CAPTURING AND EXHIBITING WHITE WHALES NEWSPAPER COMMENTS--A
TOUCHING OBITUARY--THE GREAT BEHEMOTH--A LONG "LAST
WEEK"--COMMODORE NUTT--REAL LIVE INDIANS ON EXHIBITION.
The year 1861 was notable in the history of the American Museum.
Barnum heard that some fishermen at the mouth of the St. Lawrence
river had captured alive a fine white whale. He was also told
that such an animal, if packed in a box filled with sea-weed and
salt water, could be transported over land a considerable
distance without danger to its life or health. He accordingly
determined to secure and place on exhibition in his Museum a
couple of live whales. So he built in the basement of the
building a tank of masonry, forty feet long and eighteen feet
wide, to contain them. Then he went to the St. Lawrence river on
a whaling expedition. His objective point was the Isle au
Coudres, which was populated by French Canadians. There he
engaged a party of twenty-four fishermen, and instructed them to
capture for him, alive and unharmed, a couple of the white whales
which at almost any time were to be seen in the water not far
from the island.
The plan decided upon was to plant in the river a "kraal,"
composed of stakes driven down in the form of a V, leaving the
broad end open for the whales to enter. This was done in a
shallow place, with the point of the kraal towards shore; and if
by chance one or more whales should enter the trap at high water,
the fishermen were to occupy the entrance with their boats, and
keep up a tremendous splashing and noise till the tide receded,
when the frightened whales would find themselves nearly "high and
dry," or with too little water to enable them to swim, and their
capture would be next thing in order. This was to be effected by
securing a slip-noose of stout rope over their tails, and towing
them to the sea-weed lined boxes in which they were to be
transported to New York.
Many times fine whales were seen gliding close by the entrance to
the trap, but they did not enter it, and the patience of Barnum
and his fishermen was sorely tried. One day one whale did enter
the kraal, and the fishermen proposed to capture it, but Barnum
was determined to have two, and while they waited for the second
one to enter the first one went out again. After several days of
waiting, Barnum was aroused early one morning by the excited and
delighted shouts of his men. Hastily dressing, he found that two
whales were in the trap and were sure of being captured. Leaving
the rest of the task to his assistants, he hurried back to New
York. At every station on the route he gave instructions to the
telegraph operators to take off all whaling messages that passed
over the wires to New York, and to inform their fellow-townsmen
at what hour the whales would pass through each place.
The result of these arrangements may be imagined; at every
station crowds of people came to the cars to see the whales which
were travelling by land to Barnum's Museum, and those who did not
see the monsters with their own eyes, at least saw some one who
had seen them, and thus was secured a tremendous advertisement,
seven hundred miles long, for the American Museum.
Arrived in New York, dispatches continued to come from the
whaling expedition every few hours. These were bulletined in
front of the Museum and copies sent to the papers. The excitement
was intense, and, when at last, these marine monsters arrived and
were swimming in the tank that had been prepared for them,
anxious thousands literally rushed to see the strangest
curiosities ever exhibited in New York.
Barnum's first whaling expedition was thus a great success.
Unfortunately he did not know how to feed or take care of the
animals. A supply of salt water could not be obtained, so they
were put into fresh water artificially salted, and this did not
agree with them. The basement of the Museum building was also
poorly ventilated and the air was unwholesome. As the result of
these circumstances the whales died within a week, although not
until they had been seen by thousands of people. Barnum
immediately resolved to try again. In order to secure a better
home for his pets, he laid an iron pipe under the streets of the
city, from his Museum clear out into New York bay. Through this,
by means of a steam-engine, he was able to secure a constant
supply of genuine sea-water. In order that the whales should have
good air to breathe, he constructed for them another tank on the
second floor of the Museum building. This tank had a floor of
slate, and the sides were made of French plate-glass, in huge
pieces six feet long, five feet wide, and one inch thick. These
plates were imported by Barnum expressly for the purpose. The
tank was twenty-four feet square. Two more white whales were soon
caught in the same manner as before, and were conveyed in a ship
to Quebec and thence by rail to New York.
Barnum was always proud of this enterprise, and it yielded him
handsome profits. The second pair of whales, however, soon died.
Barnum remarked that their sudden and immense popularity was too
much for them. But a third pair was quickly secured to take their
place. Envious and hostile critics declared that they were not
whales at all, but only porpoises, but this did no harm. Indeed,
Barnum might well have paid them to start these malicious
reports, for much good advertising was thereby secured. The
illustrious Agassiz was appealed to. He came to see the animals,
gave Barnum a certificate that they were genuine white whales,
and this document was published far and wide.
