered at intervals through the large cities. But the "sideshow market" still counts for something, and •.".■■" SEVERAL HUNDRED HUMAN CURIOSITIES still call Chicago their home. Among these will be found some of the most famous and distinguished members of sideshow society. The more prosperous freaks own their | own homes, but others live m lodgings. This mode Of life, for a fr^ak with sensibilities,^ has its inconveniences. Many landlords ■■ object to snakes antt other such pets as the artists are apt to favor, and occasionally pay embarrassing visits to inspect the locks and hardware iin a room m wMch the human ostrict curls up at night. ( '

But the palmy days of .giants and fat people seem to he about past, as they have become rare, and there only a few i entries m either class to be found m. the city. No reason can be given for the de-r cadence of this, interesting class of human curiosities. It is merely a fact that exists ; it must be pondered over, and, perchance, mournetL WITTE, THE GERMAN GIANT, who measures up to 7ft. 2in., is often found m Chicago; but he is the only giant doing business jiist at present. Grant, the strong man, stays m Chicago, between engagements, as does Al» berts, who lifts four men by bhe hair of the head. Flossie le Blanche, who' lifts elephants, and can support 12 or 16 men on a platform, declares that she is much strengthened and. invigorated by the breezes of Lake Michigan. At one time . Chicago possessed the largest-footed woman m the world, Fanny Mills, but Fanny has just died. Her feet wer£ enormous, and a special coffin had to be made -for her. Miss Mills often said she got her start m life oa Chicago's .cobblestones, and that she wanted the inscription on her monument to read, "Here lies THE'ORIGINAL CHICAGO- GIRL."' ; A number^ of people m- the city" make a specialty of handling snakes. Blanche Alexander, Zoa, and Julienne are all snakecharmers, and have a number of interesting reptiles m their possession. They declare that at the end of the season their pets arc as anxious to return to the quiet and peace of Chicago as are the; owners, and that on the road 'they often, actually, show signs of homesickness. '■• . ■ Fred Walters, the blue man, lives' at Chicago Heights, and James Morris, who, owns an elastic skin, spends Ms spare time m that city. The Spotted Family, which consists of Mr Davis, his wife, and three children, are often m Chicago. This family is part white and "part black, even as to hair, like a calico pony; on a merry-go-round. > \ • ; "?' ■ The. atmosphere of Chicago is distinctly favorable for the growth of hair, as the' testimony of several women will show. Edith . King, .who is also a midget, Mad- : ame De yere, and Zelda De Coopa are endowed with a CONSIDERABLE HIRSUTE ADORNMENT / upon their Jaces, and Madame Taylor and ' Mamie Gay have hair upon their heads that measures seven or eight feet m length. There are two Circassian beauties m the city, Maude Hasset and lrma La Telle. A slight variation m hirsuteoddities is found m the case of the Koys. The family consists at present of a mother and son, although the . father, before his death, was a well-known performer. •The Roys claim to be the only genuine Albinos in -America, and one' of the most interesting features m connection with them is the fact that young Roy is a perfect type of the Albino. It is usually thought that the children of Albinos return to the normal state of coloring. The large army of dyspeptics m Chicago is added to by some freaks who are the possessors of unusual vagaries m the way of appetite. The most rabid of these probably is Professor Harrison, wiro lives upon tacks, nails and other hardware. Professor Harrison can take a bite out of a knife blade v with the same ease that a less accomplished person/nibbles at a cracker. ' ARDO, THE HUMAN OSTRICJ3, Miles, the sword-swallower and fire-eater, Professor Milse, the owner of a cast-iron stomach ; Mrs Clifford, the only woman sword-swallower, all mingle conspicuous-, ly aijjong tlie elite of the show world m Chicago. . One of the biggest-salaried freaks m the United States is Captain Ringman, the man who does not know the feeling oi pain. The captain is so much m demand that he is able to pass only a short part of each year m Chicago, but he considers it- his home. Captain Ririgman is able to pass iron bars through slits in' his flesh and hang weights upon them, but the climax of his act is reached when he takes his eye out and passes a needle through it. .

Bill Doss is another freak who is the only one m his class. Mr Doss is CALLED THE HUMAN TELESCOPE, . . . > as some strange formation of the- bones of his chest enables him to fold Wimself up, much as the sections of a spy-glass are pressed together. Dave Mushrow, the bear man, and Wico■demus, the hog. man, claim Chicago as home, and Alice, the dog-faced girl, before her death was long a resident of Chicago. It is not generally known, perhaps, but the Wild Men of Borneo became Chicagoans after they retired, and died there of old age. Psycho, the maid of the mist, an electrical oddity, is m the city, and Professor King, the "paper king," is passing a peaceful old age m one of the suburbs, surrounded by marvels of- paper and other works of his gentle art. i