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PHINEAS  T.  BAKNUM. 


A  UNIQUE  STORY  OF  A  MARVELLOUS  CAREER. 
LIKK    OF 

Hon.  PHINEAS  T.  BARNUM. 


COMPRISING^ 

HIS  BOYHOOD,  YOUTH,  VICISSITUDES  OF  EARLY  YEARS ;  HIS  HERCULEAN  STRUGGLES, 
BRILLIANT  ENTERPRISES,  ASTONISHING  SUCCESSES,  DISASTROUS  LOSSES,  NAPO- 
LEONIC TRIUMPHS  ;  HIS  RECEPTION  BY  KINGS,  QUEENS,  EMPERORS  AND 
NOBILITY  EVERYWHERE ;  HIS  GENIUS,  WIT,  GENEROSITY, 
ELOQUENCE,  CHRISTIANITY,  &C.,  &C.,  AS  TOLD 

By  JOEL   BENTON,    ESQ., 

Author  of  "  Emerson  as  a  Poet "  and  various  other  works,  and  for  nearly  thirty  years  a  most 
intimate  friend  of  the  greatest  of  Showmen. 


EDGEWOOD  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 

1891. 


COPYRIGHT,  1891,  BY  R.  B.  POLLOCK. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IN  THE  BEGINNING. 

Family  and  Birth— School  Life — His  First  Visit  to  New  York  City— 
A  Landed  Proprietor — The  Ethics  of  Trade — Farm  Work  and  Keeping 
Store— Meeting-house  and  Sunday-school—"  The  One  Thing  Needful."  17 

CHAPTER  II. 

EARLY  YEARS   AT  BETHEL. 

Death  of  his  Grandmother  and  Father — Left  Penniless  and  Bare-footed — 
Work  in  a  Store — His  First  Love — Trying  to  buy  Russia — Uncle 
Bibbin's  Duel 34 

CHAPTER  III. 

BUSINESS  LIFE. 

Removal  to  Brooklyn — Smallpox — Goes  Home  to  Recover  His  Health — 
Renewed  Acquaintance  with  the  Pretty  Tailoress — First  Independent 
Business  Venture — Residence  in  New  York — Return  to  Bethel — 
Anecdotes 45 

CHAPTER  IV. 

TRYING  MANY   VENTURES. 

Visit  to  Pittsburg — Successful  Lottery  Business — Marriage — First  Editorial 
Venture — Libel  Suit — Imprisonment  and  Liberation — Removal  to  New 
York — Hard  Times — Keeping  a  Boarding  House 58 

CHAPTER  V. 

BEGINNING  AS  A  SHOWMAN. 

Finding  His  True  Vocation — The  Purchase  of  Joice  Heth — Evidence  as 
to  Her  Age — Her  Death — Signor  Vivalla — Visit  to  Washington — Join- 
ing a  Travelling  Circus — Controversies  with  Ministers — The  Victim 
of  a  Practical  Joke 67 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  VI. 

INCIDENTS  OF  A  CIRCUS  TOUR. 

Beating  a  Landlord — A  Joke  on  Turner — Barnura  as  a  Preacher  and  as  a 
Negro  Minstrel — A  Bad  Man  with  a  Gun — Dealing  with  a  Sheriff — 
"  Lady  Hayes  " — An  Embarrassed  Juggler — Barnum  as  a  Matrimonial 
Agent 83 

CHAPTER  VII. 

HARD  TIMES. 

Advertising  for  a  Partner — "  Quaker  Oats  " — Diamond  the  Dancer — A 
Dishonest  Manager — Return  to  New  York — From  Hand  to  Mouth — 
The  American  Museum 102 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM. 

Advertising  Extraordinary — A  Quick-witted  Performer — Niagara  Falls 
with  Real  Water — Other  Attractions — Drummond  Light 115 

CHAPTER  IX. 

INCREASED  POPULARITY  OF  THE  MUSEUM. 

The  American  Flag  and  St.  Paul's— St.  Patrick's  Day— The  Baby  Show- 
Grand  Buffalo  Hunt— N.  P.  Willis— The  First  Wild  West  Show 126 

CHAPTER  X. 

GIANTS  AND  DWARFS. 

Science  for  the  Public — Mesmerism  Extraordinary — Killing  off  a  Rival — 
The  Two  Giants — Discovery  of  "  Tom  Thumb  " — Seeking  Other 
Worlds  to  Conquer — First  Visit  to  England 138 

CHAPTER  XL 

TOM  THUMB  IN  LONDON. 

An  Aristocratic  Visitor — Calling  at  Buckingham  Palace  and  Hobnobbing 
with  Royalty — Getting  a  Puff  in  the  "  Court  Circular" — The  Iron 
Duke — A  Great  Social  and  Financial  Success 148 

CHAPTER  XII. 

IN  FRANCE. 

Arrival  in  Paris — Visit  to  the  Tuilleries — Longchamps — "  Tom  Ponce  " 
all  the  Rage — Bonaparte  and  Louis  Phillipi  — Tour  through  France — 
Barnuih's  Purchase 161 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  XIII. 

IN   BELGIUM. 

Presented  to  King  Leopold  and  the  Queen — The  General's  Jewels  stolen — 
The  Field  of  Waterloo — An  Accident — An  Expensive  Equipage — The 
Custom  of  the  Country , 168 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN. 

Egyptian  Hall  and  the  Zoological  Garden — The  Special  Relics — Purchase 
of  the  Happy  Family — Return  to  America 175 

CHAPTER  XV. 

AT  HOME. 

Partnership  with  Tom  Thumb— Visit  to  Cuba — Iranistan,  his  Famous 
Palace  at  Bridgeport — Barnum's  Game-Keeper  and  the  Great  Game 

Dinner— Frank  Leslie 188 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

JENNY  LIND. 

A  Daring  Venture — Barnum's  Ambassador — Unprecedented  Terms 
offered — Text  of  the  Contract — Hard  Work  to  Raise  the  Guarantee 
Fund — Educating  the  American  Mind  to  receive  the  Famous  Singer...  198 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

ARRIVAL  OF  JENNY  LIND. 

First  Meeting  with  Barnum — Reception  in  New  York — Poems  in  Her 
Honor — A  Furore  of  Public  Interest — Sale  of  Tickets  for  the  First  Con- 
cert— Barnum's  Change  in  Terms — Ten  Thousand  Dollars  for  Charity — 
Enormous  Success  of  the  First  Concert 213 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CONTINUED  TRIUMPH. 

Successful  Advertising — The  Responsibilities  of  Riches — Visit  to  Iranis- 
tan— Ovations  at  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore  and  Washington — 
Visit  to  Mt.  Veraon — Charleston — Havama — Fredericka  Bremer 249 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

HAVANA. 

Conquest  of  the  Habaneros — The  Italian  and  his  Dog — Mad  Bennett — 
A  Successful  Ruse — Return  to  New  Orleans — Ludicrous  Incident — 
Up  the  Mississippi — Legerdemain 262 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  TRIALS  OF  AN  IMI'RESSARIO. 

St.  Louis — The  Secretary's  Little  Game — Legal  Advice — Smooth  Waters 
Again — Barnum's  Efforts  Appreciated — An  Extravagant  Encomium...  278' 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

CLOSING  THE  GRAND  TOUR. 

April  Fool  Jokes  at  Nashville — A  Trick  at  Cincinnati — Return  to  New 
York — Jenny  Lind  Persuaded  to  Leave  Barnum — Financial  Results  of 
the  Enterprise 285 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

A  FEW  SIDE  ISSUES. 

The  Expedition  to  Ceylon— Harnessing  an  Elephant  to  a  Plow — Barnum 
and  Vanderbilt — The  Talking  Machine — A  Fire  at  Iranistan — Moun- 
tain Grove  Cemetery 297 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

SOME  DOMESTIC  ENTERPRISES. 

Putting  a  Pickpocket  on  Exhibition — Travelling    Incognito — The   Pe- 
0   quonnock   Bank — The  New  York  Crystal  Palace — A  Poem  on  an 
Incident  at  Iranistan 311 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  JEROME    CLOCK  COMPANY. 

Founding  East  Bridgeport — Growth  of  the  City — The  Jerome  Clock 
Bubble— A  Ruined  Man — Paying  Honest  Debts — Down  in  the  Depths.  322 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  WHEAT  AND  THE  CHAFF. 

False  and  True  Friends — Meeting  of  Bridgeport  Citizens — Barnum's  Let- 
ter— Tom  Thumb's  Offer — Shillaber's  Poem — Barnum's  Message  to  the 
Creditors  of  the  Jerome  Clock  Company — Removal  to  New  York — 
Beginning  Life  Anew  at  Forty-six 330 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

IDLENESS  WITHOUT  REST. 

Annoying  Persecutions  of  Creditors — Summer  on  Long  Island — The  Black 
Whale  Pays  the  Board  Bill— The  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Company  Re- 
move to  East  Bridgeport — Setting  Sail  for  England , 349 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  PROSPEROUS   EXILE. 

His  Successful  Pupil — Making  Many  Friends  in  London — Acquaintance 
'  with  Thackeray — A  Comedy  of  Errors  in  a  German   Custom  House — 
Aristocratic  Patronage  at  Fashionable  Resorts — Barnum's  Impressions 
of  Holland  and  the  Dutch 355 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

HOME  AGAIN. 

A  Jolly  Voyage — Mock  Trial  on  Shipboard — Barnum  on  Trial  for  His 
Life — Discomfited  Witnesses  and  a  Triumphant  Prisoner — Fair  Weather 
Friends — The  Burning  of  Iranistan 371 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

The  Lecture  Field — Success — Cambridge — Oxford — An  Unique  Enter- 
tainment— Barnum  Equal  to  the  Occasion — Invited  to  Stay  a  Week 383 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

AN  ENTERPRISING   ENGLISHMAN. 

A  New  Friend — Dinner  to  Tom  Thumb  and  Commodore  Nutt — Measur- 
ing the  Giant — The  Two  Engines 417 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

AT   HOME  AGAIN. 

The  Clock  Debts  Paid — The  Museum  once  more  under  Barnum's  Man- 
agement— Enthusiastic  Reception — His  Speech — Two  Poems 424 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE  STORY  OF   "GRIZZLY  ADAMS." 

Barnum's  Partnership  with  the  Famous  Bear  Hunter — Fooling  Him  with 
the  "  Golden  Pigeons  " — Adams  Earns  $500  at  Desperate  Cost — Trick- 
ing Barnum  out  of  a  Fine  Hunting  Suit — Prosperity  of  the  Museum — 
Visit  of  the. Prince  of  Wales 437 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

BUILDING  A  CITY. 

At  Home  Once  More — Growth  of  East  Bridgeport — Barnum's  Offer  to 
Men  Wanting  Homes  of  Their  Own — Remarkable  Progress  of  the 
Place — How  the  Streets  were  Named 453 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  XXXIV 

A  GREAT  YEAR  AT  THE  MUSEUM. 

Capturing  and  Exhibiting  White  Whales — Newspaper  Comments — A 
Touching  Obituary — The  Great  Behemoth — A  Long  "  Last  Week  " — 
Commodore  Nutt — Real  Live  Indians  on  Exhibition 459 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

GENERAL   AND   MRS.   TOM  THUMB. 

Miss  Lavinia  Warren — The  Rivals — Miss  Warren's  Engagement  to  Tom 
Thumb — The  Wedding — Grand  Reception — Letter  From  a  Would-be 
Guest,  and  Dr.  Taylor's  Reply ,.  491 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

POLITICAL  NOTES. 

Barnum  Becomes  a  Reprblican — Illuminating  the  House  of  a  Democrat — 
The  Peace  Meeting — Elected  to  the  Legislature — War  on  the  Rail- 
roads— Speech  on  the  Amendment 515 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

BURNING  OF  THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM. 

How  Barnum  Received  the  Tidings — Humorous  Description  of  the 
Fire — A  Public  Calamity — Greeley's  Advice — Intention  to  Re-estab- 
lish the  Museum — Speech  at  Employees'  Benefit 537 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

POLITICAL   LIFE. 

IB  the  Connecticut  Legislature — The  Great  Railroad  Fight — Bar- 
num's  Effective  Stroke — Canvassing  for  a  United  States  Senator — 
Barn  urn's  Congressional  Campaign — A  Challenge  that  was  not  Ac- 
cepted   557 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

FIGHTING  A  NEWSPAPER. 

Disposing  of  the  Lease  of  the  Museum  Site — The  Bargain  with  Mr.  Ben- 
nett— Barnum's  Refusal  to  Back  Out — A  Long  and  Bitter  War  with 
"  The  Herald " — Action  of  the  Other  Managers — The  Return  of 
Peace 573 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  XL. 

BRIDGEPORT. 

The  Fight  for  the  Establishment  of  Seaside  Park — Laying  out  City 
Streets — Impatienc«  with  "  Old  Fogies  " — Building  r.  Seaside  Home — 
Waldemere— A  Home  in  New  York  City 583 

CHAPTER  XLI. 

HONORS  AND  ADULATIONS. 

Second  Marriage — The  King  of  Hawaii — Elected  Mayor  of  Bridgeport — 
Successful  Tour  of  the  Hippodrome — Barnum's  Retirement  from  Office.  590 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE. 

P.  T.  BARNUM, Frontispiece 

BARNUM'S  BIRTHPLACE, 19 

MRS.  CHARITY  BARNUM, 38 

JOY  AT  HIS  RELEASE  FROM  PRISON, 55 

HORACE  GREELEY, 74 

ELEPHANTS  TESTING  A  BRIDGE, 91 

ROBT.  HUBBARD,  M.  D., I IO 

TOM  THUMB'S  MARRIAGE, 127 

MR.  AND  MRS.  CHARLES  STRATTON, 146 

THE  GREAT  DUKE  AND  THE  LITTLE  GENERAL,    .    .  163 
GRIZZLY  ADAMS  AND  HIS  TRAINED  BEARS,    .    .    .    .182 

TAMBOURINE  GIRL, 199 

NEW  YORK'S  WELCOME  TO  JENNY  LIND, 218 

REV.  THEO.  CUYLER,    .    .    . '  .  235 

JENNY  LIND, 254 

IRANISTAN, 271 

COMMODORE  VANDERBILT,  . 290 

BARNUM'S  MONUMENT, 307 

BRIDGEPORT — HOUSATONIC  RIVER, 326 

GREAT  EXCITEMENT  AT  THE  FIRE, 341 

BARNUM'S  NEW  HOME — MARINA, 362 

BARNUM  IN  HIS  HOME, 379 


•  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

CARRIAGE  PRESENTED  TO,  TOM  THUMB, 398 

INTERIOR  OF  LIBRARY — MARINA, 415 

DINING  ROOM — MARINA, 434 

BRIDGEPORT — RAILROAD  VIEW, 451 

WELCOME  TO  JUMBO, 470 

LULU  FARINI — QUEEN  OF  AIR, 488 

APPEARANCE  OF  MUSEUM  AFTER  THE  FIRE,  ....  505 

JUMBO  AND  HIS  KEEPER  SCOTT, 524 

LAWRENCE   BARRETT, 542 

MRS.  P.  T.  BARNUM, 559 


CHAPTER  I. 

IN   THE   BEGINNING. 

FAMILY  AND  BIRTH — SCHOOL  LIFE — His  FIRST  VISIT  TO  NEW  YORK  CITY 
— A  LANDED  PROPRIETOR — THE  ETHICS  OF  TRADE — FARM  WORK 
AND  KEEPING  STORE — MEETING-HOUSE  AND  SUNDAY-SCHOOL — "  THE 
ONE  THING  NEEDFUL." 

Among  the  names  of  great  Americans  of  the 
nineteenth  century  there  is  scarcely  one  more 
familiar  to  the  world  than  that  of  the  subject  of  this 
biography.  There  are  those  that  stand  for  higher 
achievement  in  literature,  science  and  art,  in  public 
life  and  in  the  business  world.  There  is  none  that 
stands  for  more  notable  success  in  his  chosen  line, 
none  that  recalls  more  memories  of  wholesome  en- 
tertainment, none  that  is  more  invested  with  the 
fragrance  of  kindliness  and  true  humanity.  His 
career  was,  in  a  large  sense,  typical  of  genuine 
Americanism,  of  its  enterprise  and  pluck,  of  its 
indomitable  will  and  unfailing  courage,  of  its 
shrewdness,  audacity  and  unerring  instinct  for 
success. 

Like  so  many  of  his  famous  compatriots,  Phineas 
Taylor  Barnum  came  of  good  old  New  England 
stock.  His  ancestors  were  arnong  the  builders  of 


I  g  LIFE   OF  P.  T.   BARNUM. 

the  colonies  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut. 
His  father's  father,  Ephraim  Barnum,  was  a  captain 
in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and  was  distinguished 
for  his  valor  and  for  his  fervent  patriotism.  His 
mother's  father,  Phineas  Taylor,  was  locally  noted 
as  a  wag  and  practical  joker.  His  father,  Philo 
Barnum,  was  in  turn  a  tailor,  a  farmer,  a  store- 
keeper, and  a  country  tavernkeeper,  and  was  not 
particularly  prosperous  in  any  of  these  callings. 

Philo  Barnum  and  his  wife,  Irena  Taylor,  lived  at 
Bethel,  Connecticut,  and  there,  on  July  5,  1810,  their 
first  child  was  born.  He  was  named  Phineas 
Taylor  Barnum,  after  his  maternal  grandfather ;  and 
the  latter,  in  return  for  the  compliment,  bestowed 
upon  his  first  grandchild  at  his  christening  the  title- 
deeds  of  a  "landed  estate,"  five  acres  in  extent, 
known  as  Ivy  Island,  and  situated  in  that  part  of 
Bethel  known  as  the  "  Plum  Trees."  Of  this,  more 
anon. 

In  his  early  years  the  boy  led  the  life  of  the 
average  New  England  farmer's  son  of  that  period. 
He  drove  the  cows  to  and  from  the  pasture,  shelled 
corn,  weeded  the  garden,  and  "  did  up  chores."  As 
he  grew  older  he  rode  the  horse  in  plowing  corn, 
raked  hay,  wielded  the  shovel  and  the  hoe,  and 
chopped  wood.  At  six  years  old  he  began  to  go  to 
school — the  typical  district  school.  "  The  first  date," 
he  once  said,  "  I  remember  inscribing  upon  my 
writing-book  was  1818."  The  ferule,  or  the  birch- 
rod,  was  in  those  days  the  assistant  schoolmaster, 


THE  ALMIGHTY  DOLLAR.  $  j 

and  young  Barnum  made  its  acquaintance.  He 
was,  however,  an  apt  and  ready  scholar,  particularly 
excelling  in  mathematics.  One  night,  when  he  was 
ten  years  old,  he  was  called  out  of  bed  by  his 
teacher,  who  had  made  a  wager  with  a  neighbor 
that  Barnum  could  calculate  the  number  of  feet  in 
a  load  of  wood  in  five  minutes.  Barnum  did  it  in 
less  than  two  minutes,  to  the  delight  of  his  teacher 
and  the  astonishment  of  the  neighbor. 

At  an  early  age  he  manifested  a  strong  devel- 
opment of  the  good  old  Yankee  organ  of  acquisi- 
tiveness. Before  he  was  five  years  old  he  had 
begun  to  hoard  pennies  and  "  fourpences,"  and  at 
six  years  old  he  was  able  to  exchange  his  copper 
bits  for  a  whole  silver  dollar,  the  possession  of 
which  made  him  feel  richer  than  he  ever  felt  after- 
ward in  all  his  life.  Nor  did  he  lay  the  dollar  away 
in  a  napkin,  but  used  it  in  business  to  gain  more. 
He  would  get  ten  cents  a  day  for  riding  a  horse 
before  the  plow,  and  he  would  add  it  to  his  capital. 
On  holidays  other  boys  spent  all  their  savings,  but 
not  so  he.  Such  days  were  to  him  opportunities 
for  gain,  not  for  squandering.  At  the  fair  or  train- 
ing of  troops,  or  other  festivity,  he  would  peddle 
candy  and  cakes,  home-made,  or  sometimes  cherry 
rum,  and  by  the  end  of  the  day  would  be  a  dollar 
or  two  richer  than  at  its  beginning.  "  By  the  time 
I  was  twelve  years  old,"  he  tells  us,  "  I  was  the 
owner  of  a  sheep  and  a  calf,  and  should  soon,  no 
doubt,  have  become  a  small  Croesus  had  not  my 


22  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   SARNUM. 

father  kindly  permitted  me  to  purchase  my  own 
clothing,  which  somewhat  reduced  my  little  store." 

At  ten  years  of  age,  realizing  himself  to  be  a 
"  landed  proprietor  "  through  the  christening  gift  of 
his  waggish  grandsire,  young  Barnum  set  out  to 
survey  his  estate,  which  he  had  not  yet  seen.  He 
had  heard  much  of  "  Ivy  Island."  His  grandfather 
had  often,  in  the  presence  of  the  neighbors,  spoken 
of  him  as  the  richest  child  in  the  town,  since  he 
owned  the  whole  of  Ivy  Island,  the  richest  farm  in 
the  State,  His  parents  hoped  he  would  use  his 
wealth  wisely,  and  "  do  something  for  the  family " 
when  he  entered  upon  the  possession  of  it ;  and  the 
neighbors  were  fearful  lest  he  should  grow  too 
proud  to  associate  with  their  children. 

The  boy  took  all  this  in  good  faith,  and  his  eager 
curiosity  to  behold  his  estate  was  greatly  increased, 
and  he  asked  his  father  to  let  him  go  thither.  "At 
last,"  says  Barnum,  "  he  promised  I  should  do  so  in 
a  few  days,  as  we  should  be  getting  some  hay  near  'Ivy 
Island.'  The  wished-for  day  arrived,  and  my  father 
told  me  that  as  we  were  to  mow  an  adjoining 
meadow,  I  might  visit  my  property  in  company  with 
the  hired  man  during  the  '  nooning.'  My  grand- 
father reminded  me  that  it  was  to  his  bounty  I 
was  indebted  for  this  wealth,  and  that  had  not  my 
name  been  Phineas  I  might  never  have  been  pro- 
prietor of '  Ivy  Island.'  To  this  my  mother  added : 

" '  Now,  Taylor,  don't  become   so  excited  when 
you  see  your  property  as  to  let  your  joy  make  you 


A  BARREN  HERITAGE.  2$ 

sick,  for  remember,  rich  as  you  are,  that  it  will  be 
eleven  years  before  you  can  come  into  possession 
of  your  fortune.' 

"  She  added  much  more  good  advice,  to  all  of 
which  I  promised  to  be  calm  and  reasonable,  and 
not  to  allow  my  pride  to  prevent  me  from  speaking 
to  my  brothers  and  sisters  when  I  returned  home. 

"  When  we  arrived  at  the  meadow,  which  was  in 
that  part  of  the  '  Plum  Trees '  known  as  '  East 
Swamp,'  I  asked  my  father  where  '  Ivy  Island '  was. 

"  '  Yonder,  at  the  north  end  of  this  meadow,  where 
you  see  those  beautiful  trees  rising  in  the  distance.' 

"All  the  forenoon  I  turned  grass  as  fast  as 
two  men  could  cut  it,  and  after  a  hasty  repast  at 
noon,  one  of  our  hired  men,  a  good-natured  Irish- 
man, named  Edmund,  took  an  axe  on  his  shoulder 
and  announced  that  he  was  ready  to  accompany  me 
to  '  Ivy  Island.'  We  started,  and  as  we  approached 
the  north  end  of  the  meadow  we  found  the  ground 
swampy  and  wet  and  were  soon  obliged  to  leap  from 
bog  to  bog  on  our  route.  A  mis-step  brought  me 
up  to  my  middle  in  water,  and  to  add  to  the  dilemma 
a  swarm  of  hornets  attacked  me.  Attaining  the  al- 
titude of  another  bog  I  was  cheered  by  the  assur- 
ance that  there  was  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  this 
kind  of  travel  to  the  edge  of  my  property.  I  waded 
on.  In  about  fifteen  minutes  more,  after  floundering 
through  the  morass,  I  found  myself  half-drowned, 
hornet-stung,  mud-covered,  and  out  of  breath,  on 
comparatively  dry  land. 


24  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

"'  Never  mind,  my  boy,'  said  Edmund,  'we  have 
only  to  cross  this  little  creek,  and  ye'll  be  upon  your 
own  valuable  property.' 

"  We  were  on  the  margin  of  a  stream,  the  banks 
of  which  were  thickly  covered  with  alders.  I  now 
discovered  the  use  of  Edmund's  axe,  for  he  felled  a 
small  oak  to  form  a  temporary  bridge  to  my  'Island' 
property.  Crossing  over,  I  proceeded  to  the  centre 
of  my  domain.  I  saw  nothing  but  a  few  stunted  ivies 
and  straggling  trees.  The  truth  flashed  upon  me. 
I  had  been  the  laughing-stock  of  the  family  and 
neighborhood  for  years.  My  valuable  '  Ivy  Island ' 
was  an  almost  inaccessible,  worthless  bit  of  barren 
land,  and  while  I  stood  deploring  my  sudden  down- 
fall, a  huge  black  snake  (one  of  my  tenants)  ap- 
proached me  with  upraised  head.  I  gave  one  shriek 
and  rushed  for  the  bridge. 

"  This  was  my  first  and  last  visit  to  '  Ivy  Island.' 
My  father  asked  me  '  how  I  liked  my  property  ?  '  and 
I  responded  that  I  would  sell  it  pretty  cheap." 

The  year  1822  was  a  memorable  one  in  his  child- 
hood's history.  He  was  then  about  twelve  years 
old.  One  evening,  late  in  January,  Daniel  Brown,  a 
cattle-drover,  of  Southbury,  Connecticut,  arrived  at 
Bethel  and  stopped  for  the  night  at  Philo  Barnum's 
tavern.  He  had  with  him  some  fat  cattle,  which  he 
was  driving  to  the  New  York  markets  ;  and  he 
wanted  both  to  add  to  his  drove  of  cattle  and  to  get 
a  boy  to  help  him  drive  them.  Our  juvenile  hero 
heard  him  say  this,  and  forthwith  made  application 


UNFORTUNATE  INVESTMENTS.  2$ 

for  the  job.  His  father  and  mother  gave  their  con- 
sent, and  a  bargain  was  quickly  closed  with  the 
drover. 

"At  daylight  next  morning,"  Barnum  himself  has 
related,  "  I  started  on  foot  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy 
snow-storm  to  help  drive  the  cattle.  Before  reach- 
ing Ridgefield  I  was  sent  on  horseback  after  a  stray 
ox,  and,  in  galloping,  the  horse  fell  and  my  ankle 
was  sprained.  I  suffered  severely,  but  did  not  com- 
plain lest  my  employer  should  send  me  back.  We 
arrived  at  New  York  in  three  or  four  days,  and  put 
up  at  the  Bull's  Head  Tavern,  where  we  were  to 
stay  a  week  while  the  drover  disposed  of  his  cattle. 
It  was  an  eventful  week  for  me.  Before  I  left  home 
my  mother  had  given  me  a  dollar,  which  I  supposed 
would  supply  every  want  that  heart  could  wish." 

His  first  outlay  was  for  oranges.  "  I  was  told," 
he  says,  "  that  they  were  four  pence  apiece,  and  as 
four  pence  in  Connecticut  was  six  cents,  I  offered 
ten  cents  for  two  oranges,  which  was  of  course 
readily  taken  ;  and  thus,  instead  of  saving  two  cents, 
as  I  thought,  I  actually  paid  two  cents  more  than  the 
price  demanded.  I  then  bought  two  more  oranges, 
reducing  my  capital  to  eighty  cents.  Thirty-one 
cents  was  the  charge  for  a  small  gun  which  would 
'go  off'  and  send  a  stick  some  little  distance,  and 
this  gun  I  bought.  Amusing  myself  with  this  toy  in 
the  bar-room  of  the  Bull's  Head,  the  arrow  hap- 
pened to  hit  the  bar-keeper,  who  forthwith  came 
from  behind  the  counter  and  shook  me,  and 


26  LIFE    OF  P.    T.    BARNUM. 

soundly  boxed  my  ears,  telling  me  to  put  that  gun 
out  of  the  way  or  he  would  put  it  into  the  fire.  I 
sneaked  to  my  room,  put  my  treasure  under  the  pil- 
low, and  went  out  for  another  visit  to  the  toy  shop. 

"  There  I  invested  six  cents  in  '  torpedoes,'  with 
which  I  intended  to  astonish  my  schoolmates  in 
Bethel.  I  could  not  refrain,  however,  from  experi- 
menting upon  the  guests  of  the  hotel,  which  I  did 
when  they  were  going  in  to  dinner.  I  threw  two  of 
the  torpedoes  against  the  wall  of  the  hall  through 
which  the  guests  were  passing,  and  the  immediate 
results  were  as  follows:  two  loud  reports — aston- 
ished guests — irate  landlord — discovery  of  the  cul- 
prit, and  summary  punishment — for  the  landlord 
immediately  floored  me  with  a  single  blow  with  his 
open  hand,  and  said  : 

"  '  There,  you  little  greenhorn,  see  if  that  will  teach 
you  better  than  to  explode  your  infernal  fire-crackers 
in  my  house  again.' 

"The  lesson  was  sufficient  if  not  entirely  satisfac- 
tory. I  deposited  the  balance  of  the  torpedoes  with 
my  gun,  and  as  a  solace  for  my  wounded  feelings  I 
again  visited  the  toy  shop,  where  I  bought  a  watch, 
breastpin  and  top,  leaving  but  eleven  cents  of  my 
original  dollar. 

"  The  following  morning  found  me  again  at  the 
fascinating  toy  shop,  where  I  saw  a  beautiful  knife 
with  two  blades,  a  gimlet,  and  a  corkscrew — a 
whole  carpenter  shop  in  miniature,  and  all  for  thirty- 
one  cents.  But,  alas !  I  had  only  eleven  cents. 


HIS  FIRST  "  SWAP."  2j 

Have  that  knife  I  must,  however,  and  so  I  proposed 
to  the  shop-woman  to  take  back  the  top  and  breast- 
pin at  a  slight  deduction,  and  with  my  eleven  cents  to 
let  me  have  the  knife.  The  kind  creature  consented, 
and  this  makes  memorable  my  first  '  swap/  Some 
fine  and  nearly  white  molasses  candy  then  caught 
my  eye,  and  I  proposed  to  trade  the  watch  for  its 
equivalent  in  candy.  The  transaction  was  made,  and 
the  candy  was  so  delicious  that  before  night  my  gun 
was  absorbed  in  the  same  way.  The  next  morning 
the  torpedoes  'went  off 'in  the  same  direction,  and 
before  night  even  my  beloved  knife  was  similarly  ex- 
changed. My  money  and  my  goods  all  gone,  I 
traded  two  pocket-handkerchiefs  and  an  extra  pair 
of  stockings  I  was  sure  I  should  not  want  for  nine 
more  rolls  of  molasses  candy,  and  then  wandered 
about  the  city  disconsolate,  sighing  because  there 
was  no  more  molasses  candy  to  conquer." 

During  that  first  visit  to  the  metropolis  the  boy 
doubtless  many  times  passed  the  corner  of  Ann 
street  and  Broadway,  where,  in  after  years,  his 
famous  museum  stood.  After  a  week  in  town  he 
returned  to  Bethel,  riding  with  Brown  in  his  sleigh, 
and  found  himself  a  social  lion  among  his  young 
friends.  He  was  plied  with  a  thousand  questions  about 
the  great  city  which  he  had  visited,  and  no  doubt  told 
many  wondrous  tales.  But  at  home  his  reception 
was  not  altogether  glorious.  His  brothers  and 
sisters  were  disappointed  because  he  brought  them 
nothing,  and  his  mother,  discovering  that  during  his 


28  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BAR  NUM. 

journey  he  had  lost  two  handkerchiefs  and  a  pair 
of  stockings,  gave  him  a  spanking  and  put  him  to 
bed. 

A  settled  aversion  to  manual  labor  was  strongly 
developed  in  the  boy  as  he  grew  older,  which  his 
father  considered  simple  laziness.  Instead  of  trying 
to  cure  him  of  his  laziness,  however,  the  father  de- 
cided to  give  up  the  farm,  and  open  a  store,  hoping 
that  the  boy  would  take  more  kindly  to  mercantile 
duties.  So  he  put  up  a  building  in  Bethel,  and  in 
partnership  with  one  Hiram  Weed  opened  a  "  gen- 
eral store,"  of  dry  goods,  hardware,  groceries,  etc., 
and  installed  young  Phineas  as  clerk.  They  did  a 
"  cash,  credit  and  barter  "  business,  and  the  boy  soon 
learned  to  drive  sharp  bargains  with  women  who 
brought  butter,  eggs,  beeswax  and  feathers  to  ex- 
change for  dry  goods,  and  with  men  who  wanted  to 
trade  oats,  corn,  buckwheat,  axehelves,  hats  and 
other  commodities  for  ten-penny  nails,  molasses  or 
New  England  rum.  It  was  a  drawback  upon  his 
dignity  that  he  was  obliged  to  take  down  the  shut- 
ters, sweep  the  store  and  make  the  fire.  He  re- 
ceived a  small  salary  for  his  services  and  the  per- 
quisites of  what  profit  he  could  derive  from  purchas- 
ing candies  on  his  own  account  to  sell  to  their 
younger  customers,  and,  as  usual,  his  father  insisted 
that  he  should  clothe  himself. 

There  was  much  to  be  learned  in  a  country  store, 
and  principally,  as  he  found,  this :  that  sharp  tricks, 
deception  and  dishonesty  are  by  no  means  confined 


EARLY  PIETY.  2Q 

to  the  city.  More  than  once,  in  cutting  open  bun- 
dles of  rags,  brought  to  be  exchanged  for  goods,  he 
found  stones,  gravel  or  other  rubbish  wrapped  up  in 
them,  although  they  were  represented  to  be  "  all 
pure  linen  or  cotton."  Often,  too,  loads  of  grain 
were  brought  in,  warranted  to  contain  so  many- 
bushels,  but  on  measuring  them  they  were  found 
five  or  six  bushels  short. 

In  the  evenings  and  on  stormy  days  the  store  was 
a  general  meeting  place  for  the  idlers  of  the  village, 
and  young  Barnum  derived  much  amusement  from 
the  story-telling  and  joke-playing  that  went  on 
among  them.  After  the  store  was  closed  at  night 
he  would  generally  go  with  some  of  the  village  boys 
to  their  homes  for  an  hour  or  two  of  sport,  and  then, 
as  late,  perhaps,  as  eleven  o'clock,  would  creep  slyly 
home  and  make  his  way  upstairs  barefooted,  so  as 
not  to  wake  the  rest  of  the  family  and  be  detected 
in  his  late  hours.  He  slept  with  his  brother,  who 
was  sure  to  report  him  if  he  woke  him  up  on  coming 
in,  and  who  laid  many  traps  to  catch  Phineas  on  his 
return  from  the  evening's  merry-making.  But  he 
generally  fell  fast  asleep  and  our  hero  was  able  to 
gain  his  bed  in  safety. 

Like  almost  every  one  in  Connecticut  at  that  time 
he  was  brought  up  to  go  regularly  to  church  on 
Sunday,  and  before  he  could  read  he  was  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Sunday-school.  His  pious 
mother  taught  him  lessons  in  the  New  Testament 
and  Catechism,  and  spared  no  efforts  to  have  him 


30  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

win  one  of  those  "  Rewards  of  Merit "  which 
promised  "  to  pay  to  the  bearer  One  Mill."  Ten 
of  them  could  be  exchanged  for  one  cent,  and  by 
securing  one  hundred  of  them,  which  might  be  done 
by  faithful  attendance  and  attention  every  Sunday 
for  two  years,  the  happy  scholar  could  secure  a  book 
worth  ten  cents ! 

There  was  only  one  church  or  "  meeting-house  " 
in  Bethel,  and  it  was  of  the  Presbyterian  faith ;  but 
every  one  in  town  attended  it,  whatever  their  creed. 
It  was  a  severely  plain  edifice,  with  no  spire  and  no 
bell.  In  summer  it  was  comfortable  enough,  but  in 
winter  it  was  awful !  There  was  no  arrangement 
for  heating  it,  and  the  congregation  had  to  sit  in  the 
cold,  shivering,  teeth  chattering,  noses  blue.  A 
stove  would  have  been  looked  upon  as  a  sacrilegious 
innovation.  The  sermons  were  often  two  hours 
long,  and  by  the  time  they  were  ended  the  faithful 
listeners  well  deserved  the  nickname  of"  blue-skins  " 
which  the  scoffers  gave  to  them.  A  few  of  the 
wealthier  women  carried  "  foot-stoves "  from  their 
homes  to  their  pews.  A  "  foot-stove  "  was  simply 
a  square  tin  box  in  a  wooden  frame,  with  perfora- 
tions in  the  sides.  In  it  was  a  small  square  iron 
dish,  which  contained  a  few  live  coals  covered  with 
ashes.  These  stoves  were  usually  replenished]  just 
before  meeting  time  at  some  neighbor's  near  the 
meeting-house. 

After  many  years  of  shivering  and  suffering,  one 
of  the  brethren  had  the  temerity  to  propose  that 


A    WICKED   STOVE.  ^l 

the  church  should  be  warmed  with  a  stove.  His 
impious  proposition  was  voted  down  by  an  over- 
whelming majority.  Another  year  came  around, 
and  in  November  the  stove  question  was  again 
brought  up.  The  excitement  was  immense.  The 
subject  was  discussed  in  the  village  stores  and  in 
the  juvenile  debating  club;  it  was  prayed  over  in 
conference ;  and  finally  in  general  "  society's  meet- 
ing," in  December,  the  stove  was  carried  by  a  ma- 
jority of  one  and  was  introduced  into  the  meeting- 
house. On  the  first  Sunday  thereafter  two  ancient 
maiden  ladies  were  so  oppressed  by  the  dry  and 
heated  atmosphere  occasioned  by  the  wicked  inno- 
vation that  they  fainted  away  and  were  carried  out 
into  the  cool  air,  where  they  speedily  returned  to 
consciousness,  especially  when  they  were  informed 
that  owing  to  the  lack  of  two  lengths  of  pipe  no 
fire  had  yet  been  made  in  the  stove.  The  next 
Sunday  was  a  bitter  cold  day,  and  the  stove,  filled 
with  well-seasoned  hickory,  was  a  great  gratification 
to  the  many,  and  displeased  only  a  few. 

During  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lowe's  ministrations  at 
Bethel  he  formed  a  JSible  class,  of  which  young 
Barnum  was  a  member.  They  used  to  draw  pro- 
miscuously from  a  hat  a  text  of  Scripture  and  write 
a  composition  on  the  text,  which  compositions  were 
read  after  service  in  the  afternoon  to  such  of  the 
congregation  as  remained  to  hear  the  exercises  of 
the  class.  Once  Barnum  drew  the  text,  Luke  x. 
42  :  "  But  one  thing  is  needful ;  and  Mary  hath 


32  LIFE   OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

chosen  that  good  part  which  shall  not  be  taken  away 
from  her."  Question,  "  What  is  the  one  thing  need- 
ful ?  "  His  answer  was  nearly  as  follows : 

"  This  question,  '  What  is  the  one  thing  needful  ? ' 
is  capable  of  receiving  various  answers,  depending 
much  upon  the  persons  to  whom  it  is  addressed. 
The  merchant  might  answer  that  'the  one  thing 
needful '  is  plenty  of  customers,  who  buy  liberally, 
without  beating  down,  and  pay  cash  for  all  their  pur- 
chases.' The  farmer  might  reply  that  '  the  one 
thing  needful  is  large  harvests  and  high  prices.' 
The  physician  might  answer  that  'it  is  plenty  of 
patients.'  The  lawyer  might  be  of  opinion  that  '  it 
is  an  unruly  community,  always  engaging  in  bicker- 
ings and  litigations.'  The  clergyman  might  reply, 
'  It  is  a  fat  salary,  with  multitudes  of  sinners  seeking 
salvation  and  paying  large  pew  rents.'  The  bach- 
elor might  exclaim,  'It  is  a  pretty  wife  who  loves 
her  husband,  and  who  knows  how  to  sew  on  but- 
tons.' The  maiden  might  answer,  '  It  is  a  good 
husband,  who  will  love,  cherish  and  protect  me  while 
life  shall  last.'  But  the  most  proper  answer,  and 
doubtless  that  which  applied  -to  the  case  of  Mary, 
would  be,  '  The  one  thing  needful  is  to  believe  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  follow  in  his  footsteps,  love 
God  and  obey  His  commandments,  love  our  fellow- 
man,  and  embrace  every  opportunity  of  administer- 
ing to  his  necessities.'  In  short,  '  the  one  thing 
needful '  is  to  live  a  life  that  we  can  always  look 
back  upon  with  satisfaction,  and  be  enabled  ever  to 


THE    ONE    THING   NEEDFUL.  33 

contemplate  its  termination  with  trust  in  Him  who 
has  so  kindly  vouchsafed  it  to  us,  surrounding  us 
with  innumerable  blessings,  if  we  have  but  the  heart 
and  wisdom  to  receive  them  in  a  proper  manner." 

The  reading  of  a  portion  of  this  answer  occasioned 
some  amusement  in  the  congregation,  in  which  the 
clergyman  himself  joined,  and  the  name  of  "  Taylor 
Barnum "  was  whispered  in  connection  with  the 
composition  ;  but  at  the  close  of  the  reading  Bar- 
num had  the  satisfaction  of  hearing  Mr.  Lowe  say 
that  it  was  a  well-written  answer  to  the  question, 
"  What  is  the  one  thing  needful  ?  " 


CHAPTER  II. 

EARLY   YEARS   AT   BETHEL. 

DEATH  OF  HIS  GRANDMOTHER  AND  FATHER — LEFT  PENNILESS  AND  BARE- 
FOOTED— WORK  IN  A  STORE — His  FIRST  LOVE — TRYING  TO  BUY  RUS- 
SIA— UNCLE  BIBBIN'S  DUEL. 

In  August,  1825,  the  aged  grandmother  met  with 
an  accident  in  stepping  on  the  point  of  a  rusty  nail, 
which  shortly  afterwards  resulted  in  her  death.  She 
was  a  woman  of  great  piety,  and  before  she  died 
sent  for  each  of  her  grandchildren — to  whom  she 
was  devoted — and  besought  them  to  lead  a  Chris- 
tian life.  Barnum  was  so  deeply  impressed  by  that 
death-bed  scene  that  through  his  whole  life  neither 
the  recollection  of  it,  nor  of  the  dying  woman's  words, 
ever  left  him. 

The  elder  Barnum  was  a  man  of  many  enterprises 
and  few  successes.  Besides  being  the  proprietor  of 
a  hotel  he  owned  a  livery-stable,  ran  a  sort  of  an 
express,  and  kept  a  country  store.  Phineas  was  his 
confidential  clerk,  and,  if  he  did  not  reap  much 
financial  benefit  from  his  position,  he  at  least  ob- 
tained a  good  business  education. 

On  the  yth  of  September,  1825,  the  father,  after  a 
six  months'  illness,  died  at  the  age  of  forty-eight, 

(34) 


"  CLERKING"   IT.  35 

leaving  a  wife  and  five  children  and  an  insolvent 
estate.  There  was  literally  nothing  left  for  the 
family;  the  creditors  seized  everything;  even  the 
small  sum  which  Phineas  had  loaned  his  father  was 
held  to  be  the  property  of  a  minor,  and  therefore 
belonging  to  the  estate.  The  boy  was  obliged  to 
borrow  money  to  buy  the  shoes  he  wore  to  the 
funeral.  At  fifteen  he  began  the  world  not  only 
penniless  but  barefooted. 

He  went  at  once  to  Grassy  Plain,  a  few  miles 
northwest  of  Bethel,  where  he  managed  to  obtain  a 
clerkship  in  the  store  of  James  S.  Keeler  and  Lewis 
Whitlock,  at  the  magnificent  salary  of  six  dollars  a 
month  and  his  board.  He  had  chosen  his  uncle, 
Alanson  Taylor,  as  his  guardian,  but  made  his  home 
with  Mrs.  Jerusha  Wheeler  and  her  two  daughters, 
Mary  and  Jerusha.  He  worked  hard  and  faithfully, 
and  so  gained  the  esteem  of  his  employers  that  they 
afforded  him  many  opportunities  for  making  money 
on  his  own  account.  His  small  speculations  proved 
so  successful  that  before  long  he  found  himself  in 
possession  of  quite  a  little  sum. 

"  I  made,"  says  Barnum,  "  a  very  remarkable  trade 
at  one  time  for  my  employers  by  purchasing,  in  their 
absence,  a  whole  wagon-load  of  green  glass  bottles 
of  various  sizes,  for  which  I  paid  in  unsalable  goods 
at  very  profitable  prices.  How  to  dispose  of  the 
bottles  was  then  the  problem,  and  as  it  was  also 
desirable  to  get  rid  of  a  large  quantity  of  tin-ware 
which  had  been  in  the  shop  for  years  and  was  con- 


36  LIFE    OF  P.    T.  8ARNVM. 

siderably  '  shop-worn,'  I  conceived  the  idea  of  a  lot- 
tery, in  which  the  highest  prize  should  be  twenty-five 
dollars,  payable  in  any  goods  the  winner  desired, 
while  there  were  to  be  fifty  prizes  of  five  dollars 
each,  payable  in  goods,  to  be  designated  in  the 
scheme.  Then  there  were  one  hundred  prizes  of 
one  dollar  each,  one  hundred  prizes  of  fifty  cents 
each,  and  three  hundred  prizes  of  twenty-five  cents 
each.  It  is  unnecessary  to  state  that  the  minor 
prizes  consisted  mainly  of  glass  and  tin-ware ;  the 
tickets  sold  like  wildfire,  and  the  worn  tin  and  glass 
bottles  were  speedily  turned  into  cash." 

Mrs.  Barnum  still  continued  to  keep  the  village 
hotel  at  Bethel,  and  Phineas  went  home  every  Sat- 
urday night,  going  to  church  with  his  mother  on 
Sunday,  and  returning  to  his  work  Monday  morn- 
ing. One  Saturday  evening  Miss  Mary  Wheeler, 
at  whose  house  the  young  man  boarded,  sent  him 
word  that  she  had  a  young  lady  from  Bethel  whom 
she  desired  him  to  escort  home,  as  it  was  raining 
violently,  and  the  maiden  was  afraid  to  go  alone. 
He  assented  readily  enough,  and  went  over  to 
"Aunt  Rushia's,"  where  he  was  introduced  to  Miss 
Charity  ("Chairy,"  for  short)  Hallett.  She  was  a 
very  pretty  girl  and  a  bright  talker,  and  the  way 
home  seemed  only  too  short  to  her  escort.  She 
was  a  tailoress  in  the  village,  and  went  to  church 
regularly,  but,  although  Phineas  saw  her  every  Sun- 
day for  many  weeks,  he  had  no  opportunity  of  the 
acquaintance  that  season. 


MRS.  CHARITY  BARJSUM. 


TROUBLE    WITH  RUSSIA.  39 

Mrs.  Jerusha  Wheeler  and  her  daughter  Jerusha 
were  familiarly  known,  the  one  as  "Aunt  Rushia," 
and  the  other  as  "Rushia."  Many  of  the  store 
customers  were  hatters,  and  among  the  many  kinds 
of  furs  sold  for  the  nap  of'  hats  was  one  known  to 
the  trade  as  "  Russia."  One  day  a  hatter,  Walter 
Dibble,  called  to  buy  some  furs.  Barnum  sold  him 
several  kinds,  including  "  beaver  "  and  "  cony,"  and 
he  then  asked  for  some  "  Russia."  They  had  none, 
and  as  Barnum  wanted  to  play  a  joke  upon  him,  he 
told  him  that  Mrs.  Wheeler  had  several  hundred 
pounds  of  "  Rushia." 

"What  on  earth  is  a  woman  doing  with  'Russia?" 
said  he. 

Barnum  could  not  answer,  but  assured  him  that 
there  were  one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds  of  old 
Rushia  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  young 
Rushia  in  Mrs.  Wheeler's  house,  and  under  her 
charge,  but  whether  or  not  it  was  for  sale  he  could 
not  say.  Off  he  started  to  make  the  purchase  and 
knocked  at  the  door.  Mrs.  Wheeler,  the  elder, 
made  her  appearance. 

"  I  want  to  get  your  Russia,"  said  the  hatter. 

Mrs.  Wheeler  asked  him  to  walk  in  and  be  seated. 
She,  of  course,  supposed  that  he  had  come  for  her 
daughter  "  Rushia." 

"  What  do  you  want  of  Rushia  ? "  asked  the  old 
lady. 

"  To  make  hats,"  was  the  reply. 


40  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

"  To  trim  hats,  I  suppose  you  mean  ?  "  responded 
Mrs.  Wheeler. 

"  No,  for  the  outside  of  hats,"  replied  the  hatter. 

"Well,  I  don't  know  much  about  hats,"  said  the 
old  lady,  "  but  I  will  call  my  daughter." 

Passing  into  another  room  where  "  Rushia  "  the 
younger  was  at  work,  she  informed  her  that  a  man 
wanted  her  to  make  hats. 

"  Oh,  he  means  sister  Mary,  probably.  I  suppose 
he  wants  some  ladies'  hats,"  replied  Rushia,  as  she 
went  into  the  parlor. 

"  This  is  my  daughter,"  said  the  old  lady. 

"  I  want  to  get  your  Russia,"  said  he,  addressing 
the  young  lady. 

"  I  suppose  you  wish  to  see  my  sister  Mary ;  she 
is  our  milliner,"  said  young  Rushia. 

"  I  wish  to  see  whoever  owns  the  property,"  said 
the  hatter. 

Sister  Mary  was  sent  for,  and,  as  she  was  intro- 
duced, the  hatter  informed  her  that  he  wished  to 
buy  her  "  Russia." 

"  Buy  Rushia !  "  exclaimed  Mary,  in  surprise  ;  I 
don't  understand  you." 

"  Your  name  is  Miss  Wheeler,  I  believe,"  said  the 
hatter,  who  was  annoyed  by  the  difficulty  he  met 
with  in  being  understood. 

"  It  is,  sir." 

