Referring to Goshin as an Arabian brings to light a curious fact with
regard to freaks of great size. He was not an Arabian, but a negro
picked up by "Yank Robinson" in Kentucky. So confirmed is the habit of
speaking of him as an Arabian that it has become second nature with me,
and I think that this tendency is almost universal with showmen; they
become so accustomed to enlarging on the fictitious characters for
which their freaks are played that I sometimes think they almost get to
believe these stories themselves.
Among the freaks the women were almost universally jealous of their
professional reputations. Hannah Battersbey, who weighed more than four
hundred pounds, recognized Kate Heathley as her particular rival, and
either of these women could be instantly thrown into a jealous passion
at the mention of the other's claim to superiority in the matter of
weight. The strange alliances which sometimes took place in the freak
world are well illustrated by the marriage of the weighty Hannah to a
living skeleton who touched the scales at sixty-five pounds.
Before leaving the subject of freaks I must mention the strangest sight
that it was ever my fortune to look upon in the course of a life spent
in association with human novelties. Early in my career I was fortunate
enough to secure the show rights for a fair in Montgomery, Ala., which
was held just at the end of the northern show season. This circumstance
resulted in bringing to the fair a most unusual number of small shows,
the main attractions of which were freaks of every kind and color. My
royalties were very large, and I was naturally expected to do something
handsome by the people who had contributed to this success;
consequently I gave a dinner to the "freaks," and that banquet table
presented a scene probably unrivaled in history. I only wish I were
able to give anything approaching an adequate description of that
festal board. At the head of the table was the towering figure of an
eight-foot giant, while at the other extremity of the board sat a
thirty-six-inch dwarf. The jests which were bandied between the
banqueters are worthy a place in a history of wit. A single instance,
however, will give an idea of the peculiar terms with which these
people enlivened the occasion. As the "Armless Man" helped himself to
potatoes, the "Bearded Lady" opposite him called out, "Hands off!" and
the whole company shouted with laughter.
The famous "Australian Children," who made several fortunes for their
exhibitors, came from Circleville, Ohio, and were the children of a
mulatto. Occasionally the showman met with distressing but amusing
experiences resulting from the identification of his freaks on the part
of the public.