The manner in which the showman advertised his curiosities may be
seen from the following, taken from one of the daily papers of
the time:
BARNUM'S AMERICAN MUSEUM. ----After months of unwearied labor,
and spending NEARLY TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS NEARLY TEN THOUSAND
DOLLARS NEARLY TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS
in capturing and transporting them from that part of the Gulf of
St. Lawrence nearest Labrador, the Manager is enabled to offer
his visitors
TWO LIVING WHALES, TWO LIVING WHALES, TWO LIVING WHALES, TWO
LIVING WHALES, TWO LIVING WHALES, TWO LIVING WHALES,
a male and a female. Everybody has heard of WHALES
IN NURSERY TALES and "SAILOR'S YARNS," IN NURSERY TALES and
"SAILOR'S YARNS,"
everybody has read of WHALES in story, song, and history, and
everybody
WANTS TO SEE A WHALE, WANTS TO SEE A WHALE, WANTS TO SEE A WHALE,
WANTS TO SEE A WHALE,
and now they have the opportunity. Barnum has
CAPTURED TWO OF THE LEVIATHANS, CAPTURED TWO OF THE LEVIATHANS,
CAPTURED TWO OF THE LEVIATHANS,
has built a small ocean in his Museum, filled it from the briny
deep, and there
THE TWO LIVING WHALES, THE TWO LIVING WHALES, THE TWO LIVING
WHALES, THE TWO LIVING WHALES,
measuring respectively fifteen and twenty feet in length, may be
seen at all hours sporting in their native element. Who will miss
the opportunity of seeing them? Another may not offer in a
lifetime. Embrace this ere it be too late. See Mr. Barnum's card
below.
LAST TWO DAYS OF WILLIAM TILLMAN AND WILLIAM STEDDING,
The Colored Steward and German Sailor of the
SCHOONER S. J. WARING,
Who slew three of the piratical prize crew, and rescued
themselves and the vessel from their power.
WHAT IS IT? OR, MAN MONKEY.
MADAGASCAR ALBINOS, PURE WHITE NEGROES, OR MOORS. SEA LION,
MAMMOTH BEAR SAMSON, with a variety of other living Bears;
MONSTER SNAKES, AQUARIA, HAPPY FAMILY, LIVING SEAL, WAX FIGURES,
&c.
In the Lecture-Room, a great Dramatic Novelty is offered,
EMBRACING FARCE, VAUDEVILLE and BURLETTA, with a brilliant and
talented company, including LITTLE LOLA, THE INFANT WONDER,
Mr. and Mrs. C. B. REYNOLDS;
Miss DORA DAWRON, DOUBLE-VOICED SINGER, LA PETITE ADDIE LE BRUN,
The favorite Juvenile Danseuse, always popular.
MARIE; THE CHILD OF SORROW,
With a laughable farce, every day at 3 and 7 3/4 o'clock.
Admission to all, 25 cents; Children under 10, 15 cents.
-------------------------------------------------------------A
CARD FROM P. T. BARNUM.--LIVING WHALES on exhibition.--Having
learned from fishermen and eminent naturalists, including the
written statement of the celebrated Prof. Agassiz, that the White
Whale could be found in that portion of the Gulf of St. Lawrence
nearest to Labrador, I made a journey there in June last,
accompanied by my agent. I remained there a fortnight, and made
every arrangement for capturing and keeping alive two of these
monsters. This arrangement included the service of thirty-five
men, beside my special agent. I then returned and had erected in
the Museum a reservoir fifty feet in length and twenty-five feet
in width, in which was placed sea-water, and arrangements made
for a continual fresh supply. I also made arrangements with
steamers and railroads to convey these leviathans to New York at
the fastest possible speed, without regard to the expense.
I am highly gratified in being able to assure the public that
they have arrived safe and well, a MALE and FEMALE, from 15 to 20
feet long, and are now swimming in the miniature ocean in my
Museum, to the delight of visitors. As it is very doubtful
whether these wonderful creatures can be kept alive more than a
few days, the public will see the importance of seizing the first
moment to see them.
P. T. BARNUM.
AMERICAN MUSEUM, Thursday, August 8, 1861.