"Ah  !  very  well.  Is  there  old  and  young  Russia 
in  the  house?  " 

"  I  believe  there  is,"  said  Mary,  surprised  at  the 


TROUBLE    WITH  RUSSIA.  4! 

familiar  manner  in  which  he  spoke  of  her  mother 
and  sister,  who  were  present. 

"  What  is  the  price  of  old  Russia  per  pound  ?  " 
asked  the  hatter. 

"  I  believe,  sir,  that  old  Rushia  is  not  for  sale," 
replied  Mary,  indignantly. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  ask  for  young  Russia  ?  "  pur- 
sued the  hatter. 

"  Sir,"  said  Miss  Rushia  the  younger,  springing  to 
her  feet,  "  do  you  come  here  to  insult  defenceless 
females  ?  If  you  do,  sir,  our  brother,  who  is  in  the 
garden,  will  punish  you  as  you  deserve." 

"  Ladies  !  "  exclaimed  the  hatter,  in  astonishment, 
"  what  on  earth  have  I  done  to  offend  you  ?  I  came 
here  on  a  business  matter.  I  want  to  buy  some 
Russia.  I  was  told  you  had  old  .and  young  Russia 
in  the  house.  Indeed,  this  young  lady  just  stated 
such  to  be  the  fact,  but  she  says  the  old  Russia  is 
not  for  sale.  Now,  if  I  can  buy  the  young  Russia  I 
want  to  do  so — but  if  that  can't  be  done,  please  to 
say  so,  and  I  will  trouble  you  no  further." 

"  Mother,  open  the  door  and  let  this  man  go  out ; 
he  is  undoubtedly  crazy,"  said  Miss  Mary. 

"  By  thunder  !  I  believe  I  shall  be  if  I  remain  here 
long,"  exclaimed  the  hatter,  considerably  excited. 
"  I  wonder  if  folks  never  do  business  in  these  parts, 
that  you  think  a  man  is  crazy  if  he  attempts  such  a 
thing  ?  " 

"Business!  poor  man!"  said  Mary  soothingly, 
approaching  the  door. 


42  LIFE   OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

"  I  am  not  a  poor  man,  madam,"  replied  the  hatter. 
"  My  name  is  Walter  Dibble ;  I  carry  on  hatting 
extensively  in  Danbury ;  I  came  to  Grassy  Plain  to 
buy  fur,  and  have  purchased  some  'beaver'  and 
'  cony,'  and  now  it  seems  I  am  to  be  called  '  crazy ' 
and  a  '  poor  man,'  because  I  want  to  buy  a  little 
'  Russia  '  to  make  up  my  assortment." 

The  ladies  began  to  open  their  eyes ;  they  saw 
that  Mr.  Dibble  was  quite  in  earnest,  and  his  ex- 
planation threw  considerable  light  upon  the  subject. 

"  Who  sent  you  here  ?  "  asked  sister  Mary. 

"  The  clerk  at  the  opposite  store,"  was  the  reply. 

"  He  is  a  wicked  young  fellow  for  making  all  this 
trouble,"  said  the  old  lady ;  "  he  has  been  doing  this 
for  a  joke." 

"A  joke  !  "  exclaimed  Dibble,  in  surprise,  "  have 
you  no  Russia,  then  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Jerusha,  and  so  is  my  daughter's," 
said  Mrs.  Wheeler,  "  and  that,  I  suppose,  is  what  he 
meant  by  telling  you  of  old  and  young  Rushia." 

Mr.  Dibble,  without  more  words,  left  the  house 
and  made  for  the  store.  "  You  young  villain  !  "  he 
cried,  as  he  entered,  "  what  did  you  mean  by  send- 
ing me  over  there  to  buy  Russia  ?  " 

"I  didn't,"  answered  the  young  villain,  with  a 
perfectly  solemn  face,  "I  thought  you  were  a 
widower  or  a  bachelor  who  wanted  to  marry 
Rushia." 

"  You  lie,"  said  the  discomfited  Dibble,  laughing 
in  spite  of  himself;  "but  never  mind,  I'll  pay  you  off 


UNCLE  BIBBIN'S  DUEL.  43 

some   day."     And    gathering    up  his   furs   he  de- 
parted. 

On  another  occasion  this  sense  of  humor  and 
love  of  joking  was  turned  to  very  practical  account. 
Among  the  customers  at  the  store  were  a  half  a 
dozen  old  Revolutionary  pensioners,  who  were  per- 
mitted to  buy  on  credit,  leaving  their  pension  papers 
as  security.  One  of  these  pensioners  was  a  romanc- 
ing old  fellow  named  Bevans — more  commonly 
known  as  "  Uncle  Bibbins."  He  was  very  fond  of 
his  glass,  and  fonder  still  of  relating  anecdotes  of 
the  Revolution,  in  which  his  own  prowess  and  daring 
were  always  the  conspicuous  features.  His  pension 
papers  were  in  the  possession  of  Keeler  &  Whit- 
lock,  but  it  was  three  months  before  the  money  was 
due,  and  they  grew  very  weary  of  having  him  for  a 
customer.  They  tried  delicately  suggesting  a  visit 
to  his  relatives  in  Guilford,  but  Uncle  Bibbins 
steadily  refused  to  take  the  hint.  Finally  young 
Barnum  enlisted  the  services  of  a  journeyman 
hatter  named  Benton,  and  together  they  hit  on  a 
plan.  The  hatter  was  inspired  to  call  Uncle  Bibbins 
a  coward,  and  to  declare  his  belief  that  if  the  old 
gentleman  was  wounded  anywhere  it  must  have 
been  in  the  back.  Barnum  pretended  to  sympathize 
with  the  veteran's  just  indignation,  and  finally  fired 
him  up  to  the  pitch  of  challenging  the  hatter  to 
mortal  combat.  The  challenge  was  promptly  ac- 
cepted, and  the  weapons  chosen  were  muskets  and 
ball,  at  a  distance  of  twenty  feet.  Uncle  Bibbins 


44  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

took  his  second  (Barnum,  of  course)  aside,  and 
begged  him  to  see  that  the  guns  were  loaded  only 
with  blank  cartridges.  He  was  assured  that  it 
would  be  so,  and  that  no  one  would  be  injured  in 
the  encounter. 

The  ground  was  measured  back  of  the  store,  the 
principals  and  seconds  took  their  places,  and  the 
word  of  command  was  given.  They  fired,  Uncle 
Bibbins,  of  course,  being  unhurt,  but  the  hatter,  with 
a  fearful  yell,  fell  to  the  ground  as  if  dead.  Barnum 
rushed  up  to  the  frightened  Bevans  and  begged 
him  to  fly,  promising  to  let  him  know  when  it  was 
safe  for  him  to  return.  The  old  fellow  started  out 
of  town  on  a  run,  and  for  the  next  three  months 
remained  very  quietly  at  Guilford.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  his  faithful  second  sent  for  him,  with  the 
assurance  that  his  late  adversary  had  not  only  re- 
covered from  his  wound  but  had  freely  forgiven 
all.  Uncle  Bibbins  then  returned  and  paid  up  his 
debts.  Meeting  Benton  on  the  street  some  days 
later,  the  two  foes  shook  hands,  Benton  apologizing 
for  his  insult.  Uncle  Bibbins  accepted  the  apology, 
"  but,"  he  added,  "  you  must  be  careful  after  this 
how  you  insult  a  dead-shot." 


CHAPTER  III. 

BUSINESS   LIFE. 

REMOVAL  TO  BROOKLYN — SMALLPOX — GOES  HOME  TO  RECOVER  His 
HEALTH — RENEWED  ACQUAINTANCE  WITH  THE  PRETTY  TAILORESS — 
FIRST  INDEPENDENT  BUSINESS  VENTURE — RESIDENCE  IN  NEW  YORK 
— RETURN  TO  BETHEL — ANECDOTES. 

In  the  fall  of  1826,  Oliver  Taylor,  who  had  re- 
moved from  Danbury  to  Brooklyn,  induced  Barnum 
to  leave  Grassy  Plain,  offering  him  a  clerkship  in  his 
grocery  store,  which  offer  was  accepted,  and  before 
long  the  young  man  was  intrusted  with  the  purchas- 
ing of  all  goods  for  the  store.  He  bought  for  cash, 
going  into  lower  New  York  in  search  of  the  cheapest 
market,  frequenting  auction  sales  of  merchandise, 
and  often  entering  into  combines  with  other  grocers 
to  bid  off  large  lots,  which  were  afterward  divided 
between  them.  Thus  they  were  enabled  to  buy  at 
a  much  lower  rate  than  if  the  goods  had  passed 
through  the  hands  of  wholesale  dealers,  and 
Barnum's  reputation  for  business  tact  and  shrewd- 
ness increased. 

The  following  summer  he  was  taken  ill:  with 
smallpox,  and  during  his  long  confinement  to  the 
house  his  stock  of  ready  money  became  sadly  di- 

45 


46  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

minished.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  travel  he  went 
home  to  recover  his  strength,  and  while  there  had 
the  happiness  of  renewing  the  acquaintance,  so 
pleasantly  begun,  with  the  pretty  tailoress,  Charity 
Hallett.  ' 

His  health  fully  restored  he  returned  to  Brooklyn, 
but  not  to  his  old  position.  Pleasant  as  that  had 
been,  it  no  longer  contented  the  restless,  ambitious 
Barnum.  He  opened  a  "  porter-home,"  but  sold  out 
a  few  months  later,  at  a  good  profit,  and  took  an- 
other clerkship,  this  time  at  29  Peck  Slip,  New  York, 
in  the  store  of  a  certain  David  Thorp.  He  lived  in 
his  employer's  family,  with  which  he  was  a  great 
favorite,  and  where  he  had  frequent  opportunities  of 
meeting  old  friends,  for  Mr.  Thorp's  place  was  a 
great  resort  for  Bethel  and  Danfoury  hatters  and 
combmakers. 

At  this  time  Barnum  formed  his  first  taste  for  the 
theatre.  He  went  to  the  play  regularly  and  soon 
set  up  for  a  critic.  It  was  his  one  dissipation,  how- 
ever. A  more  moral  young  fellow  never  existed  ;  he 
read  his  Bible  and  went  to  church  as  regularly  as 
ever,  and  to  the  day  of  his  death  was  wont  to  declare 
that  he  owed  all  that  was  good  in  his  character  to  his 
early  observance  of  Sunday. 

In  the  winter  of  1828  his  grandfather  offered  to 
him,  rent  free,  his  carriage-house,  which  was  situ- 
ated on  the  main  street,  if  he  would  come  back  to 
Bethel.  The  young  man's  capital  was  one  hundred 
and  twenty  dollars  ;  fifty  of  this  was  spent  in  fixing 


BACK  TO  BETHEL.  47 

up  his  store,  and  the  remainder  he  invested  in  a 
stock  of  fruit  and  confectionery.  Having  arranged 
with  fruit  dealers  of  his  acquaintance  in  New  York 
to  receive  his  orders,  he  opened  his  store  on  the  first 
of  May — in  those  times  known  as  "  training  day." 
The  first  day  was  so  successful  that  long  before 
noon  the  proprietor  was  obliged  to  call  in  one  of 
his  old  schoolmates  to  assist  in  waiting  on  customers. 
The  total  receipts  were  sixty-three  dollars,  which 
sum  was  promptly  invested  in  a  stock  of  fancy  goods 
— pocket-books,  combs,  knives,  rings,  beads,  etc. 
Business  was  good  all  summer,  and  in  the  fall 
oysters  were  added  to  the  list  of  attractions.  The 
old  grandfather  was  delighted  at  the  success  of  the 
scheme,  and  after  a  while  induced  Barnum  to  take 
an  agency  for  lottery  tickets  on  a  commission  of  ten 
per  cent.  Lotteries  in  those  days  were  looked  upon 
as  thoroughly  respectable,  and  the  profit  gained 
from  the  sale  of  the  tickets  was  regarded  as  perfectly 
legitimate  by  the  agent ;  his  views  on  the  subject 
changed  very  materially  later  on. 

The  store  soon  became  the  great  village  resort, 
the  centre  of  all  discussions  and  the  scene  of  many 
practical  jokes. 

The  following  scene,  related  by  Barnum  himself, 
makes  a  chapter  in  the  history  of  Connecticut,  as 
the  State  was  when  "  blue  laws "  were  something 
more  than  a  dead  letter : 

"  To  swear  in  those  days  was  according  to  custom, 
but  contrary  to  law.  A  person  from  New  York 


48  LIFE   Of  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

State,  whom  I  will  call  Crofut,  who  was  a  frequent 
visitor  at  my  store,  was  equally  noted  for  his  self- 
will  and  his  really  terrible  profanity.  One  day  he 
was  in  my  little  .establishment  engaged  in  conversa- 
tion when  Nathan  Seelye,  Esq.,  one  of  our  village 
justices  of  the  peace,  and  a  man  of  strict  religious 
principles,  came  in,  and  hearing  Crofut's  profane 
language  he  told  him  he  considered  it  his  duty  to 
fine  him  one  dollar  for  swearing. 

"  Crofut  responded  immediately  with  an  oath,  that 

he  did  not  care  a  d n  for  the  Connecticut  blue 

laws. 

" '  That  will  make  two  dollars,'  said  Mr.  Seelye. 

"  This  brought  forth  another  oath. 

" '  Three  dollars,'  said  the  sturdy  justice. 

"  Nothing  but  oaths  were  given  in  reply,  until 
Esquire  Seelye"  declared  the  damage  to  the  Con- 
necticut laws  to  amount  to  fifteen  dollars. 

"  Crofut  took  out  a  twenty-dollar  bill  and  handed 
it  to  the  justice  of  the  peace,  with  an  oath. 

" '  Sixteen  dollars,'  said  Mr.  Seelye,  counting  out 
four  dollars  to  hand  to  Mr.  Crofut  as  his  chancre. 

o 

" '  Oh,  keep  it,  keep  it/  said  Crofut,  '  I  don't  want 

any  change;  I'll  d n  soon  swear  out  the  balance.' 

He  did  so,  after  which  he  was  more  circumspect  in 
his  conversation,  remarking  that  twenty  dollars  a 
day  for  swearing  was  about  as  much  as  he  could 
stand." 

About  this  time  Barnum  appeared,  on  at  least  one 
occasion,  in  the  role  of  lawyer,  A  man  charged  with 


PLAYING  A   LAWYER'S  PART.  49 

assault  and  battery  was  brought  before  the  justice 
of  the  peace,  Barnum's  grandfather,  for  trial.  A 
medical  student,  Newton  by  name,  had  volunteered 
to  defend  the  prisoner,  and  Mr.  Couch,  the  grand 
juryman,  in  irony,  offered  Phineas  a  dollar  to  rep- 
resent the  State.  The  court  was  crowded.  The 
guilt  of  the  prisoner  was  established  beyond  a  doubt, 
but  Newton,  undaunted,  rose  to  make  his  speech.  It 
consisted  of  a  flood  of  invective  against  the  grand 
juryman,  Couch  ;  the  court  listened  for  five  minutes, 
and  then  interrupted  a  magnificent  burst  of  elo- 
quence by  informing  the  speaker  that  Mr.  Couch 
was  not  the  plaintiff  in  the  case  at  all. 

"Not  the  plaintiff!"  stammered  Newton;  "well, 
then,  your  honor,  who  is  ? " 

"The  State  of  Connecticut,"  was  the  answer. 

The  young  man  dropped  into  his  seat,  speechless, 
and  the  prosecuting  attorney  arose  and  in  an  elab- 
orate speech  declared  the  guilt  of  the  prisoner  shown 
beyond  question,  adding  that  he  was  astonished  that 
both  the  prisoner  and  his  counsel  had  not  pleaded 
guilty  at  once.  In  the  midst  of  his  soarings  the 
grandfather  interrupted  with — 

"  Young  man,  will  you  have  the  kindness  to  inform 
the  court  which  side  you  represent — the  plaintiff  or 
the  defendant  ? " 

The  orator  stared  helplessly  at  the  justice  for  a 
moment,  and  then  sat  down.  Amid  peals  of  laugh- 
ter from  the  spectators  the  prisoner  was  bound  over 
to  the  county  court  for  trial. 


jo  LIFE    OF  P.  T.   BARNUM. 

But  Phineas  did  not  often  come  out  so  inglo- 
riously  in  encounters  with  his  grandfather.  The  old 
gentleman  was  always  ready  to  lend  his  grandson 
any  of  his  turnouts  except  one,  and  this  one  Phineas 
especially  desired  one  day  for  a  sleighing  party,  in 
which  he  was  to  escort  the  fair  Charity  Hallett.  So 
he  boldly  went  to  the  grandfather  and  asked  if  he 
might  take  Arabian  and  the  new  sleigh. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  old  man,  jokingly,  "  if  you. 
have  twenty  dollars  in  your  pocket." 

"Really?" 

"  Yes,  really." 

Whereupon  Phineas  showed  the  money,  and  put- 
ting it  back  in  his  pocket,  remarked,  "  You  see ;  I  am 
much  obliged  for  the  sleigh." 

Of  course,  the  grandfather  had  meant  to  ask  an 
impossible  price  for  the  horse  and  sleigh  ;  but  being 
caught  up  so  suddenly,  there  was  nothing  to  do  but 
to  consent,  and  Phineas  and  "  Chairy  "  had  the  finest 
turnout  of  the  party. 

There  was  a  young  fellow  in  the  town,  Jack  Mallett, 
whose  education  was  rather  deficient,  and  who  had 
been  somewhat  unsuccessfully  paying  his  addresses 
to  a  fair  but  hard-hearted  maiden,  named  Lucretia. 
One  Sunday  evening  she  cruelly  refused  to  accept 
his  escort  after  church,  and  added  insult  to  injury 
by  walking  off  before  his  very  eyes  with  another 
man.  Accordingly,  he  determined  to  write  her  a 
letter  of  remonstrance,  and  enlisted  the  aid  of  Phin- 
eas and  another  young  blade  known  as  "  Bill  "  Shep- 


LETTER    WRITING  EXTRAORDINARY.  51 

herd.     The  joint  effort  of  the  three  resulted  in  the 
following : 

"BETHEL,  ,   1 8 . 

"  Miss  LUCRETIA  :  I  write  this  to  ask  an  explana- 
tion of  your  conduct  in  giving  me  the  mitten  on 
Sunday  night  last.  If  you  think,  madam,  that  you 
can  trifle  with  my  affections,  and  turn  me  off  for 
every  little  whipper-snapper  that  you  can  pick  up, 
you  will  find  yourself  considerably  mistaken.  [We 
read  thus  far  to  Mallett,  and  it  met  his  approval. 
He  said  he  liked  the  idea  of  calling  her  "madam," 
for  he  thought  it  sounded  so  "  distant,"  it  would  hurt 
her  feelings  very  much.  The  term  "  little  whipper- 
snapper  "  also  delighted  him.  He  said  he  guessed 
that  would  make  her  feel  cheap.  Shepherd  and  my- 
self were  not  quite  so  sure  of  its  aptitude,  since  the 
chap  who  succeeded  in  capturing  Lucretia,  on  the 
occasion  alluded  to,  was  a  head  and  shoulders  taller 
than  Mallett.  However,  we  did  not  intimate  our 
thoughts  to  Mallett,  and  he  desired  us  to  "  go  ahead 
and  give  her  another  dose."]  You  don't  know 
me,  madam,  if  you  think  you  can  snap  me  up  in  this 
way.  I  wish  you  to  understand  that  I  can  have  the 
company  of  girls  as  much  above  you  as  the  sun  is 
above  the  earth,  and  I  won't  stand  any  of  your  im- 
pudent nonsense  no  how.  [This  was  duly  read  and 
approved.  "  Now,"  said  Mallett,  "  try  to  touch  her 
feelings.  Remind  her  of  the  pleasant  hours  we  have 
spent  together ;  "  and  we  continued  as  follows :]  My 
dear  Lucretia,  when  I  think  of  the  many  pleasant 


52  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM 

hours  we  have  spent  together — of  the  delightful 
walks  which  we  have  had  on  moonlight  evenings  to 
Fenner's  Rocks,  Chestnut  Ridge,  Grassy  Plain,  Wild 
Cat  and  Puppy  Town — of  the  strolls  which  we  have 
taken  upon  Shelter  Rocks,  Cedar  Hill — the  visits 
we  have  made  to  Old  Lane,  Wolfpits,  Toad  Hole 
and  Plum  Trees* — when  all  these  things  come  rush- 
ing on  my  mind,  and  when,  my  dear  girl,  I  remember 
how  often  you  have  told  me  that  you  loved  me  better 
than  anybody  else,  and  I  assured  you  that  my  feel- 
ings were  the  same  as  yours,  it  almost  breaks  my 
heart  to  think  of  last  Sunday  night.  ["  Can't  you 
stick  in  some  affecting  poetry  here  ?  "  said  Mallett. 
Shepherd  could  not  recollect  any  to  the  point,  nor 
could  I ;  but  as  the  exigency  of  the  case  seemed  to 
require  it,  we  concluded  to  manufacture  a  verse  or 
two,  which  we  did,  as  follows :] 

Lucretia,  dear,  what  have  I  done, 

That  you  should  use  me  thus  and  so. 
To  take  the  arm  of  Tom  Beers'  son, 

And  let  your  dearest  true  love  go  ? 

Miserable  fate,  to  lose  you  now, 

And  tear  this  bleeding  heart  asunder! 
Will  you  forget  your  tender  vow  ? 

I  can't  believe  it — no,  by  thunder. 

[Mallett  did  not  like  the  word  "thunder,"  but 
being  informed  that  no  other  word  could  be  substi- 
tuted without  destroying  both  rhyme  and  reason,  he 
consented  that  it  should  remain,  provided  we  added 

*  These  were  the  euphonious  names  of  localities  in  the  vicinity  of  Bethel. 


LETTER    WRITING  EXTRAORDINARY.  53 

two  more  stanzas  of  a  softer  nature ;  something,  he 
said,  that  would  make  the  tears  come,  if  possible. 
We  then  ground  out  the  following :] 

Lucretia,  dear,  do  write  to  Jack, 

And  say  with  Beers  you  are  not  smitten; 

And  thus  to  me  in  love  come  back, 
And  give  all  other  boys  the  mitten. 

Do  this,  Lucretia,  and  till  death 

I'll  love  you  to  intense  distraction  ; 
I'll  spend  for  you  my  every  breath, 

And  we  will  live  in  satisfaction. 

["  That  will  do  very  well,"  said  Mallett.  "  Now  I 
guess  you  had  better  blow  her  up  a  little  more."  We 
obeyed  orders  as  follows  :]  It  makes  me  mad  to 
think  what  a  fool  I  was  to  give  you  that  finger-ring 
and  bosom-pin,  and  spend  so  much  time  in  your 
company,  just  to  be  flirted  and  bamboozled  as  I  was 
on  Sunday  night  last.  If  you  continue  this  course 
of  conduct,  we  part  forever,  and  I  will  thank  you  to 
send  back  that  jewelry.  I  would  sooner  see  it 
crushed  under  my  feet  than  worn  by  a  person  who 
abused  me  as  you  have  done.  I  shall  despise  you 
forever  if  you  don't  change  your  conduct  towards 
me,  and  send  me  a  letter  of  apology  on  Monday 
next.  I  shall  not  go  to  meeting  to-morrow,  for  I 
would  scorn  to  sit  in  the  same  meeting-house  with 
you  until  I  have  an  explanation  of  your  conduct. 
If  you  allow  any  young  man  to  go  home  with  you 
to-morrow  night,  I  shall  know  it,  for  you  will  be 
watched.  ["There,"  said  Mallett,  "that  is  pretty 


54  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

strong.  Now,  I  guess,  you  had  better  touch  her 
feelings  once  more,  and  wind  up  the  letter."  We 
proceeded  as  follows :]  My  sweet  girl,  if  you  only 
knew  the  sleepless  nights  which  I  have  spent  during 
the  present  week,  the  torments  and  sufferings  which 
I  endure  on  your  account;  if  you  could  but  realize 
that  I  regard  the  world  as  less  than  nothing  without 
you,  I  am  certain  you  would  pity  me.  A  homely  cot 
and  a  crust  of  bread  with  my  adorable  Lucretia 
would  be  a  paradise,  where  a  palace  without  you 
would  be  a  hades.  ["  What  in  thunder  is  hades  ?  " 
inquired  Jack.  We  explained.  He  considered  the 
figure  rather  bold,  and  requested  us  to  close  as  soon 
as  possible.]  Now,  dearest,  in  bidding  you  adieu, 
I  implore  you  to  reflect  on  our  past  enjoyments,  look 
forward  with  pleasure  to  our  future  happy  meetings, 
and  rely  upon  your  affectionate  Jack  in  storm  or 
calm,  in  sickness,  distress  or  want,  for  all  these  will 
be  powerless  to  change  my  love.  I  hope  to  hear 
from  you  on  Monday  next,  and,  if  favorable,  I  shall 
be  happy  to  call  on  you  the  same  evening,  when  in 
ecstatic  joy  we  will  laugh  at  the  past,  hope  for  the 
future,  and  draw  consolation  from  the  fact  that  "  the 
course  of  true  love  never  did  run  smooth."  This 
from  your  disconsolate  but  still  hoping  lover  and 
admirer,  "JACK  MALLETT. 

"  P.  S. — On  reflection  I  have  concluded  to  go  to 
meeting  to-morrow.  If  all  is  well,  hold  your  pocket- 
handkerchief  in  your  left  hand  as  you  stand  up  to 


LETTER    WRITING  EXTRAORDINARY.  57 

sing  with  the  choir — in  which  case  I  shall  expect  the 
pleasure  of  giving  you  my  arm  to-morrow  night. 

"J.  M." 

The  effect  of  this  letter  upon  Lucretia  was  not  as 
.avorable  as  could  have  been  desired.  She  declined 
to  remove  her  handkerchief  from  her  right  hand,  and 
she  returned  the  "  ring  and  bosom-pin  "  to  her  dis- 
consolate admirer,  while,  not  many  months  after, 
Mallett's  rival  led  Lucretia  to  the  altar.'  As  for 
Mallett's  agreement  to  pay  Shepherd  and  Barnum 
five  pounds  of  carpet-rags  and  twelve  yards  of  broad- 
cloth "  lists  "  for  their  services,  owing  to  his  ill  suc- 
cess, they  compromised  for  one-half  the  amount. 

4 


CHAPTER  iv. 

TRYING  MANY  VENTURES. 

VISIT  TO  PlTTSBURG — SUCCESSFUL  LOTTERY  BUSINESS — MARRIAGE — FlRST 
EDITORIAL  VENTURE — LIBEL  SUIT,  IMPRISONMENT  AND  LIBERATION — 
REMOVAL  TO  NEW  YORK — HARD  TIMES — KEEPING  A  BOARDING- 
HOUSE. 

About  this  time  Barnum,  with  a  Mr.  Samuel  Sher- 
wood, of  Bridgeport,  started  for  Pittsburg,  where 
they  proposed  to  open  a  lottery  office.  On  reach- 
ing New  York,  however,  and  talking  over  the  scheme 
with  friends,  the  venture  was  abandoned  and  the 
two  men  took,  instead,  a  pleasure  trip  to  Philadel- 
phia. They  stayed  a  week,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  they  returned  to  New  York,  with  exactly 
twenty-seven  cents  between  them.  Sherwood  man- 
aged to  borrow  two  dollars — enough  to  take  him  to 
Newark,  where  he  had  a  cousin,  who  obligingly 
loaned  him  fifty  dollars.  The  two  friends  remained 
in  New  York  on  the  strength  of  their  newly  ac- 
quired wealth  for  several  days,  and  then  went  home 
considerably  richer  in  experience  at  least. 

Barnum  now  went  into  the  lottery  business  exclu- 
sively, taking  his  uncle,  Alan  son  Taylor,  into  partner- 
ship. They  established  a  number  of  agencies 
58 


ENGAGEMENT  AND  MARRIAGE.  59 

throughout  the  country,  and  made  good  profits  from 
the  sale  of  tickets.  Several  of  the  tickets  sold  by 
them  took  prizes  and  their  office  came  to  be  con- 
sidered "lucky." 

The  young  man  was  prospering  also  in  another 
direction.  The  fair  tailoress  smiled  on  him  as 
sweetly  as  ever,  and  in  the  summer  of  1827  they  be- 
came formally  engaged.  In  the  fall  Miss  Hallett 
went  "on  a  visit"  to  her  uncle,  Nathan  Beers,  in 
New  York.  A  month  later  her  lover  followed,  "  to 
buy  goods,"  and  on  the  8th  of  November,  1829, 
there  was  a  wedding  in  the  comfortable  house  at 
No.  3  Allen  street.  Having  married  at  the  age  of 
nineteen,  Barnum  always  expressed  his  disapproval 
of  early  marriages,  although  his  own  was  a  very 
happy  one. 

Returning  to  Bethel,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnum,  after 
boarding  for  a  few  months,  moved  into  their  own 
house,  which  was  built  on  a  three  acre  plat  purchased 
from  the  grandfather. 

The  lottery  business  still  prospered,  but  it  was 
mostly  in  the  hands  of  agents,  in  Danbury,  Norwalk, 
Stamford  and  Middletown,and  Barnumbegan  tolook 
around  for  some  field  for  his  individual  energies. 
He  tried  travelling  as  a  book  auctioneer,  but  found 
it  uncongenial  and  quit  the  business.  In  July,  1831, 
with  his  uncle  Alanson  Taylor,  he  opened  a  grocery 
and  general  store,  but  the  venture  was  not  partic- 
ularly successful,  and  in  the  fall  the  partnership  was 
dissolved,  Barnum  buying  his  uncle's  interest. 


60  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

The  next  enterprise  was  an  important  one, 
it  being  the  real  beginning  of  Phineas  T.  Barnum's 
public  career. 

In  a  period  of  strong  political  excitement,  he  wrote 
several  communications  for  the  Danbury  weekly 
paper,  setting  forth  what  he  conceived  to  be  the 
dangers  of  a  sectarian  interference  which  was  then 
apparent  in  political  affairs.  The  publication  of 
these  communications  was  refused,  and  he  accord- 
ingly purchased  a  press  and  types,  and  October  19, 
1831,  issued  the  first  number  of  his  own  paper,  The 
Herald  of  Freedom. 

"  I  entered  upon  the  editorship  of  this  journal," 
says  Mr.  Barnum,  "  with  all  the  vigor  and  vehemence 
of  youth.  The  boldness  with  which  the  paper  was 
conducted  soon  excited  widespread  attention  and 
commanded  a  circulation  which  extended  beyond  the 
immediate  locality  into  nearly  every  State  in  the 
Union.  But  lacking  that  experience  which  induces 
caution,  and  without  the  dread  of  consequences,  I 
frequently  laid  myself  open  to  the  charge  of  libel, 
and  three  times  in  three  years  I  was  prosecuted.  A 
Danbury  butcher,  a  zealous  politician,  brought  a  civil 
suit  against  me  for  accusing  him  of  being  a  spy  in  a 
Democratic  caucus.  On  the  first  trial  the  jury  did 
not  agree,  but  after  a  second  trial  I  was  fined  several 
hundred  dollars.  Another  libel  suit  against  me  was 
withdrawn.  The  third  was  sufficiently  important  to 
warrant  the  following  detail : 

"A  criminal  prosecution  was  brought  against  me 


CONVICTED    OF  LIBEL.  6Z 

for  stating  in  my  paper  that  a  man  in  Bethel,  promi- 
nent in  church,  had  '  been  guilty  of  taking  usury  of 
an  orphan  boy,'  and  for  severely  commenting  on  the 
fact  in  my  editorial  columns.  When  the  case  came 
to  trial  the  truth  of  my  statement  was  substantially 
proved  by  several  witnesses  and  even  by  the  pros- 
ecuting party.  But  '  the  greater  the  truth,  the 
greater  the  libel,'  and  then  I  had  used  the  term 
'usury,'  instead  of  extortion,  or  note-shaving,  or 
some  other  expression  which  might  have  softened 
the  verdict.  The  result  was  that  I  was  sentenced  to 
pay  a  fine  of  one  hundred  dollars  and  to  be  im- 
prisoned in  the  common  jail  for  sixty  days. 

"The  most  comfortable  provision  was  made  for 
me  in  Danbury  jail.  My  room  was  papered  and 
carpeted  ;  I  lived  well ;  I  was  overwhelmed  with  the 
constant  visits  of  my  friends ;  I  edited  my  paper  as 
usual  and  received  large  accessions  to  my  subscrip- 
tion list ;  and  at  the  end  of  my  sixty  days'  term  the 
event  was  celebrated  by  a  large  concourse  of  people 
from  the  surrounding  country.  The  court  room  in 
which  I  was  convicted  was  the  scene  of  the  celebra- 
tion. An  ode,  written  for  the  occasion,  was  sung; 
an  eloquent  oration  on  the  freedom  of  the  press  was 
delivered;  and  several  hundred  gentlemen  after- 
wards partook  of  a  sumptuous  dinner  followed  by 
appropriate  toasts  and  speeches.  Then  came  the 
triumphant  part  of  the  ceremonial,  which  was 
reported  in  my  paper  of  December  12,  1832,35 
follows : 


62  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

"  *  P.  T.  Barnum  and  the  band  of  music  took  their 
seats  in  a  coach  drawn  by  six  horses,  which  had 
been  prepared  for  the  occasion.  The  coach  was 
preceded  by  forty  horsemen,  and  a  marshal,  bearing 
the  national  standard.  Immediately  in  the  rear  of 
the  coach  was  the  carriage  of  the  orator  and  the 
President  of  the  day,  followed  by  the  committee  of 
arrangements  and  sixty  carriages  of  citizens,  which 
joined  in  escorting  the  editor  to  his  home  in  Bethel. 

" '  When  the  procession  commenced  its  march 
amidst  the  roar  of  cannon,  three  cheers  were  given 
by  several  hundred  citizens  who  did  not  join  in 
the  procession.  The  band  of  music  continued  to 
play  a  variety  of  national  airs  until  their  arrival  in 
Bethel  (a  distance  of  three  miles),  when  they  struck 
up  the  beautiful  and  appropriate  tune  of "  Home, 
Sweet  Home  !  "  After  giving  three  hearty  cheers, 
the  procession  returned  to  Danbury.  The  utmost 
harmony  and  unanimity  of  feeling  prevailed  through- 
out the  day,  and  we  are  happy  to  add  that  no  acci- 
dent occured  to  mar  the  festivities  of  the  occasion.'" 

The  editorial  career  continued  as  it  had  begun. 
In  1830  The  Herald  of  Freedom  was  sold  to  Mr. 
George  Taylor. 

The  mercantile  business  was  also  sold  to  Horace 
Fairchild,  who  had  been  associated  with  it  as  partner 
since  1831,  and  a  Mr.  Toucey,  who  formed  a  partner- 
ship under  the  name  of  Fairchild  &  Co.  Barnum 
had  lost  considerable  money  in  this  store ;  he  was 
too  speculative  for  ordinary  trade,  too  ready,  also 


A    NEW   YORK  DRUMMER.  63 

to  give  credit,  and  his  ledger  was  full  of  unpaid 
accounts  when  he  finally  gave  up  business. 

In  1835  ne  removed  his  family  to  New  York, 
taking  a  house  in  Hudson  street.  For  a  time  he 
tried  to  get  a  position  in  a  mercantile  house,  not 
on  a  fixed  salary,  but  so  as  to  derive  a  commission 
on  his  sales,  trusting  to  his  ability  to  make  more 
money  in  this  way  than  an  ordinary  clerk  could  be 
expected  to  receive.  Failing  in  this  he  acted  as  a 
"drummer"  for  several  stores  until  spring,  when  he 
was  fortunate  enough  to  receive  several  hundred 
dollars  from  his  agent  at  Bethel.  In  May  he  opened 
a  private  boarding-house  at  52  Frankfort  street, 
which  was  well  patronized  by  his  Connecticut 
acquaintances  as  often  as  they  visited  the  metropolis. 
This  business  not  occupying  his  entire  time,  he 
bought  an  interest  in  a  grocery  store  at  156  South 
street. 

Although  the  years  of  manhood  brought  cares, 
anxieties,  and  struggles  for  a  livelihood,  they  did 
not  change  Barnum's  nature,  and  the  jocose  element 
was  still  an  essential  ingredient  of  his  being.  He 
loved  fun,  practical  fun,  for  itself  and  for  the  enjoy- 
ment which  it  brought.  During  the  year  he  occa- 
sionally visited  Bridgeport,  where  he  almost  always 
found  at  the  hotel  a  noted  joker,  named  Darrow, 
who  spared  neither  friend  nor  foe  in  his  tricks.  He 
was  the  life  of  the  bar-room,  and  would  always  try 
to  entrap  some  stranger  in  a  bet  and  so  win  a  treat 
for  the  company.  He  made  several  ineffectual 


64  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

attempts  upon  Barnum,  and  at  last,  one  evening, 
Darrow,  who  stuttered,  made  a  final  trial,  as 
follows : 

"  Come,  Barnum,  I'll  make  you  another  propo- 
sition ;  I'll  bet  you  hain't  got  a  whole  shirt  on  your 
back."  The  catch  consists  in  the  fact  that  generally 
only  one-half  of  that  convenient  garment  is  on  the 
back ;  but  Barnum  had  anticipated  the  proposition 
— in  fact  he  had  induced  a  friend,  Mr.  Hough,  to 
put  Darrow  up  to  the  trick — and  had  folded  a  shirt 
nicely  upon  his  back,  securing  it  there  with  his 
suspenders.  The  bar-room  was  crowded  with  cus- 
tomers who  thought  that  if  Barnum  made  the  bet 
he  would  be  nicely  caught,  and  he  made  pretence 
of  playing  off  and  at  the  same  time  stimulated 
Darrow  to  press  the  bet  by  saying : 

"That  is  a  foolish  bet  to  make;  I  am  sure  my 
shirt  is  whole  because  it  is  nearly  new ;  but  I  don't 
like  to  bet  on  such  a  subject." 

"A  good  reason  why,"  said  Darrow,  in  great  glee; 
"it's  ragged.  Come,  I'll  bet  you  a  treat  for  the 
whole  company  you  hain't  got  a  whole  shirt  on  your 
b-b-b-back!" 

"  I'll  bet  my  shirt  is  cleaner  than  yours,"  Barnum 
replied. 

"That's  nothing  to  do  w-w-with  the  case;  it's 
ragged,  and  y-y-you  know  it." 

"  I  know  it  is  not,"  Barnum  replied,  with  pre- 
tended anger,  which  caused  the  crowd  to  laugh 
heartily. 


JOKING  A  JOKER.  6$ 

"You  poor  ragged  f-f-fellow,  come  down  here 
from  D-D-Danbury,  I'm  sorry  for  you,"  said  Darrow 
tantalizingly. 

"You  would  not  pay  if  you  lost,"  Barnum  re- 
marked. 

"  Here's  f-f-five  dollars  I'll  put  in  Captain  Hin- 
rhan's  (the  landlord's)  hands.  Now  b-b-bet  if  you 
dare,  you  ragged  c-c-creature,  you." 

Barnum  put  five  dollars  in  Captain  Hinman's 
hands,  and  told  him  to  treat  the  company  from  it  if 
he  lost  the  bet. 

"  Remember,"  said  Darrow,  "  I  b-b-bet  you  hain't 
got  a  whole  shirt  on  your  b-b-back  !  " 

"All  right,"  said  Barnum,  taking  off  his  coat  and 
commencing  to  unbutton  his  vest.  The  whole 
company,  feeling  sure  that  he  was  caught,  began  to 
laugh  heartily.  Old  Darrow  fairly  danced  with 
delight,  and  as  Barnum  laid  his  coat  on  a  chair  he 
came  running  up  in  front  of  him,  and  slapping  his 
hands  together,  exclaimed : 

"You  needn't  t-t-take  off  any  more  c-c-clothes, 
for  if  it  ain't  all  on  your  b-b-back,  you've  lost  it." 

"  If  it  is,  I  suppose  you  have  !  "  Barnum  replied, 
pulling  the  whole  shirt  from  off  his  back ! 

Such  a  shriek  of  laughter  as  burst  forth  from  the 
crowd  was  scarcely  ever  heard,  and  certainly  such  a 
blank  countenance  as  old  Darrow  exhibited  it 
would  be  hard  to  conceive.  Seeing  that  he  was 
most  incontinently  "done  for,"  and  perceiving  that 
his  neighbor  Hough  had  helped  to  do  it,  he  ran  up 


66  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

to  him  in  great  anger,  and  shaking  his  fist  in  his  face, 
exclaimed : 

"  H-H-Hough,  you  infernal  r-r-rascal,  to  go  against 
your  own  neighbor  in  favor  of  a  D-D-Danbury 
man.  I'll  pay  you  for  that  some  time,  you  see  if 
Id-d-don't."  ' 

All  hands  went -up  to  the  bar  and  drank  with 'a 
hearty  good  will,  for  it  was  seldom  that  Darrow  got 
taken  in,  and  he  was  such  an  inveterate  joker  they 
liked  to  see  him  paid  in  his  own  coin.  Never  till 
the  day  of  his  death  did  he  hear  the  last  of  the 
"  whole  shirt." 


CHAPTER  V. 

BEGINNING   AS   A   SHOWMAN. 

FINDING  His  TRUE  VOCATION — THE  PURCHASE  OF  JOICE  HETH — EVIDENCE 
AS  TO  HER  AGE — HER  DEATH — SIGNOR  VIVALLA — A  VISIT  TO  WASH- 
INGTON— JOINING  A  TRAVELLING  CIRCUS — CONTROVERSIES  WITH  MIN- 
ISTERS— THE  VICTIM  OF  A  PRACTICAL  JOKE. 

Barnum  was  now  satisfied  that  he  had  not  yet 
found  his  proper  level.  He  had  not  yet  entered  the 
business  for  which  nature  had  designed  him.  There 
was  only  a  prospect  of  his  going  on  from  this  to 
that,  as  his  father  had  done  before  him,  trying  many 
callings  but  succeeding  in  none.  He  had  not  yet 
discovered  that  love  of  amusement  is  one  of  the 
strongest  passions  of  the  human  heart.  This,  how- 
ever, was  a  lesson  that  he  was  soon  to  learn ;  and 
he  was  to  achieve  both  fame  and  fortune  as  a  caterer 
to  the  public  desire  for  entertainment. 

Philosophizing  on  this  theme  in  later  years,  Mr. 
Barnum  once  said :  "  The  show  business  has  all 
phases  and  grades  of  dignity,  from  the  exhibition  of 
a  monkey  to  the  exposition  of  that  highest  art  in 
music  or  the  drama,  which  entrances  empires  and 
secures  for  the  gifted  artist  a  worldwide  fame  which 
princes  well  might  envy.  Men,  women  and  children, 
67 


68  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

who  cannot  live  on  gravity  alone,  need  something  to 
satisfy  their  gayer,  lighter  moods  and  hours,  and  he 
who  ministers  to  this  want  is  in  a  business  established 
by  the  Author  of  our  nature.  If  he  worthily  fulfils 
his  mission,  and  amuses  without  corrupting,  he  need 
never  feel  that  he  has  lived  in  vain." 

In  the  summer  of  1835,  Mr.  Barnum  was  visited 
by  Mr.  Coley  Bartram,  of  Reading,  Connecticut, 
who  told  him  that  he  had  owned  an  interest  in  a  re- 
markable negro  woman,  who  was  confidently  be- 
lieved to  be  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  years  old 
and  to  have  been  the  nurse  of  Washington.  Mr. 
Bartram  showed  him  a  copy  of  an  advertisement  in 
The  Pennsylvania  Inquirer  for  July  15,  1835,  as 
follows : 

"  CURIOSITY. — The  citizens  of  Philadelphia  and  its 
vicinity  have  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  at  the 
Masonic  Hall  one  of  the  greatest  natural  curiosities 
ever  witnessed,  viz. :  JOICE  HETH,  a  negress,  aged 
161  years,  who  formerly  belonged  to  the  father  of 
General  Washington.  She  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church  one  hundred  and  sixteen  years, 
and  can  rehearse  many  hymns,  and  sing  them  ac- 
cording to  former  custom.  She  was  born  near  the 
old  Potomac  River  in  Virginia,  and  has  for  ninety  or 
one  hundred  years  lived  in  Paris,  Kentucky,  with 
the  Bowling  family. 

"All  who  have  seen  this  extraordinary  woman  are 
satisfied  of  the  truth  of  the  account  of  her  age.  The 
evidence  of  the  Bowling  family,  which  is  respectable, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE    OLD  SLAVE.  ftg 

is  strong,  but  the  original  bill  of  sale  of  Augustine 
Washington,  in  his  own  handwriting,  and  other 
evidences  which  the  proprietor  has  in  his  possession, 
will  satisfy  even  the  most  incredulous. 

"A  lady  will  attend  at  the  hall  during  the  after- 
noon and  evening  for  the  accommodation  of  those 
ladies  who  may  call." 

Mr.  Bartram  told  him,  moreover,  that  he  had  sold 
out  his  interest  in  the  woman  to  R.  W.  Lindsay,  of 
Jefferson  county,  Kentucky,  who  was  then  exhibit- 
ing her  as  a  curiosity,  but  was  anxious  to  sell  her. 
Mr.  Barnum  had  seen  in  some  of  the  New  York 
papers  an  account  of  Joice  Heth,  and  was  so  much 
interested  in  her  that  he  at  once  proceeded  to  Phila- 
delphia to  see  her  and  Mr.  Lindsay.  How  he  was 
impressed  by  her  he  has  himself  told.  "  Joice  Heth," 
he  says,  "  was  certainly  a  remarkable  curiosity,  and 
she  looked  as  if  she  might  have  been  far  older  than 
her  age  as  advertised.  She  was  apparently  in  good 
health  and  spirits,  but  from  age  or  disease,  or  both, 
was  unable  to  change  her  position  ;  she  could  move 
one  arm  at  will,  but  her  lower  limbs  could  not  be 
straightened  ;  her  left  arm  lay  across  her  breast  and 
she  could  not  remove  it ;  the  fingers  of  her  left  hand 
were  drawn  down  so  as  nearly  to  close  it,  and  were 
fixed  ;  the  nails  on  that  hand  were  almost  four 
inches  long  and  extended  above  her  wrist ;  the  nails 
on  her  large  toes  had  grown  to  the  thickness  of  a 
quarter  of  an  inch ;  her  head  was  covered  with  a 
thick  bush  of  grey  hair ;  but  she  was  toothless  and 


^o  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

totally  blind,  and  her  eyes  had  sunk  so  deeply  in 
the  sockets  as  to  have  disappeared  altogether. 

"  Nevertheless  she  was  pert  and  sociable,  and 
would  talk  as  long  as  people  would  converse  with 
her.  She  was  quite  garrulous  about  her  protege, 
'  dear  little  George,'  at  whose  birth  she  declared  she 
was  present,  having  been  at  the  time  a  slave  of 
Elizabeth  Atwood,  a  half-sister  of  Augustine  Wash- 
ington, the  father  of  George  Washington.  As  nurse 
she  put  the  first  clothes  on  the  infant,  and  she 
claimed  to  have  '  raised  him.'  She  professed  to  be 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  talking  much  in 
her  way  on  religious  subjects,  and  she  sang  a  variety 
of  ancient  hymns. 

"  In  proof  of  her  extraordinary  age  and  preten- 
sions, Mr.  Lindsay~exhibited  a  bill  of  sale,  dated 
February  5,  1727,  from  Augustine  Washington, 
county  of  Westmoreland,  Virginia,  to  Elizabeth  At- 
wood, a  half-sister  and  neighbor  of  Mr.  Washington, 
conveying  'one  negro  woman  named Joice  Heth,aged 
fifty-four  years,  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum 
of  thirty-three  pounds  lawful  money  of  Virginia.'  It 
was  further  claimed  that  she  had  long  been  a  nurse 
in  the  Washington  family ;  .she  was  called  in  at  the 
birth  of  George  and  clothed  the  newborn  infant. 
The  evidence  seemed  authentic,  and  in  answer  to 
the  inquiry  why  so  remarkable  a  discovery  had  not 
been  made  before,  a  satisfactory  explanation  was 
given  in  the  statement  that  she  had  been  carried 
from  Virginia  to  Kentucky,  had  been- on  the  planta' 


BARNUM'S  FIRST  SHOW.  Ji 

tion  of  John  S.  Bowling  so  long  that  no  one  knew  or 
cared  how  old  she  was,  and  only  recently  the  acci- 
dental discovery  by  Mr.  Bowling's  son  of  the  old  bill 
of  sale  in  the  Record  Office  in  Virginia  had  led  to 
the  identification  of  this  negro  woman  as  '  the  nurse 
of  Washington.' ' 

Everything  seemed  to  Barnum  to  be  entirely 
straightforward,  and  he  decided,  if  possible,  to  pur- 
chase the  woman.  She  was  offered  to  him  at  $1,000, 
although  Lindsay  at  first  wanted  $3,000.  Barnum 
had  $500  in  cash,  and  was  .able  to  borrow  $500 
more.  Thus  he  secured  Joice  Heth,  sold  out  his 
interest  in  the  grocery  business  to  his  partner,  and 
entered  upon  his  career  as  a  showman.  He  after- 
ward declared  that  the  least  deserving  of  all  his  ef- 
forts in  the  show  line  was  this  one  which  introduced 
him  to  the  business ;  it  was  a  scheme  in  no  sense  of 
his  own  devising ;  but  it  was  one  which  had  been  for 
some  time  before  the  public,  and  which  he  honestly 
and  with  good  reason  believed  to  be  genuine.  He 
entered  upon  his  new  work  with  characteristk  enter- 
prise, resorting  to  posters,  transparencies,  advertise- 
ments, newspaper  paragraphs,  and  everything  else 
calculated  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  public,  re- 
gardless of  expense.  He  exhibited  in  New  York, 
Boston,  Philadelphia,  Albany,  and  many  other  places, 
where  his  rooms  were  thronged  and  much  money 
made.  But  in  the  following  February  Joice  Heth 
died  of  old  age,  and  was  buried  at  Bethel.  A  post- 
mortem examination  was  made  by  a  surgeon  and 


72  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

some  medical  students,  who  were  inclined  to  doubt 
if  she  really  was  as  old  as  Lindsay  had  said. 