"A real live whale," said an editorial writer in the New York
Tribune of that date, "is as great a curiosity as a live lord or
prince, being much more difficult to catch, and far more
wonderful in its appearance and habits. After all people are
people, and have much the same ways of feeling and doing. But
when we get among the whales, we catch glimpses of a new and neat
thing in nose, recall the narrative of Jonah without throwing a
shadow of a doubt upon its authenticity, and appreciate keenly
the difficulties with which mermaid society must have to contend.
"We owe the presence of two whales in our midst to the enterprise
of Mr. P. T. Barnum. He has had them in tow for a long while, but
has kept his secret well, and it was not until his own special
whaler telegraphed from Troy that he had come so far into the
bowels of the earth with his submarine charge, and all well, that
he felt warranted in whispering whale to the public. The public
was delighted, but not surprised, because it feels that the
genius that is equal to a What Is It is also equal to the biggest
thing, and would experience no unusual thrill of wonder if a real
iceberg, or a section of the identical North Pole, should be
announced on the bills of the Museum.
"But flocks of the public sought the Museum yesterday, and were
not disappointed. They saw not, as Polonius, something 'very like
a whale,' but the original animal in its original element. The
bears, and the anacondas, the hatchet, and the seal, sank into
merited insignificance, although they will have their day again
if the whales should expire. The transfer of the fish was neatly
effected. They travelled the whole distance in first-class
hermetical boxes, filled with water and thickly lined with
seaweed, and were landed, if the expression may be used, in the
new and excellent tank provided for them in the basement of the
Museum. This tank is fifty feet deep and twenty-five in width,
has seven feet of sea-water in it, and seems to suit the whales
eminently. Mr. Barnum has fears that the pets will have but a
brief, if brilliant, career, in their new quarters, but we prefer
to predict for them a long and happy one.
"These are white whales, and were taken near the Labrador coast
by a crew of thirty-five men. The largest has attained the
extreme size reached by this species, and is about 22 feet long;
the other is 18 feet long. Their form and motion are graceful,
and their silver backs and bellies show brightly through the
water. A long-continued intimacy has endeared them to each other,
and they go about quite like a pair of whispering lovers, blowing
off their mutual admiration in a very emphatic manner. Just at
present they are principally engaged in throwing their eyes
around the premises, and pay small attention to visitors, upon
whom, indeed, the narrative of Jonah has a strong hold. And yet
neither of these whales could make a single mouthful of a man of
ordinary size. Even if one of them should succeed in swallowing a
man, he could just stand up with the whale, and make it, at
least, as uncomfortable as himself.
"Here is a real 'sensation.' We do not believe the enterprise of
Mr. Barnum will stop at white whales. It will embrace sperm
whales and mermaids, and all strange things that swim or fly or
crawl, until the Museum will become one vast microcosm of the
animal creation. A quarter seems positively contemptible weighed
against such a treat."
And this was the public tribute, from the same pen, to the first
of the cetaceans that died through too much publicity:
"The community was shocked to hear of the death of one of
Barnum's whales yesterday morning. Death apparently loves a
shining mark. It seems but yesterday--in fact it was the day
before--we gazed upon the youthful form, instinct with life, and
looking forward to a useful and pleasant career. The whale shared
not the forebodings of its friends. Mr. Barnum was possessed with
a strange presentiment of calamity, and summoned the public to
either a house of mourning or a house of joy, he knew not which,
but at all events to be quick. At daybreak, we believe, the great
natural curiosity passed away.
"The blow is a severe one. To Mr. Barnum it must be a shocking
reminder of the emptiness of all human plans. Enterprise, liberal
expenditure, courage--what are they all before the fell
destroyer? Even whales have their time to sink and rise no more.
To the dear companion of all the joys and sorrows of the troubled
life of the deceased the bereavement must be sore indeed.
Delicacy forbids that we should lay bare such sorrows. No
twenty-five cent ticket should admit to them, including the
lecture-room. Such as witnessed the tender endearments between
these white whales, and saw how they had hearts that beat as one,
and how they were not happy when they were not pretty near each
other in the tank, may, perhaps, realize the anguish of their
separation. We are not surprised to learn, indeed, that the
affliction has borne so heavily upon the survivor that there may
be tidings at any moment of the flight of its spirit also. May
both whales meet again in the open seas of immortality! The loss
of the public is great, although not irreparable. The world moves
on, and many natural curiosities remain to fill up the gaps
caused by death. Mr. Barnum's spirit, although saddened, is not
broken. He sees the objects of his care and best management
snatched from him, and yet he announces that he will immediately
send on for two more whales of the same sort. We shall soon
forget the lost whales in contemplation of the new. Such is life,
it is well known.
"The decease may be attributed in a great measure to bear. It is
true that there might have been something injurious to the health
of the fish in a long overland journey. 'A fish out of water' is
a case that tries the utmost skill of the faculty. If a man were
confined in the most comfortable of water-tight boxes and
carried, under the care of a special agent, hundreds of miles
beneath the water, we should not be startled to hear that his
constitution was much shattered at the end of the journey. And
yet we are more encouraged to think that the whale owed his death
to other causes than the overland transportation, because the sea
lion does so well, and the fishes in the aquaria appear to be so
hearty and contented. To bear, then, we must attribute our loss.
This animal abounded in the basement where the tank is, and
whether through jealousy of the fame of the new-comers, or
through some settled antipathy between flesh and fish, or simply
through his natural beastliness, he communicated effluvia to the
atmosphere that were perfectly unendurable by whale, which
promptly expired from want of good breath.
"This agent of destruction will be removed from the premises
before the next whales arrive, and suitable measures will be
taken to guard against such a mournful catastrophe. There is a
whale in Boston whose health is so good that it never requires
medical attendance.
"The deceased was about sixty years of age. It bore an excellent
character. Its patience and sweet disposition under the most
trying circumstances will long be remembered. The remains,
weighing not less than twenty-six hundred pounds, will be
suitably disposed off. While the public mourns it may also
console itself with the reflection that there are plenty more
where it came from, and that the energy of Barnum is not to be
abated by any of the common disasters of life, and may hopefully
anticipate a speedy announcement of an entirely new whale. Vale!
Vale!"
The tank in the basement of the Museum was now devoted to a yet
more interesting exhibition. On August 12, 1861, Barnum placed in
it the first live hippopotamus that had ever been seen in
America. The brute was advertised most extensively and
ingeniously as "the great behemoth of the Scriptures," and
thousands of scientific men, biblical students, clergymen and
others, besides the great host of the common people, flocked to
see it. There was fully as much excitement in New York over this
wonder in the animal creation as there was in London when the
first hippopotamus was placed in the Regent's Park "Zoo."
Barnum began by advertising that the animal was on exhibition for
a short time only. Then he announced the "last week" of the novel
show. Then, "by special request," another week was added. And
thus the "last week of the hippopotamus" was prolonged through
many months. The following is a fair sample of the advertisements
with which the daily papers literally teemed:
BARNUM'S MUSEUM ----SECOND WEEK OF THAT WONDERFUL LIVING
HIPPOPOTAMUS,
FROM THE RIVER NILE IN EGYPT THE GREAT BEHEMOTH OF THE SCRIPTURES
AND THE MARVEL OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.
The history of this animal is full of interest, and to every
class, especially the educated and intelligent, but above all to
the biblical student, who has read with interest the glowing
description of
THE GREAT BEHEMOTH
in the Book of Job. He is strictly an
AMPHIBIOUS ANIMAL,
living in the water and out of it; under the water, or on the top
of it, floats on its surface with perfect ease, or beneath the
surface, midway between the top and the bottom. In their natural
state these animals are wild and ferocious; though on the land,
they are not very formidable, but when pursued they fly to the
rivers,
DESCEND TO THE BOTTOM AND WALK ACROSS,
frequently appearing on the opposite side without the least
indication of their course on the surface of the stream. If
exasperated by assaults, in the water they are the most
FRIGHTFUL ANTAGONISTS,
their gigantic proportions and herculean strength, giving them
power over every opposing force, frequently destroying whole
boat-loads of men and their boats, crushing with their huge jaws
everything that comes in their way. In the Museum the specimen
here exhibited has an
ARTIFICIAL OCEAN OR RIVER,
where he is to be seen in all his natural peculiarities, floating
on, and swiming beneath the surface, walking on the bottom
several feet beneath, exhibiting, in short, all the peculiarities
of his nature; and to perfect the scene, native
ARABIAN KEEPER, SALAAMA,
who is himself a curiosity as a specimen of that historic tribe
of men, who exhibits all the stolidity and Arabian dignity of
that Oriental race; the only man who can control or exhibit his
hippopotamiship, is in constant attendance. They are both to be
seen at all hours, DAY and EVENING.
This is the
FIRST AND ONLY REAL HIPPOPOTAMUS
ever seen in America. He is engaged at a cost of many thousand of
dollars, and will remain
A SHORT TIME ONLY. A SHORT TIME ONLY.