Thus  ended  Barntim's  first  enterprise  as  a  show- 
man. It  had  been  profitable  to  him,  and  had  pointed 
out  to  him  the  path  of  success.  His  next  venture 
was  entirely  genuine  and  straightforward.  He  en- 
gaged an  Italian,  who  called  himself  Signer  Antonio, 
and  who  was  a  skilful  performer  on  stilts,  on  the 
tight  rope  and  at  juggling.  Barnum  engaged  him 
for  a  year  at  $12  a  week  and  his  expenses,  and  got 
him  to  change  his  stage  name  to  Signor  Vivalla. 
He  then  resorted  to  his  former  means  of  advertising, 
and  started  on  his  tour.  For  Vivalla's  first  week  of 
performances  Barnum  received  $50,  .and  for  the 
second  week  three  times  as  much.  At  the  close  of 
the  first  performance,  in  response  to  loud  applause, 
Barnum  appeared  upon  the  stage  and  made  a  speech 
to  the  audience,  a  performance  which  he  repeated 
thousands  of  times  in  after  years.  This  engagement 
was  at  the  Franklin  Theatre  in  New  York. 

The  show  next  appeared  in  Boston,  with  great 
success.  Next  it  went  to  Washington  and  had  a 
most  disastrous  week,  for  every  night  was  stormy. 
Indeed  Barnum  found  himself  literally  stranded 
there,  with  not  enough  money  to  get  away.  He  was 
driven  to  pawn  his  watch  and  chain  for  $35,  and 
then  met  a  friend  who  helped  him  out  of  his  di- 
lemma: 

"As  this  was  my  first  visit  to  Washington,  I  was 
much  interested,"  says  Barnum,  "  in  visiting  the 


HORACE  GREELEY. 


HELP  FROM  A   HISS.  75 

capitol  and  other  public  buildings.  I  also  satisfied 
my  curiosity  in  seeing  Clay,  Calhoun,  Benton,  John 
Quincy  Adams,  Richard  M.  Johnson,  Polk,  and  other 
leading  statesmen  of  the  time.  I  was  also  greatly 
gratified  in  calling  upon  Anne  Royall,  author  of  the 
Black  Book,  publisher  of  a  little  paper  called  '  Paul 
Pry,'  and  quite  a  celebrated  personage  in  her  day.  I 
had  exchanged  The  Herald  of  Freedom  with  her 
journal,  .and  she  strongly  sympathized  with  me  in 
my  persecutions.  She  was  delighted  to  see  me,  and 
although  she  was  the  most  garrulous  old  woman  I 
ever  saw,  I  passed  a  very  amusing  and  pleasant 
time  wi'th  her.  Before  leaving  her  I  manifested  my 
showman  propensity  by  trying  to  hire  her  to  give  a 
dozen  or  more  lectures  on  'Government'  in  the 
Atlantic  cities,  but  I  could  not  engage  her  at  any 
price,  although  I  am  sure  the  speculation  would 
have  been  a  very  profitable  one.  I  never  saw  this 
eccentric  woman  again  ;  she  died  at  a  very  advanced 
age,  October  i,  1854,  at  her  residence  in  Washing- 
ton." 

From  Washington  the  show  went  to  Philadelphia 
and  appeared  at  the  Walnut  Street  Theatre.  The 
audiences  were  small  and  it  was  evident  that  some- 
thing must  be  done  to  arouse  public  interest.  "And 
now,"  says  Barnum,  "  that  instinct  which  can  arouse 
a  community  and  make  it  patronize  one,  provided 
the  article  offered  is  worthy  of  patronage,  an  in- 
stinct which  served  me  greatly  in  later  years,  aston- 
ishing the  public  and  surprising  me,  came  to  my  re- 

5 


76  LIFE   OF  P.    T.  BARNVM. 

lief,  and  the  help,  curiously  enough,  appeared  in  the 
shape  of  an  emphatic  hiss  from  the  pit ! 

"  This  hiss,  I  discovered,  came  from  one  Roberts, 
a  circus  performer,  and  I  had  an  interview  with  him. 
He  was  a  professional  balancer  and  juggler,  who 
boasted  that  he  could  do  all  Vivalla  had  done  and 
something  more.  I  at  once  published  a  card  in 
Vivalla's  name,  offering  $1,000  to  any  one  who 
would  publicly  perform  Vivalla's  feats  at  such  place 
as  should  be  designated,  and  Roberts  issued  a 
counter  card  accepting  the  offer.  I  then  contracted 
with  Mr.  Warren,  treasurer  of  the  Walnut  Street 
Theatre,  for  one-third  of  the  proceeds,  if  I  should 
bring  the  receipts  up  to  $400  a  night — an  agreement 
he  could  well  afford  to  make  as  his  receipts  the 
night  before  had  been  but  seventy-five  dollars. 
From  him  I  went  to  Roberts,  who  seemed  disposed 
to  'back  down,'  but  I  told  him  that  I  should  not 
insist  upon  the  terms  of  his  published  card,  and  ask 
him  if  he  was  under  any  engagement  ?  Learning 
that  he  was  not  I  offered  him  thirty  dollars  to  per- 
form under  my  direction  one  night  at  the  Walnut, 
and  he  accepted.  A  great  trial  of  skill  between 
Roberts  and  Vivalla  was  duly  announced  by  posters 
and  through  the  press.  Meanwhile,  they  rehearsed 
privately  to  see  what  tricks  each  could  perform,  and 
the  '  business'  was  completely  arranged. 

"  Public  excitement  was  at  fever  heat,  and  on  the 
night  of  the  trial  the  pit  and  upper  boxes  were 
crowded  to  the  full.  The  'contest'  between  the  per- 


JOINING  A  CIRCUS.  77 

formers  was  eager,  and  each  had  his  party  in  the 
house.  So  far  as  I  could  learn,  no  one  complained 
that  he  did  not  get  all  he  paid  for  on  that  occasion. 
I  engaged  Roberts  for  a  month,  and  his  subsequent 
'  contests '  with  Vivalla  amused  the  public  and  put 
money  in  my  purse." 

In  the  spring  of  1836  Barnum  joined  his  show 
with  Aaron  Turner's  travelling  circus,  himself  acting 
as  ticket  seller,  secretary  and  treasurer,  at  thirty 
dollars  a  month  and  one-fifth  of  the  total  profits, 
while  Vivalla  was  to  get  fifty  dollars  a.  month. 
Barnum  was  himself  paying  Vivalla  eighty  dollars 
a  month,  so  that  he  really  had  left  for  himself  only 
his  one-fifth  share  of  the  profits.  The  combined 
show  set  out  from  Danbury,  Connecticut,  for  West 
Springfield,  Massachusetts,  on  April  26.  On  the  first 
day,  Barnum  relates,  instead  of  stopping  for  dinner, 
Turner  simply  distributed  to  the  company  three 
loaves  of  rye  bread  and  a  pound  of  butter,  which  he 
bought  at  a  farmhouse  for  fifty  cents.  On  April  28 
they  began  their  performances  at  West  Springfield, 
and  as  their  band  of  music  had  not  arrived  from 
Providence,  as  expected,  Barnum  made  a  speech  to 
the  audience  in  place  of  it,  which  seemed  to  please 
everybody.  The  engagement  was  successful,  and 
the  tour  Was  continued  during  the  summer  through 
numerous  towns  and  cities  in  New  England,  the 
Middle  States,  Maryland,  Virginia  and  North  Caro- 
lina. 

Many  incidents,  humorous  and  otherwise,  marked 


78  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

their  progress.  At  Cabotville,  Massachusetts,  on 
going  to  bed  one  night  one  of  the  company  threw  a 
lighted  cigar  stump  into  a  box  of  sawdust,  and  the 
result  was  that,  an  hour  or  two  later,  they  all  nar- 
rowly escaped  suffocation  from  the  smoke.  At 
Lenox,  Massachusetts,  they  spent  Sunday  and  Bar- 
num  went  to  church  as  usual.  The  sermon  was 
directed  against  the  circus,  denouncing  it  in  very 
abusive  terms  as  an  immoral  and  degrading  institu- 
tion. "Thereupon,"  says  Barnum,  "when  the  min- 
ister had  read  the  closing  hymn,  I  walked  up  the 
pulpit  stairs  and  handed  him  a  written  request, 
signed  '  P.  T.  Barnum,  connected  with  the  circus, 
June  5,  1836,'  to  be  permitted  to  reply  to  him.  He 
declined  to  notice  it,  and  after  the  benediction  I 
lectured  him  for  not  giving  me  an  opportunity  to 
vindicate  myself  and  those  with  whom  I  was  con- 
nected. The  affair  created  considerable  excitement, 
and  some  of  the  members  of  the  church  apologized 
to  me  for  their  clergyman's  ill  behavior.  A  similar 
affair  happened  afterward  at  Port  Deposit,  on  the 
lower  Susquehanna,  and  in  this  instance  I  addressed 
the  audience  for  half  an  hour,  defending  the  circus 
company  against  the  attacks  of  the  clergyman,  and 
the  people  listened,  though  their  pastor  repeatedly 
implored  them  to  go  home.  Often  have  I  collected 
our  company  on  Sunday  and  read  to  them  the  Bible 
or  a  printed  sermon,  and  one  or  more  of  the  men 
frequently  accompanied  me  to  church.  We  made 
no  pretense  of  religion,  but  we  were  not  the  worst 


A  SEKIOUS  JOKE.  79 

people  in  the  world,  and  we  thought  ourselves  enti- 
tled to  at  least  decent  treatment  when  we  went  to 
hear  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel." 

Turner,  the  proprietor  of  the  circus,  was  a  self- 
made  man.  He  had  made  himself  rich  through 
industry,  as  he  believed  any  other  man  with  com- 
mon sense  could  do,  and  he  was  very  proud  of  the 
fact.  He  was  also  an  inveterate  practical  joker,  and 
once,  at  Annapolis,  Maryland,  he  played  upon  Bar- 
num  a  trick  which  came  very  near  having  a  serious 
result.  They  got  there  on  Saturday  night,  and  the 
next  morning  Barnum  went  out  for  a  walk,  wearing 
a  fine  new  suit  of  black  clothes.  As  he  passed 
through  the  bar-room  and  out  of  the  hotel  Turner 
said  to  some  bystanders,  who  did  not  know  Barnum : 

"  I  think  it  very  singular  that  you  permit  that 
rascal  to  march  your  streets  in  open  day.  It 
wouldn't  be  allowed  in  Rhode  Island,  and  I  suppose 
that  is  the  reason  the  scoundrel  has  come  down  this 
way." 

"  Why,  who  is  he  ?  "  they  demanded. 

"  Don't  you  know  ?  Why,  that  is  the  Rev.  E.  K. 
Avery,  the  murderer  of  Miss  Cornell." 

Instantly  there  was  a  rush  of  the  whole  crowd  to 
the  door,  eager  to  get  another  look  at  Barnum,  and 
uttering  threats  of  vengeance.  This  man  Avery 
had  only  lately  been  tried  in  Rhode  Island  for  the 
murder  of  Miss  Cornell,  whose  dead  body  was  dis- 
covered in  a  stack-yard,  and  though  he  was  acquitted 
by  the  court  everybody  believed  him  guilty.  Ac- 


8O  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

cordingly,  Barnum  soon  found  himself  overtaken 
and  surrounded  by  a  mob  of  one  hundred  or  more, 
and  his  ears  saluted  with  such  remarks  as  "the 
lecherous  old  hypocrite,"  "  the  sanctified  murderer," 
"the  black-coated  villain,"  "lynch  him,"  "tar  and  feather 
him,"  and  others  still  more  harsh  and  threatening. 
Then  one  man  seized  him  by  the  collar,  while  others 
brought  a  fence  rail  and  some  rope. 

"  Come,"  said  the  man  who  collared  him,  "  old 
chap,  you  can't  walk  any  further ;  we  know  you, 
and  as  we  always  make  gentlemen  ride  in  these 
parts,  you  may  just  prepare  to  straddle  that  rail !  " 

His  surprise  may  be  imagined.  "  Good  heavens ! " 
he  exclaimed,  as  they  all  pressed  around,  "gentle- 
men, what  have  I  done  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we  know  you,"  exclaimed  half  a  dozen 
voices  ;  "  you  needn't  roll  your  sanctimonious  eyes ; 
that  game  don't  take  in  this  country.  Come,  strad- 
dle the  rail,  and  remember  the  stack-yard  /" 

He  grew  more  and  more  bewildered ;  he  could 
not  imagine  what  possible  offence  he  was  to  suffer 
for,  and  he  continued  to  exclaim,  "  Gentlemen,  what 
have  I  done  ?  Don't  kill  me,  gentlemen,  but  tell 
me  what  I  have  done." 

"  Come,  make  him  straddle  the  rail ;  we'll  show 
him  how  to  hang  poor  factory  girls,"  shouted  a  man 
in  the  crowd. 

The  man  who  had  him  by  the  collar  then  remarked, 
"Come,  Mr.  Avery,  it's  no  use;  you  see,  we  know 


A   SERIOUS  JO  ICE.  g! 

you,  and  we'll  give  you  a  touch  of  lynch  law,  and 
start  you  for  home  again." 

"  My  name  is  not  Avery,  gentlemen ;  you  are 
mistaken  in  your  man,"  he  exclaimed. 

"  Come,  come,  none  of  your  gammon  ;  straddle 
the  rail,  Ephraim." 

The  rail  was  brought  and  Barnum  was  about  to 
be  placed  on  it,  when  the  truth  flashed  upon  him. 

"  Gentlemen,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  am  not  Avery  ;  I 
despise  that  villain  as  much  as  you  can ;  my  name 
is  Barnum ;  I  belong  to  the  circus  which  arrived 
here  last  night,  and  I  am  sure  Old  Turner,  my  part- 
ner, has  hoaxed  you  with  this  ridiculous  story." 

"  If  he  has  we'll  lynch  him,"  said  one  of  the  mob. 

"  Well,  he  has,  I'll  assure  you,  and  if  you  will 
walk  to  the  hotel  with  me,  I'll  convince  you  of  the 
fact." 

This  they  reluctantly  assented  to,  keeping,  how- 
ever, a  close  hand  upon  him.  As  they  walked  up 
the  main  street,  the  mob  received  a  re-enforcement 
of  some  fifty  or  sixty,  and  Barnum  was  marched  like 
a  malefactor  up  to  the  hotel.  Old  Turner  stood  on 
the  piazza,  ready  to  explode  with  laughter.  Barnum 
appealed  to  him  for  heaven's  sake  to  explain  this 
matter,  that  he  might  be  liberated.  He  continued 
to  laugh,  but  finally  told  them  "  he  believed  there 
was  some  mistake  about  it.  The  fact  is,"  said  he, 
"  my  friend  Barnum  has  a  new  suit  of  black  clothes 
on  and  he  looks  so  much  like  a  priest  that  I  thought 
he  must  be  Avery." 


82  LIFE    OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

The  crowd  saw  the  joke  and  seemed  satisfied. 
Barnum's  new  coat  had  been  half-torn  from  his  back, 
and  he  had  been  very  roughly  handled.  But  some 
of  the  crowd  apologized  for  the  outrage,  declaring 
that  Turner  ought  to  be  served  in  the  same  way, 
while  others  advised  Barnum  to  "  get  even  with 
him."  Barnum  was  very  much  offended,  and  when 
the  mob  dispersed  he  asked  Turner  what  could  have 
induced  him  to  play  such  a  trick. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Barnum,"  he  replied,  "  it  was  all 
for  our  good.  Remember,  all  we  need  to  insure 
success  is  notoriety.  You  will  see  that  this  will  be 
noised  all  about  town  as  a  trick  played  by  one  of 
the  circus  managers  upon  the  other,  and  our  pavilion 
will  be  crammed  to-morrow  night." 

It  was  even  so ;  the  trick  was  told  all  over  town, 
and  every  one  came  to  see  the  circus  managers  who 
were  in  a  habit  of  playing  practical  jokes  upon  each 
other.  They  had  fine  audiences  while  they  remained 
at  Annapolis,  but  it  was  a  long  time  before  Barnum 
forgave  Turner  for  his  rascally  "joke."  : 


CHAPTER  VI. 

INCIDENTS  OF  A  CIRCUS  TOUR. 

BEATING  A  LANDLORD — A  JOKE  ON  TURNER — BARNUM  AS  A  PREACHER  AND 
AS  A  NEGRO  MINSTREL — A  BAD  MAN  WITH  A  GUN — DEALING  WITH  A 
SHERIFF — "  LADY  HAYES  " — AN  EMBARASSED  JUGGLER — BARNUM  AS  A 
MATRIMONIAL  AGENT. 

At  almost  every  place  visited  by  the  travelling 
company,  some  notable  incident  occurred.  At 
Hanover  Court  House,  Virginia,  for  example,  it  was 
raining  so  heavily  that  they  could  not  give  a  per- 
formance, and  Turner  therefore  decided  to  start  for 
Richmond  immediately  after  dinner.  Their  land- 
lord, however,  said  that  as  their  agent  had  engaged 
three  meals  and  lodgings  for  the  whole  troupe,  the 
whole  bill  must  be  paid  whether  they  went  then  or 
stayed  until  next  morning.  No  compromise  could 
be  made  with  the  stubborn  fellow,  and  Turner  was 
equally  stubborn  in  his  determination  both  to  go  at 
once  and  also  to  have  the  worth  of  his  money.  The 
following  programme  was  accordingly  carried  out, 
Turner  insisting  upon  every  detail : 

Dinner  was  ordered  at  twelve  o'clock  and  was 

duly  prepared  and  eaten.     As  soon  as  the  table  was 

cleared,    supper  was  ordered,   at  half  past  twelve. 

After  eating  as  much  of  this  as  their  dinner  had  left 

83 


84  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

room  for,  the  whole  company  went  to  bed  at  one 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Each  man  insisted  upon 
taking  a  lighted  candle  to  his  room,  and  the  whole 
thirty-six  of  them  undressed  and  went  to  bed  as 
though  they  proposed  to  stay  all  night.  Half  an 
hour  later  they  arose  and  dressed  again  and  went 
down  to  breakfast,  which  Turner  had  ordered  served 
at  two  o'clock  sharp.  They  could  eat  but  little  of 
this  meal,  of  course,  but  they  did  the  best  they 
could,  and  at  half  past  two  in  the  afternoon  were  on 
their  way  to  Richmond.  Throughout  the  whole  ab- 
surd proceeding's  the  landlord  was  furiously  angry. 
Turner  was  as  solemn  as  a  corpse,  and  the  rest  of 
the  company  were  convulsed  with  laughter. 

After  the  performance  one  evening  at  Richmond, 
Barnum  tried  to  pay  Turner  for  that  practical  joke 
about  the  Rev.  Mr.  Avery.  A  score  of  the  company 
were  telling  stories  and  singing  songs  in  the  sitting 
room  of  the  hotel.  Presently  somebody  began 
propounding  some  amusing  arithmetical  problems. 
Then  Turner  proposed  one,  which  was  readily 
solved.  Barnum's  turn  came  next,  and  he  offered 
the  following,  for  Turner's  especial  benefit: 

"Suppose  a  man  is  thirty  years  of  age,  and  he 
has  a  child  one  year  of  age ;  he  is  thirty  times  older 
than  his  child.  When  the  child  is  thirty  years  old, 
the  father,  being  sixty,  is  only  twice  as  old  as  his 
child.  When  the  child  is  sixty  the  father  is  ninety, 
and  therefore  only  one-third  older  than  the  child. 
When  the  child  is  ninety  the  father  is  one  hundred 


PAYING  TURNER  OFF.  85 

and  twenty,  and  therefore  only  one-fourth  older  than 
the  child.  Thus  you  see,  the  child  is  gradually  but 
surely  gaining  on  the  parent,  and  as  he  certainly 
continues  to  come  nearer  and  nearer,  in  time  he 
must  overtake  him.  The  question  therefore  is,  sup- 
pose it  was  possible  for  them  to  live  long  enough, 
how  old  would  the  father  be  when  the  child  over- 
took him  and  became  of  the  same  age  ?  " 

The  company  generally  saw  the  catch  ;  but  Turner 
was  very  much  interested  in  the  problem,  and 
although  he  admitted  he  knew  nothing  about  arith- 
metic, he  was  convinced  that  as  the  son  was 
gradually  gaining  on  the  father  he  must  reach  him 
if  there  was  time  enough — say,  a  thousand  years,  or 
so — for  the  race.  But  an  old  gentleman  gravely 
remarked  that  the  idea  of  a  son  becoming  as  old  as 
his  father  while  both  were  living,  was  simply  non- 
sense, and  he  offered  to  bet  a  dozen  of  champagne 
that  the  thing  was  impossible,  even  "  in  figures." 
Turner,  who  was  a  betting  man,  and  who  thought 
the  problem  might  be  proved,  accepted  the  wager  ; 
but  he  was  soon  convinced  that  however  much  the 
boy  might  relatively  gain  upon  his  father,  there 
would  always  be  thirty  years  difference  in  their 
ages.  The  champagne  cost  him  $25,  and  he  failed 
to  see  the  fun  of  Barnum's  arithmetic,  though  at 
last  he  acknowledged  that  it  was  a  fair  offset  to  the 
Avery  trick. 

From  Richmond  they  went  to  Petersburg,  and 
thence  to  Warrenton,  North  Carolina,  and  there,  on 


86  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

October  30,  Barnum  and  Turner  separated,  Barnum's 
engagement  having  expired  with  a  clear  profit  to 
himself  of  about  $1,200.  Barnum  took  Vivalla,  a 

7r         f  * 

negro  singer  and  dancer  named  James  Sandford, 
several  musicians,  horses  and  wagons,  and  a  small 
canvas  tent.  With  these  he  proposed  to  carry  on  a 
travelling  show  of  his  own.  His  first  stop  was  on 
Saturday,  November  1 2,  1836,  at  Rocky  Mount  Falls, 
North  Carolina.  The  next  day,  being  Sunday, 
Barnum  set  out  for  church.  "  I  noticed,"  he  says, 
"  a  stand  and  benches  in  a  grove  near  by,  and  de- 
termined to  speak  to  the  people  if  I  was  permitted. 
The  landlord  who  was  with  me  said  that  the  congre- 
gation, coming  from  a  distance  to  attend  a  single 
service,  would  be  very  glad  to  hear  a  stranger,  and 
I  accordingly  asked  the  venerable  clergyman  to  an- 
nounce that  after  service  I  would  speak  for  half  an 
hour  in  the  grove.  Learning  that  I  was  not  a  clergy- 
man, he  declined  to  give  the  notice,  but  said  that  he 
had  no  objection  to  my  making  the  announcement, 
which  I  did,  and  the  congregation,  numbering  about 
three  hundred,  promptly  came  to  hear  me. 

"I  told  them  I  was  not  a  preacher,  and  had  very 
little  experience  in  public  speaking,  but  I  felt  a 
deep  interest  in  matters  of  morality  and  religion,  and 
would  attempt  in  a  plain  way,  to  set  before  them 
the  duties  and  privileges  of  man.  I  appealed  to 
every  man's  experience,  observation  and  reason,  to 
confirm  the  Bible  doctrine  of  wretchedness  in  vice 
and  happiness  in  virtue,  We  cannot  violate  the 


A  SHOWMAN'S  SERMON.  87 

laws  of  God  with  impunity,  and  He  will  not  keep 
back  the  wages  of  well-doing.  The  outside  show 
of  things  is  of  very  small  account.  We  must  look 
to  realities  and  not  to  appearances.  '  Diamonds  may 
glitter  on  a  vicious  breast,'  but  'the  soul's  calm  sun- 
shine and  the  heart-felt  joy  is  virtue's  prize.'  The 
rogue,  the  passionate  man,  the  drunkard,  are  not  to 
be  envied  even  at  the  best,  and  a  conscience  hard- 
ened by  sin  is  the  most  sorrowful  possession  we 
can  think  of." 

Barnum  proceeded  in  this  strain  with  various 
scriptural  quotations  and  familiar  illustrations,  for 
three-quarters  of  an  hour.  At  the  end  of  his  ad- 
dress several  persons  came  up  to  shake  hands  with 
him,  saying  that  they  had  been  greatly  pleased  and 
edified  by  his  remarks  and  asking  to  know  his  name. 
He  went  away  feeling  that  possibly  he  had  done 
some  good  by  means  of  his  impromptu  preaching. 

The  negro  singer  and  dancer,  Sandford,  abruptly 
deserted  the  show  at  Camden,  South  Carolina,  and 
left  Barnum  in  a  bad  plight.  An  entertainment  of 
negro  songs  had  been  advertised,  and  no  one  was 
able  to  fill  Sandford's  place.  Barnum  was  deter- 
mined, however,  that  his  audience  should  not  be  dis- 
appointed, and  so  he  blackened  his  own  face  and 
went  on  the  stage  himself,  singing  a  number  of  plan- 
tation melodies.  His  efforts  were  received  with 
great  applause,  and  he  was  recalled  several  times. 
This  performance  was  repeated  for  several  even- 
ings. 


88  LIFE  OF  p.  r.  BARNUM. 

One  night  after  thus  personating  a  negro,  Barnum 
heard  a  disturbance  outside  the  tent.  Hastening  to 
the  spot  he  found  a  man  quarreling  with  one  of  his 
company.  He  interfered,  whereupon  the  man  drew 
a  pistol  and  pointing  it  at  Barnum's  head,  exclaimed, 
"you  black  scoundrel!  How  dare  you  use  such 
language  to  a  white  man  ? "  He  evidently  took 
Barnum  for  a  real  negro,  and  in  another  moment 
would  have  blown  his  brains  out.  But  quick  as  a 
flash  the  showman  exclaim,  "  I  am  as  white  as  you  !  " 
and  at  the  same  moment  rolled  up  his  sleeves  show- 
ing the  white  skin  of  his  arm.  The  other  man 
dropped  his  pistol  in  consternation  and  humbly 
begged  Barnum's  pardon. 

"  On  four  different  occasions  in  my  life,  "  said 
Mr.  Barnum  not  long  before  his  death,  "  I  have  had 
a  loaded  pistol  pointed  at  my  head  and  each  time  I 
have  escaped  death  by  what  seemed  a  miracle.  I 
have  also  often  been  in  deadly  peril  by  accidents,  and 
when  I  think  of  these  things  I  realize  my  indebtedness 
to  an  all-protecting  Providence.  Reviewing  my 
career,  too,  and  considering  the  kind  of  company  I 
kept  for  years  and  the  associations  with  which  I  was 
surrounded  and  connected,  I  am  surprised  as  well  as 
grateful  that  I  was  not  ruined.  I  honestly  believe 
that  I  owe  my  preservation  from  the  degradation  of 
living  and  dying  a  loafer  and  a  vagabond,  to  the 
single  fact  that  I  was  never  addicted  to  strong  drink. 
To  be  sure,  I  have  in  times  past  drank  liquor,  but  I 
have  generally  wholly  abstained  from  intoxicating 


VICISSITUDES  OF  THE  ROAD.  89 

beverages,  and  for  many  years,  I  am  glad  to  say,  I 
have  been  a  strict  '  teetotaller.' ' 

At  Camden,  Barnum  also  lost  one  of  his  musicians, 
a  Scotchman  named  Cochran.  This  man  was  ar- 
rested and,  in  spite  of  Barnum's  efforts  to  save  him, 
imprisoned  for  many  months  for  advising  a  negro 
barber  who  was  shaving  him  to  run  away  to  the  Free 
States  or  to  Canada.  To  fill  up  his  ranks  Barnum 
now  hired  Bob  White,  a  negro  singer,  and  Joe  Pent- 
land,  a  clown,  ventriloquist,  comic  singer,  juggler, 
and  sleight-of-hand  performer,  and  also  bought  four 
horses  and  two  wagons.  He  called  this  enlarged 
show  "  Barnum's  Grand  Scientific  and  Musical 
Theatre." 

At  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  Barnum  had  sold  a 
half  interest  in  his  show  to  a  man  called  Henry, — not 
his  real  name.  The  latter  now  acted  as  treasurer 
and  ticket  taker.  When  they  reached  Augusta, 
Georgia,  the  Sheriff  served  a  writ  upon  Henry  for  a 
debt  of  $500.  As  Henry  had  $600  of  the  Com- 
pany's money  in  his  pockets,  Barnum  at  once  se- 
cured a  bill  of  sale  of  all  his  property  in  the  exhibi- 
tion. Armed  with  this  he  met  Henry's  creditor  and 
his  lawyer,  who  demanded  the  key  of  the  stable,  so 
that  they  might  levy  on  the  horses  and  wagons. 
Barnum  asked  them  to  wait  a  little  while  until  he 
could  see  Henry,  to  which  they  agreed.  Henry  was 
anxious  to  cheat  his  creditor,  and  accordingly  was 
glad  to  sign  the  bill  of  sale.  Then  Barnum  re- 
turned and  told  the  creditor  and  his  lawyer  that 


QO  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

Henry  would  neither  pay  nor  compromise  the 
claim.  The  Sheriff  thereupon  demanded  the  stable 
key,  so  that  he  might  attach  Henry's  share  of  the 
property.  "  Not  yet,"  said  Barnum,  pulling  out  the 
bill  of  sale,  "  I  am  in  possession  as  entire  owner  of 
this  property.  I  have  already  purchased  it,  and  you 
have  not  yet  levied  on  it.  You  will  touch  my  prop- 
erty at  your  peril." 

The  creditor  and  the  sheriff  were  thus  baffled,  but 
they  immediately  arrested  Henry  and  took  him  to 
prison.  The  next  day  Barnum  learned  that  Henry 
really  owed  $1,300,  and  that  he  had  promised  his 
creditor  that  he  would  pay  him  $500  of  the  com- 
pany's money  and  a  bill  of  sale  of  his  interest  in 
the  show  at  the  end  of  the  Saturday  night  per- 
formance, in  consideration  of  which  the  creditor  was 
to  allow  him  to  take  one  of  the  horses  and  run  away, 
leaving  Barnum  in  the  lurch.  Learning  this,  Barnum 
was  not  disposed  to  help  Henry  any  further.  Find- 
ing that  Henry  had  intrusted  the  $500  to  Vivalla,  to 
keep  it  from  the  sheriff,  Barnum  secured  it  from 
Vivalla  on  Henry's  order,  under  pretense  of  secur- 
ing bail  for  the  prisoner.  Then  he  paid  the  creditor 
the  full  amount  obtained  from  Henry  as  the  price  of 
his  half-interest  and  received  in  return  an  assign- 
ment of  $500  of  the  creditor's  claim  and  a  guarantee 
that  he  should  not  be  troubled  by  Henry  for  it. 
Thus  his  own  promptness  rescued  Barnum  from  one 
of  the  most  unpleasant  situations  in  which  he  was 
ever  placed. 


r 
q 

hj 
'JT. 


IN  A  POOR   COUNTRY.  93 

After  this  they  got  into  one  of  the  most  desolate 
parts  of  Georgia.  One  night  their  advance  agent, 
finding  it  impossible  to  reach  the  next  town,  ar- 
ranged for  the  whole  show  to  spend  the  night  at  a 
miserable  and  solitary  hovel  owned  by  an  old  woman 
named  Hayes.  The  horses  were  to  be  picketed  in 
a  field,  and  the  company  were  to  sleep  in  the  tent 
and  the  out  houses.  Posters  were  scattered  over 
the  country,  announcing  that  a  performance  would 
be  given  there  the  next  day,  the  agent  thinking  that, 
as  a  show  was  a  rarity  in  that  region,  a  considerable 
number  of  small  farmers  would  be  glad  to  attend. 

"  Meanwhile,"  says  Barnum,  "  our  advertiser, 
who  was  quite  a  wag,  wrote  back  informing  us  of 
the  difficulty  of  reaching  a  town  on  that  part  of  our 
route,  and  stating  that  he  had  made  arrangements 
for  us  to  stay  over  night  on  the  plantation  of  '  Lady 
Hayes,'  and  that  although  the  country  was  sparsely 
settled,  we  could  doubtless  give  a  profitable  perform- 
ance to  a  fair  audience. 

"  Anticipating  a  fine  time  on  this  noble  '  planta- 
tion/ we  started  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  so  as 
to  arrive  at  one  o'clock,  thus  avoiding  the  heat  of 
the  afternoon.  Towards  noon  we  came  to  a  small 
river  where  some  men,  whom  we  afterwards  dis- 
covered to  be  down-east  Yankees,  from  Maine,  were 
repairing  a  bridge.  Every  flooring  plank  had  been 
taken  up,  and  it  was  impossible  for  our  teams 
to  cross.  'Could  the  bridge  be  fixed  so  that  we 
could  go  over  ? '  I  inquired.  '  No  ;  it  would  take 


94  LIPE  °F  p-  T.  BARNUM. 

half  a  day,  and  meantime,  if  we  must  cross,  there 
was  a  place  about  sixteen  miles  down  the  river  where 
we  could  get  over.  'But  we  can't  go  so  far  as  that ; 
we  are  under  engagement  to  perform  on  Lady 
Hayes's  place  to-night,  and  we  must  cross  here. 
Fix  the  bridge  and  we  will  pay  you  handsomely.' 

"  They  wanted  no  money,  but  if  we  would  give 
them  some  tickets  to  our  show  they  thought  they 
might  do  something  for  us.  I  gladly  consented,  and 
in  fifteen  minutes  we  crossed  that  bridge.  The 
cunning  rascals  had  seen  our  posters  and  knew  we 
were  coming ;  so  they  had  taken  up  the  planks  of 
the  bridge  and  had  hidden  them  till  they  had  levied 
upon  us  for  tickets,  when  the  floor  was  re-laid  in  a 
quarter  of  an  hour. 

"Towards  dinner-time  we  began  to  look  out  for 
the  grand  mansion  of  '  Lady  Hayes,'  and  seeing 
nothing  but  little  huts  we  quietly  pursued  our 
journey.  At  one  o'clock — the  time  when  we  should 
have  arrived  at  our  destination — I  became  impatient, 
and  riding  up  to  a  poverty-stricken  hovel  and  seeing 
a  ragged,  bare-footed  old  woman,  with  her  sleeves 
rolled  up  to  her  shoulders,  who  was  washing  clothes 
in  front  of  the  door,  I  inquired — 

"  'Hallo  !  can  you  tell  me  where  Lady  Hayes  lives?' 

"The  old  woman  raised  her.  head,  which  was 
covered  with  tangled  locks  and  matted  hair,  and  ex- 
claimed— 

"'Hey?' 

"  'No,  Hayes,  Lady  Hayes;  where  is  her  plantation?' 


«  LADY  HAYES1  MANSION.  95 

"'This  is  the  place,'  she  answered;  'I'm  Widder 
Hayes,  and  you  are  all  to  stay  here  to-night.' 

"We  could  not  believe  our  ears  or  eyes;  but 
after  putting  the  dirty  old  woman  through  a  severe 
cross-examination  she  finally  produced  a  contract, 
signed  by  our  advertiser,  agreeing  for  board  and 
lodging  for  the  company,  and  we  found  ourselves 
booked  for  the  night.  It  appeared  that  our  advertiser 
could  find  no  better  quarters  in  that  forlorn  section, 
and  he  had  indulged  in  a  joke  at  our  expense  by 
exciting  our  appetites  and  imaginations  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  luxuries  we  should  find  in  the  magnificent 
mansion  of  '  Lady  Hayes.' 

"Joe  Pentland  grumbled,  Bob  White  indulged  in 
some  very  strong  language,  and  Signor  Vivalla 
laughed.  He  had  travelled  with  his  monkey  and  organ 
in  Italy  and  could  put  up  with  any  fare  that  offered.  I 
took  the  disappointment  philosophically,  simply  re- 
marking that  we  must  make  the  best  of  it  and  com- 
pensate ourselves  when  we  reached  a  town  next  day. 

"The  next  forenoon  we  arrived  at  Macon,  and 
congratulated  ourselves  that  we  had  reached  the 
regions  of  civilization. 

"In  going  from  Columbus,  Ga.,  to  Montgomery, 
Ala.,  we  were  obliged  to  cross  a  thinly-settled, 
desolate  tract,  known  as  the  'Indian  Nation,'  and  as 
several  persons  had  been  murdered  by  hostile  Indians 
in  that  region,  it  was  deemed  dangerous  to  travel 
the  road  without  an  escort.  Only  the  day  before  we 
started,  the  mail  stage  had  been  stopped  and  the 


96  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM, 

passengers  murdered,  the  driver  alone  escaping. 
We  were  well  armed,  however,  and  trusted  that  our 
numbers  would  present  too  formidable  a  force  to  be 
attacked,  though  we  dreaded  to  incur  the  risk. 
Vivalla  alone  was  fearless  and  was  ready  to 
encounter  fifty  Indians  and  drive  them  into  the 
swamp. 

"  Accordingly,  when  we  had  safely  passed  over 
the  entire  route  to  within  fourteen  miles  of  Mont- 
gomery, and  were  beyond  the  reach  of  danger,  Joe 
Pentland  determined  to  test  Vivalla' s  bravery.  He 
had  secretly  purchased  at  Mt.  Megs,  on  the  way,  an 
old  Indian  dress  with  a  fringed  hunting  shirt  and  moc- 
casins and  these  he  put  on,  after  coloring  his  face  with 
Spanish  brown.  Then  shouldering  his  musket  he 
followed  Vivalla  and  the  party,  and,  approaching 
stealthily  leaped  into  their  midst  with  a  tremendous 
whoop. 

"  Vivalla' s  companions  were  in  the  secret,  and 
they  instantly  fled  in  all  directions.  Vivalla  himself 
ran  like  a  deer  and  Pentland  after  him,  gun  in  hand 
and  yelling  horribly.  After  running  a  full  mile  the 
poor  little  Italian,  out  of  breath  and  frightened 
nearly  to  death,  dropped  on  his  knees  and  begged 
for  his  life.  The  'Indian'  leveled  his  gun  at  his 
victim,  but  soon  seemed  to  relent,  and  signified  that 
Vivalla  should  turn  his  pockets  inside  out — which  he 
did,  producing  and  handing  over  a  purse  containing 
eleven  dollars.  The  savage  then  marched  Vivalla 
to  an  oak,  and  with  a  handkerchief  tied  him  in  the 


"  THE  HEN  THAT  LAID  THE  £GGS."       97 

most  approved  Indian  manner  to  the  tree,  leaving 
him  half  dead  with  fright. 

"Pentland  then  joined  us,  and  washing  his  face 
and  changing  his  dress,  we  all  went  to  the  relief  of 
Vivalla.  He  was  overjoyed  to  see  us,  and  when  he 
was  released  his  courage  returned  ;  he  swore  that 
after  his  companions  left  him,  the  Indian  had  been 
re-inforced  by  six  more,  to  whom,  in  default  of  a 
gun  or  other  means  to  defend  himself,  Vivalla  had 
been  compelled  to  surrender.  We  pretended  to 
believe  his  story  for  a  week,  and  then  told  him  the 
joke,  which  he  refused  to  credit,  and  also  declined 
to  take  the  money  which  Pentland  offered  to  return, 
as  it  could  not  possibly  be  his  since  seven  Indians 
had  taken  his  money.  We  had  a  great  deal  of 
fun  over  Vivalla's  courage,  but  the  matter  made 
him  so  cross  and  surly  that  we  were  finally 
obliged  to  drop  it  altogether.  From  that  time 
forward,  however,  Vivalla  never  boasted  of  his 
prowess." 

At  the  end  of  February,  1837,  they  reached  Mont- 
gomery, and  there  Barnum  sold  a  half  interest  in 
his  show  to  Henry  Hawley,  a  sleight-of-hand  per- 
former. He  was  a  very  clever  fellow  and  was  never 
known  to  be  non-plussed  or  embarrassed  in  his 
tricks,  except  upon  one  occasion.  This  was  when 
he  was  performing  the  well-known  egg  and  bag  trick, 
which  he  did  with  great  success,  taking  egg  after 
egg  from  the  bag  and  finally  breaking  one  to  show 
that  they  were  genuine.  "Now,"  said  he  "  I  will 


98  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

show  you  the  old  hen  that  laid  them."  But  it  hap- 
pened that  the  negro  boy  to  whom  had  been  in- 
trusted the  duty  of  supplying  "properties,"  had 
made  a  slight  mistake.  The  result  was  that  Hawley 
triumphantly  produced  not  "the  old  hen  that  laid 
the  eggs,"  but  a  most  palpable  and  evident  rooster. 
The  audience  roared  with  laughter,  and  Hawley, 
completely  taken  aback,  fled  in  confusion  to  his 
dressing  room,  uttering  furious  maledictions  upon 
the  boy  who  was  the  author  of  his  woe. 

The  show  visited  various  places  in  Alabama, 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  and  finally  disbanded  at 
Nashville  in  May,  1837.  Vivalla  went  to  New  York 
and  gave  some  performances  on  his  own  account 
before  sailing  for  Cuba.  Hawley  remained  in  Ten- 
nessee, and  Barnum  went  home  to  his  family.  Early 
in  July,  however,  he  formed  a  new  company  and 
went  back  to  re-join  Hawley.  But  they  were  not 
successful,  and  in  August  they  parted  again,  Barnum 
forming  a  new  partnership  with  one  Z.  Graves.  He 
then  went  to  Tiffin,  Ohio,  where  he  re-engaged  Joe 
Pentland  and  got  together  the  nucleus  of  a  new 
company. 

During  his  short  stay  at  Tiffin,  Barnum  got  into  a 
discussion  with  various  gentlemen  on  religious  sub- 
jects, and  in  response  to  their  invitation  lectured,  or 
preached,  in  the  school-house  on  Sunday  afternoon 
and  evening.  He  also  went  to  the  neighboring 
town  of  Republic  and  delivered  two  lectures. 


PREACHING  AND  PISTOLS.  99 

On  his  way  back  to  Kentucky,  just  before  he 
reached  Cincinnati,  he  met  a  drove  of  hogs.  One 
of  the  drivers  made  an  insolent  remark  because  the 
circus  wagons  interfered  with  the  driving  of  the 
hogs,  and  Barnum  responded  angrily.  Thereupon 
the  fellow  jumped  from  his  horse,  pointed  a  pistol  at 
Barnum's  breast  and  swore  he  would  shoot  him  if 
he  did  not  apologize.  Barnum  asked  permission 
to  speak  first  to  a  friend  in  the  next  wagon,  after 
which,  he  said,  he  would  give  the  man  full  satisfac- 
tion. The  " friend"  proved  to  be  a  loaded  double 
barrelled  gun,  which  Barnum  leveled  at  the  hog- 
driver's  head,  saying : 

"  Now,  sir,  you  must  apologize,  or  have  your 
brains  blown  out.  You  drew  a  weapon  upon  me  for 
a  careless  remark.  You  seem  to  hold  human  life  at 
a  cheap  price.  Now  you  have  the  choice  between 
a  load  of  shot  and  an  apology." 

The  man  apologized  promptly,  a  pleasant  con- 
versation ensued,  and  they  parted  excellent 
friends. 

On  this  tour  they  exhibited  a,t  Nashville,  where 
Barnum  visited  General  Jackson  at  the  Hermitage  ; 
at  Huntsville,  Tuscaloosa,  Vicksburg  and  various 
other  places,  generally  doing  well.  At  Vicksburg 
they  bought  a  steamboat  and  went  down  the  river, 
stopping  at  every  important  landing  to  exhibit.  At 
Natchez  their  cook  deserted  them,  and  Barnum  set 
out  to  find  another.  He  found  a  white  woman  who 
was  willing  to  go,  only  she  expected  to  marry  a 


TOO  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BAR  NUM. 

painter  in  that  town,  and  did  not  want  to  leave  him. 
Barnum  went  to  see  the  painter  and  found  that  he 
had  not  fully  made  up  his  mind  whether  to  marry 
the  woman  or  not.  Thereupon  the  enterprising 
showman  told  the  painter  that  if  he  would  marry 
the  woman  the  next  morning  he  would  hire  him  for 
$25  a  month  as  painter,  and  his  bride  at  the  same 
wages  as  cook,  give  them  both  their  board  and  add 
a  cash  bonus  of  $50.  There  was  a  wedding  on  the 
boat  the  next  day,  and  they  had  a  good  cook  and  a 
good  dinner. 

During  one  evening  performance  at  Francisville, 
Louisiana,  a  man  tried  to  pass  Barnum  at  the  door 
of  the  tent,  claiming  that  he  had  paid  for  admittance. 
Barnum  refused  him  entrance ;  and  as  he  was 
slightly  intoxicated,  he  struck  Barnum  with  a  slung 
shot,  mashing  his  hat  and  grazing  what  phrenologists 
call  "the  organ  of  caution."  He  went  away  and 
soon  returned  with  a  gang  of  armed  and  half- 
drunken  companions,  who  ordered  the  showmen  to 
pack  up  their  "traps  and  plunder"  and  to  get  on 
board  their  steamboat  within  an  hour.  The  big 
tent  speedily  came  down.  No  one  was  permitted 
to  help,  but  the  company  worked  with  a  will,  and 
within  five  minutes  of  the  expiration  of  the  hour 
they  were  on  board  and  ready  to  leave.  The 
scamps  who  had  caused  their  departure  escorted 
them  and  their  last  load,  waving  pine  torches, 
and  saluted  them  with  a  hurrah  as  they  swung  into 
the  stream. 


A  THEATRE  ON  A  STEAMBOAT.  IQI 

The  New  Orleans  papers  of  March  igth,  1838, 
announced  the  arrival  of  the  "  Steamer  Ceres, 
Captain  Barnum,  with  a  theatrical  company."  After 
a  week's  performance,  they  started  for  the  Attakapas 
country.  At  Opelousas  they  exchanged  the  steamer 
for  sugar  and  molasses  ;  the  company  was  disbanded, 
and  Barnum  started  for  home,  arriving  in  New  York, 
June  4th,  1838. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

HARD    TIMES. 

ADVERTISING  FOR  A  PARTNER — "QUAKER  OATS" — DIAMOND  THB 
DANCER — A  DISHONEST  MANAGER — RETURN  TO  NEW  YORK — FROM 
HAND  TO  MOUTH — THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM. 

Looking  around  now  for  some  permanent  busi- 
ness, Barnum  at  last  resorted  to  the  expedient  of 
advertising  for  a  partner,  stating  that  he  had  $2,500 
to  invest,  and  was  willing  to  add  his  entire  personal 
attention  to  the  business.  He  was  immediately 
overwhelmed  with  answers,  the  most  of  them  com- 
ing from  sharpers.  One  was  a  counterfeiter  who 
wanted  $2,500  to  invest  in  paper,  ink,  and  dies. 

One  applicant  was  a  sedate  individual  dressed  in 
sober  drab ;  he  proposed  to  buy  a  horse  and  wagon 
and  sell  oats  in  bags,  trusting  that  no  one  would  be 
particular  in  measuring  after  a  Quaker. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  cheat  in  measuring  your  oats?" 
asked  Barnum. 

"  Well,"  said  the  Quaker,  with  a  significant  leer, 
"  I  shall  probably  make  them  hold  out." 

Finally  Barnum  decided  to  go  into  business  with 
a  good-looking,  plausible  German,  named  Proler, 
who  was  a  manufacturer  of  paste-blacking,  cologne, 
and  bear's  grease.  They  opened  a  store  at  No. 

102 


IN  THE  SHO  W  B  USTNESS  A  GAIN.  j  03 

Bowery,  where  Proler  manufactured  the 
goods,  and  Barnum  kept  accounts  and  attended  to 
sales  in  the  store.  The  business  prospered,  or  ap- 
peared to,  until  the  capital  was  exhausted,  and  early 
in  1840  Barnum  sold  out  his  interest  to  Proler,  tak- 
ing the  German's  note  for  $2,600,  which  was  all  he 
ever  got,  Proler  shortly  afterward  running  away  to 
Rotterdam. 

Barnum  had  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a  very 
clever  young  dancer  named  John  Diamond,  and  soon 
after  leaving  the  paste-blacking  enterprise,  he 
gathered  together  a  company  of  singers,  etc.,  which, 
with  the  dancer,  Diamond,  he  placed  in  the  hands  of 
ah  agent,  not  caring  to  have  his  name  appear  in  the 
transaction.  He  hired  the  Vauxhall  Garden  Saloon 
in  New  York  and  gave  a  variety  of  performances. 
This,  however, 'proved  unprofitable,  and  was  aban- 
doned after  a  few  months. 

Much  as  Barnum  dreaded  resuming  the  life  of 
an  itinerant  showman,  there  seemed  nothing  else  to 
be  done,  so  January  2d,  1841,  found  him  in  New 
Orleans,  with  a  company  consisting  of  C.  D.  Jenkins, 
an  excellent  Yankee  character  artist ;  Diamond,  the 
dancer ;  a  violinist,  and  one  or  two  others.  His 
brother-in-law,  John  Hallett,  acted  as  advance  agent. 
The  venture  was  fairly  successful,  though  after  the 
first  two  weeks  in  New  Orleans,  the  manager  and 
proprietor  of  the  show  was  obliged-  to  pledge  his 
watch  as  security  for  the  board-bill.  A  dancing 
match  between  Diamond  and  a  negro  from  Ken- 


I04  LIFE  ®F  A  T.  BARNUM. 

tucky  put  nearly  $500  into  Barnum's  pocket,  and 
they  continued  to  prosper  until  Diamond,  after  ex- 
torting as  much  money  as  possible  from  his  manager, 
finally  ran  away.  The  other  members  of  the  troop 
caused  considerable  trouble  later.  Jenkins,  the 
Yankee  character  man,  went  to  St.  Louis,  and  hav- 
ing enticed  Francis  Lynch,  an  orphan  protege  of 
Barnum's  into  the  scheme,  proceeded  to  the  Museum, 
where  he  exhibited  Lynch  as  the  celebrated  dancer, 
John  Diamond.  Barnum  poured  out  his  wrath  at 
this  swindler  in  a  letter,  for  which  Jenkins  threat- 
ened suit,  and  actually  did  instigate  R.  W.  Lindsay 
to  bring  an  action  against  Barnum  for  a  pipe  of 
brandy,  alleged  to  have  been  included  in  his  contract. 
Being  among  strangers,  Barnum  had  some  difficulty 
in  procuring  the  $500  bond  required,  and  was  com- 
mitted to  jail  until  late  in  the  afternoon.  As  soon 
as  he  was  released,  he  had  Jenkins  arrested  for 
fraud,  and  then  went  on  his  way  rejoicing. 