Also just obtained at great expense, and now to be seen swimming
in the large tank in the Aquarial Hall,
A LIVING SHARK,
beside a great variety of other living Fish, Turtles, &c., &c.
WHAT IS IT? OR, MAN MONKEY. SEA LION, MAMMOTH BEAR SAMSON,
MONSTER SNAKES, AQUARIA, HAPPY FAMILY, LIVING SEAL, &c.
The Lecture-Room Entertainments embrace PETITE DRAMA, VAUDEVILLE,
BURLETTA and FARCE. By a company of rare musical and dramatic
talent. Miss DAWRON, DOUBLE-VOICED VOCALIST, Mlle. MATILDA E.
TOEDT,
The Talented Young Violinist, &c.
Admission to all, 25 cents; Children under 10, 15 cents.
Nor did the monster fail to receive much other notice in the
press. Said one writer: "Nothing discomfitted by the sudden death
that overtook the gentle and loving whales, Mr. Barnum has again
invested untold heaps of money in a tremendous water-monster. The
great tank has again a tenant, and the great public have huge
amphibious matter for their wonderment. The new curiosity comes
to us staggering under the unwieldy name of Hippo-potamus. He is
a comely gentleman, fair and beauteous to look upon; and the
strange loveliness of his countenance cannot fail to captivate
the crowd. His youth, too, gives him a special claim to the
consideration of the ladies, for he is a little darling of only
three years--a very baby of a hippopotamus in fact, who, only a
few months ago, daily sucked his few gallons of lacteal
nourishment from the fond bosom of mamma Hippo, at the bottom of
some murmuring Egyptian river. The young gentleman is about as
heavy as an ox, and gives you the idea that he is the result of
the amalgamation of a horse, a cow, two pigs, a seal, a dozen
India-rubber blankets, and an old-fashioned horse-hide covered
trunk. Big as he is, unwieldy as he is, strange, uncouth, and
monstrous as he is, he appears after all to be most mild and
even-tempered. In truth, he is no more vicious than a
good-natured muley cow; and if by chance he should hurt anybody,
he would have to achieve it much in the same manner that such a
cow would, by running against him, or rolling over upon him. So
that the red-breeched individual, who so valiantly gets over the
railing and stands by the side of young Hippo, doesn't, after
all, do a deed of such superhuman daring, for all he does it with
such an air of reckless sacrifice of self for the public good.
The hippopotamus is certainly one of the most interesting and
attractive of all the strange creatures ever yet caught by Mr.
Barnum, and offered for the delectation of the paying public. He
is well worth a visit, and an hour's inspection. He receives
daily, from 9 A.M. to some time after dark."
Having now a good supply of salt water Barnum greatly enlarged
his aquarium, which was the first show of the kind ever seen in
America. He exhibited in it living sharks, porpoises, sea-horses
and many rare fishes. For several seasons he kept a boat cruising
the ocean in search of marine novelties. In this way he secured
many of the beautiful angel fishes and others that never had been
seen in New York before. He also purchased the Aquarial Gardens
in Boston, and removed the entire collection to his Museum.
The story of another of Barnum's greatest hits must be told in
his own words: "In December, 1861," he related, "I was visited at
the Museum by a most remarkable dwarf, who was a sharp,
intelligent little fellow, with a deal of drollery and wit. He
had a splendid head, was perfectly formed, and was very
attractive, and, in short, for a 'showman,' he was a perfect
treasure. His name, he told me, was George Washington Morrison
Nutt, and his father was Major Rodnia Nutt, a substantial farmer,
of Manchester, New Hampshire. I was not long in dispatching an
efficient agent to Manchester, and in overcoming the competition
with other showmen who were equally eager to secure this
extraordinary pigmy. The terms upon which I engaged him for three
years were so large that he was christened the $30,000 Nutt; I,
in the meantime, conferring upon him the title of Commodore. As
soon as I engaged him, placards, posters and the columns of the
newspapers proclaimed the presence of 'Commodore Nutt' at the
Museum. I also procured for the Commodore a pair of Shetland
ponies, miniature coachman and footman, in livery, gold-mounted
harness, and an elegant little carriage, which, when closed,
represented a gigantic English walnut. The little Commodore
attracted great attention, and grew rapidly in public favor.
General Tom Thumb was then travelling in the South and West. For
some years he had not been exhibited in New York, and during
these years he had increased considerably in rotundity and had
changed much in his general appearance. It was a singular fact,
however, that Commodore Nutt was almost a fac-simile of General
Tom Thumb, as he looked half-a-dozen years before. Consequently,
very many of my patrons, not making allowance for the time which
had elapsed since they had last seen the General, declared that
there was no such person as 'Commodore Nutt;' but that I was
exhibiting my old friend Tom Thumb under a new name.
"Commodore Nutt enjoyed the joke very much. He would sometimes
half admit the deception, simply to add to the bewilderment of
the doubting portion of my visitors.
"It was evident that here was an opportunity to turn all doubts
into hard cash, by simply bringing the two dwarf Dromios
together, and showing them on the same platform. I therefore
induced Tom Thumb to bring his Western engagements to a close,
and to appear for four weeks, beginning with August 11, 1862, in
my Museum. Announcements headed 'The Two Dromios,' and 'Two
Smallest Men, and Greatest Curiosities Living,' as I expected,
drew large crowds to see them, and many came especially to solve
their doubts with regard to the genuineness of the 'Nutt.' But
here I was considerably nonplussed, for, astonishing as it may
seem, the doubts of many of the visitors were confirmed! The
sharp people who were determined 'not to be humbugged, anyhow,'
still declared that Commodore Nutt was General Tom Thumb, and
that the little fellow whom I was trying to pass off as Tom
Thumb, was no more like the General than he was like the man in
the moon. It is very amusing to see how people will sometimes
deceive themselves by being too incredulous.
"In 1862 I sent the Commodore to Washington, and, joining him
there, I received an invitation from President Lincoln to call at
the White House with my little friend. Arriving at the appointed
hour, I was informed that the President was in a special Cabinet
meeting, but that he had left word if I called to be shown in to
him with the Commodore. These were dark days in the rebellion,
and I felt that my visit, if not ill-timed, must at all events be
brief. When we were admitted, Mr. Lincoln received us cordially,
and introduced us to the members of the Cabinet. When Mr. Chase
was introduced as the Secretary of the Treasury, the little
Commodore remarked:
" 'I suppose you are the gentleman who is spending so much of
Uncle Sam's money?'
" 'No, indeed,' said the Secretary of War, Mr. Stanton, very
promptly; 'I am spending the money.'
" 'Well,' said Commodore Nutt, 'it is in a good cause, anyhow,
and I guess it will come out all right.'
"His apt remark created much amusement. Mr. Lincoln then bent
down his long, lank body, and taking Nutt by the hand, he said:
" 'Commodore, permit me to give you a parting word of advice.
When you are in command of your fleet, if you find yourself in
danger of being taken prisoner, I advise you to wade ashore.'
The Commodore found the laugh was against him, but placing
himself at the side of the President, and gradually raising his
eyes up the whole length of Mr. Lincoln's very long legs, he
replied:
" 'I guess, Mr. President, you could do that better than I
could.' "
In no place did extremes ever meet in a more practical sense than
in the American Museum. Commodore Nutt was the shortest of men;
and at the same time the Museum contained the tallest of women.
Her name was Anna Swan, and she came from Nova Scotia. Barnum
first heard of her through a Quaker, who was visiting the Museum.
This visitor came to Barnum's office, and told him of a wonderful
girl, only seventeen years old, who lived near him at Pictou.
Barnum soon sent an agent up there, who brought the young lady
back to New York. She was an intelligent girl, and, despite her
enormous stature, was decidedly good-looking. For a long time she
was a leading attraction at Barnum's Museum, and afterwards went
to England and attracted great attention there.
For many years Barnum had been in the habit of engaging parties
of American Indians from the far West to exhibit at the Museum.
He had also sent several parties of them to Europe, where they
were regarded as extraordinary curiosities.
In 1864 ten or twelve chiefs, of as many different tribes,
visited the President of the United States, at Washington. By a
pretty liberal outlay of money, Barnum succeeded in inducing the
interpreter to bring them to New York, and to pass some days at
the Museum. Of course, getting these Indians to dance, or to give
any illustration of their games or pastimes, was out of the
question. They were real chiefs of powerful tribes, and would no
more have consented to give an exhibition of themselves than the
chief magistrate of our own nation would have done. Their
interpreter could not therefore promise that they would remain at
the Museum for any definite time; "for," said he, "you can only
keep them just so long as they suppose all your patrons come to
pay them visits of honor. If they suspected that your Museum was
a place where people paid for entering," he continued, "you could
not keep them a moment after the discovery."