After  an  absence  of  eight  months  Barnum  found 
himself  back  in  New  York,  resolved  never  again 
to  be  a  traveling  showman.  Contracting  with 
the  publisher,  Robert  Sears,  for  five  hundred  copies 
of  "  Sear's  Pictorial  Illustrations  of  the  Bible,"  and 
accepting  the  United  States  agency  for  the  book, 
he  opened  an  office  at  the  corner  of  Beekman  and 
Nassau  Streets.  He  advertised  widely,  had  numer- 
ous agents,  and-  sold  thousands  of  books,  but  for  all 
that,  lost  money. 

While   engaged  in   this   business  the    Vauxhall 


IN  NEW  YORK  AGAIN. 

Saloon  was  re-opened,  under  the  management  of 
John  Hallett,  Mrs.  Barnum's  brother..  At  the  end 
9f  the  season  they  had  cleared  about  $200.  This 
sum  was  soon  exhausted,  and  for  the  rest  of  the 
winter  Barnum  managed  to  eke  out  a  living  by 
writing  for  the  Sunday  papers,  and  getting  up 
unique  advertisements  for  the  Bowery  Amphitheatre. 

His  ambition  received  a  stimulus  at  last  from  a 
friend  in  Danbury,  who  held  a  mortgage  on  a  piece 
of  property  owned  by  Mr.  Barnum.  Mr.  Whitt- 
lesey  wrote  that  as  he  was  convinced  of  Mr.  Bar- 
num's inability  to  lay  up  money,  he  thought  he 
might  as  well  demand  the  five  hundred  dollars 
then  as  at  anytime.  Barnum's  flagging  energies  were 
aroused,  and  he  began  in  earnest  to  look  for  some 
permanent  investment.'*1 

In  connection  with  the  Bowery  Amphitheatre,  the 
information  came  to  him  that  the  collection  of  curi- 
osities comprising  Scudder's  American  Museum,  at 
the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Ann  Streets,  was  for 
sale.  The  original  proprietor  had  spent  $50,000 
on  it,  and  at  his  death  had  left  a  large  fortune  as  the 
result  of  the  speculation.  It  was  now  losing  money 
and  the  heirs  offered  it  for  sale,  at  the  low  price  of 
$15,000.  Realizing  that  with  tact,  energy,  and  lib- 
erality, the  business  might  be  made  as  profitable  as 
ever,  Barnum  resolved  to  buy  it. 

"You  buy  the  American  Museum !"  exclaimed  a 
friend  to  whom  he  confided  the  scheme.  "  What 
will  you  buy  it  with  ?" 


I06  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

"With  brass,"  answered  Barnum,  "  for  silver  and 
gold  have  I  none." 

And  buy  it  with  brass  he  did,  as  the  story  of  the 
transaction  testifies. 

The  Museum  building  belonged  to  Mr.  Francis 
W.  Olmsted,  a  retired  merchant,  to  whom  he  wrote, 
stating  his  desire  to  buy  the  collection,  and  that 
although  he  had  no  means,  if  it  could  be  purchased 
upon  reasonable  credit,  he  was  confident  that  his 
tact  and  experience,  added  to  a  determined  devotion 
to  business,  would  enable  him  to  make  the  payments 
when  due.  Barnum  therefore  asked  him  to  pur- 
chase the  collection  in  his  own  name ;  to  give  a  writ- 
ing securing  it  to  Barnum,  provided  he  made  the 
payments  punctually,  including  the  rent  of  his  build- 
ing ;  to  allow  Barnum  twelve  dollars  and  a  half  a 

o  ' 

week  on  which  to  support  his  family ;  and  if  at  any 
time  he  failed  to  meet  the  installment  due,  he  would 
vacate  the  premises,  and  forfeit  all  that  might  have 
been  paid  to  that  date.  "In  fact,  Mr.  Olmsted," 
Barnum  continued,  earnestly,  "  you  may  bind  me  in 
any  way,  and  as  tightly  as  you  please — only  give  me 
a  chance  to  dig  out,  or  scratch  out,  and  I  will  do  so 
or  forfeit  all  the  labor  and  trouble  I  may  have  in- 
curred." 

In  reply  to  this  letter,  which  Barnum  took  to  his 
house  himself,  Mr.  Olmsted  named  an  hour  when  he 
could  call  on  him.  Barnum  was  there  at  the  exact 
moment,  and  Olmstead  was  pleased  with  his  punc- 
tuality. He  inquired  closely  as  to  Barnum's  habits 


INTERVIEWING  A  CAPITALIST. 

and  antecedents,  and  the  latter  frankly  narrated  his 
experiences  as  a  caterer  for  the  public,  mentioning 
his  amusement  ventures  in  Vauxhall  Garden,  the 
circus,  and  in  the  exhibitions  he  had  managed  at  the 
South  and  West. 

"  Who  are  your  references  ?"  Olmsted  inquired. 

"Any  man  in  my  line,"  Barnum  replied,  "from 
Edmund  Simpson,  manager  of  the  Park  Theatre,  or 
William  Niblo,  to  Messrs.  Welch,  June,  Titus,  Tur- 
ner, Angevine,  or  other  circus  or  menagerie  pro- 
prietors ;  also  Moses  Y.  Beach,  of  the  New  York 
Sun." 

"  Can  you  get  any  of  them  to  call  on  me  ?" 

Barnum  told  him  that  he  could,  and  the  next  day 
Mr.  Niblo  rode  down  and  had  an  interview  with 
Mr.  Olmsted,  while  Mr.  Beach  and  several  other 
gentlemen  also  called.  The  following  morning  Bar- 
num waited  upon  him  for  his  decision. 

"  I  don't  like  your  references,  Mr.  Barnum,"  said 
Mr.  Olmsted,  abruptly,  as  soon  as  he  entered  the 
room. 

Barnum  was  confused,  and  said,  "  he  regretted  to 
hear  it." 

"  They  all  speak  too  well  of  you,"  Olmsted  added, 
laughing  ;  "in  fact,  they  all  talk  as  if  they  were  part- 
ners of  yours,  and  intended  to  share  the  profits." 

"  Nothing  could  have  pleased  me  better,"  says 
Barnum.  "  He  then  asked  me  what  security  I  could 
offer  in  case  he  concluded  to  make  the  purchase  for 
me,  and  it  was  finally  agreed  that,  if  he  should  do 


I08  LIP&  of  p.  r.  BARNM 

so,  he  should  retain  the  property  till  it  was  entirely 
paid  for,  and  should  also  appoint  a  ticket-taker  and 
accountant  (at  my  expense),  who  should  render  him 
a  weekly  statement.  I  was  further  to  take  an  apart- 
ment hitherto  used  as  a  billiard-room  in  his  adjoin- 
ing building,  allowing  therefor  $500  a  year,  making 
a  total  rental  of  $3,000  per  annum,  on  a  lease  of 
ten  years.  He  then  told  me  to  see  the  administrator 
and  heirs  of  the  estate,  to  get  their  best  terms,  and  to 
meet  him  on  his  return  to  town  a  week  from  that  time. 
"  I  at  once  saw  Mr.  John  Heath,  the  administrator, 
and  his  price  was  $15,000.  I  offered  $10,000,  pay- 
able in  seven  annual  installments,  with  good  se- 
curity. After  several  interviews,  it  was  finally  agreed 
that  I  should  have  it  for  $12,000,  payable  as  above 
— possession  to  be  given  on  the  1 5th  of  November. 
Mr.  Olmsted  assented  to  this,  and  a  morning  was 
appointed  to  draw  and  sign  the  writings.  Mr. 
Heath  appeared,  but  said  he  must  decline  proceed- 
ing any  further  in  my  case,  as  he  had  sold  the  col- 
lection to  the  directors  of  Peale's  Museum  (an 
incorporated  institution)  for  $15,000,  and  had  re- 
ceived $1,000  in  advance. 

7r        ' 

"I  was  shocked,  and  appealed  to  Mr.  Heath's 
honor.  He  said  that  he  had  signed  no  writing  with 
me ;  was  in  no  way  legally  bound,  and  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  do  the  best  he  could  for  the  heirs.  Mr. 
Olmsted  was  sorry  but  could  not  help  me  ;  the  new 
tenants  would  not  require  him  to  incur  any  risk,  and 
my  matter  was  at  an  end. 


KOBT.  HUBBARD,  M.  D. 


"  WORKING  THE  PRESS."  1 1 1 

"  Of  course  I  immediately  informed  myself  as  to 
the  character  of  Peale's  Museum  Company.  It 
proved  to  be  a  band  of  speculators  who  had  bought 
Peale's  collection  for  a  few  thousand  dollars,  expect- 
ing to  unite  the  American  Museum  with  it,  issue  and 
sell  stock  to  the  amount  of  $50,000,  pocket  $30,000 
profits,  and  permit  the  stockholders  to  look  out  for 
themselves. 

"  I  went  immediately  to  several  of  the  editors,  in- 
cluding Major  M.  M.  Noah,  M.  Y.  Beach,  my  good 
friends  West,  Herrick,  and  Ropes,  of  the  Atlas,  and 
others,  and  stated  my  grievances.  '  Now,'  said  I, 
1  if  you  will  grant  me  the  use  of  your  columns,  I'll 
blow  that  speculation  sky-high.'  They  all  consented, 
and  I  wrote  a  large  number  of  squibs,  cautioning 
the  public  against  buying  the  Museum  stock,  ridicul- 
ing the  idea  of  a  board  of  broken-down  bank  direc- 
tors engaging  in  the  exhibition  of  stuffed  monkeys 
and  gander-skins ;  appealing  to  the  case  of  the 
Zoological  Institute,  which  had  failed  by  adopting 
such  a  plan  as  the  one  now  proposed  ;  and  finally,  I 
told  the  public  that  such  a  speculation  would  be 
infinitely  more  ridiculous  than  Dickens's  'Grand 
United  Metropolitan  Hot  Muffin  and  Crumpit- 
baking  and  Punctual  Delivery  Company.' 

"  The  stock  was  '  as  dead  as  a  herring !'  I  then 
went  to  Mr.  Heath  and  asked  him  when  the  direc- 
tors were  to  pay  the  other  $i  4,000.  '  On  the  26th  day 
of  December,  or  forfeit  the  $1,000  already  paid,'  was 
the  reply.  I  assured  him  that  they  would  never 


112  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BAKMUM. 

pay  it,  that  they  could  not  raise  it,  and  that  he  would 
ultimately  find  himself  with  the  Museum  col- 
lection on  his  hands,  and  if  once  I  started  off  with 
an  exhibition  for  the  South,  I  could  not  touch  the 
Museum  at  any  price.  '  Now/  said  I,  '  if  you  will 
agree  with  me  confidentially,  that  in  case  these 
gentlemen  do  not  pay  you  on  the  26th  of  December 
I  may  have  it  on  the  27th  for  $12,000,  I  will  run  the 
risk,  and  wait  in  this  city  until  that  date.'  He 
readily  agreed  to  the  proposition,  but  said  he  was 
sure  they  would  not  forfeit  their  $1,000. 

" '  Very  well, '  said  I ;  '  all  I  ask  of  you  is,  that  this 
arrangement  shall  not  be  mentioned.'  He  assented. 
'  On  the  27th  day  of  December,  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M., 
I  wish  you  to  meet  me  in  Mr.  Olmsted's  apartments, 
prepared  to  sign  the  writings,  provided  this  incor- 
porated company  do  not  pay  you  $14,000  on  the 
26th.'  He  agreed  to  this,  and  by  my  request  put 
it  in  writing. 

"  From  that  moment  I  felt  that  the  Museum  was 
mine.  I  saw  Mr.  Olmsted,  and  told  him  so.  He 
promised  secrecy,  and  agreed  to  sign  the  docu- 
ment if  the  other  parties  did  not  meet  their  engage- 
ment. This  was  about  November  I5th,  and  I  con- 
tinued my  shower  of  newspaper  squibs  at  the  new 
company,  which  could  not  sell  a  dollar's  worth  of 
its  stock.  Meanwhile,  if  any  one  spoke  to  me 
about  the  Museum,  I  simply  replied  that  I  had 
lost  it." 

This  newspaper  war  against  the  Peales  was  kept 


THE  MVSE UM  SECURED.  1 1 3 

up  unceasingly  until  one  morning  in  December, 
"  I  received  a  letter  from  the  secretary  of  that  com- 
pany (now  calling  itself  the  '  New  York  Museum 
Company  '),  requesting  me  to  meet  the  directors  at 
the  Museum  on  the  following  Monday  morning.  I 
went,  and  found  the  directors  in  session.  *  The  ven- 
erable president  of  the  board,  who  was  also  the  ex- 
president  of  a  broken  bank,  blandly  proposed  to 
hire  me  to  manage  the  united  museums,  and  though 
I  saw  that  he  merely  meant  to  buy  my  silence,  I 
professed  to  entertain  the  proposition,  and  in  reply 
to  an  inquiry  as  to  what  salary  I  should  expect,  I 
specified  the  sum  of  $3,000  a  year.  This  was  at 
once  acceded  to,  the  salary  to  begin  January  ist, 
1842,  and  after  complimenting  me  on  my  ability,  the 
president  remarked:  'Of  course,  Mr.  Barnum,  we 
shall  have  no  more  of  your  squibs  through  the  news- 
papers.' To  which  I  replied  that  I  should  '  ever  try 
to  serve  the  interests  of  my  employers,'  and  I  took 
my  leave. 

"  It  was  as  clear  to  me  as  noonday  that,  after  buy- 
ing my  silence  so  as  to  appreciate  their  stock,  these 
directors  meant  to  sell  out  to  whom  they  could, 
leaving  me  to  look  to  future  stockholders  for  my 
salary.  They  thought,  no  doubt,  that  they  had 
nicely  entrapped  me,  but  I  knew  I  had  caught  them. 

"  For,  supposing  me  to  be  out  of  the  way,  and 
having  no  other  rival  purchaser,  these  directors  post- 
poned the  advertisement  of  their  stock  to  give 
people  time  to  forget  the  attacks  I  had  made  on  it, 


1 14  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

and  they  also  took  their  own  time  for  paying  the 
money  promised  to  Mr.  Heath,  December  26th — in- 
deed, they  did  not  even  call  on  him  at  the  appointed 
time.  But  on  the  following  morning,  as  agreed,  I 
was  promptly  and  hopefully  at  Mr.  ,Olmsted's  apart- 
ments with  my  legal  adviser,  at  half-past  nine 
o'clock  ;  Mr.  Heath  came  with  his  lawyer  at  ten,  and 
before  two  o'clock  that  day  I  was  in  formal  posses- 
sion of  the  American  Museum.  My  first  managerial 
act  was  to  write  and  dispatch  the  following  compli- 
mentary note : 

"  '  AMERICAN  MUSEUM,  NEW  YORK,  Dec.  27th,  1841. 
" '  To  the  President  and  Directors  of  the  New  York  Museum : 

"  '  GENTLEMEN:  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  inform  you  that 
you  are  placed  upon  the  Free  List  of  this  establishment  until 
furthur  notice. 

" '  P.  T.  BARNUM,  Proprietor.'' 

"  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  the  'President  of 
the  New  York  Museum  '  was  astounded,  and  when 
he  called  upon  Mr.  Heath,  and  learned  that  I  had 
bought  and  was  really  in  possession  of  the  Ameri- 
can Museum,  he  was  indignant.  He  talked  of  prose- 
cution, and  demanded  the  $1,000  paid  on  his  agree- 
ment, but  he  did  not  prosecute,  and  he  justly  for- 
feited his  deposit  money." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   AMERICAN    MUSEUM. 

ADVERTISING  EXTRAORDINARY — A  QUICK-WITTED  PERFORMER — NIAG- 
ARA FALLS  WITH  REAL  WATER — OTHER  ATTRACTIONS — DE.UMMOND 
LIGHTS. 

With  great  hopes  for  the  success  of  his  project, 
Barnum  entered  upon  the  management  of  the 
Museum.  It  was  a  new  epoch  in  his  career,  he  felt 
that  the  opportunity  of  his  life  had  presented  itself 
— in  the  show  business,  to  be  sure,  but  in  a  perma- 
nent, substantial  phase  of  it. 

He  must  pay  for  the  establishment  within  the 
stipulated  time,  or  forfeit  all  he  had  paid  on  ac- 
count. A  rigid  plan  of  economy  was  determined 
upon,  his  wife  agreeing  to  support  the  family  on 
$600  a  year,  or  even  on  four  hundred  if  necessary. 
Barnum  himself  made  every  possible  personal  re- 
trenchment. One  day,  some  six  months  after  the 
purchase  had  been  made,  Mr.  Olmsted  happened 
into  the  ticket  office,  while  the  proprietor  was  eating 
his  lunch  of  cold  corned  beef  and  bread. 

"Is  that  all  you  eat  for  dinner?"  asked  Mr.  Olm- 
sted. 

"  I  have  not  eaten  a  warm  dinner,  except  on 

"5 


Il6  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

Sundays,  since  I  bought  the  Museum,"  was  the 
reply,  "  and  I  don't  intend  to,  until  I  am  out  of  debt." 

"That's  right,"  said  Mr.  Olmsted,  heartily,  "and 
you'll  pay  for  the  Museum  before  the  year  is  out." 

And  he  was  right. 

The  nucleus  of  this  establishment,  Scudder's 
Museum,  was  formed  in  1810.  It  was  begun  in 
Chatham  Street,  and  was  afterward  transferred  to 
the  old  City  Hall,  and  from  small  beginnings,  by 
purchases,  and  to  a  considerable  degree  by  pres- 
ents, it  had  grown  to  be  a  large  and  valuable  collec- 
tion. People  in  all  parts  of  the  country  had  sent  in 
relics  and  rare  curiosities.  Sea  captains  for  years 
had  brought  and  deposited  strange  things  from  for- 
eign lands  ;  and  besides  all  these  gifts,  the  previous 
proprietor  had  actually  expended,  as  was  stated, 
$50,000  in  making  the  collection,  which  valuable  as 
it  was  when  Barnum  bought  it,  was  only  the  begin- 
ning of  its  subsequent  greatness.  In  1842.  the  en- 
tire contents  of  Peale's  Museum  was  purchased,  and 
in  1850  the  Peale  collection  of  Philadelphia  was 
added.  In  1865  the  space  occupied  for  museum 
purposes  was  more  than  twice  as  large  as  in  1842. 
The  Lecture. Room,  originally  narrow,  ill-contrived, 
and  inconvenient,  was  so  enlarged  and  improved 
that  it  became  one  of  the  most  commodious  and 
beautiful  amusement  halls  in  the  city  of  New  York. 
At  first  the  attractions  and  inducements  were 
merely  the  collection  of  curiosities  by  day,  and  an 
evening  entertainment,  consisting  of  such  variety 


THE  LECTURE  ROOM.  1 1/ 

performances  as  were  current  in  ordinary  shows. 
Then  Saturday  afternoons  and,  soon  afterward, 
Wednesday  afternoons,  were  devoted  to  entertain- 
ments, and  the  popularity  of  the  Museum  grew  so 
rapidly  that  it  was  presently  found  expedient  and 
profitable  to  open  the  great  Lecture  Room  every 
afternoon,  as  well  as  every  evening,  on  every  week- 
day in  the  year.  The  first  experiments  in  this  di- 
rection more  than  justified  expectations,  for  the  day 
exhibitions  were  always  more  thronged  than  those 
of  the  evening. 

Holidays,  of  course,  were  made  the  most  of,  and 
there  is  a  record  of  twelve  performances,  to  as 
many  audiences,  being  given  in  one  day. 

By  degrees  the  character  of  the  stage  perfor- 
mances were  changed.  The  transient  attractions 
of  the  Museum  were  constantly  diversified,  and 
educated  dogs,  industrious  fleas,  automatons,  jug- 
glers, ventriloquists,  living  statuary,  tableaux, 
gypsies,  Albinoes,  fat  boys,  giants,  dwarfs,  rope- 
dancers,  live  "Yankees,"  pantomime,  instrumental 
music,  singing  and  dancing  in  great  variety,  dio- 
ramas, panoramas,  models  of  Niagara,  Dublin, 
Paris,  and  Jerusalem  ;  Hannington's  dioramas  of 
the  Creation,  the  Deluge,  Fairy  Grotto,  Storm  at 
Sea ;  the  first  English  Punch  and  Judy  in  this 
country,  Italian  Fantoccini,  mechanical  figures,  fancy 
glass-blowing,  knitting  machines,  and  other  triumphs 
in  the  mechanical  arts  ;  dissolving  views,  American 
Indians,  who  enacted  their  warlike  and  religious 


Il8  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

ceremonies  on  the  stage — these,  among  others, 
were  all  exceedingly  successful. 

No  man  ever  understood  the  art  of  advertising 
better  than  Barnum.  Knowing  that  mammon  is 
ever  caught  with  glare,  he  took  pains  that  his 
posters  should  be  larger,  his  transparencies  more 
brilliant,  his  puffing  more  persistent  than  anybody 
elses.  And  if  he  resorted  to  hyperbole  at  times 
in  his  advertisements,  it  was  always  his  boast  that 
no  one  ever  went  away  from  his  Museum,  without 
having  received  the  worth  of  his  money.  It  used  to 
amuse  Mr.  Barnum  later  in  life,  to  relate  some  ot 
the  unique  advertising  dodges  which  his  inventive 
genius  devised.  Here  is  a  fair  sample,  as  he  once 
told  it : 

"  One  morning  a  stout,  hearty-looking  man  came 
into  my  ticket-office  and  begged  some  money.  I 
asked  him  why  he  did  not  work  and  earn  his  living  ? 
He  replied  that  he  could  get  nothing  to  do,  and  that 
he  would  be  glad  of  any  job  at  a  dollar  a  day.  I 
handed  him  a  quarter  of  a  dollar,  told  him  to  go  and 
get  his  breakfast  and  return,  and  I  would  employ  him, 
at  light  labor,  at  a  dollar  and  a  half  a  day.  When 
he  returned  I  gave  him  five  common  bricks. 

'*  *  Now,'  said  I,  '  go  and  lay  a  brick  on  the  side- 
walk, at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Ann  Street ; 
another  close  by  the  Museum  ;  a  third  diagonally 
across  the  way,  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Vesey  Street,  by  the  Astor  House ;  put  down  the 
fourth  on  the  sidewalk,  in  front  of  St.  Paul's  Church 


THA T  BRICK  DODGE.  1 1 9 

opposite ;  then,  with  the  fifth  brick  in  hand,  take  up 
a  rapid  march  from  one  point  to  the  other,  making 
the  circuit,  exchanging  your  brick  at  every  point, 
and  say  nothing  to  any  one.' 

"'  What  is  the  object  of  this  ?'  inquired  the  man. 

"  '  No  matter,'  I  replied :  '  all  you  need  to  know  is 
that  it  brings  you  fifteen  cents  wages  per  hour.  It 
is  a  bit  of  my  fun,  and  to  assist  me  properly  you 
must  seem  to  be  as  deaf  as  a  post ;  wear  a  serious 
countenance  ;  answer  no  questions  ;  pay  no  attention 
to  any  one  ;  but  attend  faithfully  to  the  work,  and  at 
the  end  of  every  hour,  by  St.  Paul's  clock,  show  this 
ticket  at  the  Museum  door ;  enter,  walking  solemnly 
through  every  hall  in  the  building  ;  pass  out,  and  re- 
sume your  work.' ' 

With  the  remark  that  "  it  was  all  one  to  him,  so 
long  as  he  could  earn  his  living,''  the  man  placed 
his  bricks,  and  began  his  round.  Half  an  hour 
afterward,  at  least  five  hundred  people  were  watch- 
ing his  mysterious  movements.  He  had  assumed  a 
military  step  and  bearing,  and,  looking  as  sober  as 
a  judge,  he  made  no  response  whatever  to  the  con- 
stant inquiries  as  to  the  object  of  his  singular  con- 
duct. At  the  end  of  the  first  hour,  the  sidewalks  in 
the  vicinity  were  packed  with  people,  all  anxious  to 
solve  the  mystery.  The  man,  as  directed,  then  went 
into  the  Museum,  devoting  fifteen  minutes  to  a 
solemn  survey  of  the  halls,  and  afterward  returning 
to  his  round.  This  was  repeated  every  hour  until 
sundown,  and  whenever  the  man  went  into  the 


120  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

Museum  a  dozen  or  more  persons  would  buy  tickets 
and  follow  him,  hoping  to  gratify  their  curiosity  in 
regard  to  the  purpose  of  his  movements.  This  was 
continued  for  several  days — the  curious  people  who 
followed  the  man  into  the  Museum  considerably 
more  than  paying  his  wages — till  finally  the  police- 
man, to  whom  Barnum  had  imparted  his  object,  com- 
plained that  the  obstruction  of  the  sidewalk  by 
crowds,  had  become  so  serious  that  he  must  call  in 
his  "brick  man."  This  trivial  incident  excited  con- 
siderable talk  and  amusement;  it  advertised  Barnum; 
and  it  materially  advanced  his  purpose  of  making  a 
lively  corner  near  the  Museum. 

Barnum  realized  above  all  that  to  have  people 
pleased  with  his  attractions  was  the  best  advertise- 
ment he  could  possibly  have,  and  he  tried  honestly 
to  keep  the  Museum  supplied  with  every  novelty. 
A  curiosity  which  possessed  some  merit,  and  con- 
siderable absurdity  was  the  celebrated,  model  of 
Niagara,  "  with  real  water." 

One  day  the  enterprising  proprietor  was  called 
before  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners,  and 
informed  that  he  must  pay  a  large  extra  compen- 
sation for  the  immense  amount  of  water  that  supplied 
his  Niagara.  To  the  astonishment  of  the  Board  Mr. 
Barnum  gave  his  assurance  that  a  single  barrel  of 
water  per  month  served  to  run  the  machine. 

Apropos  of  this  wonderful  model,  Barnum  used  to 
tell  how  he  got  even  with  his  friend,  Louis  Gaylord 
Clark,  editor  of  the  Knickerbocker,  an  inveterate 


TWO  JOKERS.  121 

joker,  and  who  was  fond  of  guying  the  Museum. 
The  first  time  Clark  viewed  "  Niagara  "  he  assumed 
great  admiration. 

"  Well,  Barnum,  I  declare,  this  is  quite  an  idea ;  I 
never  saw  the  like  of  this  before  in  all  my  life." 

"No?"  inquired  Etexnum,  quite  pleased. 

"  No,"  said  Clark,  fervently,  "  and  I  hope  to  the 
Lord,  I  never  will." 

Barnum  might  have  forgiven  this,  but  Clark's 
next  joke  was  too  much  to  bear.  He  came  in  one 
day  and  asked  Barnum  if  he  had  the  club  with  which 
Captain  Cook  was  killed.  The  Museum  boasted  a 
large  collection  of  Indian  curiosities,  and  Barnum 
showed  one  warlike  weapon  which  he  assured  Clark 
was  the  identical  club  and  he  had  all  the  documents 
to  prove  it. 

"  Poor  Cook !  Poor  Cook!"  said  Clark,  musingly. 
"Well,  Mr.  Barnum,"  he  continued,  with  great  grav- 
ity, at  the  same  time  extending  his  hand,  "  I  am 
really  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  kindness. 
I  had  an  irrepressible  desire  to  see  the  club  that 
killed  Captain  Cook,  and  I  felt  quite  confident  you 
could  accommodate  me.  I  have  been  in  half  a 
dozen  smaller  museums,  and  as  they  all  had  it,  I  was 
sure  a  large  establishment  like  yours  would  not  be 
without  it." 

But  Barnum's  turn  came.  A  few  weeks  after- 
ward, he  wrote  to  Clark  that  if  he  would  come  to  his 
office  he  was  anxious  to  consult  him  on  a  matter  of 
great  importance.  He  came,  and  Barnum  said  : 


122  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

"  Now,  I  don't  want  any  of  your  nonsense,  but  I 
want  your  sober  advice." 

Clark  assured  him  that  he  would  serve  him  in  any 
way  in  his  power,  and  Barnum  proceeded  to  tell  him 
about  a  wonderful  fish  from  the  Nile,  offered  for  ex- 
hibition at  $100  a  week,  the  owner  of  which  was 
willing  to  forfeit  $5,000,  if,  within  six  weeks,  this  fish 
did  not  pass  through  a  transformation  in  which  the 
tail  would  disappear  and  the  fish  would  then  have 
legs. 

"  Is  it  possible !"  asked  the  astonished  Clark. 

Barnum  assured  him  that  there  was  no  doubt  of 
it. 

Thereupon  Clark  advised  Barnum  to  engage  the 
wonder  at  any  price ;  that  it  would  startle  the 
naturalists,  wake  up  the  whole  scientific  world,  draw 
in  the  masses,  and  make  $20,000  for  the  Museum. 
Barnum  told  him  that  he  thought  well  of  the  specu- 
lation, only  he  did  not  like  the  name  of  the  fish. 

"  That  makes  no  difference  whatever,"  said  Clark; 
"  what  is  the  name  of  the  fish  ?" 

"Tadpole,"  Barnum  replied,  with  becoming 
gravity,  "  but  it  is  vulgarly  called  '  pollywog.' >: 

"  Sold,  by  thunder !"  exclaimed  Clark,  and  he  left. 

Another  story  is  illustrative  of  some  of  the  trials 
incident  to  theatrical  management. 

An  actor  named  La  Rue  presented  himself  as  an 
imitator  of  celebrated  histrionic  personages,  includ- 
ing Macready,  Forrest,  Kemble,  the  elder  Booth, 
Kean,  Hamblin,  and  others.  Taking  him  into  the 


AA  IM1TA TION  OF  BOOTH.  1 23 

green-room  for  a  private  rehearsal,  and  rinding  his 
imitations  excellent,  Barnum  engaged  him.  For 
three  nights  he  gave  great  satisfaction,  but  early  in 
the  fourth  evening  he  staggered  into  the  Museum 
so  drunk  that  he  could  hardly  stand,  and  in  half  an 
hour  he  must  be  on  the  stage  !  Barnum  called  an 
assistant,  and  they  took  La  Rue  and  marched  him 
up  Broadway  as  far  as  Chambers  Street,  and  back 
to  the  lower  end  of  the  Park,  hoping  to  sober  him. 
At  this  point  they  put  his  head  under  a  pump  and 
gave  him  a  good  ducking,  with  visible  beneficial 
effect,  then  a  walk  around  the  Park  and  another 
ducking,  when  he  assured  them  that  he  should  be 
able  to  give  his  imitations  "  to  a  charm." 

"  You  drunken  brute,"  said  Barnum,  "  if  you  fail, 
and  disappoint  my  audience,  I  will  throw  you  out  of 
the  window." 

He  declared  that  he  was  "  all  right,"  and  Barnum 
led  him  behind  the  scenes,  where  he  waited  with 
considerable  trepidation  to  watch  his  movements  on 
the  stage.  La  Rue  began  by  saying : 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen  :  I  will  now  give  you  an 
imitation  of  Mr.  Booth,  the  eminent  tragedian." 

His  tongue  was  thick,  his  language  somewhat  in- 
coherent, and  Barnum  had  great  misgivings  as  he 
proceeded ;  but  as  no  token  of  disapprobation  came 
from  the  audience,  he  began  to  hope  he  would  go 
through  with  his  parts  without  exciting  suspicion  of 
his  condition.  But  before  he  had  half  finished  his 
representation  of  Booth,  in  the  soliloquy  in  the 


1t24  LIFE  OF  P.  7.  BARNUM. 

opening  act  of  Richard  III,  the  house  discovered 
that  he  was  very  drunk,  and  began  to  hiss.  This 
only  seemed  to  stimulate  him  to  make  an  effort  to 
appear  sober,  which,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  only 
made  matters  worse,  and  the  hissing  increased. 
Barnum  lost  all  patience,  and,  going  on  the  stage 
and  taking  the  drunken  fellow  by  the  collar,  apolo- 
gized to  the  audience,  assuring  them  that  he  should 
not  appear  before  them  again.  Barnum  was  about 
to  march  him  off,  when  he  stepped  to  the  front,  and 
said: 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen  :  Mr.  Booth  has  often  ap- 
peared on  the  stage  in  a  state  of  inebriety,  and  I 
was  simply  giving  you  a  truthful  representation  of 
him  on  such  occasions.  I  beg  to  be  permitted  to 
proceed  with  my  imitations." 

The  audience  at  once  supposed  it  was  all  right, 
and  cried  out,  "  go  on,  go  on  "  ;  which  he  did,  and  at 
every  imitation  of  Booth,  whether  as  Richard,  Shy- 
lock,  or  Sir  Giles  Overreach,  he  received  a  hearty 
round  of  applause.  Barnum  was  quite  delighted 
with  his  success ;  but  when  he  came  to  imitate  For- 
rest and  Hamblin,  necessarily  representing  them  as 
drunk  also,  the  audience  could  be  no  longer  de- 
luded ;  the  hissing  was  almost  deafening,  and  Bar- 
num was  forced  to  lead  the  actor  off.  It  was  his 
last  appearance  on  that  stage. 

Barnum  always  denied  that  the  "Feejee  Mer- 
maid," which  attained  such  lasting  notoriety,  was  an 
invention  of  his  own.  It  was  first  exhibited  in  Lon- 


THE  DECORA TIVE  ART.  12$ 

don  in  1822,  where  it  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Moses 
Kimball,  of  the  Boston  Museum,  who  sold  it  to 
Barnum.  The  creature  was  really  most  ingeniously 
constructed,  probably  by  some  Japanese.  It  drew 
like  magic,  and  afterward  served  as  a  good  adver- 
tisement, sent  throughout  the  country  for  exhibition, 
the  posters  reading,  "  From  Barnum's  Great  Ameri- 
can Museum,  New  York." 

Barnum  believed  in  making  his  place  of  exhibi- 
tion as  attractive  as  possible,  and  the  building  was 
decorated  with  flags  and  banners,  the  posters  were 
of  the  most  sensational  character,  and  the  first 
"  Drummond  Lights  "  ever  seen  in  New  York  were 
placed  on  top  of  the  Museum,  flooding  the  streets 
around  with  brilliance. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

INCREASED    POPULARITY   OF   THE    MUSEUM. 

THE  AMERICAN  FLAG  AND  ST.  PAUL'S — ST.  PATRICK'S  DAY — THE  BABY 
SHOW — GRAND  BUFFALO  HUNT — N.  P.  WILLIS — THE  FIRST  WILD- 
WEST  SHOW. 

The  fame  of  the  American  Museum  rose  higher 
and  higher.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  place  of  enter- 
tainment ever  attracted  such  enthusiastic  crowds. 
It  was  the  first  place  visited  by  strangers  in  the 
city. 

The  small  Lecture  Room  had  been  converted 
into  a  large  and  beautiful  theatre,  and  in  it  many 
afterward  celebrated  actors  and  actresses  made 
their  first  appearance  ;  Sothern,  Barney  Williams, 
and  the  charming  Mary  Garmon.  On  holidays 
there  were  lecture  performances  every  hour.  The 
actors  kept  on  their  stage  clothes  from  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  morning  until  ten  at  night,  their  meals 
were  served  in  the  green-room,  and  the  company 
received  extra  pay. 

The  4th  of  July,  1842,  was  a  great  day  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Museum.  Barnum  had  planned  a  mag- 
nificent display  of  American  flags,  as  one  of  the 
outside  attractions,  and  applied  to  the  vestrymen  of 
126 


TOM  THUMB'S  MARRIAGE  TO  MINNIE  WARREN. 


«  OUR  FLAG  WAS  STILL  THERE."  1 29 

St.  Paul's  Church,  opposite  the  Museum,  for  per- 
mission to  attach  his  flag-rope  to  a  tree  in  the 
church-yard.  Their  reply  was  an  indignant  refusal. 
Returning  to  the  Museum,  Barnum  directed  that  his 
original  order  concerning  the  disposition  of  the 
flags  be  carried  out  to  the  letter. 

The  morning  dawned,  and  the  crowds  on  Broad- 
way were  admiring  the  display,  when  two  represen- 
tatives of  the  baffled  vestry  rushed  into  the  office 
and  demanded  that  the  ropes  be  taken  down.  "  The 
Church  of  St.  Paul's,  where  Washington  worshiped, 
attached  to  a  Museum  !  Sacrilege !" 

Barnum  assumed  a  conciliatory  tone,  reminding 
them  that  he  always  stopped  his  band  playing  dur- 
ing their  week-day  services,  and  suggesting  the 
fairness  of  the  obligation  being  made  mutual. 

"If  those  flags  are  not  down  in  ten  minutes," 
cried  one  of  the  vestrymen,  "I  will  cut  them 
down." 

Then  Barnum  sprang  to  his  feet  and  exclaimed 
loudly  enough  for  the  crowd  to  hear : 

"  Well,  Mister,  I  should  just  like  to  see  you  dare 
to  cut  down  the  American  flag  on  the  Fourth  of 
July ;  you  must  be  a  '  Britisher '  to  make  such  a 
threat  as  that ;  but  I'll  show  you  a  thousand  pairs 
of  Yankee  hands  in  two  minutes,  if  you  dare  to 
attempt  to  take  down  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  this 
great  birthday  of  American  freedom  !" 

"  What's  that  John  Bull  a-saying  ?''  asked  a 
brawny  fellow,  placing  himself  in  front  of  the  irate 


I3O  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNVM. 

vestryman.  "Look  here,  old  fellow,"  he  continued, 
"  if  you  want  to  save  a  whole  bone  in  your  body, 
you  had  better  slope,  and  never  dare  to  talk  again 
about  hauling  down  the  American  flag  in  the  city  of 
New  York." 

Throngs  of  excited,  exasperated  men  crowded 
around,  and  the  vestryman,  seeing  the  effect  of  the 
ruse,  smiled  faintly  and  said,  "  Oh,  of  course  it  is  all 
right,"  and  he  and  his  companion  quietly  edged  out 
of  the  crowd. 

By  one  o'clock  that  day,  the  Museum  was  so 
densely  packed  that  no  more  visitors  could  be  ad- 
mitted, and  the  proprietor  saw  with  despair  the 
crowds  being  turned  away  from  the  door.  Rushing 
down-stairs,  he  directed  the  carpenter  to  cut  down 
the  partition  and  floor  in  the  rear  and  to  put  in  a 
temporary  flight  of  stairs.  The  egress  was  ready  by 
three  o'clock,  and  people  poured  out  into  Ann 
Street,  while  the  crowd  from  Broadway  poured  in. 
After  that,  the  egress  was  always  ready  on  holidays. 
One  of  Barnum's  most  amusing  reminiscences  re- 
lated to  this  egress. 

"  Early  in  the  following  March  I  received  notice 
from  some  of  the  Irish  population  that  they  meant 
to  visit  me  in  great  numbers  on  '  St.  Patrick's  day 
in  the  morning.'  '  All  right,'  said  I  to  my  carpenter, 
'get  your  egress  ready  for  March  i7th;'  and  I 
added,  to  my  assistant  manager :  '  If  there  is  much 
of  a  crowd,  don't  let  a  single  person  pass  out  at  the 
front,  even  if  it  were  St.  Patrick  himself;  put  every 


A  NEW  SPECIES  OF  ANIMAL.  131 

man  out  through  the  egress  in  the  rear.'  The  day 
came,  and  before  noon  we  were  caught  in  the  same 
dilemma  as  we  were  on  the  Fourth  of  July ;  the 
Museum  was  jammed,  and  the  sale  of  tickets  was 
stopped.  I  went  to  the  egress  and  asked  the  senti- 
nel how  many  hundreds  had  passed  out? 

" '  Hundreds,'  he  replied,  *  why  only  three  persons 
have  gone  out  by  this  way,  and  they  came  back,  say- 
ing that  it  was  a  mistake  and  begging  to  be  let  in 
again.' 

"'What  does  this  mean?'  I  inquired;  *  surely 
thousands  of  people  have  been  all  over  the  Museum 
since  they  came  in.' 

" '  Certainly,'  was  the  reply ;  '  but  after  they  have 
gone  from  one  saloon  to  another,  and  have  been  on 
every  floor,  even  to  the  roof,  they  come  down  and 
travel  the  same  route  over  again.' 

"At  this  time  I  espied  a  tall  Irish  woman  with 
two  good-sized  children  whom  I  had  happened  to 
notice  when  they  came  in  early  in  the  morning. 

"'Step  this  way,  madam,' said  I,  politely;  'you 
will  never  be  able  to  get  into  the  street  by  the  front 
door  without  crushing  these  dear  children.  We 
have  opened  a  large  egress  here,  and  you  can  thus 
pass  by  these  rear  stairs  into  Ann  Street,  and  thus 
avoid  all  danger.' 

"'  Sure,'  replied  the  woman,  indignantly,  'an' I'm 
not  going  out  at  all,  at  all,  nor  the  children  aither, 
for  we've  brought  our  dinners  and  we  are  going  to 
stay  all  day.' 


132  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BAR  NUM. 

"  Further  investigation  showed  that  pretty  much 
all  of  the  visitors  had  brought  their  dinners  with  the 
evident  intention  of  literally  'making  a  day  of  it' 
No  one  expected  to  go  home  till  night ;  the  build- 
ing was  overcrowded,  and  hundreds  were  waiting  at 
the  front  entrance  to  get  in  when  they  could.  In 
despair,  I  sauntered  upon  the  stage  behind  the 
.scenes,  biting  my  lips  with  vexation,  when  I  hap- 
pened to  see  the  scene-painter  at  work,  and  a  happy 
thought  struck  me.  'Here/  I  exclaimed,  'take  a 
piece  of  canvas  four  feet  square  and  paint  on  it, 
as  soon  as  you  can,  in  large  letters, 

B@°TO  THE  EGRESS.' 

"Seizing  his  brush,  he  finished  the  sign  in  fifteen 
minutes,  and  I  directed  the  carpenter  to  nail  it  over 
the  door  leading  to  the  back  stairs.  He  did  so,  and 
as  the  crowd,  after  making  the  entire  tour  of  the  es- 
tablishment, came  pouring  down  the  main  stairs 
from  the  third-story,  they  stopped  and  looked  at  the 
new  sign,  while  some  of  them  read  audibly :  '  To 
the  Aigress.' 

"  'The  Aigress/  said  others,  '  sure  that's  an  ani- 
mal we  haven't  seen/  and  the  throng  began  to  pour 
down  the  back-stairs  only  to  find  that  the  '  Aigress  ' 
was  the  elephant,  and  that  the  elephant  was  all  out 
o'  doors,  or  so  much  of  it  as  began  with  Ann  Street. 
Meanwhile,  I  began  to  accommodate  those  who  had 
long  been  waiting  with  their  money  at  the  Broad- 
way entrance." 


THE  BABY  SHO WS.  133 

Barnum  had  planned  to  expend  the  entire  profits 
of  the  first  year  in  advertising,  but  so  fast  did  the 
money  pour  in,  that  he  was  often  embarrassed  to 
devise  means  to  get  rid  of  it,  according  to  his  first 
idea.  One  of  the  most  expensive  advertisements 
consisted  of  a  large  number  of  oil  paintings  of 
every  animal  in  zoology.  These  paintings  were 
prepared  secretly,  and  were  put  between  the  win- 
dows of  the  building  at  night.  The  town  was  par- 
alyzed with  astonishment,  and  the  daily  receipts 
took  an  upward  jump  of  nearly  a  hundred  dollars. 

Flower  shows,  dog  shows,  poultry  and  bird  shows, 
with  prizes  to  the  best  specimens,  had  long  been 
features  of  the  Museum,  and  at  last  Barnum  rashly 
decided  on  a  baby  show.  There  was  a  prize  of  one 
hundred  dollars  attached,  and  a  committee  of  ladies 
were  appointed  to  decide  on  the  best  baby.  The 
unsuspecting  Barnum  stepped  into  the  circle  and 
announced  the  prize  winner,  but  to  his  astonish- 
ment the  verdict  did  not  suit  anybody  but  the 
mother  of  one  baby.  The  other  ninety-nine  indig- 
nant mothers  "jumped  on  "  to  Mr.  Barnum  and  the 
committee,  and  denounced  the  whole  proceeding  as 
impartial  and  unjust.  Barnum  offered  to  let  them  se- 
lect a  new  committee,  and  even  agreed  to  give  another 
hundred  dollar  prize,  but  the  storm  raged  with  una- 
bating  fury.  There  were  baby  shows  after  that,  but 
the  verdict  was  delivered  in  writing,  and  Mr.  Bar- 
num never  gave  the  prize  in  person. 

In  June,  1843,  a  herd  of  yearling  buffaloes  was 


134  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

on  exhibition  in  Boston.  Barnum  bought  the  lot, 
brought  them  to  New  Jersey,  hired  the  race-course 
at  Hoboken,  chartered  the  ferry-boats  for  one  day, 
and  advertised  that  a  hunter  had  arrived  with  a 
herd  of  buffaloes,  and  that  August  3ist  there  would 
be  a  "  Grand  Buffalo  Hunt "  on  the  Hoboken  race- 
course— all  persons  to  be  admitted  free  of  charge. 

The  appointed  day  was  warm  and  delightful,  and 
no  less  than  twenty-four  thousand  people  crossed 
the  North  River  in  the  ferry-boats  to  enjoy  the 
cooling  breeze  and  to  see  the  "Grand  Buffalo  Hunt." 
The  hunter  was  dressed  as  an  Indian,  and  mounted 
on  horseback ;  he  proceeded  to  show  how  the  wild 
buffalo  is  captured  with  a  losso,  but  unfortunately 
the  yearlings  would  not  run  till  the  crowd  gave  a 
great  shout,  expressive  at  once  of  derision  and  de- 
light at  the  harmless  humbug.  This  shout  started 
the  young  animals  into  a  weak  gallop  and  the  lasso 
was  duly  thrown  over  the  head  of  the  largest  calf. 
The  crowd  roared  with  laughter,  listened  to  the 
balcony  band,  which  was  also  furnished  "  free,"  and 
then  started  for  New  York,  little  dreaming  who  was 
the  author  of  this  sensation,  or  what  was  its  object. 

Mr.  N.  P.  Willis,  then  editor  of  the  Home  Jour- 
nal, wrote  an  article  illustrating  the  perfect  good 
nature  with  which  the  American  public  submit  to  a 
clever  humbug.  He  said  that  he  went  to  Hoboken 
to  witness  the  buffalo  hunt.  It  was  nearly  four 
o'clock  when  the  boat  left  the  foot  of  Barclay  Street, 
and  it  was  so  densely  crowded  that  many  persons 


THE  FIRST  WILD-  WEST  SHO  W.  135 

were  obliged  to  stand  on  the  railings  and  hold  on  to 
the  awning-posts.  When  they  reached  the  Hobo- 
ken  side  a  boat  equally  crowded  was  coming  out  of 
the  slip.  The  passengers  just  arriving  cried  out  to 
those  who  were  coming  away,  "  Is  the  buffalo  hunt 
over  ?"  To  which  came  the  reply,  "  Yes,  and  it  was 
the  biggest  humbug  you  ever  heard  of!"  Willis 
added  that  passengers  on  the  boat  with  him  instantly 
gave  three  cheers  for  the  author  of  the  humbug, 
whoever  he  might  be. 

After  the  public  had  enjoyed  their  laugh  over  the 
Buffalo  hunt,  Barnum  let  it  become  known  that  he 
was  the  author  of  the  joke.  Of  course,  their  cry 
of  "  charlatan,"  "  humbug,"  and  "  swindler "  was 
louder  than  ever  from  that  time,  but  Barnum  never 
objected  to  being  called  names.  The  more  adver- 
tising the  better. 

About  this  time  Barnum  engaged  a  band  of  In- 
dians from  Iowa. 

The  party  comprised  large  and  noble  specimens 
of  the  untutored  savage,  as  well  as  several  very 
beautiful  squaws,  with  two  or  three  interesting 
"  papooses."  They  lived  and  lodged  in  a  large 
room  on  the  top  floor  of  the  Museum,  and  cooked 
their  own  victuals  in  their  own  way.  They  gave 
their  war-dances  on  the  stage  in  the  Lecture  Room 
with  great  vigor  and  enthusiasm,  much  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  audiences.  But  these  wild  Indians 
seemed  to  consider  their  dances  as  realities.  Hence, 
when  they  gave  a  real  war-dance,  it  was  dangerous 


136  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BAR  NUM. 

for  any  parties,  except  their  manager  and  interpreter 
to  be  on  the  stage,  for  the  moment  they  had  finished 
their  war-dance,  they  began  to  leap  and  peer  about 
behind  the  scenes  in  search  of  victims  for  their 
tomahawks  and  scalping  knives !  Indeed,  lest  in 
these  frenzied  moments  they  might  make  a  dash  at 
the  orchestra  or  the  audience,  Barnum  had  a  high 
rope  barrier  placed  between  them  and  the  savages 
on  the  front  of  the  stage. 

Barnum  counted  one  incident  in  connection  with 
his  Indian  show  as  notable,  being  one  of  the  few  oc- 
casions when  he  played  the  losing  card. 

"After  they  had  been  a  week  in  the  Museum," 
he  said,  "  I  proposed  a  change  of  performance  for 
'the  week  following  by  introducing  new  dances. 
Among  these  was  the  Indian  wedding  dance.  At 
that  time  I  printed  but  one  set  of  posters  (large 
bills)  per  week,  so  that  whatever  was  announced  for 
Monday  was  repeated  every  day  and  evening  dur- 
ing that  week.  Before  the  wedding  dance  came  off 
on  Monday  afternoon,  I  was  informed  that  I  was  to 
provide  a  large,  new,  red  woolen  blanket,  at  a  cost 
of  ten  dollars,  for  the  bridegroom  to  present  to  the 
father  of  the  bride.  I  ordered  the  purchase  to  be 
made,  but  was  considerably  taken  aback  when  I  was 
informed  that  I  must  have  another  new  blanket  for 
the  evening,  inasmuch  as  the  savage  old  Indian 
chief,  father-in-law  to  the  bridegroom,  would  not 
consent  to  his  daughter's  being  approached  v/ith  the 
wedding  dance  unless  he  had  his  blanket  present. 