On their arrival at the Museum, therefore, Barnum took them upon
the stage and personally introduced them to the public. The
Indians liked this attention from him, as they had been informed
that he was the proprietor of the great establishment in which
they were invited and honored guests. His patrons were of course
pleased to see these old chiefs, as they knew they were the "REAL
thing," and several of them were known to the public, either as
being friendly or cruel to the whites. After one or two
appearances on the stage, Barnum took them in carriages and
visited the Mayor of New York in the Governor's room at the City
Hall. Here the Mayor made them a speech of welcome, which, being
interpreted to the savages, was responded to by a speech from one
of the chiefs, in which he thanked the "Great Father" of the city
for his pleasant words, and for his kindness in pointing out the
portraits of his predecessors hanging on the walls of the
Governor's room.
On another occasion Barnum took them by special invitation to
visit one of the large public schools up town. The teachers were
pleased to see them, and arranged an exhibition of special
exercises by the scholars, which they thought would be most
likely to gratify their barbaric visitors. At the close of these
exercises, one old chief arose, and simply said: "This is all new
to us. We are mere unlearned sons of the forest, and cannot
understand what we have seen and heard."
On other occasions he took them to ride in Central Park, and
through different portions of the city. At every street-corner
which they passed they would express their astonishment to each
other, at seeing the long rows of houses which extended both ways
on either side of each cross-street. Of course, after each of
these outside visits Barnum would return with them to the Museum,
and secure two or three appearances upon the stage to receive the
people who had there congregated "to do them honor."
As they regarded him as their host, they did not hesitate to
trespass upon his hospitality. Whenever their eyes rested upon a
glittering shell among his specimens of conchology, especially if
it had several brilliant colors, one would take off his coat,
another his shirt, and insist that he should exchange the shell
for the garment. When he declined the exchange, but on the
contrary presented the coveted article, he soon found he had
established a dangerous precedent. Immediately they all commenced
to beg for everything in the vast collection which they happened
to take a liking to. This cost Barnum many valuable specimens,
and often "put him to his trumps" for an excuse to avoid giving
them things which he could not part with.
The chief of one of the tribes one day discovered an ancient
shirt of chain-mail which hung in one of the cases of antique
armor. He was delighted with it, and declared he must have it.
Barnum tried all sorts of excuses to prevent his getting it, for
it had cost a hundred dollars, and was a great curiosity. But the
old man's eyes glistened, and he would not take "no" for an
answer. "The Utes have killed my little child," he said through
the interpreter; and now he must have this steel shirt to protect
himself; and when he returned to the Rocky Mountains he would
have his revenge. Barnum remained inexorable until the chief
finally brought a new buckskin Indian suit, which he insisted
upon exchanging. Barnum then felt compelled to accept his
proposal; and never did anyone see a man more delighted than the
Indian seemed to be when he took the mailed shirt into his hands.
He fairly jumped up and down with joy. He ran to his
lodging-room, and soon appeared again with the coveted armor upon
his body, and marched down one of the main halls of the Museum,
with folded arms, and head erect, occasionally patting his breast
with his right hand, as much as to say, "Now, Mr. Ute, look
sharp, for I will soon be on the war-path!"
Among these Indians were War Bonnet, Lean Bear, and
Hand-in-the-water, chiefs of the Cheyennes; Yellow Buffalo, of
the Kiowas; Yellow Bear, of the same tribe; Jacob, of the Caddos;
and White Bull, of the Apaches. The little wiry chief known as
Yellow Bear had killed many whites as they had travelled through
the "far West." He was a sly, treacherous, bloodthirsty savage,
who would think no more of scalping a family of women and
children than a butcher would of wringing the neck of a chicken.
But now he was on a mission to the "Great Father" at Washington,
seeking for presents and favors for his tribe, and he pretended
to be exceedingly meek and humble, and continually urged the
interpreter to announce him as a "great friend to the white man."
He would fawn about Barnum, and although not speaking or
understanding a word of our language, would try to convince him
that he loved him dearly.