WEDDING  GIFTS.  137 

"  I  undertook  to  explain  to  "'ie  chief,  through  the 
interpreter,  that  this  was  only  a  make  believe  '  wed- 
ding ;  but  the  old  savage  shrugged  his  shoulders, 
and  gave  such  a  terrific  '  Ugh !'  that  I  was  glad  to 
make  my  peace  by  ordering  another  blanket.  As 
we  gave  two  performances  per  day,  I  was  out  of 
pocket  $120  for  twelve  'wedding  blankets'  that 
week." 

One  of  the  beautiful  squaws  named  Do-humme 
died  in  the  Museum.  She  had  been  a  great  favorite 
with  many  ladies.  Do-humme  was  buried  on  the 
border  of  Sylvan  Water,  at  Greenwood  Cemetery, 
where  a  small  monument  erected  by  her  friends, 
designates  her  last  resting-place.  The  poor  Indians 
were  very  sorrowful  for  many  days,  and  desired  to 
get  back  again  to  their  Western  wilds.  The  father 
and  the  betrothed  of  Do-humme  cooked  various 
dishes  of  food  and  placed  them  upon  the  roof  of 
the  Museum,  where  they  believed  the  spirit  of  their 
departed  friend  came  daily  for  its  supply ;  and  these 
dishes  were  renewed  every  morning  during  the  stay 
of  the  Indians  at  the  Museum. 


CHAPTER  X. 

GIANTS   AND    DWARFS. 

SCIENCE  FOR  THE  PUBLIC — MESMERISM  EXTRAORDINARY — KILLING  OFF  A 
RIVAL — THE  Two  GIANTS — DISCOVERY  OF  "  TOM  THUMB" — SEEKING 
OTHER  WORLDS  TO  CONQUER — FIRST  VISIT  TO  ENGLAND. 

Barnum  would  never  submit  to  being  outdone  by 
a  rival.  In  "  poker  "  parlance  ,  he  would  "  see  him 
and  go  one  better."  His  chief  competitor  now  was 
Peale,  who  was  running  Peale's  Museum,  and 
proudly  proclaiming  it  to  be  a  more  scientific  insti- 
tution than  Barnuirrs.  Thus,  he  said,  he  was  cater- 
ing to  a  higher  class  of  patrons. 

"Science,  indeed!"  said  Barnum.  "Til  give  him 
science  to  his  heart's  content ! " 

Mesmerism  was  then  a  great  novelty,  and  Peale 
was  given  exhibitions  of  it.  He  had  one  subject 
on  whom  he  operated  daily,  with  most  surprising 
results  ;  though  at  times  she  was  unimpressionable, 
and  the  people  who  had  paid  to  come  in  and  see 
her  performances  complained  loudly  that  they  were 
being  swindled.  Barnum  saw  here  a  great  oppor- 
tunity to  squelch  a  rival  and  increase  his  own  fame 
at  a  single  stroke.  He  engaged  a  bright  little  girl 
who  was  exceedingly  susceptible  to  such  mesmeric 
influences  as  he  could  induce.  That  is,  she  learned 
138 


MESMERISM  EXTRA ORDINAR  Y.  l  -,g 

her  lesson  thoroughly,  and  when  he  had  apparently 
put  her  to  sleep  with  a  few  passes  and  stood  behind 
her,  she  seemed  to  be  duly  "  impressed,"  as  he  de- 
sired ;  raised  her  hands  as  he  willed,  fell  from  her 
chair  to  the  floor ;  and  if  he  put  candy  or  tobacco 
into  his  own  mouth,  she  was  duly  delighted  or  dis- 
gusted. She  never  failed  in  these  routine  perform- 
ances. Strange  to  say,  believers  in  mesmerism 
used  to  witness  her  performances  with  the  greatest 
pleasure,  and  adduce  them  as  positive  proofs  that 
there  was  something  in  mesmerism,  and  they  ap- 
plauded tremendously — up  to  a  certain  point. 

That  point  was  reached  when,  leaving  the  girl 
"asleep,"  Barnum  called  up  some  one  in  the  audi- 
ence, promising  to  put  him  "  in  the  same  state " 
within  five  minutes,  or  forfeit  fifty  dollars.  Of 
course,  all  his  "  passes  "  would  not  put  a  man  in  the 
mesmeric  state  ;  at  the  end  of  three  minutes  he  was 
as  wide  awake  as  ever. 

"  Never  mind,"  Barnum  would  say,  "  looking  at 
his  watch ;  "  I  have  two  minutes  more,  and  mean- 
time, to  show  that  a  person  in  this  state  is  utterly 
insensible  to  pain,  I  propose  to  cut  off  one  of  the 
fingers  of  the  little  girl  who  is  still  asleep."  He 
would  then  take  out  a  knife  and  feel  of  the  edge, 
and  when  he  turned  around  to  the  girl  whom  he 
left  on  the  chair,  she  had  fled  behind  the  scenes,  to 
the  intense  amusement  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
audience,  and  to  the  amazement  of  the  mesmerists 
who  were  present. 


LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

"  Why !  where's  my  little  girl  ?"  he  asked,  with 
feigned  astonishment. 

"  Oh !  she  ran  away  when  you  began  to  talk  about 
cutting  off  fingers." 

"  Then  she  was  wide  awake,  was  she  ?" 

"  Of  course  she  was,  all  the  time." 

"  I  suppose  so ;  and,  my  dear  sir,  I  promised  that 
you  should  be  '  in  the  same  state '  at  the  end  of  five 
minutes,  and  as  I  believe  you  are  so,  I  do  not  forfeit 
fifty  dollars." 

Barnum  kept  up  this  performance  for  several 
weeks,  till  he  quite  killed  Peale's  "  genuine  "  mes- 
merism in  the  rival  establishment.  At  the  end  of 
six  months  he  bought  Peale's  Museum,  and  the 
whole,  including  the  splendid  gallery  of  American 
portraits,  was  removed  to  the  American  Museum, 
and  he  immediately  advertised  the  great  card  of  a 
"  Double  Attraction,"  and  "Two  Museums  in  One," 
without  extra  charge. 

Barnum  was  now  devoting  all  his  attention  and 
energy  to  this  enterprise,  and  was  achieving  great 
success.  He  made  everything  contribute  to  its 
popularity.  When  a  politician  asked  him  for  what 
candidate  he  was  going  to  vote,  he  would  answer, 
"  For  the  American  Museum ;"  and  this  was  an 
index  of  his  whole  demeanor. 

Among  the  genuine  and  literally  "  great "  features 
of  his  show  were  several  giants.  They  often  gave 
both  the  showman  and  his  patrons  food  for  much 
amusement  as  well  as  wonder.  The  Quaker  giant, 


A  FRUSTRATED  DUEL.  \^i 

Hales,  was  quite  a  wag  in  his  way.  He  went  once 
to  see  the  new  house  of  an  acquaintance  who  had 
suddenly  become  rich,  but  who  was  a  very  ignorant 
man.  When  he  came  back  he  described  the  won- 
ders of  the  mansion,  and  said  that  the  proud  pro- 
prietor showed  him  everything  from  basement  to 
attic ;  parlors,  bed-rooms,  dining-room,  and,  said 
Hales,  "  what  he  calls  his  '  study ' — meaning,  I  sup- 
pose, the  place  where  he  intends  to  study  his  spell- 
ing-book !" 

He  had  at  one  time  two  famous  men,  the  French 
giant,  M.  Bihin,  a  very  slim  man,  and  the  Arabian 
giant,  Colonel  Goshen.  These  men  generally  got 
on  together  very  well,  though,  of  course,  each  was 
jealous  of  the  other,  and  of  the  attention  the  rival 
received,  or  the  notice  he  attracted.  One  day  they 
quarreled,  and  a  lively  interchange  of  compliments 
ensued,  the  Arabian  calling  the  Frenchman  a 
"Shanghai,"  and  receiving  in  return  the  epithet  of 
"  Digger."  From  words  both  were  eager  to  proceed 
to  blows,  and  both  ran  to  the  collection  of  arms,  one 
seizing  the  club  with  which  Captain  Cook,  or  any 
other  man,  might  have  been  killed,  if  it  were  judi- 
ciously wielded,  and  the  other  laying  hands  on  a 
sword  of  the  terrific  size  which  is  supposed  to  have 
been  conventional  in  the  days  of  the  Crusades. 

The  preparations  for  a  deadly  encounter,  and  the 
high  words  of  the  contending  parties,  brought  a 
dozen  of  the  Museum  attaches  to  the  spot,  and  these 
men  threw  themselves  between  the  gigantic  combat- 


142  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

ants.     Hearing  the  disturbance,  Barnum  ran  from 
his  private  office  to  the  dueling  ground,  and  said : 

"  Look  here !  This  is  all  right ;  if  you  want  to 
fight  each  other,Amaiming  and  perhaps  killing  one  or 
both  of  you,  that  is  your  affair ;  but  my  interest  lies 
here :  you  are  both  under  engagement  to  me,  and 
if  this  duel  is  to  come  off,  I  and  the  public  have  a 
right  to  participate.  It  must  be  duly  advertised,  and 
must  take  place  on  the  stage  of  the  Lecture  Room. 
No  performance  of  yours  would  be  a  greater  attrac- 
tion, and  if  you  kill  each  other,  our  engagement  can 
end  with  your  duel." 

This  proposition,  made  in  apparent  earnest,  so 
delighted  the  giants  that  they  at  once  burst  into  a 
laugh,  shook  hands,  and  quarreled  no  more. 

From  giants  to  dwarfs.  None  of  Barnum's  at- 
tractions has  been  more  famous  than  "Tom 
Thumb."  The  story  of  his  discovery  and  en- 
gagement is  dated  in  November,  1842.  Barnum 
was  then  at  Bridgeport,  Conn.  One  day  he  heard 
that  there  belonged  in  one  of  the  families  of 
the  place  a  phenomenally  small  child,  and  he  got 
his  brother,  Philo  F.  Barnum,  to  bring  the  little 
fellow  to  his  hotel.  "  He  was,"  Barnum  afterward 
said,  "  not  two  feet  high ;  he  weighed  less  than  six- 
teen pounds,  and  was  the  smallest  child  I  ever  saw 
that  could  walk  alone  ;  he  was  a  perfectly  formed, 
bright-eyed  little  fellow,  with  light  hair  and  ruddy 
cheeks,  and  he  enjoyed  the  best  of  health.  He  was 
exceedingly  bashful,  but  after  some  coaxing,  he  was 


A  TRIP  TO  EUROPE, 

induced  to  talk  with  me,  and  he  told  me  that  ne  was 
the  son  of  Sherwood  E.  Stratton,  and  that  his  own 
name  was  Charles  S.  Stratton.  After  seeing  him 
and  talking  with  him,  I  at  once  determined  to  secure 
his  services  from  his  parents  and  to  exhibit  him  in 
public.  I  engaged  him  for  four  weeks,  at  three  dol- 
lars a  week,  with  all  traveling  and  boarding  charges 
for  himself  and  his  mother  at  my  expense.  They 
came  to  New  York  Thanksgiving  day,  December  8th, 
1842,  and  I  announced  the  dwarf  on  my  Museum 
bills  as  '  General  Tom  Thumb/  " 

Barnum  took  the  greatest  pains  to  educate  and 
train  the  diminutive  prodigy,  devoting  many  hours 
to  the  task  by  day  and  by  night,  and  he  was  very 
successful,  for  the  boy  was  an  apt  pupil,  with  a 
great  deal  of  native  talent,  and  a  keen  sense  of  the 
ludicrous.  Barnum  afterward  re-engaged  him  for 
one  year,  at  seven  dollars  a  week  with  a  gratuity  of 
fifty  dollars  at  the  end  of  the  engagement,  and  the 
privilege  of  exhibiting  him  anywhere  in  the  United 
States,  in  which  event  his  parents  were  to  accom- 
pany him  and  Barnum  was  to  pay  all  traveling  ex- 
penses. He  speedily  became  a  public  favorite,  and 
long  before  the  year  was  out,  Barnum  voluntarily  in- 
creased his  weekly  salary  to  twenty-five  dollars,  and 
he  fairly  earned  it. 

For  two  years  Barnum  had  been  the  owner  of 
the  Museum.  He  had  enjoyed  great  prosperity. 
Long  ago  he  had  paid  every  dollar  of  the  purchase- 
money  out  of  the  profits  of  the  place.  All  rivals 


144  LIFE  OF  p" 

had  been  driven  from  the  field.  He  was  out  of 
debt,  and  had  a  handsome  balance  in  the  bank. 
The  experimental  stage  was  passed,  and  the  enter- 
prise was  an  established  success.  It  was,  indeed, 
in  such  perfect  order  that  Barnum  felt  safe  in  leav- 
ing it  to  his  lieutenants,  while  he  went  forth  to  seek 
new  realms  of  conquest.  Accordingly  he  made  an 
agreement  for  General  Tom  Thumb's  services  for 
another  year,  at  fifty  dollars  a  week  and  all  expenses, 
with  the  privilege  of  exhibiting  him  in  Europe.  He 
proposed  to  test  the  curiosity  of  men  and  women 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

After  arranging  his  business  affairs  for  a  long 
absence,  and  making  every  preparation  for  an  ex- 
tended foreign  tour,  on  Thursday,  January  i8th, 
1844,  he  went  on  board  the  new  and  fine  sailing 
ship  "  Yorkshire,"  Captain  D.  G.  Bailey,  bound  for 
Liverpool.  The  party  included  General  Tom  Thumb, 
his  parents,  his  tutor,  and  Professor  Guillaudeu,  a 
French  naturalist.  They  were  accompanied  by 
several  personal  friends,  and  the  City  Brass  Band 
kindly  volunteered  to  escort  them  to  Sandy  Hook. 

They  were  met  at  Liverpool  by  a  large  crowd  of 
sight-seers,  who  had  been  attracted  thither  by  the 
fame  of  "  Tom  Thumb."  The  curiosity  of  the  popu- 
lace was  not  gratified,  however,  for  Barnum  had  the 
child  smuggled  ashore  unseen,  under  his  mother's 
shawl. 

"  My  letters  of  introduction,"  said  the  showman, 
"speedily  brought  me  into  friendly  relations  with 


MR.  AND  MRS.  CHARLES  STRATTON. 

(Gen.  Tom  Thumb  and  Minnie  Warren,) 


ENTERTAINING  THE  ENGLISH.  147 

many  excellent  families,  and  I  was  induced  to  hire  a 
hall  and  present  the  General  to  the  public,  for  a 
short  season  in  Liverpool.  I  had  intended  to  pro- 
ceed directly  to  London,  and  begin  operations  at 
'headquarters,'  that  is,  in  Buckingham  Palace,  if 
possible ;  but  I  had  been  advised  that  the  royal 
family  was  in  mourning  for  the  death  of  Prince 
Albert's  father,  and  would  not  permit  the  approach 
of  any  entertainments.  Meanwhile,  confidential 
letters  from  London  informed  me  that  Mr.  Maddox, 
Manager  of  Princess's  Theatre,  was  coming  down 
to  witness  my  exhibition,  with  a  view  to  making  an 
engagement.  He  came  privately,  but  I  was  fully 
informed  as  to  his  presence  and  object.  A  friend 
pointed  him  out  to  me  in  the  hall,  and  when  I 
stepped  up  to  him,  and  called  him  by  name,  he  was 
'taken  all  aback,'  and  avowed  his  purpose  in  visit- 
ing Liverpool.  An  interview  resulted  in  an  engage- 
ment of  the  General  for  three  nights  at  Princess's 
Theatre.  I  was  unwilling  to  contract  for  a  longer 
period,  and  even  this  short  engagement,  though  on 
liberal  terms,  was  acceded  to  only  as  a  means  of 
advertisement.  So  soon,  therefore,  as  I  could  bring 
my  short,  but  highly  successful,  season  in  Liverpool 
to  a  close,  we  went  to  London." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

TOM   THUMB   IN   LONDON. 

AN  ARISTOCRATIC  VISITOR — CALLING  AT  BUCKINGHAM  PALACE  AND  HOB- 
NOBBING WITH  ROYALTY — GETTING  A  PUFF  IN  THE  "  COURT  CIRCULAR  " 
— THE  IRON  DUKE — A  GREAT  SOCIAL  AND  FINANCIAL  SUCCESS. 

The  first  public  appearance  of  Tom  Thumb  in 
London  occurred  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  party 
there,  at  the  Princess's  Theatre.  A  short  engage- 
ment only  had  been  made,  but  it  was  exceedingly 
successful.  The  spectators  were  delighted,  the  man- 
ager overjoyed,  and.Barnum  himself  pleased  beyond 
measure.  This  brief  engagement  answered  his 
purpose,  in  arousing  public  interest  and  curiosity. 
That  was  all  the  shrewd  showman  wanted  for  the 
present.  Accordingly,  when  the  manager  of  the 
theatre  urged  a  renewal  of  the  engagement,  at  a 
much  higher  price,  Barnum  positively  declined  it. 
He  had  secured  the  desired  advertising;  now  he 
would  exhibit  on  his  own  account  and  in  his  own 
way. 

He  therefore  took  a  splendid  mansion  in  Grafton 
Street,  Bond  Street,  in  the  fashionable  and  aristocra- 
tic West  End  of  London.  Lord  Talbot  had  lived  in 
it,  and  Lord  Brougham  lived  close  by.  It  was  an 
audacious  stroke  for  the  Yankee  showman  to  invade 
148 


GETTING  INTO  SOCIETY.  149 

this  select  and  exclusive  region,  but  it  was  success- 
ful .  In  response  to  his  invitations  members  of  the 
nobility  came  eagerly  flocking  to  the  house  to  see  the 
wonderful  child.  Barnum  showed  himself  as  exclu- 
sive as  any  of  them,  for  he  gave  orders  to  his  ser- 
vants that  no  callers  were  to  be  received  who  did 
not  present  cards  of  invitation.  This  procedure  he 
afterward  explained,  was  entirely  proper.  He  had 
not  yet  announced  himself  as  a  public  showman. 
He  was  simply  an  American  citizen  visiting  London, 
and  it  was  incumbent  upon  him  to  maintain  the  dig- 
nity of  his  position  !  His  servants,  of  course,  exer- 
cised proper  tact,  and  no  offense  was  given,  although 
many  of  the  nobility  and  gentry,  who  drove  to  his 
door  in  carriages  adorned  with  crests  and  coats  of 
arms,  were  thus  turned  away. 

Among  the  early  callers  was  the  Hon.  Edward 
Everett,  the  American  minister  to  England.  He 
was  much  pleased  with  Mr.  Barnum  and  his  tiny 
ward,  and  had  them  dine  with  him  the  next  day. 
He  also  promised  that  they  should,  if  possible,  be  re- 
ceived by  the  Queen  at  Buckingham  Palace. 

A  few  evenings  afterward  the  Baroness  Roths- 
child sent  her  carriage  for  them.  They  were  re- 
ceived by  a  half  a  dozen  servants,  and  were  ushered 
up  a  broad  flight  of  marble  stairs  to  the  drawing- 
room,  where  they  met  the  Baroness  and  a  party  of 
twenty  or  more  ladies  and  gentlemen.  In  this  sumpt- 
uous mansion  of  the  richest  banker  in  the  world,  they 
spent  about  two  hours,  and  when  they  took  their 


150  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

leave  a  well-filled  purse  was  quietly  slipped  into  Mr. 
Barnum's  hand.  The  golden  shower  had  begun  to 
fall. 

Mr.  Barnum  now  thought  the  time  ripe  for  begin- 
ning his  public  exhibitions.  He  engaged  .Egyptian 
Hall,  Piccadilly,  and  announced  that  Tom_Thumb 
was  to  be  seen  there.  The  rush  of  visitors  was  tre- 
mendous. The  aristocracy  of  London  thronged  the 
hall  night  after  night,  and  a  phenomenal  success  was 
assured.  Barnum  did  not  look  beyond  such  work. 
True,  Everett  had  spoken  of  an  audience  with  the 
Queen,  but  Barnum  had  no  idea  that  it  would  ever 
be  granted.  One  day,  however,  he  met  Mr.  Murray, 
Master  of  the  Queen's  Household,  at  Everett's  at 
breakfast,  and  that  gentleman  asked  him  what  were 
his  plans  for  the  future.  Barnum  replied  that  he  ex- 
pected presently  to  go  to  the  Continent,  but  he  would 
most  gladly  stay  in  London  if  he  could  get  the  favor 
of  an  audience  with  Her  Majesty. 

Mr.  Murray  kindly  offered  his  good  offices  in  the 
case,  and  the  next  day  one  of  the  Life  Guards,  a  tall, 
noble-looking  fellow,  bedecked  as  became  his  sta- 
tion, brought  a  note,  conveying  the  Queen's  invita- 
tion to  General  Tom  Thumb  and  his  guardian.  Mr. 
Barnum,  to  appear  at  Buckingham  Palace  on  an 
evening  specified.  Special  instructions  were  the 
same  day  orally  given  by  Mr.  Murray,  by  Her  Ma- 
jesty's command,  to  suffer  the  General  to  appear  be- 
fore her,  as  he  would  appear  anywhere  else,  without 
any  training  in  the  use  of  the  titles  of  royalty,  as  the 


CALLING  ON  THE  QUEEN,  l$l 

Queen  desired  to  see  him  act  naturally  and  without 
restraint. 

Determined  to  make  the  most  of  the  occasion, 
Mr.  Barnum  put  a  placard  on  the  door  of  the  Egypt- 
ian Hall :  "Closed  this  evening,  General  Tom  Thumb 
being  at  Buckingham  Palace  by  command  of  Her 
Majesty." 

When  they  arrived  at  the  palace,  a  Lord-in- Wait- 
ing met  them,  and  began  "  coaching  "  them  on  points 
of  court  etiquette.  Mr.  Barnum,  especially,  was  told 
that  he  must  in  no  event  speak  directly  to  Her  Ma- 
jesty, but  through  the  medium  of  the  aforesaid  Lord. 
He  must  also  keep  his  face  constantly  turned  toward 
the  Queen,  and  so,  in  retiring  from  the  royal  pres- 
ence, must  walk  backward.  Having  thus  been  in- 
structed in  the  ways  of  royalty,  Mr.  Barnum  and  the 
diminutive  General  were  led  to  the  presence  of  the 
Queen. 

They  passed  through  a  long  corridor  to  a  broad 
flight  of  marble  steps,  which  led  to  the  picture  gal- 
lery, and  there  the  Queen  and  Prince  Albert,  the 
Duchess  of  Kent,  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  and 
others  were  awaiting  their  arrival.  They  were 
standing  at  the  further  end  of  the  room  when  the 
doors  were  thrown  open,  and  the  General  walked 
in,  looking  like  a  wax  doll  gifted  with  the  power  of 
locomotion.  Surprise  and  pleasure  were  depicted  on 
the  countenances  of  the  royal  circle  at  beholding  this 
remarkable  specimen  of  humanity  so  much  smaller 
than  they  had  evidently  expected  to  find  him. 


LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

The  General  advanced  with  a  firm  step,  and,  as  he 
came  within  hailing  distance,  made  a  very  graceful 
bow,  and  exclaimed,  "  Good  evening,  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen." 

A  burst  of  laughter  followed  this  salutation.  The 
Queen  then  took  him  by  the  hand,  led  him  about  the 
gallery,  and  asked  him  many  questions,  the  answers 
to  which  kept  the  party  in  an  uninterrupted  strain  of 
merriment.  The  General  familiarly  informed  the 
Queen  that  her  picture  gallery  was  '•  first-rate," 
and  told  her  he  should  like  to  see  the  Prince  of 
Wales.  The  Queen  replied  that  the  Prince  had  re- 
tired to  rest,  but  that  he  should  see  him  on  some 
future  occasion.  The  General  then  gave  his 
songs,  dances,  and  imitations,  and  after  a  conver- 
sation with  Prince  Albert,  and  all  present,  which 
continued  for  more  than  an  hour,  they  were  per- 
mitted to  depart. 

But  before  this  Mr.  Barnum  had  broken  the  in- 
structions in  etiquette  which  had  been  so  carefully 
impressed  upon  him  by  the  Lord-in-Waiting.  When 
the  Queen  began  asking  him  questions,  he  answered 
her,  as  she  addressed  him,  through  the  lordly 
medium,  as  he  had  been  told.  That  was  inconvenient 
and  irksome,  however,  and  presently  Barnum  ad- 
dressed his  reply  directly  to  her.  The  Lord-in- 
Waiting  was  horror-struck,  but  the  Queen  did  not 
appear  to  be  displeased,  for  she  instantly  followed 
her  guest's  example,  and  spoke  thereafter  directly 
tp  him,  In  a  few  minutes  Her  Majesty  and  the 


BREAKING  THE  RULES.  ^3 

Yankee  showman  were  talking  together  with  the 
greatest  ease  and  freedom. 

"I  felt,"  said  Mr.  Barnum  afterward,  "entirely  at 
ease  in  her  presence,  and  could  not  avoid  contrast- 
ing her  sensible  and  amiable  manners  with  the  stiff- 
ness and  formality  of  upstart  gentility  at  home  or 
abroad. 

"  The  Queen  was  modestly  attired  in  plain  black, 
and  wore  no  ornaments.  Indeed,  surrounded  as  she 
was  by  ladies  arrayed  in  the  highest  style  of  magni- 
ficence, their  dresses  sparkling  with  diamonds,  she 
was  the  last  person  whom  a  stranger  would  have 
pointed  out  in  that  circle  as  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land. 

"  The  Lord-in-Waiting  was  perhaps  mollified  to- 
ward me  when  he  saw  me  following  his  illustrious 
example  in  retiring  from  the  royal  presence.  He 
was  accustomed  to  the  process,  and  therefore  was 
able  to  keep  somewhat  ahead  (or  rather  aback)  of 
me,  but  even  /  stepped  rather  fast  for  the  other 
member  of  the  retiring  party.  We  had  a  consider- 
able distance  to  travel  in  that  long  gallery  before 
reaching  the  door,  and  whenever  the  General  found 
he  was  losing  ground,  he  turned  around  and  ran 
a  few  steps,  then  resumed  his  position  of  backing 
out,  then  turned  around  and  ran,  and  so  con- 
tinued to  alternate  his  methods  of  getting  to  the 
door,  until  the  gallery  fairly  rang  with  the 
merriment  of  the  royal  spectators.  It  was  really 
one  of  the  richest  scenes  I  ever  saw ;  running, 


!  54  LIFE  OF  p-   T.  BARNUM. 

under  the  circumstances,  was  an  offense  suf~ 
ficiently  heinous  to'  excite  the  indignation  of  the 
Queen's  favorite  poodle  dog,  and  he  vented  his  dis 
pleasure  by  barking  so  sharply  as  to  startle  the  Gen- 
eral from  his  propriety.  He,  however,  recovered 
immediately,  and  with  his  little  cane,  commenced  an 
attack  on  the  poodle,  and  a  funny  fight  ensued, 
which  renewed  and  increased  the  merriment  of  the 
royal  party. 

"  This  was  near  the  door  of  exit.  We  had  scarcely 
passed  into  the  ante-room,  when  one  of  the  Queen's 
attendants  came  to  us  with  the  expressed  hope  of 
her  Majesty  that  the  General  had  sustained  no  dam- 
age, to  which  the  Lord-in-Waiting  playfully  added, 
that  in  case  of  injury  to  so  renowned  a  personage, 
he  should  fear  a  declaration  of  war  by  the  United 
States !" 

The  visitors  were  then  escorted  about  the  Palace, 
and  treated  to  refreshments.  Before  leaving  Mr. 
Barnum  bethought  him  of  the  "  Court  Circular,"  in 
which  the  doings  of  the  Royal  Family  were  chron- 
icled to  the  world.  Would  his  reception  by  the 
Queen  be  mentioned  in  it?  Certainly.  Well, 
then,  would  it  not  be  possible  to  secure  some- 
thing more  than  mere  mention ;  some  words  of 
special  commendation  ;  a  "  free  advertisement  "  in 
fact?  He  would  try  it!  So  he  inquired  where 
he  could  find  the  gentleman  who  prepared  the  cir- 
cular, and  was  informed  that  that  functionary  was 
in  the  Palace  at  that  very  moment. 


ANO THER  VISIT  TO  ROYALTY.  r 5 5 

"  He  was  sent  for,"  related  Mr.  Barnum,  "  by  my 
solicitation,  and  promptly  acceded  to  my  request  for 
such  a  notice  as  would  attract  attention.  He  even 
generously  desired  me  to  give  him  an  outline  of 
what  I  sought,  and  I  was  pleased  to  see  afterward, 
that  he  had  inserted  my  notice  verbatim. 

"  This  notice  of  my  visit  to  the  Queen  wonder- 
fully increased  the  attraction  of  '  Gen.  Tom  Thumb/ 
and  compelled  me  to  obtain  a  more  commodious  hall 
for  my  exhibition.  I  accordingly  moved  to  a  larger 
room  in  the  same  building." 

On  their  second  visit  to  the  Queen,  they  were  re- 
ceived in  what  is  called  the  Yellow  Drawing  Room, 
a  magnificent  apartment.  It  is  on  the  north  side  of 
the  gallery,  and  is  entered  from  that  apartment.  It 
was  hung  with  drapery  of  rich  yellow  satin  damask, 
the  couches,  sofas,  and  chairs  being  covered  with  the 
same  material.  The  vases,  urns,  and  ornaments 
were  all  of  the  most  exquisite  workmanship.  The 
room  was  panelled  in  gold,  and  the  heavy  cornices 
beautifully  carved  and  gilt.  The  tables,  pianos,  etc., 
were  mounted  with  gold,  inlaid  with  pearl  of  various 
hues,  and  of  the  most  elegant  designs. 

They  were  ushered  into  this  gorgeous  drawing- 
room  before  the  Queen  and  royal  circle  had  left  the 
dining-room,  and,  as  they  approached,  the  General 
bowed  respectfully,  and  remarked  to  Her  Majesty, 
"  that  he  had  seen  her  before,"  adding,  "  I  think  this 
is  a  prettier  room  than  the  picture  gallery ;  that 
chandelier  is  very  fine," 


!tj6  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

The  Queen  smilingly  took  him  by  the  hand,  and 
said  she  hoped  he  was  very  well. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,"  he  replied,  "  I  am  first-rate." 

"  General,"  continued  the  Queen,  "  this  is  the 
Prince  of  Wales." 

"  How  are  you,  Prince  ?"  said  the  General,  shak- 
ing him  by  the  hand,  and  then  standing  beside  the 
Prince,  he  remarked,  "  the  prince  is  taller  than  I  am, 
but  I  feel  as  big  as  anybody,"  upon  which  he  strutted 
up  and  down  the  room  as  proud  as  a  peacock,  amid 
shouts  of  laughter  from  all  present. 

The  Queen  then  introduced  the  Princess  Royal, 
and  the  General  immediately  led  her  to  his  elegant 
little  sofa,  which  he  took  with  him,  and  with  much  po- 
liteness sat  down  beside  her.  Then,  rising  from  his 
seat,  he  went  through  his  various  performances,  and 
the  Queen  handed  him  an  elegant  and  costly  sou- 
venir, which  had  been  expressly  made  for  him  by 
her  order,  for  which,  he  told  her,  "  he  was  very  much 
obliged,  and  would  keep  it  as  long  as  he  lived."  The 
Queen  of  the  Belgians  (daughter  of  Louis  Philippe) 
was  present  on  this  occasion.  She  asked  the  Gen- 
eral where  he  was  going  when  he  left  London. 

"To  Paris,"  he  replied. 

"  Whom  do  you  expect  to  see  there  ?"  she  con- 
tinued. 

Of  course  all  expected  he  would  answer,  "the 
King  of  the  French,"  but  the  little  fellow  replied. 

"  Monsieur  Guillaudeu." 

The  two  queens  looked  inquiringly,  and  when 


«ALL  THE  RAGE:' 

Mr.  Barnum  informed  them  that  M.  Guillaudeu  was 
his  French  naturalist,  they  laughed  most  heartily. 

On  their  third  visit  to  Buckingham  Palace,  Leo- 
pold, King  of  the  Belgians,  was  also  present.  He 
was  highly  pleased,  and  asked  a  multitude  of  ques- 
tions. Queen  Victoria  desired  the  General  to  sing 
a  song,  and  asked  him  what  song  he  preferred  to 
sing. 

"  Yankee  Doodle,"  was  the  prompt  reply. 

This  answer  was  as  unexpected  to  Mr.  Barnum 
as  it  was  to  the  royal  party.  When  the  merriment 
it  occasioned  had  somewhat  subsided,  the  Queen 
good-humoredly  remarked,  "  That  is  a  very  pretty 
song,  General,  sing  it,  if  you  please."  The  General 
complied,  and  soon  afterward  retired. 

The  Queen  sent  to  Barnum  a  handsome  fee  for 
each  of  his  visits,  but  that  was  only  a  small  part  of 
the  benefits  which  his  acquaintance  with  her  brought 
to  him.  Such  was  the  force  of  Court  example  that 
it  was  now  deemed  unfashionable,  almost  disloyal, 
not  to  have  seen  Tom  Thumb.  Carriages  of  the 
nobility,  fifty  or  sixty  at  a  time,  were  to  be  seen  at 
Barnum's  door  in  Piccadilly.  Egyptian  Hall  was 
crowded  at  every  exhibition,  and  the  net  profits 
there  were  on  the  average  more  than  $500  per  day 
from  March  2Oth  to  July  2Oth.  Portraits  of  the  tiny 
General  were  for  sale  everywhere,  and  were  eagerly 
purchased  by  thousands.  Musical  compositions  were 
dedicated  to  him,  and  songs  were  sung  in  his  honor. 
Week  after  week  he  was  the  subject  of  Punch's 


OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

wittiest  cartoons;  and  of  course  all  this  was  just  so 
much  free  advertising.  Besides  his  three  public 
performances  per  day,  the  little  General  attended 
three  or  four  private  parties  per  week,  for  which  they 
were  paid  eight  to  ten  guineas  each.  Frequently  he 
would  visit  two  parties  in  the  same  evening,  and  the 
demand  in  that  line  was  much  greater  than  the  sup- 
ply. The  Queen  Dowager  Adelaide  requested  the 
General's  attendance  at  Marlborough  House  one 
afternoon.  He  went  in  his  court  dress,  consisting  of 
a  richly  embroidered  brown  silk-velvet  coat  and  short 
breeches,  white  satin  vest  with  fancy  colored  em- 
broidery, white  silk  stockings  and  pumps,  wig, bagwig, 
cocked  hat,  and  dress  sword. 

"Why,  General,"  said  the  Queen  Dowager,  "I 
think  you  look  very  smart  to-day." 

"  I  guess  I  do,"  said  the  General,  complacently. 

A  large  party  of  the  nobility  were  present.  The 
old  Duke  of  Cambridge  offered  the  little  General  a 
pinch  of  snuff,  which  he  declined.  The  General 
sang  his  songs,  performed  his  dances,  and  cracked 
his  jokes,  to  the  great  amusement  and  delight  of  the 
distinguished  circle  of  visitors. 

"  Dear  little  General,"  said  the  kind-hearted 
Queen,  taking  him  upon  her  lap,  "I  see  you  have  no 
watch.  Will  you  permit  me  to  present  you  with  a 
watch  and  chain  ?" 

"  I  would  like  them  very  much,"  replied  the  Gen- 
eral, his  eyes  glistening  with  joy  as  he  spoke. 

"  I  will  have  them  made  expressly  for  you,"  re- 


THE  IR  ON  D  UKE. 

sponded  the  Queen  Dowager ;  and  at  the  same  mo- 
ment she  called  a  friend  and  desired  him  to  see  that 
the  proper  order  was  executed.  A  few  weeks  there- 
after they  were  called  again  to  Marlborough  House. 
A  number  of  the  children  of  the  nobility  were  pres- 
ent, as  well  as  some  of  their  parents.  After  pass- 
ing a  few  compliments  with  the  General,  Queen  Ade- 
laide presented  him  with  a  beautiful  little  gold 
watch,  placing  the  chain  around  his  neck  with  her 
own  hands. 

This  watch,  also,  served  the  purpose  of  an  adver- 
tisement, and  a  good  one,  too.  It  was  not  only 
duly  heralded,  but  was  placed  upon  a  pedestal  in 
the  hall  of  exhibition,  together  with  the  presents 
from  Queen  Victoria,  and  covered  with  a  glass  vase. 
These  presents,  to  which  were  soon  added  an  ele- 
gant gold  snuff-box  mounted  with  turquois,  pre- 
sented by  his  grace  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  and 
many  other  costly  gifts  of  the  nobility  and  gentry, 
added  to  the  attraction  of  the  exhibition. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington  called  frequently  to  see 
the  little  General  at  his  public  levees.  The  first 
time  he  called,  the  General  was  personating  Napo- 
leon Bonaparte,  marching  up  and  down  the  platform, 
and  apparently  taking  snuff  in  deep  meditation. 
He  was  dressed  in  the  well-known  uniform  of  the 
Emperor.  Barnum  introduced  him  to  the  "  Iron 
Duke,"  who  inquired  the  subject  of  his  meditations. 
"  I  was  thinking  of  the  loss  of  the  battle  of  Water- 
loo/' was  the  little  General's  immediate  reply.  This 


l6o  LIFE  OF  P.  T,  BARNUAt. 

display  of  wit  was  chronicled  throughout  the  country, 
and  was  of  itself  worth  thousands  of  pounds  to  the 
exhibition. 

General  Tom  Thumb  had  visited  the  King  of 
Saxony  and  also  Ibrahim  Pacha,  who  was  then  in 
London.  At  the  different  parties  he  attended,  he 
met,  in  the  course  of  the  season,  nearly  all  of  the 
nobility.  Scarcely  a  nobleman  in  England  failed  to 
see  General  Tom  Thumb  at  his  own  house,  at  the 
house  of  a  friend,  or  at  the  public  levees  at  Egyptian 
Hall.  The  General  was  a  decided  pet  with  some  of 
the  first  personages  in  the  land,  among  whom  were 
Sir  Robert  and  Lady  Peel,  the  Duke  and  Duchess 
of  Buckingham,  Duke  of  Bedford,  Duke  of  Devon- 
shire, Count  d'Orsay,  Lady  Blessington,  Daniel 
O'Connell,  Lord  Adolphus  Fitzclarence,  Lord  Ches- 
terfield, and  many  other  persons  of  distinction. 
They  had  the  free  entree  to  all  the  theatres,  public 
gardens,  and  places  of  entertainment,  and  frequently 
met  the  principal  artists,  editors,  poets,  and  authors 
of  the  country.  Albert  Smith  wrote  a  play  for  the 
General,  entitled  "  Hop  o'  my  Thumb,"  which  was 
presented  with  great  success  at  the  Lyceum  Theatre, 
London,  and  in  several  of  the  provincial  theatres. 

Thus  the  London  visit  and  the  tour  of  England 
were  successful  beyond  all  anticipation,  and  it  was 
with  an  overflowing  purse  that  Barnum  set  out  with 
his  charge  for  the  French  capital. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

IN   FRANCE. 

ARRIVAL  IN  PARIS— VISIT  TO  THE  TUILERIES— LONGCHAMPS— "ToM 
PONCE"  ALL  THE  RAGE — BONAPARTE  AND  LOUIS  PHILIPPE — TOUK 
THROUGH  FRANCE — BARNUM'S  PURCHASE. 

Barnum  having  returned  from  a  preliminary  trip 
to  France,  in  which  all  arrangements,  even  to  start- 
ing the  first  paragraphs  in  the  Paris  papers  were 
made,  now  went  back  accompanied  by  Tom  Thumb. 
They  reached  Paris  some  days  before  the  exhibition 
was  opened,  but  on  the  day  following  their  arrival, 
a  special  command  reached  them  to  appear  at  the 
Tuileries  on  the  next  Sunday  evening. 

At  the  appointed  hour  the  General  and  his  mana- 
ger were  ushered  into  the  presence  of  the  King,  the 
Queen,  the  Count  de  Paris,  Prince  de  Joinville,  the 
Duchess  d'Orleans,  and  a  dozen  more  distinguished 
persons,  among  whom  was  the  editor  of  the  Journal 
des  Debats. 

At  the  close  of  the  General's  performances,  which 
he  went  through  with  to  the  evident  delight  of  all 
present,  the  King  gave  him  a  large  emerald  and 
diamond  brooch,  at  the  same  time  saying  to  Mr. 
Barnum :  "  You  may  put  it  on  the  General,  if  you 
please.''  Which  command  was  obeyed,  to  the 

161 


Z62  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BAR  NUM. 

gratification  of  the  King  and  the  immense  delight  of 
the  General. 

The  King  was  so  condescending  and  affable  that 
Mr.  Barnum  at  length  ventured  to  ask  a  favor  of 
him.  The  Longchamps  celebration  was  close  at 
hand — a  day  once  devoted  to  religious  ceremony, 
but  now  conspicuous  for  the  display  of  court  and 
fashionable  equipages  in  the  various  drives  and 
parks — and  after  the  King  had  conversed  with  Mr. 
Barnum  on  various  topics  in  a  familiar  manner,  the 
diplomatic  showman  remarked  that  he  had  hastened 
his  arrival  in  Paris  for  the  express  purpose  of  taking 
part  in  the  Longchamps  celebration.  The  General's 
carriage,  he  explained,  with  its  ponies  and  little 
coachman  and  footman,  was  so  small  that  it  would 
be  in  great  danger  in  the  crowd  unless  the  King 
would  graciously  permit  it  to  appear  in  the  avenue 
reserved  for  the  court  and  the  diplomatic  corps 

The  King  smiled,  and  after  a  few  minutes'  con- 
sultation with  one  of  the  officers  of  his  household, 
said :  "  Call  on  the  Prefect  of  Police  to-morrow 
afternoon  and  you  will  find  a  permit  ready  for  you." 

After  a  two  hours'  visit  they  retired,  the  General 
loaded  with  presents. 

The  next  morning  all  the  newspapers  chronicled 
the  royal  audience,  the  Journal  des  Debats  giving  a 
full  account  of  the  interview  and  of  the  General's 
performances. 

Thus  all  Paris  knew  that  Tom  Thumb,  in  all  his 
glory,  was  in  the  city. 


ALL  PARIS  IN  A  FUROR.  16$ 

Longchamps  day  arrived,  anfl  conspicuous  among 
the  splendid  equipages  on  the  grand  avenue,  Tom 
Thumb'  s  beautiful  little  carriage,  with  four  ponies 
and  liveried  and  powdered  coachman  and  footman, 
rode  along  in^the  line  of  carriages  bearing  the  am- 
bassadors to  the  Court  of  France.  The  air  was 
fairly  rent  with  cheers  for  "  le  General  Tom  Ponce." 

The  first  day's  receipts  were  5,500  francs — over 
three  hundred  dollars,  and  this  sum  might  have  been 
doubled  had  there  been  room  for  more  visitors. 
The  elite  of  Paris  flocked  to  the  exhibition.  There 
were  afternoon  and  evening  performances,  and  seats 
were  reserved  in  advance  at  an  extra  price  for  the 
entire  two  months. 

The  papers  were  full  of  praises  for  the  perform- 
ance ;  Figaro  gave  a  picture  of  an  immense  mastiff 
running  away  with  the  General's  horse  and  carriage 
in  his  month. 

Statuettes  and  pictures  of  "Tom  Ponce"  ap- 
peared everywhere;  a  cafe  on  one  of  the  boulevards 
took  the  name  of  "Tom  Ponce,"  with  a  life-size 
statue  of  the  General  for  a  sign.  Eminent  painters 
here,  as  in  London,  asked  to  paint  his  portrait,  but 
the  General's  engagements  were  so  pressing  that 
he  had  little  time  to  sit  to  artists.  All  the  leading 
actors  and  actresses  came  to  see  him,  and  he  re- 
ceived many  fine  presents  from  them.  The  daily 
receipts  continued  to  increase,  and  the  manager 
had  to  take  a  cab  to  carry  home  the  silver  at  night. 

Twice  more  was  the  General  summoned  to  appear 
10 


1 66  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNVM, 

before  the  royal  family  at  the  Tuileries,  and  on  the 
King's  birthday  a  special  invitation  was  sent  him  to 
view  the  display  of  fireworks  in  honor  of  the  anni- 
versary. 

The  last  visit  to  the  Court  was  made  at  St.  Cloud. 
The  papers,  in  speaking  of  the  General's  character- 
izations, mentioned  that  there  was  one  costume 
which  Tom  Thumb  wisely  kept  at  the  bottom  of  his 
trunk.  This  was  the  uniform  of  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte, and  by  special  request  of  the  King,  it  was  worn 
at  St.  Cloud.  The  affair  was  quite  sub  rosa,  however, 
none  of  the  papers  mentioning  it. 

At  the  end  of  the  visit  each  of  the  royal  company 
gave  the  General  a  magnificent  present,  overwhelmed 
him  with  kisses,  wishing  him  a  safe  journey  through 
France,  and  a  long  and  happy  life.  After  making 
their  adieux  they  retired  to  another  part  of  the 
palace  to  permit  the  General  to  change  his  costume 
and  to  partake  of  a  collation  which  was  served  them. 
As  they  were  leaving  the  palace  they  passed  the  sit- 
ting-room where  the  royal  family  were  spending 
the  evening.  The  door  was  open,  and  some  one 
spying  the  General  there  was  a  call  for  him  to  come 
in  and  shake  hands  once  more.  They  went  in,  find- 
ing the  Queen  and  her  ladies  engaged  in  embroider- 
ing, while  one  young  lady  read  aloud.  They  all 
kissed  and  petted  the  General  many  times  around 
before  finally  permitting  him  to  depart. 

After  leaving  Paris  they  made  a  most  profitable 
tour,  including  the  cities  of  Rouen,  Orleans,  Brest, 


TOUR  THROUGH  FRANCE.  rfy 

and  Bordeaux,  where  they  were  invited  to  witness  a 
review  of  20,000  soldiers  by  the  Dukes  de  Nemours 
and  d'Aumale.  Thence  to  Toulon,  Montpelier, 
Nismes,  Marseilles,  and  many  other  less  important 
places.  At  Nantes,  Bordeaux,  and  Marseilles  the 
General  appeared  in  the  theatres  in  a  part  written 
for  him  in  a  French  play  called  "  Petit  Poncet." 

During  their  stay  in  Paris,  Barnum  made  a 
characteristically  profitable  investment.  A  Russian 
Prince,  who  had  lived  in  great  splendor  in  Paris, 
died  suddenly,  and  his  household  effects  were  sold 
at  auction.  There  was  a  magnificent  gold  tea-set, 
a  dinner  service  of  silver,  and  some  rare  specimens 
of  Sevres  china,  the  value  of  which  were  impaired 
by  the  Prince's  initials  being  on  them.  The  initials 
were  "  P.  T.,"  and  Mr.  Barnum  bought  them,  and 
adding  "  B."  to  the  other  letters,  had  a  very  fine 
table  service  appropriately  marked. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

IN   BELGIUM. 

PRESENTED  TO  KING  LEOPOLD  AND  THE  QUEEN — THE  GENERAL'S  JEWELS 
STOLEN — THE  FIELD  OF  WATERLOO — AN  ACCIDENT — AN  EXPENSIVE 
EQUIPAGE — "  THE  CUSTOM  OF  THE  COUNTRY." 

The  day  after  the  arrival  of  the  party  in  Brussels 
they  were  summoned  to  the  palace.  The  king  and 
queen  had  seen  the  General  in  London,  but  they 
wished  their  children  and  the  distinguished  people 
of  the  court  to  have  the  same  pleasure. 

After  a  delightful  visit  they  came  away,  the  Gen- 
eral, as  usual,  laden  with  gifts. 

The  following  day  the  exhibition  opened,  and  from 
the  first  was  crowded  by  throngs  of  the  best  people 
in  the  city.  One  day,  in  the  midst  of  the  exhibition, 
it  was  discovered  that  the  case  containing  all  the 
valuable  presents  Tom  Thumb  had  received  from 
royalty,  etc.,  was  missing. 

The  alarm  was  instantly  given,  and  the  police  no- 
tified. A  reward  was  offered  of  2,000  francs,  and, 
after  a  day  or  two,  the  thief  was  captured  and  the 
jewels  returned.  After  that  the  case  of  presents 
was  more  carefully  guarded. 

Everyone  who  goes  to  Brussels  is  supposed  to 
1 68 


HOW  RELICS  ARE  MANUFACTURED.  ify 

visit  the  field  of  Waterloo ;  so,  before  they  left,  the 
entire  party — Tom  Thumb,  Barnum,  Prof.  Pinte 
(tutor),  and  Mr.  Stratton  (father  of  the  General), 
and  Mr.  H.  G.  Sherman,  went  together. 

After  visiting  the  church  in  the  village  of  Waterloo 
and  viewing  the  memorial  tablets  there,  they  passed 
to  the  house  where  Lord  Uxbridge — Marquis  of 
Anglesey — had  had  his  leg  amputated.  There  is  a 
little  monument  in  the  garden  over  the  shattered 
limb,  and  a  part  of  the  boot  that  covered  it  was  seen 
in  the  house.  Barnum  procured  a  three-inch  bit  of 
the  boot  for  his  Museum,  at  the  same  time  remarking, 
that  if  the  lady  in  charge  was  as  liberal  to  all  vis- 
itors, that  boot  had  held  out  wonderfully  since  1815. 

On  approaching  the  ground  they  were  beset  by  a 
dozen  or  more  guides,  each  one  professing  to  know 
the  exact  spot  where  every  man  had  stood,  and  each 
claiming  to  have  himself  taken  part  in  the  struggle, 
although  most  of  them  were  less  than  twenty-five, 
and  the  battle  had  been  fought  some  thirty  years 
before.  They  finally  accepted  one  old  man,  who 
at  first  declared  that  he  had  been  killed  in  the 
front  ranks,  but  afterward  acknowledged  that  he  had 
only  been  wounded  and  left  on  the  field  for  dead 
three  days. 

After  having  the  location  of  Napoleon's  Guard, 
the  Duke  of  Wellington,  the  portion  of  the  field 
where  Blucher  entered  with  the  Prussian  army, 
pointed  out  to  them,  and  the  spots  where  fell  Sir 
Alexander  Gordon  and  other  celebrities,  they  asked 


LIFE    OF  P.    T.    BARNUM. 

the  guide  if  he  knew  where  Captain  Tippitiwichet, 
of  Connecticut,  was  killed  ?  "  Oh,  oui,  Monsieur," 
replied  the  guide  confidently.  After  pointing  out 
the  precise  spots  where  fictitious  friends  from  Coney 
Island,  New  Jersey,  Cape  Cod  and  Saratoga  had  re- 
ceived their  death-wounds,  they  paid  the  old  humbug 
and  dismissed  him. 