In exhibiting these Indian warriors on the stage, Barnum
explained to the large audiences the names and characteristics of
each. When he came to Yellow Bear he would pat him familiarly
upon the shoulder, which always caused him to look up with a
pleasant smile, while he softly stroked Barnum's arm with his
right hand in the most loving manner. Knowing that he could not
understand a word he said, Barnum pretended to be complimenting
him to the audience, while he was really saying something like
the following:
"This little Indian, ladies and gentlemen, is Yellow Bear, chief
of the Kiowas. He has killed, no doubt, scores of white persons,
and he is probably the meanest black-hearted rascal that lives in
the far West." Here Barnum patted him on the head, and he,
supposing he was sounding his praises, would smile, fawn upon
him, and stroke his arm, while he continued: "If the bloodthirsty
little villain understood what I was saying, he would kill me in
a moment; but as he thinks I am complimenting him, I can safely
state the truth to you, that he is a lying, thieving,
treacherous, murderous monster. He has tortured to death poor,
unprotected women, murdered their husbands, brained their
helpless little ones; and he would gladly do the same to you or
to me, if he thought he could escape punishment. This is but a
faint description of the character of Yellow Bear." Here Barnum
gave him another patronizing pat on the head, and he, with a
pleasant smile, bowed to the audience, as much as to say that the
words were quite true, and that he thanked Barnum very much for
the high encomiums he had so generously heaped upon him.
After the Indians had been at the Museum about week they
discovered the real character of the place. They found they were
simply on exhibition, and that people paid a fee for the
privilege of coming in and gazing at them. Forthwith there was an
outcry of discontent and anger. Nothing would induce them again
to appear upon the stage. Their dignity had been irretrievably
offended, and Barnum was actually fearful lest they should wreak
vengeance upon him with physical violence. It was with a feeling
of great relief that he witnessed their departure for Washington
the next day.
In the fall of this year Barnum produced at his Museum a
dramatization of Dickens's "Great Expectations." On the opening
night of the play, before the curtain rose, the great showman
himself went upon the stage and made this poetical address of
welcome to the audience:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
"That Prince of Humbugs, Barnum," so it appears
Some folks have designated me for several years.
Well, I don't murmur; indeed, when they embellish it,
To tell the truth, my friends, I rather relish it,
Since your true humbug's be, who as a host,
For the least money entertains you most.
In this sense I'm a "humbug," I succumb!
Who as a "General" thing brought out Tom Thumb?
Who introduced (you can't say there I sinned)
The Swedish Nightingale, sweet Jenny Lind?
Who brought you Living Whales from Labrador?
The Hippopotamus from Nilus's shore,
The Bearded Lady with her (h)airs and graces,
The Aztec Children with their normal faces,
The Twins of Siam--rarest of dualities--
Two ever separate, ne'er apart realities?
The Family of Albinos? the Giraffe?
The famous Baby Show that made you laugh?
The Happy Family--cats, rats, doves, hawks, harmonious?
Their voices blend in tones euphonious.
The great Sea Lion from Pacific's coast,
The "Monarch of the Ocean," no empty boast;
Old Adam's Bears, cutest of brute performers,
In modern "peace meetings" models for reformers.
That living miracle, the Lightning Calculator,
Those figures confound Hermann the "Prestidigitator."
The Grand Aquaria, an official story
Of life beneath the waves ill all its glory;
The curious "What is It?" which you, though spunky,
Won't call a man and cannot call a monkey.
These things and many more time forbids to state,
I first introduced, if I did not originate;
"The World's Seven Wonders," pooh! let them invite you,
Here "seven" saloons all wonder-full delight you.
To call this "humbug" admits of no defence,
For all is shown for five and twenty cents.
And now, good friends, to use less rhyme than reason,
To-day re-opens our dramatic season;
Therefore I welcome you! And though we're certain
To raise "Great Expectations" with the curtain,
And "play the Dickens" afternoon and nightly,
I bid you welcome none the less politely,
To these my "quarters," merry and reliable,
That yours are always welcome 'tis undeniable!
And Patrick Henry like I say, I boast of it,
If that be "humbug," gentlemen, "make the most of it."
The foregoing address may be correctly said to have as much truth
as poetry. It is a graceful summary of the curiosities which
Barnum had brought before the world up to his sixtieth year. It
does not include the Sacred White Elephant of Siam, the mammoth
Jumbo and other wonders of nature which he was yet to reveal to
astonished and delighted millions. Nor does it indicate that
grand genius of aggregation by which in later years he surpassed
all his previous performances--masterly as they were. Not till
the veteran had reached the age of seventy--the allotted span of
life--did he gather and create "The Greatest Show on Earth."
In connection with the dramatization of Dickens' novel, it seems
surprising that the Great Showman had little intercourse with the
Great Novelist. He was on intimate terms with Thackeray and gave
him useful hints for his lecturing tour in the United States, by
which the humorist duly profited. But Dickens, who reached the
popular heart as Barnum did their senses, seems to have held
aloof from one whose knowledge of men rivalled his own.