Upon  leaving  the  field  they  were  met  by  another 
crowd  of  peasants  with  relics  of  the  battle  for  sale. 
Barnum  bought  a  large  number  of  pistols,  bullets, 
brass  French  eagles,  buttons,  etc.,  for  the  Museum, 
and  the  others  were  equally  liberal  in  their  pur- 
chases. They  bought  also  maps,  guide-books  and 
pictures,  until  Mr.  Stratton  expressed  his  belief  that 
the  "  darned  old  battle  of  Waterloo  "  had  cost  more 
since  it  was  fought  than  it  ever  did  before. 

Some  months  afterwards,  while  they  were  in  Bir- 
mingham, they  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  firm  who 
manufactured  and  sent  to  Waterloo  barrels  of  these 
"  relics  "  every  year. 

Four  or  five  miles  on  the  road  home  they  had  the 
misfortune  to  break  the  axle-tree  of  the  carriage. 
It  was  past  one  o'clock,  and  the  exhibition  was  ad- 
vertised to  commence  in  Brussels  at  two.  Of  course, 
they  could  not  expect  to  walk  the  distance  in  less 
than  three  hours,  and  Barnum  was  disposed  to  give 
up  the  afternoon  performance  altogether.  But  Mr. 
Stratton  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  losing  six  or 
eight  hundred  francs,  so,  accompanied  by  the  inter- 
preter, Prof.  Pinte,  he  rushed  down  the  road  to  a 


A   BREAK-DOWN.  iji 

farm-house,  followed  leisurely  by  the  rest  of  the 
party. 

Mr.  Stratton  asked  the  old  farmer  if  he  had  a 
carriage.  He  had  not.  "  Have  you  no  vehicle  ?  " 
he  inquired. 

"  Yes,  I  have  that  vehicle,"  he  replied,  pointing  to 
an  old  cart  filled  with  manure,  and  standing  in  his 
barnyard. 

"  Thunder !  is  that  all  the  conveyance  you  have 
got  ?  "  asked  Stratton.  Being  assured  that  it  was, 
Stratton  concluded  that  it  was  better  to  ride  in  a 
manure-cart  than  not  to  get  to  Brussels  in  time. 

"  What  will  you  ask  to  drive  us  to  Brussels  in 
three-quarters  of  an  hour  ? "  demanded  Stratton. 

"  It  is  impossible,"  replied  the  farmer ;  "  I  should 
want  two  hours  for  my  horse  to  do  it  in." 

"  But  ours  is  a  very  pressing  case,  and  if  we  are 
not  there  in  time  we  lose  more  than  five  hundred 
francs,"  said  Stratton. 

The  old  farmer  pricked  up  his  ears  at  this,  and 
agreed  to  get  them  to  Brussels  in  an  hour  for 
eighty  francs.  Stratton  tried  to  beat  him  down,  but 
it  was  of  no  use. 

"  Oh,  go  it,  Stratton,"  said  Sherman  ;  "  eighty 
francs  you  know  is  only  sixteen  dollars,  and  you  will 
probably  save  a  hundred  by  it,  for  I  expect  a  full 
house  at  our  afternoon  exhibition  to-day." 

"But  I  have  already  spent  about  ten  dollars  for 
nonsense,"  said  Stratton,  "  and  we  shall  have  to  pay 
for  the  broken  carriage  besides." 


OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

"But  what  can  you  do  better?"  chimed  in  Pro- 
fessor Pinte. 

"  It  is  an  outrageous  extortion  to  charge  sixteen 
dollars  for  an  old  horse  and  cart  to  go  ten  miles. 
Why,  in  old  Bridgeport,  I  could  get  it  done  for  three 
dollars,"  replied  Stratton,  in  a  tone  of  vexation. 

"  It  is  the  custom  of  the  country,"  said  Professor 
Pinte,  "  and  we  must  submit  to  it." 

"  Well,  it's  -a  thundering  mean  custom,  anyhow," 
said  Stratton,  "  and  I  won't  stand  such  imposition." 

"But  what  shall  we  do  ?  "  earnestly  inquired  Mr. 
Pinte.  "  It  may  be  a  high  price,  but  it  is  better  to 
pay  that  than  to  lose  our  afternoon  performance  and 
five  or  six  hundred  francs." 

This  appeal  to  the  pocket  touched  Stratton's 
feelings ;  so,  submitting  to  the  extortion,  he  replied 
to  our  interpreter,  "Well,  tell  the  old  robber  to 
dump  his  dung-cart  as  soon  as  possible,  or  we  shall 
lose  half  an  hour  in  starting." 

The  cart  was  "  dumped  "  and  a  large,  lazy-looking 
Flemish  horse  was  attached  to  it  with  a  rope  harness. 
Some  boards  were  laid  across  the  cart  for  seats,  the 
party  tumbled  into  the  rustic  vehicle,  a  red-haired 
boy,  son  of  the  old  farmer,  mounted  the  horse,  and 
Stratton  gave  orders  to  "  get  along."  "  Wait  a 
moment,"  said  the  farmer,  "you  have  not  paid  me 
yet."  "I'll  pay  your  boy  when  we  get  to  Brussels, 
provided  he  gets  there  within  the  hour,"  replied 
Stratton. 

"  Oh,  he  is  sure  to  get  there  in  an  hour,"  said  the 


A  BREAK-DOWN.  173 

farmer,  "  but  I  can't  let  him  go  unless  you  pay  in 
advance."  The  minutes  were  flying  rapidly,  the 
anticipated  loss  of  the  day  exhibition  of  General 
Tom  Thumb  flitted  before  his  eyes,  and  Stratton,  in 
very  desperation,  thrust  his  hand  into  his  pocket 
and  drew  forth  sixteen  five-franc  pieces,  which  he 
dropped,  one  at  a  time,  into  the  hand  of  the  farmer, 
and  then  called  out  to  the  boy,  "  There  now,  do  try 
to  see  if  you  can  go  ahead." 

The  boy  did  go  ahead,  but  it  was  with  such  a 
snail's  pace  that  it  would  have  puzzled  a  man  of 
tolerable  eyesight  to  have  determined  whether  the 
horse  was  moving  or  standing  still.  To  make  it  still 
more  interesting,  it  commenced  raining  furiously. 
As  they  had  left  Brussels  in  a  coach,  and  the  morn- 
ing had  promised  a  pleasant  day,  they  had  omitted 
umbrellas.  They  were  soon  soaked  to  the  skin,  but 
they  "grinned  and  bore  it"  a  while  without  grum- 
bling. At  length  Stratton,  who  was  almost  too 
angry  to  speak,  desired  Mr.  Pinte  to  ask  the  red- 
haired  boy  if  he  expected  to  walk  his  horse  all  the 
way  to  Brussels. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  boy ;  "  he  is  too  big  and 
fat  to  do  anything  but  walk.  We  never  trot  him." 

Stratton  was  terrified  as  he  thought  of  the  loss 
of  the  day  exhibition ;  and  he  cursed  the  boy,  the 
cart,  the  rain,  the  luck,  and  even  the  battle  of 
Waterloo  itself.  But  it  was  all  of  no  use ;  the  horse 
would  not  run,  but  the  rain  did — down  their  backs. 

At  two  o'clock,  the  time  appointed    for  the  ex- 


LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

hibition,  they  were  yet  some  seven  miles  from 
Brussels.  The  horse  walked  slowly  and  philo- 
sophically through  the  pitiless  storm,  the  steam 
majestically  rising  from  the  old  manure-cart,  to  the 
no  small  disturbance  of  their  unfortunate  olfactories. 
"  It  will  take  two  hours  to  get  to  Brussels  at  this 
rate,"  growled  Stratton.  "  Oh,  no,"  replied  the  boy; 
"  it  will  only  take  about  two  hours  from  the  time  we 
started." 

"  But  your  father  agreed  to  get  us  there  in  an 
hour,"  answered  Stratton. 

"  I  know  it,"  responded  the  boy,  "  but  he  knew  it 
would  take  more  than  two." 

"  I'll  sue  him  for  damages,  by  thunder !  "  said 
Stratton. 

"  Oh,  there  would  be  no  use  in  that,"  chimed  in 
Mr.  Pinte,  "for  you  could  get  no  satisfaction  in  this 
country." 

"  But  I  shall  lose  more  than  a  hundred  dollars  by 
being  two  hours  instead  of  one,"  said  Stratton. 

"  They  care  nothing  about  that ;  all  they  care  for 
is  your  eighty  francs,"  remarked  Pinte. 

"  But  they  have  lied  and  swindled  me,"  replied 
Stratton. 

"  Oh,  you  must  not  mind  that;  it  is  the  custom  of 
the  country." 

The  party  arrived  in  Brussels  precisely  two  hours 
and  a  half  from  the  time  they  left  the  farmer's 
house.  Of  course  it  was  too  late  for  the  afternoon 
performance,  and  hundreds  of  people  had  been 
turned  away  disappointed. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

IN   ENGLAND   AGAIN. 

EGYPTIAN  HALL  AND  THE  ZOOLOGICAL  GARDENS — THE  SPECIAL  TRAIN — 
OXFORD — STRATFORD-ON-AVON — GUY  OF  WARWICK  RELICS — PUR- 
CHASE OF  THE  "  HAPPY  FAMILY  " — RETURN  TO  AMERICA. 

In  London  the  General  again  opened  his  levees  in 
Egyptian  Hall,  with  increased  success.  His  un- 
bounded popularity  on  the  Continent,  and  his  re- 
ceptions by  King  Louis  Philippe,  of  France,  and 
King  Leopold,  of  Belgium,  had  added  greatly  to  his 
prestige  and  fame.  Those  who  had  seen  him  when 
he  was  in  London  months  before  came  to  see  him 
again,  and  new  visitors  crowded  by  thousands  to  the 
General's  levees. 

Besides  giving  these  daily  entertainments,  the 
General  appeared  occasionally  for  an  hour,  during 
the  intermissions,  at  some  place  in  the  suburbs ;  and 
for  a  long  time  he  appeared  every  day  at  the  Surrey 
Zoological  Gardens,  under  the  direction  of  the  pro- 
prietor, Mr.  W.  Tyler.  This  place  subsequently  be- 
came celebrated  for  its  great  music  hall,  in  which 
Spurgeon,  the  sensational  preacher,  first  attained  his 
notoriety.  The  place  was  always  crowded,  and 
when  the  General  had  gone  through  with  his  per- 

175 


LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

formances  on  the  little  stage,  in  order  that  all  might 
see  him,  he  was  put  into  a  balloon,  which,  secured  by 
ropes,  was  then  passed  around  the  ground,  just 
above  the  people's  heads.  Some  forty  men  man- 
aged the  ropes  and  prevented  the  balloon  from 
rising ;  but,  one  day,  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  took  the 
balloon  fairly  out  of  the  hands  of  half  the  men  who 
had  hold  of  the  ropes,  while  others  were  lifted  from 
the  ground,  and  had  not  an  alarm  been  instantly 
given,  which  called  at  least  two  hundred  to  the 
rescue,  the  little  General  would  have  been  lost. 

In  October  Barnum  made  a  flying  visit  to 
America,  remaining  long  enough  to  renew  the  lease 
of  the  Museum  building,  and  to  attend  to  various 
other  business  matters.  When  he  returned  he  was 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  daughters.  They  took 
a  furnished  house,  which,  during  all  their  three 
months'  residence,  was  the  scene  of  constant  hospi- 
tality, all  the  distinguished  people  in  London  being 
entertained  there. 

When  the  engagement  at  Egyptian  Hall  expired 
they  made  an  extensive  tour  through  England  and 
Scotland,  going  as  far  north  as  Aberdeen.  The 
General's  Scotch  costumes,  his  national  dances  and 
the  "bit  of  dialect "  which  he  had  acquired  had  long 
been  a  feature  of  the  performance  and  was  especially 
admired  in  Scotland.  The  party  travelled  much  of 
the  time  in  Barnum's  own  carriage,  the  General's 
carriage,  ponies  and  other  properties  being  conveyed 
in  a  huge  van.  They  found  this  way  of  travelling 


STRATTON'S  PERPLEXITIES. 

more  comfortable  than  the  other,  besides  enabling 
them  to  visit  out  of  the  way  places,  where  often  the 
most  successful  exhibitions  were  given. 

There  was  one  occasion  when  their  carriage 
broke  down,  and,  as  they  had  advertised  a  perform- 
ance in  Rugby  that  evening,  they  decided  to  take 
the  cars ;  but  on  arriving  at  the  station  they  found 
the  last  train  gone.  Barnum  immediately  looked 
up  the  superintendent  and  told  him  that  they  must 
have  an  extra  train  for  Rugby,  without  an  instant's 
delay. 

"  Extra  train  ?  "  said  he,  with  surprise  and  a  half- 
sneer,  "  extra  train  ?  why  you  can't  have  an  extra 
train  to  Rugby  for  less  than  sixty  pounds." 

"Is  that  all?  well,  get  up  your  train  immediately, 
and  here  are  your  sixty  pounds.  What  in  the 
world  are  sixty  pounds  to  me,  when  I  wish  to  go  to 
Rugby,  or  elsewhere,  in  a  hurry." 

The  astonished  superintendent  took  the  money, 
bustled  about,  and  the  train  was  soon  ready.  He 
was  greatly  puzzled  to  know  what  distinguished 
person — he  thought  he  must  be  dealing  with  some 
prince,  or,  at  least,  a  duke — was  willing  to  give  so 
much  money  to  save  a  few  hours  of  time,  and  he 
hesitatingly  asked  whom  he  had  the  honor  of 
serving. 

"General  Tom  Thumb." 

The  performance  at  Rugby  netted  ,£160,  which 
not  only  covered  expenses  but  left  a  handsome 
margin. 


LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

When  they  were  in  Oxford,  a  dozen  or  more  of 
the  students  came  to  the  conclusion  that,  as  the 
General  was  a  little  fellow,  the  admission  fee  to  his 
entertainments  should  be  paid  in  the  smallest  kind 
of  money.  They  accordingly  provided  themselves 
with  farthings,  and  as  each  man  entered,  instead  of 
handing  in  a  shilling  for  his  ticket,  he  laid  down 
forty-eight  farthings.  The  counting  of  these  small 
coins  was  a  great  annoyance  to  Mr.  Stratton,  the 
General's  father,  who  was  ticket-seller,  and  after 
counting  two  or  three  handfuls,  vexed  at  the  delay 
which  was  preventing  a  crowd  of  ladies  and  gentle- 
men from  buying  tickets,  Mr.  Stratton  lost  his 
temper,  and  cried  out : 

"Blast  your  quarter-pennies!  lam  not  going  to 
count  them !  you  chaps  who  haven't  bigger  money 
can  chuck  your  copper  into  my  hat  and  walk  in." 

Mr.  Stratton  was  a  genuine  Yankee,  and 
thoroughly  conversant  with  the  Yankee  vernacular, 
which  he  used  freely.  In  exhibiting  the  General, 
Barnum  often  said  to  visitors  that  Tom  Thumb's 
parents,  and  the  rest  of  the  family,  were  persons  of 
the  ordinary  size,  and  that  the  gentleman  who  pre- 
sided in  the  ticket-office  was  the  General's  father. 
This  made  poor  Stratton  an  object  of  no  little 
curiosity,  and  he  was  pestered  with  all  sorts  of 
questions ;  on  one  occasion  an  old  dowager  said 
to  him  : 

"Are  you  really  the  father  of  General  Tom 
Thumb?" 


A   DAY  OF  SIGHT-SEEING.  179 

"  Wa'al,"  replied  Stratton,  "I  have  to  support  him ! " 

This  evasive  answer  is  common  enough  in  New 
England,  but  the  literal  dowager  had  her  doubts, 
and  promptly  rejoined : 

"  I  rather  think  he  supports  you  !  " 

Although  Barnum  was  in  Europe  on  business,  he 
made  the  most  of  his  opportunities  for  sight-seeing, 
and  in  his  few  leisure  hours  managed  to  visit  nearly 
every  place  of  interest  both  in  England  and  on  the 
continent. 

While  in  Birmingham,  with  his  friend  Albert 
Smith,  then  author  and  afterwards  a  successful 
showman,  he  visited  Stratford-on-Avon,  where  lived 
and  wrote  the  greatest  of  English  poets — Shakes- 
peare. 

While  breakfasting  at  the  Red  House  Inn,  at 
Stratford,  they  called  for  a  guide-book  of  the  town, 
and  to  Barnum's  great  delight  the  volume  proved 
to  be  Washington  Irving's  "  Sketch-book."  His 
pleasure  was  even  more  increased  when  he  dis- 
covered, on  reading  the  vivid  and  picturesque  de- 
scription of  Stratford,  that  Irving  had  stopped  at 
the  very  same  hotel  where  they  were  awaiting 
breakfast. 

After  visiting  the  house  as  well  as  the  church 
where  is  the  tomb  of  the  poet,  they  took  a  post- 
chaise  for  Warwick  Castle,  fourteen  miles  away. 

The  Earl  of  Warwick  and  his  family  being  absent, 
the  visitors  were  shown  through  the  apartments. 
One  guide  took  them  over  the  Castle,  another 


LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

escorted  them  to  the  top  of  "  Guy's  Tower,"  an- 
other showed  them  the  famous  Warwick  Vase. 
They  were  congratulating  themselves  on  not  being 
called  upon  for  any  more  tips,  when  the  old  porter 
at  the  lodge  informed  them  that  for  a  consideration 
he  could  show  them  more  interesting  things  con- 
nected with  the  Castle  than  any  they  had  yet  seen. 
They  tossed  him  his  fee,  and  he  produced  what 
purported  to  be  Guy  of  Warwick's  sword,  shield, 
helmet,  breastplate,  walking-staff,  etc.  The  armor 
must  have  weighed  two  hundred  pounds  and  the 
sword  alone  one  hundred.  Barnum  listened,  and 
gazed  in  silence  at  the  horse-armor,  large  enough 
for  an  elephant,  and  a  pot  called  "  Guy's  porridge- 
pot,"  which  could  have  held  seventy  gallons,  but 
when  the  old  man  produced  the  ribs  of  a  masto- 
don which  he  declared  had  belonged  to  a  huge 
dun  cow,  which  had  done  much  injury  to  many 
persons  before  being  slain  by  the  dauntless  Guy, 
he  drew  a  long  breath,  and  feelingly  congratulated 
the  old  porter  on  his  ability  to  concentrate  more  lies 
than  anyone  had  ever  before  heard  in  so  small  a 
compass. 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Barnum,  "  that  you  have  told 
these  marvellous  tales  so  often  that  you  almost  be- 
lieve them  yourself." 

"Almost,"  answered  the  old  man,  with  a  broad 
grin. 

"  Come   now,    old    fellow,"   continued    Barnum, 


A   DAY  OF  SIGHT-SEEING. 

"  what  will  you  take  for  the  entire  lot  of  these  old 
traps  ?  I  want  them  for  my  Museum  in  America." 

"  No  money  would  buy  these  priceless  relics  of  a 
bygone  age,"  replied  the  porter,  leering. 

"  Never  mind,"  exclaimed  the  showman ;  "  I'll 
have  them  duplicated  for  my  Museum,  so  that 
Americans  can  see  them  without  coming  here,  and  in 
that  way  I'll  burst  up  your  old  show." 

The  porter  was  paralyzed  with  astonishment  at 
this  threat,  and  Albert  Smith  was  convulsed  with 
laughter.  He  afterwards  told  Barnum  that  he  first 
derived  his  idea  of  becoming  a  showman  from  this 
day  at  Warwick,  and  Barnum's  talk  about  his  doings 
and  adventures  in  the  business. 

They  visited  that  same  day  Kenilworth  and 
Coventry,  in  which  latter  place  Barnum  discovered 
the  exhibition  known  as  the  "  Happy  Family,"  about 
two  hundred  birds  and  animals  of  opposite  natures, 
dwelling  in  one  cage  in  perfect  harmony.  He  was 
so  delighted  with  it  that  he  bought  it  on  the  spot, 
and  hired  the  manager  to  accompany  the  exhibition 
to  New  York,  where  it  became  a  famous  feature  of 
the  Museum. 

Albert  Smith  afterwards  published  a  chapter  in 
Bentleys  Magazine,  entitled  "A  Day  with  Barnum," 
in  which  he  said  they  accomplished  business  with 
such  rapidity  that,  when  he  attempted  to  write  out 
the  accounts  of  the  day,  he  found  the  whole  thing 
so  confused  in  his  brain  that  he  came  near  locating 
"  Peeping  Tom "  in  the  house  of  Shakespeare, 
11 


LIFE   OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

while  Guy  of  Warwick  would  stick  his  head  above 
the  ruins  of  Kenilworth,  and  the  Warwick  Vase 
appeared  in  Coventry. 

With  the  exception  of  two  brief  trips  to  America, 
Barnum  had  been  abroad  with  General  Tom  Thumb 
three  years.  The  season  had  been  one  of  unbroken 
pleasure  and  profit.  They  had  visited  nearly  every 
city  and  town  in  France,  Belgium,  England,  Scot- 
land, and  the  cities  of  Belfast  and  Dublin  in  Ireland. 
After  this  truly  triumphant  tour,  they  set  sail  in 
February,  1 847,  for  New  York. 

Barnum  was  a  man  who  never  could  bear  to  see 
injustice  done.  On  one  of  his  business  trips  to 
America  he  took  passage  on  a  Cunard  steamer,  com- 
manded by  a  Captain  Judkins.  Among  the  passen- 
gers was  the  celebrated  preacher,  Robert  Baird. 
One  Sunday  after  dinner  Barnum  asked  Mr.  Baird 
if  he  would  be  willing  to  preach  to  the  passengers  in 
the  forward  cabin.  The  captain  had  read  the  Epis- 
copal service  that  morning,  but  it  was  done  as  a 
mere  matter  of  form,  without  the  slightest  suggestion 
of  devotion  in  its  observance. 

Mr.  Baird  consented  to  preach,  and  Barnum,  after 
mentioning  it  to  the  other  passengers,  who  were  de- 
lighted at  the  prospect,  went  to  the  captain  and  said  : 
"  Captain,  the  passengers  desire  to  have  Dr.  Baird 
conduct  a  religious  service  in  the  forward  cabin.  I 
suppose  there  is  no  objection  ? "  The  rest  of  the 
story  may  as  well  be  told  in  Barnum's  own  words. 
To  his  inquiry,  the  captain  replied  gruffly : 


"THE  RULES   OF   THE   SHIPr  jg^ 

"  Decidedly  there  is,  and  it  will  not  be  permitted." 

"Why  not?" 

"  It  is  against  the  rules  of  the  ship." 

"What!  to  have  religious  services  on  board?" 

"  There  have  been  religious  services  once  to-day, 
and  that  is  enough.  If  the  passengers  do  not  think 
that  is  good  enough,  let  them  go  without,"  was  the 
captain's  hasty  and  austere  reply. 

"  Captain,"  Barnum  replied,  "  do  you  pretend  to 
say  you  will  not  allow  a  respectable  and  well-known 
clergyman  to  offer  a  prayer  and  hold  religious  ser- 
vices on  board  your  ship  at  the  request  of  your 
passengers?  " 

"  That,  sir,  is  exactly  what  I  say.  So,  now,  let  me 
hear  no  more  about  it." 

By  this  time  a  dozen  passengers  were  crowding 
around  his  door,  and  expressing  their  surprise  at  his 
conduct.  Barnum  was  indignant,  and  used  sharp 
language. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  this  is  the  most  contemptible 
thing  I  ever  heard  of  on  the  part  of  the  owners  of  a 
public  passenger  ship.  Their  meanness  ought  to  be 
published  far  and  wide." 

"  You  had  better  '  shut  up,'  "  said  Captain  Judkins, 
with  great  sternness. 

"  I  will  not  '  shut  up,' "  he  replied  ;  "  for  this  thing 
is  perfectly  outrageous.  In  that  out-of-the-way  for- 
ward cabin  you  allow,  on  week-days,  gambling, 
swearing,  smoking  and  singing  till  late  at  night ;  and 
yet  on  Sunday  you  have  the  impudence  to  deny  the 


LIFE    OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

privilege  of  a  prayer-meeting,  conducted  by  a  gray- 
haired  and  respected  minister  of  the  gospel.  It  is 
simply  infamous  ! " 

Captain  Judkins  turned  red  in  the  face ;  and,  no 
doubt  feeling  that  he  was  "  monarch  of  all  he  sur- 
veyed," exclaimed  in  a  loud  voice : 

"  If  you  repeat  such  language,  I  will  put  you  in 
irons." 

"  Do  it,  if  you  dare,"  said  Barnum,  feeling  his  in- 
dignation rising  rapidly.  "  I  dare  and  defy  you  to 
put  your  finger  on  me.  I  would  like  to  sail  into  New 
York  harbor  in  handcuffs,  on  board  a  British  ship, 
for  the  terrible  crime  of  asking  that  religious  worship 
may  be  permitted  on  board.  So  you  may  try  it  as 
soon  as  you  please  ;  and,  when  we  get  to  New  York, 
I'll  show  you  a  touch  of  Yankee  ideas  of  religious 
intolerance." 

Turning  on  his  heel,  he  walked  over  to  Mr.  Baird 
and  told  him  how  matters  stood,  adding,  with  a 
laugh : 

"  Doctor,  it  may  be  dangerous  for  you  to  tell  of 
this  incident  when  you  get  on  shore  ;  for  it  would  be 
a  pretty  strong  draught  upon  the  credulity  of  many 
of  my  countrymen  if  they  were  told  that  my  zeal  to 
hear  an  orthodox  minister  preach  was  so  great  that 
it  came  near  getting  me  into  solitary  confinement. 
But  I  am  not  prejudiced,  and  I  like  fair  play." 

The  old  doctor  replied :  "  Well,  you  have  not  lost 
much ;  and,  if  the  rules  of  this  ship  are  so  stringent 
I  suppose  we  must  submit." 


"THE  RULES  OF  THE  SHIP." 

The  captain  afterwards  came  to  Barnum  and  apol- 
ogized for  the  rude  manner  in  which  he  had  carried 
out  the  rules  of  the  ship.  Barnum  was  not  at  the 
time  a  teetotaler,  and  the  two  men  "  washed  down  " 
their  differences  in  a  bottle  of  champagne,  and  were 
excellent  friends  from  that  moment. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

AT   HOME. 

PARTNERSHIP  WITH  TOM  THUMB — VISIT  TO  CUBA — IRANISTAN,  HIS  FAMOUS 
PALACE  AT  BRIDGEPORT — AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIENCES — BARNUM'S 
GAME-KEEPER  AND  THE  GREAT  GAME  DINNER — FRANK  LESLIE. 

One  of  BarnunVs  principal  objects  in  returning  to 
America  at  this  time  was*  to  insure  the  permanence 
of  his  "American  Museum."  He  had  a  lease  of  the 
property,  which  had  yet  three  years  to  run.  But  he 
wanted  to  make  sure  of  it  after  that  term  had  ex- 
pired. Mr.  Olmsted,  the  former  owner,  was  now 
dead,  and  it  was  not  certain  that  the  new  proprietor 
would  renew  the  lease.  If  not,  another  home  for 
the  great  show  must  be  secured,  and  Barnum  decided 
that  in  that  event  he  would  buy  land  on  Broadway 
and  erect  a  building-  to  suit  him.  The  new  owner  of 

o 

the  old  property  was  persuaded,  however,  to  renew 
the  lease  for  a  term  of  twenty-five  years.  The 
building  covered  an  area  of  fifty-six  by  one  hundred 
feet  and  was  four  stories  high.  Barnum  agreed  to 
pay  for  it  a  rental  of  $10,000  a  year  in  addition  to 
the  taxes  and  all  assessments.  Then,  as  the  place 
was  not  large  enough  for  his  purposes,  he  rented  and 
connected  with  it  the  upper  floors  of  several  adjacent 
188 


AT  HOME. 

buildings.  The  Museum  was  at  this  time  enormously 
prosperous,  and  was  thronged  with  visitors  from 
morning  to  late  at  night. 

Tom  Thumb's  European  reputation  was  of  course 
a  great  advertisement,  and  it  was  "  worked  for  all  it 
was  worth."  He  appeared  at  the  Museum  daily  for 
four  weeks,  and  drew  such  crowds  of  visitors  as  had 
never  been  seen  there  before.  He  afterwards  spent 
a  month  in  Bridgeport  with  his  kindred.  To  prevent 
being  annoyed  by  the  curious,  who  would  be  sure  to 
throng  the  houses  of  his  relatives,  he  exhibited  two 
days  at  Bridgeport,  and  the  receipts,  amounting  to 
several  hundred  dollars,  were  presented  to  the  Bridge- 
port Charitable  Society. 

Barnum's  contract  with  Tom  Thumb  had  expired 
on  January  i,  1845,  while  they  were  in  England,  and 
they  had  then  formed  a  partnership,  dividing  equally 
between  them  the  profits  of  their  enterprise ;  except- 
ing during  the  first  four  weeks  of  their  return  to 
New  York,  during  which  time  the  General  waived 
his  partnership  rights  and  exhibited  himself  for  a 
salary  of  $50  a  week.  Mr.  Stratton,  Tom  Thumb's 
father,  was  now  a  rich  man,  and  he  settled  a  hand- 
some fortune  upon  his  tiny  son. 

Soon  a  tour  of  America  was  arranged,  the  party 
consisting  of  Mr.  Barnum  and  Tom  Thumb  and  his 
parents.  They  began  at  Washington,  in  April,  1 847, 
where  they  visited  President  and  Mrs.  Polk  at  the 
White  House.  Thence  they  went  to  Richmond,  to 
Baltimore,  and  to  Philadelphia,  where  they  took  in 


LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

$5>594-9I  m  twelve  days.  Next  they  visited  Boston 
and  Lowell ;  Providence,  where  they  received  nearly 
$1,000  in  a  day;  New  Bedford,  Fall  River,  Salem, 
Worcester,  Springfield,  Albany,  Troy,  Niagara  Falls, 
Buffalo  and  various  other  places.  During  the  whole 
year's  tour  their  receipts  averaged  from  $400  to 
$5°°  Per  day,  and  their  expenses  only  from  $25  to 
$30.  On  their  way  back  to  New  York  they  stopped 
at  all  large  towns  along  the  Hudson  river,  and  then 
went  to  New  Haven,  Hartford,  Portland  and  some 
other  New  England  cities. 

Absence  did  not  make  them  forgotten  in  New 
York,  however,  but  only  increased  public  interest  in 
them.  When  he  returned  to  his  Museum  Mr.  Bar- 
num  found  that  he  himself  had  come  to  be  regarded 
as  one  of  its  chief  curiosities.  "If  I  showed  myself 
about  the  Museum,  or  wherever  else  I  was  known,  I 
found  eyes  peering  and  fingers  pointing  at  me,  and 
could  frequently  overhear  the  remark,  '  There's 
Barruim.'  On  one  occasion,  soon  after  my  return, 
I  was  sitting  in  the  ticket-office,  reading  a  newspaper. 
A  man  came  and  purchased  a  ticket  of  admission. 
'  Is  Mr.  Barnum  in  the  Museum  ? '  he  asked.  The 
ticket-seller,  pointing  to  me,  answered,  'This  is  Mr. 
Barnum.'  Supposing  the  gentleman  had  business 
with  me,  I  looked  up  from  the  paper.  '  Is  this  Mr. 
Barnum?'  he  asked.  'It  is,'  I  replied.  He  stared 
at  me  for  a  moment,  and  then,  throwing  down  his 
ticket,  exclaimed,  '  It's,  all  right ;  I  have  got  the  worth 


A    VISIT    TO   CUBA.  lgl 

of  my  money ; '  and  away  he  went,  without  going 
into  the  Museum  at  all." 

In  the  fall  of  1847  they  went  South,  visiting  and 
giving  exhibitions  at  Charleston,  Columbia,  Augusta, 
Savannah,  Milledgeville,  Macon,  Columbus,  Mont- 
gomery, Mobile  and  New  Orleans.  At  the  last- 
named  place  they  spent  three  weeks,  including  the 
Christmas  holidays.  After  New  Year's  they  went  to 
Cuba,  and  were  received  at  Havana  by  the  Captain- 
General  and  the  aristocracy  of  the  city.  For  a 
month  they  gave  exhibitions  in  Havana  and  Matan- 
zas  with  great  success.  The  only  serious  drawback 
was  the  hotels,  which  they  did  not  find  good ;  indeed, 
it  was  difficult  for  them  to  get  enough  to  eat.  The 
Washington  House,  at  Havana,  where  they  lived  for 
some  time,  was  characterized  by  Mr.  Barnum  as 
"  first-rate  bad  !  " 

From  Cuba  they  returned  to  New  Orleans,  and 
thence  to  New  York  by  way  of  the  Mississippi  river, 
St.  Louis,  Louisville,  Cincinnati  and  Pittsburg.  And 
then,  in  May,  1848,  it  was  agreed  that  Barnum  should 
travel  no  more  with  the  little  General.  "  I  had," 
says  Barnum,  "  competent  agents  who  could  exhibit 
him  without  my  personal  assistance,  and  I  preferred 
to  relinquish  a  portion  of  the  profits  rather  than 
continue  to  be  a  travelling  showman.  I  had  now 
been  a  straggler  from  home  most  of  the  time  for 
thirteen  years,  and  I  cannot  describe  the  feelings  of 
gratitude  with  which  I  reflected  that,  having  by  the 
most  arduous  toil  and  deprivations  succeeded  in  se- 


LIFE   OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

curing  a  satisfactory  competence,  I  should  henceforth 
spend  my  days  in  the  bosom  of  my  family." 

Barnum  had  selected  the  city  of  Bridgeport,  Conn., 
for  his  home,  and  thither  he  now  repaired.  He 
wanted  to  be  near  New  York,  and  he  considered 
the  northern  shore  of  Long  Island  Sound  the  most 
beautiful  country  he  had  ever  seen.  Bridgeport  was 
about  the  right  distance  from  New  York,  and  was 
well  situated.  It  was  also  an  enterprising  place, 
with  the  promise  of  a  prosperous  future.  Some 
three  or  four  years  before  this  time  Barnum  had 
purchased  seventeen  acres  of  land  at  the  western 
side  of  the  city,  and  for  two  years  had  been  building 
a  palace  upon  it,  the  famous  "  Iranistan,"  which  was 
now  nearly  ready  for  him  to  occupy. 

In  telling  how  he  came  to  erect  this  gorgeous 
and  eccentric  home,  Barnum  once  said  that  in  visit- 
ing Brighton,  England,  he  had  been  greatly  pleased 
with  the  pavilion  built  there  by  George  IV.  It  was 
at  that  time  the  only  specimen  of  Oriental  architec- 
ture in  England,  and  the  style  had  not  been  intro- 
duced into  America.  "  I  concluded  to  adopt  it,  and 
engaged  a  London  architect  to  furnish  me  a  set 
of  drawings  after  the  general  plan  of  the  pavilion, 
differing  sufficiently  to  be  adapted  to  the  spot  of 
ground  selected  for  my  homestead.  On  my  second 
return  visit  to  the  United  States,  I  brought  these 
drawings  with  me  and  engaged  a  competent  architect 
and  builder,  giving  him  instructions  to  proceed  with 
the  work,  not  '  by  the  job '  but '  by  the  day,'  and  to 


BALTIMORE  AND  PHILADELPHIA   MUSEUMS. 

spare  neither  time  nor  expense  in  erecting  a  comfort- 
able, convenient,  and  tasteful  residence.  The  work 
was  thus  begun  and  continued  while  I  was  still  abroad, 
and  during  the  time  when  I  was  making  my  tour 
with  General  Tom  Thumb  through  the  United 
States  and  Cuba.  Elegant  and  appropriate  furni- 
ture was  made  expressly  for  every  room  in  the 
house.  I  erected  expensive  water-works  to  supply 
the  premises.  The  stables,  conservatories  and  out- 
buildings were  perfect  in  their  kind.  There  was  a 
profusion  of  trees  set  out  on  the  grounds.  The 
whole  was  built  and  established  literally  '  regard- 
less of  expense,'  for  I  had  no  desire  even  to  ascertain 
the  entire  cost." 

Into  this  splendid  place  he  moved  on  November 
14,  1848,  nearly  a  thousand  fellow-citizens  of  Bridge- 
port, rich  and  poor  alike,  participating  in  the  "house- 
warming  "  as  his  guests.  The  estate  was  called,  in 
reference  to  its  Oriental  appearance,  Iranistan,  which 
being  interpreted  means  "a  Persian  home."  This 
name  was  the  subject  of  many  a  joke,  as  the  place 
itself  was  of  much  wonderment  and  admiration. 

The  next  two  years  were  spent  by  Mr.  Barnum 
chiefly  at  home  with  his  family,  though  he  paid 
frequent  visits  to  his  various  places  of  business  and 
amusement ;  business  for  him,  amusement  for  the 
world.  He  had  for  several  years  a  fine  Museum  in 
Baltimore,  which  was  afterward  the  property  of 
John  E.  Owens,  the  actor.  In  1849  he  also  opened 
a  Museum  in  Philadelphia,  at  the  corner  of  Chestnut 


LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

and  Seventh  streets.  He  spent  some  time  in  Phila- 
delphia, until  the  Museum  was  profitably  established, 
and  then  turned  it  over  to  a  manager.  Two  years 
later  he  sold  it  for  a  good  price.  While  he  was 
running  it,  however,  his  old  rival,  Peale,  conducted 
a  strong  opposition  show  in  Masonic  Hall,  near  by. 
The  competition  between  them  proved  disastrous  to 
Peale,  who  failed  and  was  sold  out  by  the  sheriff. 
Barnum  and  his  friend,  Moses  Kimball,  purchased 
most  of  his  effects  and  divided  them  between  Bar- 
num's  American  Museum  in  New  York  and  Kim- 
ball's  Museum  in  Boston. 

Barnum  took  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
Bridgeport  and  of  the  State  of  Connecticut.  In  1 848, 
soon  after  settling  in  Iranistan,  he  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  Fairfield  County  Agricultural  Society. 
He  was  not  much  of  a  practical  farmer,  although  he 
had  bought  a  hundred  or  more  acres  of  farm  land 
near  his  residence  and  felt  a  deep  interest  in  agricul- 
tural affairs.  He  had  imported  a  lot  of  choice  live- 
stock, which  he  had  at  Iranistan,  and  had  gone 
pretty  deeply  into  fancy  poultry  raising.  So  he  was 
considered  eligible  to  the  office  of  President  of  the 
Agricultural  Society. 

In  1849  ^e  Society  insisted  that  he  should  deliver 
the  annual  address.  "I  begged  to  be  excused  on 
the  ground  of  incompetency,"  he  said,  "  but  my  ex- 
cuses were  of  no  avail,  and  as  I  could  not  instruct 
my  auditors  in  farming,  I  gave  them  the  benefit  of 
several  mistakes  which  I  had  committed,  Among 


BARNUM'S   GAME-KEEPER.  j^g 

other  things,  I  told  them  that  in  the  fall  of  1848  my 
head-gardener  reported  that  I  had  fifty  bushels  of 
potatoes  to  spare.  I  thereupon  directed  him  to 
barrel  them  up  and  ship  them  to  New  York  for  sale. 
He  did  so,  and  received  two  dollars  per  barrel,  or 
about  sixty-seven  cents  per  bushel.  But,  unfortu- 
nately, after  the  potatoes  had  been  shipped,  I  found 
that  my  gardener  had  selected  all  the  largest  for 
market,  and  left  my  family  nothing  but  '  small  pota- 
toes '  to  live  on  during  the  winter.  But  the  worst 
was  still  to  come.  My  potatoes  were  all  gone  before 
March,  and  I  was  obliged  to  buy,  during  the  spring, 
over  fifty  bushels  of  potatoes,  at  $i  .25  per  bushel  !  I 
also  related  my  first  experiment  in  the  arboricultural 
line,  when  I  cut  from  two  thrifty  rows  of  young 
cherry-trees  any  quantity  of  what  I  supposed  to  be 
'  suckers,'  or  '  sprouts,'  and  was  thereafter  informed 
by  my  gardener  that  I  had  cut  off  all  his  grafts  !  " 

A  friend  of  Barnum's,  Mr.  J.  D.  Johnson,  had  a 
fine  place  near  Iranistan;  and  Barnum  owned  a 
couple  of  acres  just  beyond  and  adjoining  his  prop- 
erty. This  plot  Barnum  presently  converted  into  a 
deer  park,  stocking  it  with  fine  animals  from  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  From  its  location,  however, 
everybody  supposed  it  to  be  a  part  of  Johnson's 
estate,  and  to  confirm  this  notion — in  a  waofo-ish 

oo 

spirit — a  member  of  Johnson's  family  put  up  in  the 
park  a  conspicuous  sign,  which  every  passer-by 
on  the  street  could  read :  "All  persons  are  forbid 


LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

trespassing  on  these  grounds,  or  disturbing  the 
deer. — J.  D.  JOHNSON." 

Barnum  "  acknowledged  the  corn,"  and  was  much 
pleased  with  the  joke.  Johnson  was  delighted,  and 
bragged  considerably  of  having  got  ahead  of  Bar- 
num, and  the  sign  remained  undisturbed  for  several 
days.  It  happened,  at  length,  that  a  party  of  friends 
came  to  visit  him  from  New  York,  arriving  in  the 
evening.  Johnson  told  them  that  he  had  got  a 
capital  joke  on  Barnum  ;  he  would  not  explain,  but 
said  they  should  see  it  for  themselves  the  next 
morning.  Bright  and  early  he  led  them  into  the 
street,  and,  after  conducting  them  a  proper  distance, 
wheeled  them  around  in  front  of  the  sign.  To  his 
dismay  he  discovered  that  I  had  added  directly  under 
his  name  the  words  "Game-keeper  to  P.  T.  Barnum!' 

Thereafter  Mr.  Johnson  was  known  among  his 
friends  and  acquaintances  as  "  Barnum's  game- 
keeper." 

Johnson  had  his  revenge,  however.  Some  time 
afterward  Barnum  became  president  of  the  Pequon- 
nock  Bank,  and  gave  each  year  a  grand  dinner  at 
Iranistan  to  the  directors.  In  preparing  for  these 
banquets  he  would  send  to  the  West  for  some 
boxes  of  prairie  chickens  and  other  choice  game.  So, 
one  day,  Johnson  saw  a  big  case  at  the  railroad 
station,  addressed  to  Barnum,  and  marked  "  Game." 

"  See  here,"  said  he  to  the  station-master,  "  I  am 
Mr.  Barnum's  game-keeper,  and  I'll  take  charge  of 
that !  " 


KEEPING    THE    GAME. 

And  he  did  so,  taking  it  to  his  house,  and  then 
notifying  Barnum  that  it  could  only  be  redeemed  at 
cost  of  a  new  hat.  He  knew  very  well  that  Bar- 
num would  rather  give  him  a  dozen  hats  than  lose 
the  box;  and  he  added  that  unless  he  got  the  hat 
very  soon  he  would  give  a  game  dinner  on  his  own 
account !  Barnum  sent  an  order  for  the  hat  in  a 
hurry,  and  recovered  his  game,  enjoying  the  whole 
joke  as  much  as  Johnson  did.  » 

In  1848,  Mr.  Frank  Leslie,  afterward  famous  as  a 
publisher,  came  to  America,  bringing  letters  of  intro- 
duction to  Barnum  from  friends  in  England,  and 
Barnum  gave  him  a  start  in  business  by  employing 
him  to  prepare  an  elaborate  illustrated  catalogue  of 
the  American  Museum.  This  he  did  in  an  admir- 
able manner,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  copies 
of  it  were  distributed  throughout  the  country. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

JENNY   LIND. 

A  DARING  VENTURE— BARNUM'S  AMBASSADOR — UNPRECEDENTED  TERMS 
OFFERED — TEXT  OF  THE  CONTRACT — HARD  WORK  TO  RAISE  THE 
GUARANTEE  FUND — EDUCATING  THE  AMERICAN  MIND  TO  RECEIVE 
THE  FAMOUS  SINGER. 

The  next  enterprise  undertaken  by  Barnum  was 
an  entirely  new  departure.  It  was  justly  regarded 
by  him  as  bold  in  its  conception,  complete  in  its  de- 
velopment, and  astounding  in  its  success.  To  the 
end  of  his  days  he  looked  upon  it  with  pride  and 
satisfaction.  Probably  it  did  more  than  anything 
else  in  all  his  career  to  give  him  a  permanent  and 
supreme  position  in  the  esteem  of  the  public. 

This  enterprise  was  the  bringing  of  Jenny  Lind  to 
America  for  a  concert  tour. 

Miss  Lind,  often  called  the  "Swedish  Nightingale," 
was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  singers  of  the 
world,  in  that  or  any  generation.  All  Europe  was 
enraptured  by  her  art,  and  her  fame  had  encircled 
the  globe.  Barnum  had  never  heard  her,  as  she  had 
not  visited  London  until  a  few  weeks  after  his  return 
to  America.  But  her  reputation  was  enough  to 
determine  him  to  engage  her,  if  possible,  for  an 
198 


TAMBOURINE  GIKL. 


JENNY  LIND.  2OI 

American  tour.  So  he  sent  Mr.  J.  H.  Wilton,  an 
English  musician,  who  was  visiting  New  York,  back 
to  London  to  negotiate  terms  with  her.  Barnum 
agreed  to  pay  Wilton  his  expenses  if  he  had  to 
return  without  her;  but  a  handsome  sum  if  he  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  the  songstress  to  America  with 
him.  He  told  Wilton  to  engage  her  on  shares  if 
possible.  If  not,  to  engage  her  for  any  sum  up  to  a 
thousand  dollars  a  night,  for  any  number  of  nights* 
up  to  150,  besides  paying  all  her  expenses,  including 
servants,  carnages,  etc.,  and  not  more  than  three 
musical  assistants.  He  also  offered  to  secure  her 
by  placing  the  whole  $150,000  in  the  hands  of  her 
London  bankers  in  advance  ! 

Wilton  went  to  London,  had  some  correspondence 
with  her,  and  then  went  to  Lubeck,  where  she  was 
singing.  She  told  him  frankly  that  she  had,  since 
he  first  wrote  to  her,  been  busy  making  inquiries 
about  Barnum's  character,  trustworthiness,  etc.,  and 
that  she  was  perfectly  satisfied  with  what  she  had 
found  out.  There  were,  however,  four  other  men 
negotiating  with  her  to  the  same  end.  One  of  these 
gentlemen  was  a  well-known  opera  manager  in 
London ;  another,  a  theatrical  manager  in  Man- 
chester; a  third,  a  musical  composer  and  conductor 
of  the  orchestra  of  Her  Majesty's  Opera  in  London ; 
and  the  fourth,  Chevalier  WyckofT,  who  had  con- 
ducted a  successful  speculation  some  years  pre- 
viously by  visiting  America  in  charge  of  the  cele- 
brated danseuse,  Fanny  Ellsler. 

12 


2O2  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

She  also  insisted  that,  under  whatever  auspices 
she  should  go  to  America,  she  should  have  as  an 
accompanist  Mr. — afterwards  Sir — Julius  Benedict, 
the  composer,  and  Signer  Belletti,  an  eminent  Italian 
singer. 

Finally,  on  January  9,  1850,  Wilton  succeeded  in 
his  mission.  Miss  Lind  agreed  to  come  to  America 
under  Barnum's  management,  and  an  elaborate  con- 
tract was  drawn  up  and  signed.  This  historic  docu- 
ment was  as  follows: 

MEMORANDUM  of  an  agreement  entered  into  this 
ninth  day  of  January,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty,  between  John  Hall 
Wilton,  as  agent  for  PHINEAS  T.  BARNUM,  of  New 
York,  in  the  United  States  of  North  America,  of  the 
one  part,  and  Mademoiselle  JENNY  LIND,  Vocalist, 
of  Stockholm,  in  Sweden,  of  the  other  part,  wherein 
the  said  Jenny  Lind  doth  agree : 

First.  To  sing  for  the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum  in 
one  hundred  and  fifty  concerts,  including  oratorios, 
within  (if  possible)  one  year  or  eighteen  months 
from  the  date  of  her  arrival  in  the  city  of  New  York 
— the  said  concerts  to  be  given  in  the  United  States 
of  North  America  and  Havana.  She,  the  said  Jenny 
Lind,  having  full  control  as  to  the  number  of  nights 
or  concerts  in  each  week,  and  the  number  of  pieces 
in  which  she  will  sing  in  each  concert,  to  be  regu- 
lated conditionally  with  her  health  and  safety  of 
voice,  but  the  former  never  less  than  one  or  two, 


A   FAMOUS  CONTRACT.  203 

nor  the  latter  less  than  four;  but  in  no  case  to  ap- 
pear in  operas. 

Second.  In  consideration  of  said  services,  the  said 
John  Hall  Wilton,  as  agent  for  the  said  Phineas  T. 
Barnum,  of  New  York,  agrees  to  furnish  the  said 
Jenny  Lind  with  a  servant  as  waiting-maid,  and  a 
male  servant  to  and  for  the  sole  service  of  her  and 
her  party ;  to  pay  the  travelling  and  hotel  expenses 
of  a  friend  to  accompany  her  as  a  companion  ;  to 
pay  also  a  secretary  to  superintend  her  finances ;  to 
pay  all  her  and  her  party's  travelling  expenses  from 
Europe,' and  during  the  tour  in  the  United  States  of 
North  America  and  Havana ;  to  pay  all  hotel  ex- 
penses for  board  and  lodging  during  the  same 
period ;  to  place  at  her  disposal  in  each  city  a  car- 
riage and  horses  with  their  necessary  attendants, 
and  to  give  her  in  addition  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
pounds  sterling,  or  one  thousand  dollars,  for  each 
concert  or  oratorio  in  which  the  said  Jenny  Lind 
shall  sing. 

Third.  And  the  said  John  Hall  Wilton,  as  agent 
for  the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  doth  further  agree 
to  give  the  said  Jenny  Lind  the  most  satisfactory 
security  and  assurance  for  the  full  amount  of  her 
engagement,  which  will  be  placed  in  the  hands  of 
Messrs.  Baring  Brothers,  of  London,  previous -to  the 
departure,  and  subject  to  the  order  of  the  said  Jenny 
Lind,  with  its  interest  due  on  its  current  reduction 
by  her  services  in  the  concerts  or  oratorios. 

Fourth.  And  the  said  JO'IR  Hall  Wilton,  on  the 


204  LIFE  OF  p'  T"  BARNUM- 

part  of  the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  further  agrees, 
that  should  the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  after  seventy- 
five  concerts,  have  realized  so  much  as  shall,  after 
paying  all  current  expenses,  have  returned  to  him 
all  the  sums  disbursed,  either  as  deposits  at  interest, 
for  securities  of  salaries,  preliminary  outlay,  or  mon- 
eys in  any  way  expended  consequent  on  this  engage- 
ment, and  in  addition,  have  gained  a  clear  profit  of 
at  least  fifteen  thousand  pounds  sterling,  then  the 
said  Phineas  T.  Barnum  will  give  the  said  Jenny 
Lind,  in  addition  to  the  former  sum  of  one  thousand 
dollars  current  money  of  the  United  States  of  North 
America,  nightly,  one-fifth  part  of  the  profits  arising 
from  the  remaining  seventy-five  concerts  or  ora- 
torios, after  deducting  every  expense  current  and 
appertaining  thereto  ;  or  the  said  Jenny  Lind  agrees 
to  try,  with  the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  fifty  con- 
certs or  oratorios  on  the  aforesaid  and  first-named 
terms,  and  if  then  found  to  fall  short  of  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  then  the  said 
Jenny  Lind  agrees  to  reorganize  this  agreement,  on 
terms  quoted  in  his  first  proposal,  as  set  forth  in  the 
annexed  copy  of  his  letter ;  but  should  such  be  found 
necessary,  then  the  engagement  continues  up  to 
seventy-five  concerts  or  oratorios,  at  the  end  of 
which,  should  the  aforesaid  profit  of  fifteen  thousand 
pounds  sterling  have  not  been  realized,  then  the  en- 
gagement shall  continue  as  at  first — the  sums  herein, 
after  expenses  for  Julius  Benedict  and  Giovanni  Bel- 
letti,  to  remain  unaltered,  except  for  advancement. 


A  FAMOUS  CONTRACT.  2O$ 

Fifth.  And  the  said  John  Hall  Wilton,  agent  for 
the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  at  the  request  of  the 
said  Jenny  Lind,  agrees  to  pay  to  Julius  Benedict,  of 
London,  to  accompany  the  said  Jenny  Lind,  as  musi- 
cal director,  pianist,  and  superintendent  of  the  musi- 
cal department,  also  to  assist  the  said  Jenny  Lind  in 
one  hundred  and  fifty  concerts  or  oratorios,  to  be 
given  in  the  United  States  of  North  America  and 
Havana,  the  sum  of  five  thousand  pounds  (,£5,000) 
sterling,  to  be  satisfactorily  secured  to  him  with 
Messrs.  Baring  Brothers,  of  London,  previous  to  his 
departure  from  Europe,  and  the  said  John  Hall  Wil- 
ton agrees  further,  for  the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum, 
to  pay  all  his  travelling  expenses  from  Europe, 
togetherwith  his  hotel  and  travelling  expenses  during 
the  time  occupied  in  giving  the  aforesaid  one  hundred 
and  fifty  concerts  or  oratorios — he,  the  said  Julius 
Benedict,  to  superintend  the  organization  of  oratorios 
if  required. 

Sixth.  And  the  said  John  Hall  WTilton,  at  the  re- 
quest, selection,  and  for  the  aid  of  the  said  Jenny 
Lind,  agrees  to  pay  to  Giovanni  Belletti,  barytone 
vocalist,  to  accompany  the  said  Jenny  Lind  during 
her  tour  and  in  one  hundred  and  fifty  concerts  or 
oratorios  in  the  United  States  of  North  America  and 
Havana,  and  in  conjunction  with  the  aforesaid  Julius 
Benedict,  the  sum  of  two  thousand  five  hundred 
pounds  (,£2,500)  sterling,  to  be  satisfactorily  secured 
to  him  previous  to  his  departure  from  Europe,  in  ad- 
dition to  all  his  hotel  and  travelling  expenses. 


205  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

Seventh.  And  it  is  further  agreed  that  the  said 
Jenny  Lind  shall  be  at  full  liberty  to  sing  at  any  time 
she  may  think  fit  for  charitable  institutions,  or  pur- 
poses independent  of  the  engagement  with  the  said 
Phineas  T.  Barnum,  with  a  view  to  mutually  agreeing 
as  to  the  time  and  its  propriety,  it  being  understood 
that  in  no  case  shall  the  first  or  second  concert  in 
any  city  selected  for  the  tour  be  for  such  purpose,  or 
wherever  it  shall  appear  against  the  interests  of  the 
said  Phineas  T.  Barnum. 

Eighth.  It  is  further  agreed  that  should  the  said 
Jenny  Lind,  by  any  act  of  God,  be  incapacitated  to 
fulfil  the  entire  engagement  before  mentioned,  that 
an  equal  proportion  of  the  terms  agreed  upon  shall 
be  given  to  the  said  Jenny  Lind,  Julius  Benedict,  and 
Giovanni  Belletti,  for  services  rendered  to  that  time. 

Ninth.  It  is  further  agreed  and  understood,  that 
the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum  shall  pay  every  expense 
appertaining  to  the  concerts  or  oratorios  before 
mentioned,  excepting  those  for  charitable  purposes, 
and  that  all  accounts  shall  be  settled  and  rendered 
by  all  parties  weekly. 

Tenth.  And  the  said  Jenny  Lind  further  agrees 
that  she  will  not  engage  to  sing  for  any  other  person 
during  the  progress  of  this  said  engagement  with 
the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  of  New  York,  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  concerts  or  oratorios,  excepting 
for  charitable  purposes  as  before  mentioned;  and  all 
travelling  to  be  first  and  best  class. 

In  witness  hereof  to  the  within  written  memoran- 


A  FAMOUS  CONTRACT.  2O? 

dum  of  agreement  we  set  hereunto  our  hand  and 

o 

seal. 

[L.  s.]     JOHN  HALL  WILTON,  Agent  for  Phineas 

T.  Barnum,  of  New  York,  U.  S. 
[L.  s.]     JENNY  LIND. 
[L.  s.]     JULIUS  BENEDICT. 
[L.  s.]     GIOVANNI  BELLETTI. 

In  the  presence  of  C.  ACHILLING,  Consul  of  His 
Majesty  the  King  of  Sweden  and  Norway. 

Extract  from  a  letter  addressed  to  John  H.  Wilton  by 
Fhineas  T.  Barnum,  and  referred  to  in  paragraph 
No.  4  of  the  annexed  agreement  : 

NEW  YORK,  November  6,  1 849. 
MR.  J.  HALL  WILTON  : 

Sir:  In  reply  to  your  proposal  to  attempt  a  ne- 
gotiation with  Mile.  Jenny  Lind  to  visit  the  United 
States  professionally,  I  propose  to  enter  into  an 
arrangement  with  her  to  the  following  effect:  I  will 

o  *^ 

engage  to  pay  all  her  expenses  from  Europe,  provide 
for  and  pay  for  one  principal  tenor,  and  one  pianist, 
their  salaries  not  exceeding  together  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  per  night;  to  support  for  her  a  car- 
riage, two  servants,  and  a  friend  to  accompany  her 
and  superintend  her  finances.  I  will  furthermore 
pay  all  and  every  expense  appertaining  to  her  ap- 
pearance before  the  public,  and  give  her  half  of  the 
gross  receipts  arising  from  concerts  or  operas.  I 
will  engage  to  travel  with  her  personally,  and  attend 


208  LIFE   OF  p- 

to  the  arrangements,  provided  she  will  undertake  to 
give  not  less  than  eighty,  nor  more  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  concerts,  or  nights'  performances. 

PHINEAS  T.  BARNUM. 

I  certify  the  above  to  be  a  true  extract  from  the 
letter.  J.  H.  WILTON. 

There  was  no  Atlantic  cable  in  those  days,  and 
Barnum  did  not  know  the  result  of  Wilton's  embassy 
until  the  latter  returned  to  America.  Barnum  was 
in  Philadelphia  when  Wilton  landed  in  New  York, 
on  February  19.  Wilton  at  once  telegraphed  to 
him  that  he  had  secured  the  singer,  who  was  to  come 
over  and  begin  her  concerts  in  September.  The 
great  showman  was  startled,  and  felt  pretty  nervous  ; 
and  as  so  long  a  time  was  to  elapse  before  she  came 
over,  he  thought  it  best  to  keep  the  whole  matter  a 
secret  for  a  time. 

When  we  reflect  how  thoroughly  Jenny  Lind,  her 
musical  powers,  her  character,  and  wonderful  suc- 
cesses, were  subsequently  known  by  all  classes  in 
this  country  as  well  as  throughout  the  civilized  world, 
it  is  difficult  to  realize  that,  at  the  time  this  engage- 
ment was  made,  she  was  comparatively  unknown  on 
this  side  the  water.  We  can  hardly  credit  the  fact 
that  millions  of  persons  in  America  had  never  heard 
of  her,  that  other  millions  had  merely  read  her  name, 
but  had  no  distinct  idea  of  who  or  what  she  was. 
Only  a  small  portion  of  the  public  were  really  aware 


THE  SECRET  OUT.  209 

of  her  great  musical  triumphs  in  the  Old  World,  and 
this  portion  was  confined  almost  entirely  to  musical 
people,  travellers  who  had  visited  the  Old  World,  and 
the  conductors  of  the  press. 

Barnum  telegraphed  to  Wilton  to  keep  the  matter 
secret,  and  next  morning  set  out  for  New  York. 
But  it  was  too  late.  When  he  got  to  New  York, 
he  found  the  news  of  the  engagement  in  full  in  all 
the  papers.  Everybody  was  talking  about  it,  and 
wondering  who  Jenny  Lind  was,  and  Barnum  soon 
perceived  that  he  must  improve  the  time,  from  then 
to  September,  in  educating  the  public  up  to  an  ap- 
proximate appreciation  of  her  worth. 

His  first  act  was  to  send,  as  per  agreement,  the 
sum  of  $187,000  to  Miss  Lind's  bankers  in  London. 
It  was  not  altogether  easy  for  him  to  do  this.  After 
he  had  scraped  together  all  his  available  cash  he  was 
still  short  a  large  sum.  He  had  plenty  of  securities 
in  the  form  of  second  mortgages  that  were  perfectly 
good,  but  no  one  in  Wall  street  would  lend  him  a 
dollar  on  them. 

In  his  extremity,  he  at  last  went  to  the  president 
of  the  bank  where  he  had  transacted  his  business  for 
the  past  eight  years.  "  I  offered  him,"  said  Barnum 
afterward,  "as  security  for  a  loan,  my  second  mort- 
gages, and,  as  additional  security,  I  offered  to  make 
over  to  him  my  contract  with  Jenny  Lind,  with  a 
written  guaranty  that  he  should  appoint  a  receiver, 
who,  at  my  expense,  should  take  charge  of  all  the 
receipts  over  and  above  $3,000  per  night,  and  ap- 


2io  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

propriate  them  toward  the  payment  of  my  loan. 
He  laughed  in  my  face,  and  said :  '  Mr.  Barnum,  it 
is  generally  believed  in  Wall  street  that  your  engage- 
ment with  Jenny  Lind  will  ruin  you.  I  do  not  think 
you  will  ever  receive  so  much  as  $3,000  at  a  single 
concert/  I  was  indignant  at  his  want  of  apprecia- 
tion, and  answered  him  that  I  would  not  at  that  mo- 
ment take  $150,000  for  my  contract;  nor.  would  I. 
I  found,  upon  further  inquiry,  that  it  was  useless  in 
Wall  street  to  offer  the  'Nightingale'  in  exchange 
for  '  Goldfinches/  I  finally  was  introduced  to  Mr. 
John  L.  Aspinwall,  of  the  firm  of  Messrs.  Howland 
&  Aspinwall,  and  he  gave  me  a  letter  of  credit  from 
his  firm  on  Baring  Brothers,  for  a  large  sum  on  col- 
lateral securities,  which  a  spirit  of  genuine  respect 
for  my  enterprise  induced  him  to  accept. 

"After  disposing  of  several  pieces  of  property  for 
cash,  I  footed  up  the  various  amounts,  and  still  dis- 
covered myself  $5,000  short.  I  felt  that  it  was  indeed 
'the  last  feather  that  breaks  the  camel's  back.' 
Happening  casually  to  state  my  desperate  case  to  the 
Rev.  Abel  C.  Thomas,  of  Philadelphia,  for  many  years 
a  friend  of  mine,  he  promptly  placed  the  requisite 
amount  at  my  disposal.  I  gladly  accepted  his  prof- 
fered friendship,  and  felt  that  he  had  removed  a 
mountain-weight  from  my  shoulders." 

And  now  nothing  remained,  to  do  but  to  arouse 
public  curiosity  and  interest.  Barnum  was  a  master- 
hand  at  that  work,  and  never  did  he  show  himself 
more  of  a  master  than  on  this  occasion.  He  kept 


EDUCATING    THE  PUBLIC.  2ll 

the  press  literally  teeming  with  notices  in  one  form 
or  another.  Here  is  a  sample  of  the  strain  in  which 
he  wrote : 

"  Perhaps  I  may  not  make  any  money  by  this  en- 
terprise ;  but  I  assure  you  that  if  I  knew  I  should  not 
make  a  farthing  profit,  I  would  ratify  the  engagement, 
so  anxious  am  I  that  the  United  States  should  be 
visited  by  a  lady  whose  vocal  powers  have  never 
been  approached  by  any  other  human  being,  and 
whose  character  is  charity,  simplicity,  and  goodness 
personified. 

"  Miss  Lind  has  great  anxiety  to  visit  America. 
She  speaks  of  this  country  and  its  institutions  in  the 
highest  terms  of  praise.  In  her  engagement  with 
me  (which  includes  Havana),  she  expressly  reserves 
the  right  to  give  charitable  concerts  whenever  she 
thinks  proper. 

Since  her  debut  in  England,  she  has  given  to  the 
poor  from  her  own  private  purse  more  than  the 
whole  amount  which  I  have  engaged  to  pay  her,  and 
the  proceeds  of  concerts  for  charitable  purposes  in 
Great  Britain,  where  she  has  sung  gratuitously,  have 
realized  more  than  ten  times  that  amount." 

And  so  it  came  to  pass  that,  before  September 
rolled  around,  curiosity,  interest  and  enthusiasm  over 
the  great  singer  were  at  fever  heat,  and  New  York 
thought  and  dreamed  only  of  her  coming. 
.  Never,  in  the  history  of  music  or  in  the  history  of 
entertainments  in  America,  has  the  advent  of  a  for- 
eign artist  been  hailed  with  so  much  enthusiasm. 


212  LIFE    Of  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

A  large  share  of  this  public  interest  was  natural  and 
genuine,  and  would,  in  any  event,  have  been  ac- 
corded to  Miss  Lind.  But  a  considerable  portion 
of  it  was  due  to  the  shrewd  and  energetic  advertis- 
ing of  Mr.  Barnum.  Under  any  auspices  the  great 
singer's  tour  in  America  would  have  been  success- 
ful ;  but  under  no  other  management  would  it  have 
approximated  to  what  it  was  under  Barnum. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

ARRIVAL   OF   JENNY    LIND. 

FIRST  MEETING  WITH  BARNUM — RECEPTION  IN  NEW  YORK — POKMS  IN  HER 
HONOR — A  FURORE  OF  PUBLIC  INTEREST — SALE  OF  TICKETS  FOR  THE 
FIRST  CONCERT — BARNUM'S  CHANGE  IN  TERMS — TEN  THOUSAND  DOL- 
LARS FOR  CHARITY — ENORMOUS  SUCCESS  OF  THE  FIRST  CONCERT. 

Jenny  Lind  sailed  for  America  on  Wednesday 
morning,  August  21,  1850.  She  was  accompanied 
by  Messrs.  Benedict  and  Belletti,  Mr.  Wilton,  her 
two  cousins,  and  three  or  four  servants.  She  also 
brought  with  her  a  piano  for  her  use.  Mr.  Barnum 
had  engaged  the  necessary  accommodations  for  the 
company  on  the  steamship  Atlantic,  and  their  depar- 
ture from  England  was  an  event  of  great  public  in- 
terest. In  America  their  coming  was  looked  upon 
much  as  the  visit  of  a  royal  personage  would  have 
been.  It  was  expected  that  the  steamer  would 
reach  New  York  on  Sunday,  September  ist.  Mr. 
Barnum,  however,  determined  to  be  on  hand  to  meet 
his  distinguished  guest  at  no  matter  what  time  she 
reached  the  port.  He,  therefore,  went  on  Saturday 
to  Staten  Island,  and  spent  the  night  at  the  house 
of  his  friend,  Dr.  Doane,  the  health  officer  of  the 
port. 

213 


214  LfF&   OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

The  steamship  was  sighted  just  before  noon  on 
Sunday,  and  soon  afterward  Mr.  Barnum,  who  went 
out  with  the  health  officer,  was  standing  on  the  deck 
where,  for  the  first  time,  he  met  the  famous  singer. 
After  they  had  shaken  hands  and  uttered  a  few 
commonplace  words  of  greeting  Miss  Lind  asked 
him  when  and  where  he  had  heard  her  sing. 

"  I  never  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  before  in 
my  life,"  he  replied. 

"  How  is  it  possible  that  you  dared  risk  so  much 
money  on  a  person  whom  you  never  heard  sing  ?  " 
she  asked  in  great  surprise. 

"I  risked  it,"  answered  Barnum,  "on  your  repu- 
tation, which  in  musical  matters  I  would  much  rather 
trust  than  my  own  judgment." 

The  fact  was  that,  although  Barnum  did  rely 
largely  upon  Miss  Lind's  reputation  as  an  artist,  he 
also  took  into  account  her  equally  great  reputation 
for  benevolence,  generosity  and  general  loveliness 
of  disposition.  He  knew  that  these  traits  of  char- 
acter would  appeal  with  a  special  force  to  the  warm- 
hearted and  enthusiastic  American  public.  Indeed, 
he  afterward  confessed  that  had  it  not  been  for  this 
peculiarity  of  her  disposition,  he  never  would  have 
ventured  to  make  the  engagement  with  her;  and  he 
always  believed  that  as  many  people  came  to  see 
and  hear  her  on  this  account  as  on  account  of  her 
skill  as  a  singer. 

Seldom  has  any  visitor  to  New  York  received  a 
more  remarkable  greeting  than  did  the  "  Swedish 


JENNY  LIND  IN  NEW   YORK.  21$ 

Nightingale."  Mr.  Barnum's  efforts  to  arouse  pub- 
lic interest  in  her  had  not  been  in  vain.  The  whole 
city  was  anxious  to  get  the  first  possible  glimpse  of 
her.  But  beside  this  bona  fide  interest  in  her,  Mr. 
Barnum  had  seen  to  it  that  her  landing  was  made 
all  possible  use  of  as  an  advertisement.  On  the 
wharf  at  which  she  landed  a  bower  of  green  trees, 
decorated  with  flags,  had  been  prepared.  There 
were  also  two  handsome  triumphal  arches,  on  one 
of  which  was  inscribed,  "Welcome,  Jenny  Lind!" 
and  on  the  other,  "  Welcome  to  America !  " 

Probably  the  singer  thought,  and  possibly  some 
of  the  general  public  also  imagined,  that  these  deco- 
rations had  been  erected  by  the  city  government,  or 
at  least  by  some  committee  of  public-spirited  citizens. 
Mr.  Barnum,  however,  never  found  fault  with  any 
one  for  suspecting  that  he  was  chiefly  responsible 
for  them,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
the  cost  of  them  was  to  be  found  entered  in  his 
books,  charged  to  the  account  of  advertising. 

Thousands  of  people  were  thronged  along  the 
water  front,  on  the  piers  and  on  the  shipping,  to 
greet  the  Atlantic  as  it  reached  its  dock.  So  great 
was  the  rush  to  see  the  illustrious  guest  that  one 
man  was  crowded  overboard,  an  incident  which  Miss 
Lind  herself  witnessed,  and  at  which  she  was  much 
alarmed.  He  was  rescued  with  no  other  harm  than 
a  thorough  wetting.  Barnum's  carriage  was  in 
waiting  for  Miss  Lind,  and  the  great  showman  him- 
self, after  placing  her  within  it,  mounted  the  box  at 


2i6  LIFE    OF  P,    T.   BARNUM. 

the  driver's  side.  He  took  that  seat  as  a  legitimate 
advertisement,  and  his  presence  there  aided  those 
who  filled  the  windows  and  sidewalks  along  the 
entire  way  to  the  Irving  House,  and  there  were 
many  thousands  of  them,  in  coming  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  Jenny  Lind  had  really  arrived. 

Five  minutes  after  Miss  Lind  had  entered  the 
hotel,  Barnum  invited  her  to  look  out  of  a  window 
opening  on  Broadway.  When  she  did  so  she  saw  a 
throng  of  not  less  than  twenty  thousand  persons 
gathered  to  do  her  honor.  And  there  that  throng 
remained  all  the  rest  of  the  afternoon  and  until  late 
in  the  evening.  At  her  request  Barnum  took  dinner 
with  her  that  afternoon.  According  to  the  European 
custom  she  offered  to  pledge  his  health  in  a  glass 
of  wine,  and  was  doubtless  much  surprised  at  his 
response.  He  said  to  her :  "  Miss  Lind,  I  do  not 
think  you  can  ask  any  other  favor  on  earth  which  I 
would  not  gladly  grant.  But  I  am  a  teetotaler,  and 
must  beg  to  be  permitted  to  drink  to  your  health 
and  happiness  in  a  glass  of  cold  water." 

Late  that  night  Miss  Lind  was  serenaded  by  the 
New  York  Musical  Fund  Society,  which  numbered, 
on  that  occasion,  two  hundred  musicians.  They 
were  escorted  to  the  hotel  by  about  three  hundred 
firemen,  clad  in  their  picturesque  uniform  and  bear- 
ing flaming  torches.  Fully  thirty  thousand  spec- 
tators were  at  this  hour  gathered  about  the  hotel, 
and  in  response  to  their  vociferous  calls  Miss  Lind 
stepped  upon  the  balcony  and  bowed  to  them 


THE  WELCOME  OF  THE  POETS. 

Such  was  the  great  singer's  first  day  in  America, 
and  for  several  weeks  thereafter  the  public  interest 
in  her  was  scarcely  less  demonstrative.  Her  rooms 
were  thronged  by  visitors,  among  whom  were  the 
most  notable  people  in  society,  in  the  learned  pro- 
fessions and  in  public  life.  The  street  before  the 
hotel  was  almost  blocked  day  after  day  by  the 
carriages  of  fashionable  people,  and  Barnum's  only 
anxiety  was  lest  the  aristocratic  part  of  the  com- 
munity should  monopolize  her  altogether,  and  thus 
mar  his  interest  by  cutting  her  off  from  the  sym- 
pathy she  had  excited  among  the  common  people. 
The  shop-keepers  of  the  city  showered  their  atten- 
tions upon  her,  sending  her  cart-loads  of  specimens 
of  their  most  valuable  wares,  for  which  they  asked 
no  other  return  than  her  acceptance  and  her  auto- 
graph acknowledgment.  Gloves,  bonnets,  shawls, 
gowns,  chairs,  carriages,  pianos,  and  almost  every 
imaginable  article  of  use  or  ornament  was  named 
for  her.  Songs  and  musical  compositions  were 
dedicated  to  her,  and  poems  were  published  in  her 
honor.  Day  after  day  and  week  after  week  her 
doings  formed  the  most  conspicuous  news  in  the 
daily  journals. 

Some  weeks  before  Miss  Lind's  arrival  in 
America  Barnum  had  offered  a  prize  of  two  hundred 
dollars  for  the  best  ode,  to  be  set  to  music  and  sung 
by  her  at  her  first  concert.  Its  topic  was  to  be, 
"Greeting  to  America."  In  response  several  hun- 
dred poems  were  sent  in,  mostly  pretty  poor  stuff, 

13 


220  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

i 

though  several  of  them  were  very  good.  After  a  great 
deal  of  hard  work  in  reading  and  considering  them, 
the  Prize  Committee  selected  as  the  best  the  one 
offered  by  Bayard  Taylor.  It  was  set  to  music  by 
Julius  Benedict,  and  was  as  follows  : 

GREETING  TO  AMERICA. 

WORDS  BY   BAYARD   TAYLOR — MUSIC  BY  JULIUS  BENEDICT. 
I  greet  with  a  full  heart  the  Land  of  the  West, 

Whose  Banner  of  Stars  o'er  a  world  is  unrolled ; 
Whose  empire  o'ershadows  Atlantic's  wide  breast, 

And  opens  to  sunset  its  gateway  of  gold ! 
The  land  of  the  mountain,  the  land  of  the  lake, 

And  rivers  that  roll  in  magnificent  tide — 
Where  the  souls  of  the  mighty  from  slumber  awake, 

And  hallow  the  soil  for  whose  freedom  they  died  I 

Thou  Cradle  of  empire !  though  wide  be  the  foam 

That  severs  the  land  of  my  fathers  and  fhee, 
I  hear,  from  thy  bosom,  the  welcome  of  liome, 

For  song  has  a  home  in  the  hearts  of  the  Free  ! 
And  long  as  thy  waters  shall  gleam  in  the  sun, 

And  long  as  thy  heroes  remember  their  scars, 
Be  the  hands  of  thy  children  united  as  one, 

And  Peace  shed  her  light  on  thy  Banner  of  StarsJ 

This  award  gave  general  satisfaction,  although  a 
few  disappointed  competitors  complained.  This 
remarkable  competition  and  the  other  features  of 
Miss  Lind's  reception  in  America,  attracted  so  much 
attention  in  England  that  the  London  Times  in  one 
day  devoted  several  columns  of  space  to  the  sub- 
ject. 

Of  course  the  American  press  literally  teemed 
with  matter  about  Miss  Lind  and  Barnum.  The 
poetical  competition  demanded  much  attention,  and 


THE    WELCOME    OF  THE  POETS.  221 

presently  a  witty  pamphlet  was  published,  entitled 
"  BarnunVs  Parnassus;  being  Confidential  Disclos- 
ures of  the  Prize  Committee  on  the  Jenny  Lind  Song." 
It  pretended  to  give  all  or  most  of  the  poems  that 
had  been  offered  in  the  competition,  though  of 
course  none  of  them  were  genuine.  Many  of  them, 
however,  contained  fine  satirical  hits  on  the  whole 
business  ;  such,  for  example,  as  the  following : 

BARNUMOPSIS. 

A   RECITATIVE. 

When  to  the  common  rest  that  crowns  his  days, 
Dusty  and  worn  the  tired  pedestrian  goes, 

What  light  is  that  whose  wide  o'erlooking  blaze 
A  sudden  glory  on  his  pathway  throws  ? 

'Tis  not  the  setting  sun,  whose  drooping  lid 
Closed  on  the  weary  world  at  half-past  six ; 

'Tis  not  the  rising  moon,  whose  rays  are  hid 
Behind  the  city's  sombre  piles  of  bricks. 

It  is  the  Drummond  Light,  that  from  the  top 
Of  Barnum's  massive  pile,  sky-mingling  there, 

Dart's  its  quick  gleam  o'er  every  shadowed  shop, 
And  gilds  Broadway  with  unaccustomed  glare. 

There  o'er  the  sordid  gloom,  whose  deep'ning  tracks 

Furrow  the  city's  brow,  the  front  of  ages, 
Thy  loftier  light  descends  on  cabs  and  hacks, 

And  on  two  dozen  different  lines  of  stages  I 

O  twilight  Sun,  with  thy  far  darting  ray, 
.    Thou  art  a  type  of  him  whose  tireless  hands 
Hung  thee  on  high  to  guide  the  stranger's  way, 
Where,  in  its  pride,  his  vast  Museum  stands. 

Him,  who  in  search  of  wonders  new  and  strange, 
Grasps  the  wide  skirts  of  Nature's  mystic  robe 

Explores  the  circles  of  eternal  change, 
And  the  dark  chambers  of  the  central  globe. 


222  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   DARNUM. 

He,  from  the  reedy  shores  of  fabled  Nile, 

Has  brought,  thick-ribbed  and  ancient  as  old  iron, 

That  venerable  beast,  the  crocodile, 

And  many  a  skin  of  many  a  famous  lion. 

Go  lose  thyself  in  those  continuous  halls, 

Where  strays  the  fond  papa  with  son  and  daughter ; 

And  all  that  charms  or  startles  or  appals, 
Thou  shalt  behold,  and  for  a  single  quarter. 

Far  from  the  Barcan  deserts  now  withdrawn, 
There,  huge  constrictors  coil  their  scaly  backs ; 

There,  cased  in  glass,  malignant  and  unshorn, 
Old  murderers  glare  in  sullenness  and  wax. 

There  many  a  varied  form  the  sight  beguiles, 
In  rusty  broadcloth  decked  and  shocking  hat, 

And  there  the  unwieldy  Lambert  sits  and  smiles, 
In  the  majestic  plenitude  of  fat. 

Or  for  thy  gayer  hours,  the  orang-outang 
Or  ape  salutes  thee  with  his  strange  grimace, 

And  in  their  shapes,  stuffed  as  on  earth  they  sprang, 
Thine  individual  being  thou  canst  trace ! 

And  joys  the  youth  in  life's  green  spring,  who  goes 
With  the  sweet  babe  and  the  gray-headed  nurse, 

To  see  those  Cosmoramic  orbs  disclose 
The  varied  beauties  of  the  universe. 

And  last,  not  least,  the  marvellous  Ethiope, 
Changing  his  skin  by  preternatural  skill, 

Whom  every  setting  sun's  diurnal  slope 

Leaves  whiter  than  the  last,  and  whitening  still. 

All  that  of  monstrous,  scaly,  strange  and  queer, 
Has  come  from  out  the  womb  of  earliest  time*, 

Thou  hast,  O  Barnum,  in  thy  keeping  here, 
Nor  is  this  all — for  triumphs  more  sublime 

Await  thee  yet !  I,  Jenny  Lind,  who  reigned 
Sublimely  throned,  the  imperial  queen  of  song, 

Wooed  by  thy  golilen  harmonies,  have  deigned 
Captive  to  join  the  heterogeneous  throng. 


THE    WELCOME   OF  THE  POETS. 

Sustained  by  an  unfaltering  trust  in  coin, 

Dealt  from  thy  hand,  O  thou  illustrious  man, 
Gladly  I  heard  the  summons  come  to  join 

Myself  tb-s  innumerable  ca' 


223 


A  number  of  complimentary  greetings  in  verse 
were  also  sent  in  to  Miss  Lind  by  various  writers 
of  more  or  less  eminence,  among  them  being  the 
following  from  Mrs.  Lydia  H.  Sigourney: 

THE  SWEDISH  SONGSTRESS  AND  HER  CHARITIES. 

BY  MRS.    L.   H.   SIGOURNEY. 

Blest  must  their  vocation  be 

Who,  with  tones  of  melody, 

Charm  the  discord  and  the  strife 

And  the  railroad  rush  of  life, 

And  with  Orphean  magic  move 

Souls  inert  to  life  and  love. 

But  there's  one  who  doth  inherit 

Angel  gift  and  angel  spirit, 

Bidding  tides  of  gladness  flow 

Through  the  realms  of  want  and  woe; 

'Mid  lone  age  and  misery's  lot,  . 

Kindling  pleasures  long  forgot, 

Seeking  minds  oppressed  with  night, 

And  on  darkness  shedding  light, 

She  the  seraph's  speech  doth  know, 

She  hath  done  their  deeds  below  ; 

So,  when  o'er  this  misty  strand 

She  shall  clasp  their  waiting  hand, 

They  will  fold  her  to  their  breast, 

More  a  sister  than  a  guest. 

The  first  concert  was  announced  for  the  evening 
of  September  1  1  th,  and  it  was  to  take  place  in  the 
great  hall  of  Castle  Garden,  afterward  famous  as 
the  landing-place  for  emigrants  at  New  York.  The 


224  LIFE   OF  P'    T' 

tickets  for  this  occasion  were  sold  at  auction,  and 
the  first  one  was  bid  up  to  the  extraordinary  figure 
of  $225.  This  was  bid  and  the  ticket  was  secured 
by  John  N.  Genin,  a  hatter ;  and  the  public  notice 
which  was  thereby  attracted  to  him  was  such  a  great 
advertisement  for  his  business  that  within  a  few 
years  thereafter  he  amassed  a  fortune.  It  was  after- 
ward stated  that  Mr.  Genin  was  Barnum's  brother- 
in-law,  and  that  his  high  bid  for  this  ticket  was  a 
pre-arranged  job ;  but  there  was  no  truth  in  this 
whatever.  The  auction  itself  was  regarded  as  an 
occasion  of  such  public  interest  that  the  proprietors 
of  the  Garden,  where  it  was  held,  charged  a  shilling 
admission  fee  to  it.  No  less  than  3,000  persons 
paid  this  fee  and  attended  the  auction,  and  the  first 
day's  sale  aggregated  1,000  tickets,  which  brought 
a  total  sum  of  $10,141. 

A  few  days  after  her  arrival  Barnum  told  Miss  Lind 
that  it  would  be  desirable  to  make  a  change  in  the 
terms  of  their  contract,  if  she  would  consent.  She  was 
startled  at  this,  and  asked  him  what  the  change  was 
to  be.  "I  am  convinced,"  replied  Barnum,  "that 
this  enterprise  will  be  far  more  successful  than  either 
of  us  anticipated.  So  I  wish  to  stipulate  that  you 
shall  receive  not  only  $1,000  for  each  concert,  beside 
all  expenses,  but  also  that,  after  taking  out  $5,500 
per  night  for  expenses  and  for  my  services,  the  bal- 
ance shall  be  equally  divided  between  you  and  me." 

She  looked  at  him  in  utter  bewilderment,  unable 
.to.  understand  his  proposition.  He,  repeated  it,  and 


SELLING    TICKETS.  22$ 

at  last  made  her  realize  what  it  was  that  he  pro- 
posed to  do.  Then  she  grasped  him  by  the  hand 
and  exclaimed :  "  Mr.  Barnum,  you  are  a  gentleman 
of  honor ;  you  are  generous ;  it  is  just  as  I  was  told. 
I  will  sing  for  you  as  long  as  you  please.  I  will 
sing  for  you  in  America — in  Europe — anywhere  !  " 

The  day  before  the  first  concert  Mr.  Barnum  told 
Miss  Lind  that,  judging  by  appearances,  her  portion 
of  the  proceeds  of  the  first  concert,  over  and  above 
her  fee  of  $1,000,  would  amount  to  at  least  $10,000. 
She  immediately  resolved  to  devote  every  dollar  of 
it  to  charity,  and  forthwith  sent  for  the  Mayor  of  the 
city,  under  whose  advice  she  acted  in  selecting  the 
various  institutions  among  which  it  was  to  be  dis- 
tributed. 

The  amount  of  money  actually  received  for  tickets 
for  the  first  concert  was  $i  7,864.05.  So  it  appeared 
that  Barnum's  estimate  had  been  a  little  too  high, 
and  Miss  Lind's  portion  was  too  small  to  realize  the 
$10,000  which  she  was  to  give  to  charity.  Barnum 
therefore  proposed  to  make  a  similar  arrangement 
for  the  second  concert,  and  to  count  neither  of  these 
first  two  in  the  regular  engagement.  To  this  she 
agreed.  The  second  concert  was  given  on  Septem- 
ber 1 3th,  and  the  receipts,  which  amounted  to  $14,- 
203.03,  were  disposed  of  as  before,  and  she  was  thus 
enabled  to  give  the  $10,000  to  charity.  The 'third 
concert,  which  was  the  first  of  the  regular  series, 
was  given  on  September  1 7th. 

Barnum's  arrangements1  of  the  concert-room  for 


226  LIFE   OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

the  singer's  appearance  were  very  complete.  One 
hundred  ushers,  adorned  with  rosettes  and  carrying- 
wands  tipped  with  ribbons,  looked  after  the  seating 
of  the  audience.  In  order  to  prevent  confusion  the 
doors  were  opened  at  five  o'clock,  although  the  con- 
cert was  not  to  commence  until  eight.  The  result 
was  that  the  five  thousand  persons  who  attended 
made  their  entry  without  crowding  and  without  con- 
fusion. 

The  reception  of  Jenny  Lind,  on  her  first  appear- 
ance, in  point  of  enthusiasm,  was  probably  never  be- 
fore equalled.  As  Mr.  Benedict  led  her  towards  the 
footlights,  the  entire  audience  rose  to  their  feet  and 
welcomed  her  with  three  cheers,  accompanied  by  the 
waving  of  thousands  of  hats  and  handkerchiefs. 
This  was  perhaps  the  largest  audience  to  which 
Jenny  Lind  had  ever  sung.  She  was  evidently  much 
agitated,  but  the  orchestra  commenced,  and  before 
she  had  sung  a  dozen  notes  of  "  Casta  Diva,"  she 
began  to  recover  her  self-possession,  and  long  be- 
fore the  scena  was  concluded  she  was  as  calm  as  if  she 
was  in  her  own  drawing-room.  Towards  the  last 
portion  of  the  cavatina,  the  audience  were  so  com- 
pletely carried  away  by  their  feelings,  that  the  re- 
mainder of  the  air  was  drowned  in  a  perfect  tempest 
of  acclamation.  Enthusiasm  had  been  wrought  to 

o 

its  highest  pitch,  but  the  musical  powers  of  Jenny 
Lind  exceeded  all  the  brilliant  anticipations  which 
had  been  formed,  and  her  triumph  was  complete. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  ccrracert  Jenny  Lind  was 


VOICE   OF   THE   CRITICS.  227 

loudly  called  for,  and  was  obliged  to  appear  three 
times  before  the  audience  could  be  satisfied.  Then 
they  called  vociferously  for  *"  Barnum,"  and  he  "  re- 
luctantly" responded  to  their  demand. 

On  this  first  night  Julius  Benedict  firmly  estab- 
lished with  the  American  people  his  European  rep- 
utation as  a  most  accomplished  conductor  and 
musical  composer  ;  while  Signor  Belletti  inspired  an 
admiration  which  grew  warmer  and  deeper  in  the 
minds  of  the  public,  to  the  end  of  his  career  in  this 
country. 

"The  Rubicon  was  passed,"  says  Barnum.  "The 
successful  issue  of  the  Jenny  Lind  enterprise  was 
established.  I  think  there  were  a  hundred  men  in 
New  York,  the  day  after  her  first  concert,  who  would 
have  willingly  paid  me  $200,000  for  my  contract.  I 
received  repeated  offers  for  an  eighth,  a  tenth,  or  a 
sixteenth,  equivalent  to  that  price.  But  mine  had 
been  the  risk,  and  I  was  determined  mine  should  be 
the  triumph." 

The  triumph  of  Jenny  Lind  is  a  legitimate  part 
of  Barnum's  history,  and  it  will  be  of  interest  to  the 
present  generation  to  read  what  the  musical  critics 
of  that  day  thought  of  that  wonderful  singer.  Here 
is  the  New  York  Tribune's  account  of  her  opening 
concerts  in-  America : 

"Jenny  Lind's  first  concert  is  over,  and  all  doubts 
are  at  an  end.  She  is  the  greatest  singer  we  have 
ever  heard,  and  her  success  is  all  that  was  antici- 
pated from  her  genius  and  her .  fame.  As  this  is 


228  LIFE   OF  P-    T-   BARNUM. 

something  of  an  era  in  our  history  of  art,  we 
give  a  detailed  account  of  all  that  took  place  on  the 
occasion. 

"  All  the  preparatory  arrangements  for  the  con- 
cert were  made  with  great  care,  and  from  the  ad- 
mirable system  observed,  none  of  the  usual  disa- 
greeable features  of  such  an  event  were  experienced. 
Outside  of  the  gate  there  was  a  double  row  of 
policemen  extending  up  the  main  avenue  of  the 
Battery  grounds.  Carriages  only  were  permitted  to 
drive  up  to  the  gate  from  the  Whitehall  side,  and 
pass  off  into  Battery-place.  At  one  time  the  line  of 
carriages  extended  to  Whitehall  and  up  State  street 
into  Broadway.  Everything  was  accomplished  in  a 
quiet  and  orderly  manner.  The  chief  of  police,  with 
about  sixty  men,  came  on  the  ground  at  5  o'clock, 
and  maintained  the  most  complete  order  to  the  end. 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  according  to  promise,  had  put  up  a 
substantial  frame-work,  and  thrown  an  immense 
awning  over  the  bridge,  which  is  some  200  feet  in 
length.  This  was  brilliantly  lighted,  and  had  almost 
the  appearance  of  a  triumphal  avenue  on  entering 
the  gate. 

"There  was  an  immense  crowd  on  the  Battery, 
clustering  around  the  gates  during  the  whole  even- 
ing, but  no  acts  of  disorder  occurred.  When  Jenny 
Lind's  carriage  came,  but  very  few  persons  knew  it, 
and  no  great  excitement  followed.  The  principal 
annoyance  was  occasioned  by  a  noisy  crowd  of  boys 
in  boats,  who  gathered  around  the  outer  wall  of  the 


A    VAST  CROWD  PRESENT.  229 

castle,  and  being  by  their  position  secure  from  the 
police,  tried  to  disturb  those  within  by  a  hideous 
clamor  of  shouts  and  yells,  accompanied  by  a  discord- 
ant din  of  drums  and  fifes.  There  must  have  been 
more  than  200  boats  and  a  thousand  persons  on  the 
water.  They  caused  some  annoyance  to  that  portion 
of  the  audience  in  the  back  seats  of  the  balcony,  but 
the  nuisance  was  felt  by  none  in  the  parquet.  By 
10  o'clock  they  had  either  become  tired  or  ashamed 
of  the  contemptible  outrage  they  were  attempting, 
and  dispersed.  We  may  here  remark  that  if  the 
river  police  asked  for  by  Chief  Matsell  had  been  in 
existence  this  attempt  could  not  have  been  made. 

"  On  entering  the  castle,  a  company  of  ushers,  dis^ 
tinguished  by  their  badges,  were  in  readiness  to  di- 
rect the  visitors  to  that  part  of  the  hall  where  their 
seats  were  located.  Colored  lamps  and  hangings 
suspended  to  the  pillars  indicated  at  a  glance  the  dif- 
ferent divisions,  and  the  task  of  seating  the  whole 
audience  of  near  seven  thousand  persons  was  thus 
accomplished  without  the  least  inconvenience.  The 
hall  was  brilliantly  lighted,  though  from  its  vast  ex- 
tent the  stage  looked  somewhat  dim.  The  wooden 
partition  which(was  built  up  in  place  of  the  drop- 
curtain,  is  covered  with  a  painting  representing  the 
combined  standards  of  America  and  Sweden,  below 
which  are  arabesque  ornaments  in  white  and  gold. 
Considering  the  short  time  allowed  for  these  im- 
provements, the  change  was  remarkable.  The  only 
instance  of  bad  taste  which  we  noticed  was  a  large 


230  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BAR  NUM. 

motto,  worked  in  flowers,  suspended  over  the  pil- 
lars of  the  balcony  directly  in  front  of  the  stage. 
'  Welcome,  Sweet  Warbler'  (so  ran  the  words),  was 
not  only  tame  and  commonplace,  but  decidedly  out 
of  place. 

"  The  sight  of  the  grand  hall,  with  its  gay  decora- 
tion, its  glittering  lamps,  and  its  vast  throng  of  ex- 
pectant auditors,  was  in  itself  almost  worth  a  $5 
ticket.  We  were  surprised  to  notice  that  not  more 
than  one-eighth  of  the  audience  were  ladies.  They 
must  stay  at  home,  it  seems,  when  the  tickets  are 
high,  but  the  gentlemen  go,  nevertheless.  For  its 
size,  the  audience  was  one  of  the  most  quiet,  refined 
and  appreciative  we  ever  saw  assembled  in  this  city. 
Not  more  than  one-third  were  seated  before  7  o'clock, 
and  when  the  eventful  hour  arrived  they  were  still 
coming  in.  A  few  of  the  seats  were  not  taken  when 
the  orchestra  had  assembled,  and  Mr.  Benedict,  wK> 
was  greeted  with  loud  cheers  on  his  appearance, 
gave  the  first  flourish  of  his  baton. 

"  The  musical  performance  commenced  with  Jult* 
Benedict's  overture  to  his  opera,  The  Crusade.  /, 
himself  conducting  the  orchestra  of  60  instrument. 
It  was  an  admirably  balanced  and  effective  orch<  s, 
tra,  and  notwithstanding  that  we  had  to  listen  as  it 
were  round  a  corner,  we  felt  the  unity  and  full  foi  ;e 
of  its  strong  chords,  and  traced  the  precise  and  d<  li-. 
cate  outline  of  its  melodies  with  a  distinctness  whi  ;h 
proved  that  a  clear  musical  idea  was  there,  t  xi 
clear! y;  embodied  io  be  lost  even  in  that  vast.  spar,« 


MISS  LIND'S  FIRST  SONG.^  23! 

We  liked  the  first  half  of  the  composition  best ;  it 
had  the  dark  shading  and  wild  vigor  and  pathos  of 
Von  Weber ;  the  allegro  which  set  in  upon  it  was 
more  in  the  light  popular  manner  of  Auber  and  the 
French.  Yet  Mr.  Benedict  has  proved  his  mastery 
in  this  work,  which  the  vast  audience  acknowledged 
with  very  hearty  plaudits. 

"  Signer  Belletti  was  the  next  mark  of  expecta- 
tion. In  oae  of  Rossini's  most  ornate  and  florid 
bravura  songs  (from  Maometto  Secondd]  he  produced 
a  barytone  of  such  warm,  rich,  solid,  resonant  and 
feeling  quality  as  we  perhaps  have  never  heard  in 
this  country  (though  without  closer  observation  from 
the  less  remote  position  in  which  a  barytone  natu- 
rally requires  to  be  heard,  we  hardly  dare  to  place  it 
above  Badiali's) ;  while  in  refinement  of  conception 
and  of  execution  he  left  little  to  be  desired. 

"  Now  came  a  moment  of  breathless  expectation. 
A  moment  more,  and  Jenny  Lind,  clad  in  a  white 
dress,  which  well  became  the  frank  sincerity  of  her 
face,  came  forward  through  the  orchestra.  It  is  im- 
possible to  describe  the  spontaneous  burst  of  welcome 
which  greeted  her.  The  vast  assembly  rose  as  one 
man,  and  for  some  minutes  nothing  could  be  seen 
but  the  waving  of  hands  and  handkerchiefs,  nothing 
heard  but  a  storm  of  tumultuous  cheers.  The  en- 
thusiasm of  the  moment,  for  a  time  beyond  all 
bounds,  was  at  last  subdued  after  prolonging  itself 
by  its  own  fruitless  efforts  to  subdue  itself,  and  the 
divine  songstress,  with  that  perfect  bearing,  that  air 


232  LIFE   OF  P.   T.   BARNUM. 

of  all  dignity  and  sweetness,  blending  a  'child-like 
simplicity  and  half-trembling  womanly  modesty  with 
the  beautiful  confidence  of  genius  and  serene  wis- 
dom of  art,  addressed  herself  to  song,  as  the  orches- 
tral symphony  prepared  the  way  for  the  voice  in 
Casta  Diva.  A  better  test-piece  could  not  have  been 
selected  for  her  debut.  Every  soprano  lady  has 
sung  it  to  us ;  but  nearly  every  one  has  seemed 
only  trying  to  make  something  of  it,  while  Jenny 
Lind  was  the  very  music  of  it  for  the  time  being. 
We  would  say  no  less  than  that ;  for  the  wisest  and 
honestest  part  of  criticism  on  such  a  first  hearing  of 
a  thing  so  perfect,  was  to  give  itself  purely  up  to  it, 
without  question,  and  attempt  no  analysis  of  what 
too  truly  fills  one  to  have  yet  begun  to  be  an  object 
of  thought. 

"  If  it  were  possible,  we  would  describe  the  quality 
of  that  voice,  so  pure,  so  sweet,  so  fine,  so  whole 
and  all-pervading,  in  its  lowest  breathings  and  minut- 
est fioriture  as  well  as  in  its  strongest  volume.  We 
.never  heard  tones  which  in  their  sweetness  went  so 
far.  They  brought  the  most  distant  and  ill-seated 
auditor  close  to  her.  They  were  tones,  every  one  of 
them,  and  the  whole  air  had  to  -take  the  law  of  their 
vibrations.  The  voice  and  the  delivery  had  in  them 
all  the  good  qualities  of  all  the  good  singers.  Song  in 
her  has  that  integral  beauty  which  at  once  proclaims 
it  as  a  type  for  all,  and  is  most  naturally  worshipped 
as  such  by  the  multitude. 

"  Of  those  who  have  been  before  her  we  were 


QUALITY  OF  HER    VOICED  233 

most  frequently  reminded  of  Madame  Bishop's 
quality  (not  quantity)  of  voice.  Their  voices  are  of 
metal  somewhat  akin.  Jenny  Lind's  had  incom- 
parably more  power  and  more  at  all  times  in  re- 
serve ;  but  it  had  a  shade  of  that  same  veiled  quality 
in  its  lowest  tones,  consistently  with  the  same  (but 
much  more)  ripeness  and  sweetness,  and  perfect 
freedom  from  the  crudeness  often  called  clearness, 
as  they  rise.  There  is  the  same  kind  of  versatile 
and  subtile  talent,  too,  in  Jenny  Lind,  as  appeared 
later  in  the  equal  inspiration  and  perfection  of  her 
various  characters  and  styles  of  song.  Her's  is  a 
genuine  soprano,  reaching  the  extra  high  notes  with 
that  ease  and  certainty  which  make  each  highest  one 
a  triumph  of  expression  purely,  and  not  a  physical 
marvel.  The  gradual  growth  and  sostenuto  of  her 
tones  ;  the  light  and  shade,  the  rhythmic  undulation 
and  balance  of  her  passages ;  the  bird-like  ecstacy 
of  her  trill ;  the  faultless  precision  and  fluency  of 
her  chromatic  scales ;  above  all,  the  sure  reservation 
of  such  volume  of  voice  as  to  crown  each  protracted 
climax  with  glory,  not  needing  a  new  effort  to  raise 
force  for  the  final  blow ;  and  indeed  all  the  points 
one  looks  for  in  a  mistress  of  the  vocal  art  were 
eminently  her's  in  Casta  Diva.  But  the  charm  lay 
not  in  any  point,  but  rather  in  the  inspired  vitality, 
the  hearty,  genuine  outpouring  of  the  whole — the 
real  and  yet  truly  ideal  humanity  of  all  her  singing. 
That  is  what  has  won  the  world  to  Jenny  Lind ;  it  is 
that  her  whole  soul  and  being  goes  out  in  her 


234  LIFE  OF  p- 

song,  and  that  her  voice  becomes  the  impersonation 
of  that  song's  soul  if  it  have'  any,  that  is,  if  it  be  a 
song.  There  is  plainly  no  vanity  in  her.  no  mere 
aim  to  effect;  it  is  all  frank  and  real  and  harmoni- 
ously earnest. 

"She  next  bewitched  all  by  the  delicate  naivete 
and  sparkling  espieglerie,  interchanged  with  true  love 
pathos,  of  her  duet  with  Belletti,  from  Rossini's 
/  Turchi  in  Italia,  the  music  being  in  the  same  voice 
with  that  of  his  *  Barber  of  Seville.'  The  distinct 
rapidity,  without  hurry,  of  many  passages,  was  re- 
markable in  both  performers.  But  perhaps  the 
most  wonderful  exhibition  of  her  vocal  skill  and 
pliancy  and  of  her  active  intimacy  with  nature  was 
in  the  Trio  Concertante,  with  two  flutes,  from  Meyer- 
beer's '  Camp  of  Silesia.'  Exquisitely  her  voice 
played  in  echo  between  the  tasteful  flute-warblings 
of  Messrs.  Kyle  and  Siede. 

"  But  do  not  talk  of  her  flute-like  voice ;  the  flute- 
tone  is  not  one  a  real  voice  need  cultivate ;  except 
where  it  silvers  the  edges  of  a  dark  mass  of  or- 
chestral harmony,  the  flute's  unmitigated  sweetness 
must  and  should  contrast  with  the  more  clarionet 
and  reed-like  quality  of  a  voice  as  rich  and  human  as 
that  of  Jenny  Lind. 

"  Naturally  the  favorites  of  the  evening  were  the 
two  national  songs.  Her  Swedish  *  Herdsman's 
Song'  was  singularly  quaint,  wild  and  innocent. 
The  odd  musical  interval  (a  sharp  seventh)  of  the 
repeated  loud  call  of  the  cows,  the  joyful  laugh,  and 


REV.  THEO.  CUTLER. 


FAVORITE   SELECTIONS.  237 

the  echo,  as  if  her  singing  had  brought  the  very 
mountains  there,  were  extremely  characteristic. 
This  was  loudly  encored  and  repeated ;  and  when 
again  encored  was  of  course  answered  with  her . 
'  Greeting  to  America,'  the  National  Prize  Song, 
written  by  Bayard  Taylor,  and  set  to  a  vigorous 
and  familiar  style  of  music,  well  harmonizing  with 
the  words,  by  Benedict.  The  greeting  had  a  soul 
in  it  coming  from  those  lips. 

"  We  have  but  now  to  acknowledge  the  fine  style 
of  Belletti's  Largo  al  Factotum  (though  the  gay 
barber's  song  always  requires  the  stage)  and  the 
admirable  orchestra  performance  of  Weber's  Over- 
ture to  Oberon. 

"We  are  now  sure  of  Jenny  Lind,  the  singer  and 
the  artist.  Last  night  she  was  herself,  and  well  ac- 
companied, and  gloriously  responded  to.  But  we 
have  yet  to  hear  her  in  the  kind  of  music  which 
seems  to  us  most  to  need  and  to  deserve  such  a  singer 
—in  the  Agatha  of  Der  Freyschutz,  and  in  Mozart 
and  the  deep  music  of  the  great  modern  German 
operas. 

"At  the  close  the  audience  (who  made  no  move- 
ment to  leave  till  the  last  note  had  been  uttered) 
broke  out  in  a  tempest 'of  cheers,  only  less  vehement 
than  those  which  welcomed  her  in  Casta  Diva.  She 
came  forward  again,  bowed  with  a  bright,  grateful 
face,  and  retired.  The  cheers  were  now  mingled 
with  shouts  of  '  Barnum  ! '  who  at  last  came  forward, 
and  with  some  difficulty  obtained  sufficient  order  to 

14 


238  LIFE   OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

speak.  '  My  friends/  said  he, '  you  have  often  heard 
it  asked, '  Where's  Barnum  ? ' '  Amid  the  cheers  and 
laughter  which  followed,  we  only  caught  the  words : 
'  Henceforth,  you  may  say, '  Barnum's  nowhere  ! ' 

"Mr.  Barnum,  after  expressing  his  gratification  at 
the  splendid  welcome  which  had  been  given  Mdlle. 
Lind,  stated  that  he  would  disclose  a  piece  of  news 
which  he  could  no  longer  keep  secret,  and  which 
would  show  how  well  that  welcome  was  deserved. 
Mdlle.  Lind  on  Monday  morning  informed  him  that 
it  was  her  intention  to  give  her  share  of  the  net  pro- 
ceeds of  the  present  concert,  amounting  to  consider- 
able more  than  $10,000,  to  the  various  charities  in 
the  city. 

"The  announcement  was  a  signal  for  another 
storm.  We  did  not  count  the  number  of  cheers 
given,  but  we  never  witnessed  such  a  pitch  of  en- 
thusiasm. Mr.  Barnum  then  proceeded  to  read  the 
list  of  her  donations,  interrupted  at  every  name  by  a 
fresh  burst  of  applause  : 

To  the  Fire  Department  Fund $3,000 

Musical  Fund  Society 2,000 

Home  for  the  Friendless 500 

Society  for  the  Relief  of  Indigent  Females 500 

Dramatic  Fund  Association 500 

Home  for  Colored  and  Aged  Persons  ..........  500 

Colored  and  Orphan  Association 500 

Lying-in  Asylum  for  Destitute  Females 500 

New  York  Orphan  Asylum 500 

Protestant  Half-Orphan  Asylum 500 

Roman  Catholic  Half-Orphan  Asylum 500 

Old  Ladies'  Asylum 500 


THE  SECOND   CONCERT.  239 

"  In  case  the  money  coming  to  her  shall  exceed 
this  sum,  she  will  hereafter  designate  the  charity  to 
which  it  is  to  be  appropriated.  Mr.  Barnum  was 
then  about  retiring,  when  there  was  a  universal  call 
for  Jenny  Lind.  The  songstress,  however,  had 
already  taken  her  departure,  and  the  excited  crowd, 
after  giving  a  few  more  cheers,  followed  her  example, 
and  slowly  surged  out  of  the  castle  door,  and  down 
the  canopied  bridge,  in  a  glow  of  good-humor  and 
admiration.  A  few  disorderly  vagrants  collected  on 
the  bridges  leading  to  the  Bath  Houses,  hooted  at 
the  throng  as  it  passed  out,  but  everybody  went 
home  quietly,  with  a  new  joy  at  his  heart,  and  a  new 
thought  in  his  brain. 

"  Jenny  Lind's  second  concert  was  in  every  respect 
as  complete  a  triumph  as  the  first.  The  audience 
numbered  upward  of  seven  thousand,  filling  the  vast 
amphitheatre  to  the  topmost  circles  of  the  gallery. 
The  sight  of  that  dense  sea  of  heads,  from  either 
extremity  of  the  balcony,  reminded  us  of  one  of 
Martin's  grand,  gloomy  pictures,  and  the  resemblance 
was  further  increased  by  the  semi-oriental  appearance 
of  the  hall,  with  its  long,  light  pillars  dropping  from 
the  centre,  as  well  as  by  the  dimness  of  its  illumina- 
tion, the  lamps,  many  and  bright  as  they  were,  being 
lost  in  the  immense  area  of  the  building. 

"  The  concert  was  a  repetition  of  the  first,  with  the 
only  difference  that  the  orchestra  volunteered  the 
"  Wedding  March,"  from  Mendelssohn's  "  Midsum- 
mer Night's  Dream,"  whose  short,  crackling  blaze 


240  LIFE    OF  f>    T-   BARNUM. 

of  harmony  received  full  justice  from  the  sure  and 
well-tempered  brass  instruments.  Weber's  overture 
to  "  Oberon  "  was  finely  rendered,  and  the  composi- 
tion is  as  fine  a  specimen  of  musical  fairy-land  as 
could  be  found  before  young  Mendelssohn  dreamed 
Shakspere's  dream  over  in  his  own  way. 

"  In  Jenny  Lind  we  still  feel  that  it  is  not  easy  to 
separate  the  singer  from  the  person.  She  sings  her- 
self. She  does  not,  like  many  skilful  vocalists,  merely 
recite  her  musical  studies,  and  dazzle  you  with  splendid 
feats  unnaturally  acquired ;  her  singing,  through  all 
her  versatile  range  of  parts  and  styles,  is  her  own 
proper  and  spontaneous  activity — integral,  and  whole. 
Her  magnificent  voice,  always  true  and  firm,  and  as 
far  beyond  any  instrument  as  humanity  is  beyond 
nature,  seems  like  the  audible  beauty  of  her  nature 
and  her  character.  That  she  is  an  artist  in  the  highest 
sense  is  a  question  long  since  settled,  and  any  little 
incidental  variation  from  the  bold  and  perfect  outline 
of  success  in  any  special  effort,  as  the  faltering  of  her 
voice  from  natural  embarrassment  in  the  commencing 
of  Casta  Diva  that  first  night,  could  not  to  a  true 
listener  at  all  impede  the  recognition  of  the  wonder- 
ful art  which  could  afford  a  little  to  humanity  on  so 
trying  an  occasion.  For  she  was  as  it  were  beginning 
her  career  anew ;  literally  to  her  was  this  a  new  world ; 
and  she  felt  for  a  moment  as  if  in  her  first  blushing 
maidenhood  of  song.  This  second  time  the  hesitation 
of  the  voice  in  that  commencement  was  not  felt.  The 
note  began  soft  and  timid  and  scarce  audible,  as  the 


A   NOTABLE  DAY.  24! 

prayer  of  Norma  might  have  done  ;  but  how  it  grad- 
ually swelled  with  the  influx  of  divine  strength  into 
the  soul !  The  grand  difficulty  in  the  opening  an- 
dante movement  of  Casta  Diva  lies  in  its  broad, 
sustained  phrasing,  in  the  long,  generous  undulation 
of  its  rhythm,  which  with  most  singers  drags  or  gets 
broken  out  of  symmetry.  Jenny  Lind  conceived  and 
did  it  truly.  The  impassioned  energy  of  the  loud- 
pleading  syncopated  cries  in  which  the  passage  at- 
tains its  climax  ;  the  celestial  purity  and  penetrating 
sweetness  of  that  highest  note  afterward ;  the  ex- 
quisite cadenza  to  the  andante ;  and  the  inspiring 
eloquence  of  the  allegro:  Ah!  hello  a  me  ritorna, 
were  far  beyond  anything  we  have  had  the  fortune 
hitherto  to  hear. 

"  They  that  sat,  or  even  stood,  in  Castle  Garden, 
may  mark  down  a  white  day  in  their  calendar.  In 
point  of  audience,  programme,  execution  and  inspi- 
ration, it  was  the  greatest  concert,  so  far.  If  anything 
more  had  been  needed  to  confirm  the  impression 
which  Jenny  Lind  had  previously  made  on  an  Amer- 
ican public,  and  to  place  her  continued  success  beyond 
the  possibility  of  doubt,  last  night's  experience  cer- 
tainly supplied  it. 

"  It  was  foreseen  jn  the  morning  that  the  attendance 
would  be  greater  even  than  on  Friday  night.  The 
American  Museum  and  Hall's  Music  Store  were 
besieged  through  the  whole  day  and  up  to  the  very 
hour  of  commencement.  At  the  former  place  the 
crowding  for  tickets  was  tremendous,  the  very  side- 


242  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

walk  in  front  being  blockaded  most  of  the  time.  At 
seven  o'clock,  when  we  took  up  the  line  of  march  for 
Castle  Garden,  both  sides  of  Broadway  were  thronged, 
and  the  main  avenue  of  the  Battery  was  filled  with  a 
steady  stream  of  persons  pressing  into  the  Castle 
gate.  As  on  the  first  night,  a  double  line  of  police- 
men had  been  formed,  which  effectually  prevented  all 
disorder.  A  few  more  lamps  were  introduced  into 
the  hall,  rendering  its  aspect  much  more  light  and 
cheerful.  By  eight  o'clock  the  vast  hall  was  crowded 
to  overflowing.  Scarcely  a  foot  of  space  was  unoc- 
cupied ;  from  the  very  edge  of  the  ceiling  to  the 
orchestral  platform  in  the  centre,  around  the  immense 
span  of  the  building,  there  was  but  one  dense  mass 
of  heads.  We  should,  at  a  rough  guess,  estimate 
the  number  in  the  auditory  at  seven  thousand.  A 
much  larger  proportion  than  on  former  nights  were 
ladies,  and  for  the  first  time  we  caught  glimpses  of 
the  fashionable  society  from  above  Bleecker.  It  is 
worthy  of  note,  that  the  first  and  second  concerts, 
immense  as  they  were,  were  composed  almost 
entirely  of  the  intelligent  and  appreciative  middle 
class. 

"  Some  disturbance  was  created  by  a  rush  to  ob- 
tain seats,  made  by  those  who  had  promenade  tickets 
for  the  balcony,  the  moment  the  orchestra  began  to 
collect.  This  proceeding,  in  violation  of  the  specified 
arrangements,  was  most  disgraceful.  The  ushers 
did  all  they  could  to  prevent  it,  but  in  spite  of  all 
their  efforts  many  persons  who  arrived  before  the 


THE   ORCHESTRAL    WORK.  243 

hour  of  commencement  were  deprived  of  their  seats. 
It  would  be  a  good  plan  to  have  a  few  policemen  in 
the  balcony  on  future  occasions. 

"The  orchestra  commenced  with  Rossini's  Overture 
to  "William  Tell" — perhaps  the  finest  piece  of  in- 
strumental picture  music  since  Haydn's  Creation 
and  the  Pastoral  Symphony  of  Beethoven.  Its  fresh 
and  vivid  coloring,  its  atmospheric  changes,  its  smart 
Alpine  vigor  and  heroic  ensemble,  were  made  as 
present  and  as  real  as  any  sixty  instruments  could 
make  them.  Exquisitely  did  those  three  violoncellos 
sketch  the  first  scene  of  soft,  cool  sunset  on  the  un- 
ruffled lake ;  the  mellow  Corno  Anglaise,  male  partner 
to  the  oboe,  sweetly  woke  the  flute-like  mountain 
echoes ;  the  low  moan  and  whistle  of  the  storm  rose 
life-like  in  the  crescendo  of  the  violins,  and  as  it  died 
away  the  startling  quick-step  of  liberty  leaped  strong 
and  simultaneous  from  such  a  tutti  as  we  have  hardly 
heard  from  any  orchestra.  We  can  believe  that 
Mr.  Benedict  was  quite  sincere  in  telling  them  he 
had  not  conducted  a  better  orchestra  in  Europe. 
The  other  Overture  to  Masaniello  was  also  splen- 
didly played,  but  the  composition  is,  to  our  taste,  too 
hackneyed  to  fill  out  the  programme  of  a  Jenny 
Lind  before  the  largest  audience  in  the  world.  The 
accompaniments  to  the  singing  were  usually  given 
with  sympathetic  precision,  and  subdued  shading  or 
vigorous  seconding,  as  the  case  required.  We  can- 
not speak  too  well  of  M.  Benedict's  control  of  his 
forces. 


244  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

"  The  second  piece  was  the  Virawiso  ("As  I  View 
Now  ")  from  La  Somnambula,  delivered  in  the  rich- 
est and  most  vibrating  barytone  that  we  Americans 
have  heard,  by  Sig.  Belletti.  Now  that  we  have 
heard  him  from  a  nearer  position,  we  have  not  a 
doubt  left  of  his  superiority  in  voice,  style,. execution 
to  all  our  Italian  favorites  of  the  same  register  hith- 
erto. He  absolutely  glorified  the  cavatina  which 
rapidly  grew  commonplace  with  Brough,  and  had 
but  half  recovered  even  in  the  hands  of  the  worthy 
Italian  artists  who  have  since  sung  it  on  the  stage 
for  us.  His  crowning  achievement  last  night,  how- 
ever, was  the  actual  singing  of  a  Tarentella  by  Ros- 
sini— a  kind  of  movement  which  we  have  hitherto 
heard  only  from  instruments— a  whirling,  spinning, 
delirious,  top-like  movement  in  which  the  singer 
seems  galvanized  and  tyrannized  by  one  too  happy 
and  all-mastering  idea  in  spite  of  himself.  The  au- 
dience too,  in  spite  of  themselves,  were  sucked  into 
its  whirling  ecstacy,  and  it  was  imperatively  encored. 
In  Mozart's  Non  piu  Andrai  the  chaster  prototype 
of  Rossini's  Largo  al  factotum,  his  vocalization  was 
elastic,  spirited  and  elegant,  but  the  effect  of  such  a 
piece  was  necessarily  lost  upon  the  outer  circles  of 
so  vast  an  auditory. 

"  For  other  variety  there  was  a  brilliant  show 
duett  on  themes  from  La  Somnambula  for  piano  and 
violin  by  Messrs.  Benedict  and  Noll,  and  a  solo  on 
the  pianoforte  by  that  most  promising  young  artist, 
Hoffman.  For  this  he  chose  De  Meyer's  fantasy 


THE   QUEEN  OF  SONG.  24$ 

on  Semir amide,  decidedly  of  the  modern  monster 
school  of  pianoforte  composition,  though  quite  a 
vigorous,  graceful  and  redeeming  specimen  thereof. 

"And  now  for  the  '  Queen  of  Song ' — or,  if  so 
qualifying  it  will  better  suit  the  Italians,  the  Northern 
Queen  of  Song. 

"  She  commenced  with  one  of  the  most  tender  and 
graceful,  and  hereabouts  least  hackneyed  airs  of  Bel- 
lini— the  Qui  la  Voce  from  /  Puritani.  Her  liquid 
purity  of  voice  and  graceful  gliding  through  its 
flowery  labyrinthine  passages  was  to  us  not  more 
remarkable  than  the  true  but  quiet  fervor  which 
animated  it.  Jenny  Lind  shows  no  feeling !  and 
excites  none  !  draws  no  tears  !  True  Art  supplies 
the  place  of  tears  by  touching  the  emotions  which 
are  deeper  and  serener,  and  not  a  whit  less  human. 
But  of  this  more  fully  when  we  have  room. 

"The  splendid  song  from  Mozart's  '  Magic  Flute,' 
Non  Paventar,  brought  into  play  the  salient  diamonds 
of  her  highest  voice,  which  arches  like  the  tall  shaft 
of  a  fountain  sparkling  in  the  sun.  The  introduc- 
tion, a  bold,  exhorting  strain,  in  grandiose  style,  full 
of  large  intervals,  was  given  with  a  glorious  fervor, 
and  no  lark  ever  carolled  more  blithely  or  more  at 
ease  than  her  voice  as  it  soared  to  F  in  alt !  Bene- 
dict's English  ballad,  '  Take  this  Lute,',  she  sang  with 
a  simplicity  and  pathos  that  won  the  audience  com- 
pletely ;  and  no  part  seemed  more  genuine  or  more 
expressive  than  the  difficult  cadenza  at  its  close. 

"The  romanza  from  Robert  le  Diable  was  perhaps 


246  LIFE    OF  P.    T.    BARNUM. 

the  most  fascinating  of  her  more  studied  perform- 
ances. This,  like  all  her  brilliant  things,  if  not  im- 
passioned in  the  cheaper  superficial  sense,  was  at  all 
events  vital,  and  from  the  soul.  She  is  never  me- 
chanical, whatever  you  may  say  about  want  of  pas- 
sion. Is  any  tragic  pathos,  such  as  is  ready  on  the 
smallest  occasion,  or  on  none,  more  admirable  and 
more  inspiring,  more  from  the  inmost  soul,  than  is 
that  gushing  up  of  a  full,  glad,  true  heart  which  is 
her  native  mood  of  song,  and  which  was  so  glorious 
last  night  in  the  Ah  !  non  Giunge  from  Somnambula? 
The  rapturous  encore  to  this  was  answered  by  the 
Swedish  '  Herdsman's  Song.' 

"  It  was  in  the  song  from  Mozart's  '  Magic  Flute ' 
that  we  first  fully  knew  the  voice  and  art  and  soul  of 
Jenny  Lind.  She  warmed  to  that  music.  It  is  nar- 
row criticism  which  imprisons  such  a  singer  within 
the  partial  scope,  albeit  classical,  of  the  Italian 
School ;  ignores  that  vital  part  of  her  which  may 
exceed  the  conventional  requirements  of  such  a 
School,  and  condemns  whatever  in  her  is  most  char- 
acteristic, and  in  contrast  with  its  models.  It  has 
been  well  said  by  those  who  make  the  most  intelli- 
gent reference  to  those  models  and  that  school,  that 
the  style  of  the  Swedish  Nightingale  is  sui  generis, 
as  marked  as  her  own  personality.  True,  you  would 
not  say  of  her,  in  the  conventional  Italian  sense  of 
the  word,  what  is  often  said  in  first  acknowledgment 
of  a  good  singer :  '  She  has  style ' — meaning  the  one 
style  which  is  assumed  as  the  standard.  If  we  are 


HER  FULL    GLORY  DISPLAYED.  247 

to  limit  style  to  that  sense,  Mdlle.  Lind  has  more 
than  style ;  she  has  genius — Northern  genius,  to  be 
sure,  which  is  precisely  what  she  should  have  to 
make  her  greatness  genuine.  Song  is  original  in 
her ;  and  from  her  singing  we  drink  in  new  life,  after 
long  satiety  of  such  passion-sweets  as  have  become 
habits  rather  than  fresh  inspirations  in  the  delightful 
— we  may  almost  say  perfected — but  yet  confined 
music  of  the  Italians. 

"  It  is,  perhaps,  too  late  to  await  the  advent  of  a 
Queen  of  Song  from  the  warm  South.  The  South 
has  had  its  turn ;  it  has  fulfilled  its  mission ;  the 
other  end  of  the  balance  now  comes  up.  The 
Northern  Muse  must  sing  her  lesson  to  the  world. 
Her  fresher,  chaster,  more  intellectual,  and  (as  they 
only  seem  to  some)  her  colder  strains  come  in  due 
season  to  recover  our  souls  from  the  delicious  lan- 
guor of  a  Music  which  has  been  so  wholly  of  the 
Feelings,  that,  for  the  want  of  some  intellectual  tonic 
and  some  spiritual  temper,  Feeling  has  degenerated 
into  mere  Sensibility  and  a  very  cheap  kind  of  su- 
perficial, skin-deep  excitability  that  usurps  the  name 
of  Passion. 

"  We  admire  and  feel  and  love  the  Melody  of 
Italy.  We  reverence  her  native  gift  of  song,  her 
popular  sensibility  to  it.  We  have  been  again  and 
again  transported  by  her  best  vocal  artists  who  have 
visited  these  shores,  and  they  are  not  the  best — the 
world-wide  celebrities,  we  have  to  confess,  are  only 
traditions  to  us — traditions,  however,  to  which  we 


248  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

yield  ourselves  in  full  faith.  From  what  we  have 
heard  and  experienced  of  Italian  singing,  we  know, 
as  well  as  if  we  had  heard  Grisi,  Pasta  and  Rubini, 
that  it  is  not  in  the  genius  of  the  Italian  School  to 
produce  or  hardly  to  appreciate  such  a  new  revela- 
tion of  song  as  this  human  nightingale  or  canary  of 
Sweden. 

"  Is  this  underrating  the  Italian  music  ?  By  no 
means.  That  is  an  established  fact,  and  has  its 
characteristic  worth.  Equally  so,  but  in  a  contrasted 
way  has  the  music  of  the  North,  which,  till  this 
Nightingale  appeared,  had  found  its  utterance 
mainly  through  instruments  and  orchestras.  Now  it 
finds  worthy  utterance  in  song.  But  of  its  peculiar 
characteristic  we  must  take  another  time  to  speak." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CONTINUED  TRIUMPH. 

SUCCESSFUL  ADVERTISING — THE  RESPONSIBILITIES  OF  RICHES — VISIT  TO 
IRANISTAN — OVATIONS  AT  BOSTON,  PHILADELPHIA,  BALTIMORE  AND 
WASHINGTON — VISIT  TO  MT.  VERNON — CHARLESTON — HAVANA — 
FREDERICKA  BREMER. 

All  of  Barnum's  inventive  powers  were  called 
into  play  effectually  to  advertise  his  song-bird.  Biog- 
raphies of  Jenny  Lind  were  circulated.  "  Foreign 
correspondence  "  raved  over  her  talents,  narratives  of 
her  benevolence  filled  the  papers  ;  her  pictures  and 
her  name  were  seen  everywhere.  So  when  she  made 
her  first  appearance,  it  was  before  an  audience  al- 
ready wrought  up  to  a  high  pitch  of  enthusiasm  in  her 
behalf.  Never  before,  or  after  for  that  matter,  was 
any  singer  so  lauded  by  the  press.  The  following 
editorial  from  the  New  York  Herald  of  September 
loth,  1850,  is  a  fair  sample  : 

"What  ancient  monarch  was  hev  either  in  history 
or  in  fable,  who  offered  half  his  kingdom  (the  price  of 
box-tickets  and  choice  seats  in  those  days)  for  the 
invention  of  an  original  sensation,  or  the  discovery 
of  a  fresh  pleasure  ?  That  sensation — that  pleasure 
which  royal  power  in  the  Old  World  failed  to  dis- 
249 


250  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

cover — has  been  called  into  existence  at  a  less  price, 
by  Mr.  Barnum,  a  plain  republican,  and  is  now  about 
to  be  enjoyed  by  the  sovereigns  of  the  New  World. 

"Jenny  Lind,  the  most  remarkable  phenomenon 
in  the  musical  art  which  has  for  the  last  century 
flashed  across  the  horizon  of  the  Old  World,  is  now 
among  us,  and  will  make  her  debut  to-morrow  night 
to  a  house  of  nearly  ten  thousand  listeners,  yielding 
in  proceeds  by  auction,  a  sum  of  forty  or  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars.  For  the  last  ten  days  our  musical 
reporters  have  furnished  our  readers  with  every 
matter  connected  with  her  arrival  in  this  metropolis, 
and  the  steps  adopted  by  Mr.  Barnum  in  prepara- 
tion for  Tier  first  appearance.  The  proceedings  of 
yesterday,  consisting  of  the  sale  of  the  remainder 
of  the  tickets,  and  the  astonishing,  the  wonderful 
sensation  produced  at  her  first  rehearsal  on  the  few 
persons,  critics  in  musical  art,  who  were  admitted  on 
the  occasion,  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  our  columns. 

"We  concur  in  everything  that  has*been  said  by 
our  musical  reporter,  describing  her  extraordinary 
genius — her  unrivalled  combination  of  power  an4 
art.  Nothing  has  been  exaggerated,  not  an  iota. 
Three  years  ago,  more  or  less,  we  heard  Jenny  Lind 
on  many  occasions,  when  she  made  the  first  great 
sensation  in  Europe,  by  her  debut  at  the  London 
Opera  House.  Then  she  was  great  in  power — in 
art — m  genius  ;  now  she  is  greater  in  all.  We 
speak  from  experience  and  conviction.  Then  shq 
astonished,  and  pleased,  and  fascinated  the  thou< 


JENNY  LIND  AND  THE  AMERICAN  PEOPLE.       251 

sands  of  the  British  aristocracy  ;  now  she  will  fasci- 
nate, and  please,  and  delight,  and  almost  make  mad 
with  musical  excitement,  the  millions  of  the  Ameri- 
can democracy.  To-morrow  night,  this  new  sensa- 
tion— this  fresh  movement — this  excitement  excelling 
all  former  excitements — will  be  called  into  existence, 
when  she  pours  out  the  notes  of  Casta  Diva,  and 
exhibits  her  astonishing  powers — her  wonderful  pecu- 
liarities, that  seem  more  of  heaven  than  of  earth — 
more  of  a  voice  from  eternity,  than  from  the  lips  of 
a  human  being. 

"We  speak  soberly — seriously — calmly.  The 
public  expectation  has  run  very  high  for  the  last 
week — higher  than  at  any  former  period  of  our  past 
musical  annals.  But  high  as  it  has  risen,  the  reality 
—the  fact — the  concert — the  voice  of  Jenny  Lind — 
will  far  surpass  all  past  expectations.  Jenny  Lind 
is  a  wonder,  and  a  prodigy  in  song — and  no 
mistake." 

Barnum  had  not  hoped  to  manage  such  an  enor- 
mous enterprise  as  this  one,  without  some  trouble 
and  anxiety,  but  he  soon  discovered  that  in  this  case, 
realization  far  exceeded  anticipation.  He  often  de- 
clared that  from  the  first  concert,  September  nth, 
1850,  until  the  ninety-third  concert,  June  gth,  1851, 
he  did  not  experience  a  single  waking  moment  that 
was  free  from  care. 

Miss  Lind  was  utterly  unprepared  for  the  enthu- 
siasm of  her  American  audience,  and  it  is  scarcely  to 
be  wondered  at  that  she  should  appear  to  listen  at  first 


252  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

to  the  dishonorable  counsels  of  some  of  her  friends, 
who  constantly  besought  her  to  break  her  contract 
with  Barnum,  who,  they  urged,  was  "  coining  money 
out  of  her  genius,"  and  to  take  the  enterprise  into 
her  own  hands.  But  whether  Miss  Lind  realized  that 
Mr.  Barnum's  management  was  largely  responsible 
for  her  triumph,  or  whether  she  was  simply  too  high- 
minded  to  consider  such  a  breach  of  honor,  certain 
it  is  that  she  continued  to  stand  by  her  contract. 
John  Jay,  her  lawyer,  took  every  occasion  to  inter- 
fere, and  Barnum  suffered  much  from  his  unreason- 
able intrusions.  The  following  letter,  written  to 
Mr.  Joshua  Bates  of  Baring  Bros.  &  Co.,  London, 
will  show  the  difficulties  which  beset  the  perplexed 
manager : 

"NEW  YORK,  October  23,  1850. 

"  JOSHUA  BATES,  Esq. : 

"Dear  Sir :  I  take  the  liberty  to  write  you  a  few 
lines,  merely  to  say  that  we  are  getting  along  as 
well  as  could  reasonably  be  expected.  In  this 
country  you  are  aware  that  the  rapid  accumulation 
of  wealth  always  creates  much  envy,  and  envy  soon 
augments  to  malice.  Such  are  the  elements  at 
work  to  a  limited  degree  against  myself,  and 
although  Miss  Lind,  Benedict  and  myself  have 
never,  as  yet,  had  the  slightest  feelings  between  us, 
to  my  knowledge,  except  those  of  friendship,  yet  I 
cannot  well  see  how  this  can  long  continue  in  the 
face  of  the  fact  that,  nearly  every  day  they  allow 
persons  (some  moving  in  the  first  classes  of  society) 


JENNY  LIND. 


ENVIO US  MEDDLERS.  255 

to  approach  them,  and  spend  hours  in  traducing  me  ; 
even  her  attorney,  Mr.  John  Jay,  has  been,  so  blind 
to  her  interests,  as  to  aid  in  poisoning  her  mind 
against  me,  by  pouring  into  her  ears  the  most  silly 
twaddle,  all  of  which  amounts  to  nothing  and  less 
than  nothing — such  as  the  regret  that  I  was  a  show- 
man, exhibiter  of  Tom  Thumb,  etc.,  etc. 

"  Without  the  elements  which  I  possess  for  busi- 
ness, as  well  as  my  knowledge  of  human  nature, 
acquired  in  catering  for  the  public,  the  result  of  her 
concerts  here  would  not  have  been  pecuniarily  one- 
half  as  much  as  the  present — and  such  men  as  the 
Hon.  Edward  Everett,  G.  G.  Howland,  and  others, 
will  tell  you  that  there  is  no  charlatanism  or  lack  of 
dignity  in  my  management  of  these  concerts.  I  know 
as  well  as  any  person,  that  the  merits  of  Jenny  Lind 
are  the  best  capital  to  depend  upon  to  secure  public 
favor,  and  I  have  thus  far  acted  on  this  knowledge. 
Everything  which  money  and  attention  can  procure 
for  their  comfort,  they  have,  and  I  am  glad  to  know 
that  they  are  satisfied  on  this  score.  All  I  fear  is, 
that  these  continued  backbitings,  if  listened  to  by 
her,  will,  by  and  by,  produce  a  feeling  of  distrust  or 
regret,  which  will  lead  to  unpleasant  results. 

"  The  fact  is,  her  mind  ought  to  be  as  free  as  air, 
and  she  herself  as  free  as  a  bird,  and  being  satisfied 
of  my  probity  and  ability,  she  should  turn  a  deaf  ear 
to  all  envious  and  malevolent  attacks  on  me.  I 
have  hoped  that  by  thus  briefly  stating  to  you  the 
facts  in  the  case,  you  might  be  induced  for  her  inter- 

16 


256  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

ests  as  well  as  mine  to  drop  a  line  of  advice  to  Mr. 
Benedict  and  another  to  Mr.  Jay  on  this  subject.  If 
I  am  asking  or  expecting  too  much,  I  pray  you  to 
not  give  it  a  thought,  for  I  feel  myself  fully  able  to 
carry  through  my  rights  alone,  although  I  should 
deplore  nothing  so  much  as  to  be  obliged  to  do  so 
in  a  feeling  of  unfriendliness.  I  have  risked  much 
money  on  the  issue  of  this  speculation — it  has 
proved  successful.  I  am  full  of  perplexity  and 
anxiety,  and  labor  continually  for  success,  and  I  can- 
not allow  ignorance  or  envy  to  rob  me  of  the  fruits 
of  my  enterprise. 

"  Sincerely  and  gratefully  yours, 

"  P.  T.  BARNUM." 

Miss  Lind's  benevolence  had  been  so  largely 
extolled  that  it  was  not  surprising  that  she  should 
have  been  continually  beset  by  applicants  for  charity. 

In  almost  all  cases  she  gave  liberally  in  sums 
varying  from  $20  to  $1,000,  and  to  one  Swedish 
friend,  it  is  said,  she  actually  gave  $5,000. 

On  her  return  from  Boston  to  New  York  the 
whole  party  stopped  at  Iranistan,  Mr.  Barnum's 
Bridgeport  place.  The  next  morning  Miss  Lind 
was  escorted  over  the  grounds,  the  beauty  of  which 
delighted  her.  "Do  you  know,  Mr.  Barnum,"  she 
said,  "that  if  you  had  not  built  Iranistan,  I  should 
never  have  come  to  America  for  you  ?  "  Mr.  Bar- 
num, much  surprised,  asked  her  to  explain. 

"  I  had  received  several  applications  to  visit  the 
United  States,"  she  continued,  "but  I  did  not  much 


B  OSTON— PHILADELPHIA— BAL  TIMORE. 

like  the  appearance  of  the  applicants,  nor  did  I  relish 
the  idea  of  crossing  3,000  .miles  of  ocean ;  so  I 
declined  them  all.  But  the  first  letter  which  Mr. 
Wilton,  your  agent,  addressed  me,  was  written  upon 
a  sheet  headed  with  a  beautiful  engraving  of  Iranis- 
tan.  It  attracted  my  attention.  I  said  to  myself,  a 
gentleman  who  has  been  so  successful  in  his  busi- 
ness as  to  be  able  to  build  and  reside  in  such  a 
palace  cannot  be  a  mere  'adventurer.'  Sol  wrote  to 
your  agent,  and  consented  to  an  interview,  which  I 
should  have  declined,  if  I  had  not  seen  the  picture 
of  Iranistan." 

"  That,  then,  fully  pays  me  for  building  it,"  replied 
Barnum. 

The  night  after  Miss  Lind's  arrival  in  Boston, 
there  was  a  display  of  fireworks,  in  her  honor,  in 
front  of  the  Revere  House,  which  was  followed  by  a 
torchlight  procession  by  the  Germans  of  the  city. 
At  Philadelphia,  they  were  met  by  such  a  dense 
throng  of  people  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty that  they  pressed  through  the  crowds  to  their 
hotel.  Jenny  was  suffering  from  a  very  severe 
headache  and  retired  at  once  to  her  rooms.  Outside, 
the  streets  were  packed  with  the  thousands  that  had 
followed  them  to  the  door,  and  were  now  clamoring 
for  Jenny  Lind.  . 

Knowing  that  the  noise  would  seriously  disturb 
the  sensitive  songstress,  Barnum  tried  to  induce  the 
crowd  to  disperse ;  but  they  declared  they  would 
not  until  Miss  Lind  appeared  on  the  balcony.  In 


258  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

despair  he  finally  put  Jenny's  bonnet  and  shawl  on 
her  companion,  Miss  Ahmansen,  who  went  out  on 
the  balcony  and  bowed  gracefully  to  the  multitude, 
who  gave  three  hearty  cheers  and  dispersed. 

Miss  Lind  hated  crowds,  and  always  wished  her 
arrival  in  any  city  kept  secret,  so  as  to  avoid  the 
excitement  of  a  public  reception,  but  Barnum  knew 
that  the  success  of  the  enterprise  depended  in  a 
large  measure  on  this  very  excitement. 

One  day  Miss  Lind  remarked  to  Mr.  Barnum, 
"  I  have  just  heard  that  you  and  I  are  to  be  married. 
Now  how  do  you  suppose  such  a  report  ever  origi- 
nated?" 

"Probably  from  the  fact  that  we  are  'engaged,' 
suggested  Barnum,  the  inveterate  punster. 

Miss  Lind  always  went  to  church  when  she  could 
do  so  without  attracting  too  much  attention,  always 
inquiring  for  the  Swedish  church  wherever  it  could 
be  found. 

One  Sunday  in  Baltimore,  Miss  Caroline  Barnum, 
now  Mrs.  David  W.  Thompson,  of  New  York,  went 
with  a  friend  of  hers  who  resided  in  the  city,  into 
the  choir,  where  she  joined  in  the  singing. 

A  number  of  people  in  the  audience  had  seen 
her  with  her  father  the  day  previous  and  supposed 
her  to  be  Jenny  Lind.  -Like  lightning  the  news  that 
Jenny  Lind  was  in  the  choir,  flew  through  the 
church,  and  when  Miss  Barnum,  whose  voice  was 
not  at  all  extraordinary,  rose  with  the  rest  to  sing, 
the  congregation  listened  breathlessly.  "  Heavenly  !" 


IN  WASHINGTON.  259 

"  Exquisite  !  "  "  Angelic  !  "  sighed  the  excited  audi- 
ence. The  two  young  ladies,  all  unconscious  of  the 
furore  they  had  inspired  were  utterly  astonished 
when,  after  church,  the  crowd  pressed  round  them 
so  closely  that  they  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
reaching  their  carriage. 

The  day  after  their  appearance  in  Washington, 
President  Fillmore  called,  and  left  his  card,  Miss  Lind 
being  out.  Jenny  was  very  much  flurried  when  she 
returned,  and  was  prepared  to  call  at  the  White 
House  immediately,  as  would  have  been  proper  had 
Mr.  Fillmore  been  the  head  of  any  European 
country.  Barnum  assured  her,  however,  that  eti- 
quette was  not  so  strict  in  America,  and  she  post- 
poned her  visit  until  the  next  day,  when  with  Benedict, 
Belletti  and  Mr.  Barnum  she  spent  several  delightful 
hours  in  the  President's  family. 

The  President,  the  Cabinet  and  nearly  every  mem- 
ber of  Congress  attended  both  concerts.  The  great 
Statesman  Webster  was  so  pleased  with  one  of  her 
songs  that  he  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height  and 
bowed  profoundly,  to  Miss  Lind's  great  gratification. 
Of  all  the  distinguished  men  who  called  upon  her 
in  Washington,  none  .impressed  her  like  Webster. 
She  walked  up  and  down  in  great  excitement  after 
he  had  gone,  exclaiming  :  "  Ah  !  Mr.  Barnum,  what 
a  man  !  I  have  never  before  seen  such  a  man  ! " 

Miss  Lind  was  escorted  through  both  Houses  of 
Congress  and  through  the  Capitol  and  grounds,  by 
Hon.  C.  F.  Cleveland,  Representative  from  Connec- 


26O  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

ticut.  She  was  very  much  pleased  with  everything 
and  asked  innumerable  questions  about  the  Ameri- 
can Government. 

During  their  stay  in  Washington,  they  were  invited 
by  Colonel  Washington,  then  owner  of  Mt.  Vernon, 
to  visit  the  home  and  the  tomb  of  the  first  President. 

The  party  first  visited  the  tomb  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  the  house  where  they  were  introduced  to 
Mrs.  Washington  and  several  other  ladies. 

Much  interest  was  shown  by  Miss  Lind  in  ex- 
amining the  various  mementos  of  the  great  man, 
and  when  before  leaving,  Mrs.  Washington  pre- 
sented her  with  a  book  from  the  library  with  Wash- 
ington's autograph  on  the  title  page,  she  was  over- 
whelmed with  emotion. 

Miss  Lind  had  been  through  so  much  excitement 
in  the  North  that  she  determined  to  see  no  callers 
during  her  stay  in  the  South.  One  young  lady,  the 
daughter  of  a  wealthy  planter,  was  so  determined  to 
see  her,  that  she  bribed  a  maid  to  lend  her  her  cap 
and  apron,  and  let  her  carry  in  Miss  Lind's  tea.  This 
incident  amused  Barnum  immensely,  but  Miss  Lind 
was  much  vexed,  declaring  the  young  lady's  motive 
to  be  curiosity  rather  than  admiration.  The  voyage 
from  Wilmington  to  Charleston  had  been  very  rough, 
the  trip  requiring  over  thirty-six  hours.  When  they 
arrived  at  last,  the  vessel  had  been  given  up  for  lost 
and  the  wreck  had  been  telegraphed  all  over  the 
country.  The  voyage  to  Havana  was  very  much 
pleasanter,  however. 


THROUGH  THE  SOUTH.  26 1 

Arriving  there,  they  found  the  house  which  Mr. 
Barnum  had  sent  a  man  on  to  provide  for  them, 
anything  but  comfortable.  Miss  Lind,  especially, 
was  much  displeased,  and,  hiring  a  carriage,  she 
drove  off,  accompanied  by  an  interpreter.  She  was 
gone  four  hours,  to  the  great  alarm  of  the  rest  of 
the  party.  Returning,  she  announced  that  she  had 
hired  a  charming  house  in  the  suburbs,  and  invited 
the  whole  company  to  be  her  guests  during  their 
stay  in  Havana.  It  is  needless  to  say  they  accepted 
her  invitation. 

There,  freed  from  all  care  and  annoyance  and 
away  from  the  too  zealous  counsellors,  she  spent  a 
delightful  month,  seeing  no  callers,  coming  and  going 
as  she  pleased,  and  romping  like  a  schoolgirl  in  the 
great  court-yard  "back  of  the  house.  She  used  to 
force  Mr.  Barnum  to  play  ball  with  her  until  he  was 
exhausted  and  fain  to  beg  off.  Then  she  would 
laugh  and  say  :  "  Oh,  Mr.  Barnum  !  you  are  too  fat 
and  lazy  ;  you  cannot  stand  it  to  play  ball  with  me." 

The  celebrated  Swedish  authoress,  Fredericka 
Bremer,  spent  a  few  days  with  them  in  their  Havana 
retreat. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

HAVANA. 

CONQUEST  OF  THE  HABANEROS— THE  ITALIAN  AND  His  DOG— MAD  BEN- 
NETT—A SUCCESSFUL  RUSE — RETURN  TO  NEW  ORLEANS — A  LUDICROUS 
INCIDENT — UP  THE  MISSISSIPPI — LEGERDEMAIN. 

Soon  after  arriving  at  Havana,  Barn  urn  made  a 
discovery.  The  Habaneros,  not  accustomed  to  the 
high  prices  which  opera  tickets  command  in  the 
States,  had  determined  that  they  would  force  Bar- 
num  to  lower  the  admission  fee.  This  the  manager 
refused  to  do,  and  it  soon  became  evident  that 
although  they  attended  the  concerts,  they  were  not 
disposed  to  show  the  singer  the  least  favor.  It  was, 
therefore,  with  much  inward  trepidation  that  Barnum 
watched  the  curtain  rise  on  the  first  concert. 
The  following  account  of  that  concert  is  taken  from 
the  New  York  Tribune: 

"  Jenny  Lind  soon  appeared,  led  on  by  Signor 
Belletti.  Some  three  or  four  hundred  persons 
clapped  their  hands  at  her  appearance,  but  this 
token  of  approbation  was  instantly  silenced  by  at 
least  two  thousand  five  hundred  decided  hisses. 
Thus  having  settled  the  matter  that  there  should  be 
262 


CONQUERING  AN  AUDIENCE.  263 

no  forestalling  of  public  opinion,  and  that  if  applause 
was  given  to  Jenny  Lind  in  that  house  it  should  first 
be  incontestably  earned,  the  most  solemn  silence 
prevailed.  I  have  heard  the  Swedish  Nightingale 
often  in  Europe  as  well  as  in  America,  and  have 
ever  noticed  a  distinct  tremulousness  attending  her 
first  appearance  in  any  city.  Indeed  this  feeling 
was  plainly  manifested  in  her  countenance  as  she 
neared  the  foot-lights ;  but  when  she  witnessed  the 
kind  of  reception  in  store  for  her — so  different  from 
anything  she  had  reason  to  expect — her  countenance 
changed  in  an  instant  to  a  haughty  self-possession, 
her  eyes  flashed  defiance,  and,  becoming  immovable 
as  a  statue,  she  stood  there  perfectly  calm  and  beau- 
tiful. She  was  satisfied  that  she  now  had  an  ordeal 
to  pass  and  a  victory  to  gain  worthy  of  her  powers. 
In  a  moment  her  eye  scanned  the  immense  audience, 
the  music  began  and  then  followed — how  can  I 
describe  it  ? — such  heavenly  strains  as  I  verily  believe 
mortal  never  breathed  except  Jenny  Lind,  and  mor- 
tal never  heard  except  from  her  lips.  Some  of  the 
oldest  Castilians  kept  a  frown  upon  their  brow  and 
a  curling  sneer  upon  their  lips ;  their  ladies,  how- 
ever, and  most  of  the  audience  began  to  look  sur- 
prised. The  gushing  melody  flowed  on,  increasing 
in  beauty  and  glory.  The  caballeros,  the  senoras 
and  senoritas  began  to  look  at  each  other ;  nearly 
all,  however,  kept  their  teeth  clenched  and  their  lips 
closed,  evidently  determined  to  resist  to  the  last. 
The  torrent  flowed  deeper  and  faster,  the  lark  flew 


264  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

higher  and  higher,  the  melody  grew  richer  and 
grander  ;  still  every  lip  was  compressed.  By  and 
by,  as  the  rich  notes  came  dashing  in  rivers  upon 
our  enraptured  ears,  one  poor  critic  involuntarily 
whispered  a  'brava.'  This  outburstingof  the  soul  was 
instantly  hissed  down.  The  stream  of  harmony 
rolled  on  till,  at  the  close,  it  made  a  clean  sweep  of 
every  obstacle,  and  carried  all  before  it.  Not  a 
vestige  of  opposition  remained,  but  such  a  tre- 
mendous shout  of  applause  as  went  up  I  never 
before  heard. 

"  The  triumph  was  most  complete.  And  how 
was  Jenny  Lind  affected  ?  She  who  stood  a  few 
moments  previous  like  adamant,  now  trembled  like 
a  reed  in  the  wind  before  the  storm  of  enthusiasm 
which  her  own  simple  notes  had  produced.  Tremb- 
lingly, slowly,  and  almost  bowing  her  face  to  the 
ground,  she  withdrew.  The  roar  and  applause  of 
victory  increased.  '  Encore  !  encore  !  encore  !  '  came 
from  every  lip.  She  again  appeared,  and  courtesy- 
ing  low,  again  withdrew  ;  but  again,  again  and  again 
did  they  call  her  out  and  at  every  appearance  the 
thunders  of  applause  rang  louder  and  louder.  Thus 
five  times  was  Jenny  Lind  called  out  to  receive  their 
unanimous  and  deafening  plaudits." 

With  tears  of  joy  rolling  down  his  cheeks,  Barnum 
rushed  behind  the  scenes,  and  met  her  as  she  was 
withdrawing  after  the  fifth  encore. 

"  God  bless  you,  Jenny,"  he  cried,  "  you've  set- 
tled them ! " 


THE  CHARITY  CONGER  T—  VIVALLA.  265 

"  Are  you  satisfied  ?  "  said  the  singer,  throwing 
her  arms  around  his  neck  and  'weeping  for  joy. 
This  was  the  first  she  had  known  of  the  opposition, 
all  hint  of  it  having  been  kept  from  her  by  Mr. 
Barnum,  but  she  fully  sympathized  with  him  in  his 
determination  not  to  lower  the  prices. 

The  papers  continued  to  cry  out  for  a  reduction, 
and  this  caused  many  people  to  stay  away  from  the 
concerts,  expecting  Barnum  to  yield.  But  when,  after 
three  concerts,  it  was  announced  that  the  next  one, 
devoted  to  charity,  was  also  to  be  Miss  Lind's  fare- 
well, they  became  very  much  excited.  Committees 
waited  on  them  to  request  more  concerts,  which 
resulted  only  in  refusals :  some  of  the  leading  Dons 
offered  to  guarantee  them  $25,000,  for  three  concerts, 
but  Barnum  assured  them  that  there  was  not  money 
enough  in  the  Island  of  Cuba  to  induce  him  to  consent. 

The  proceeds  of  the  fourth  concert  were  dis- 
tributed between  two  hospitals  and  a  convent, 
besides  giving  $500  to  Barnum's  old  protege  Vivalla, 
the  little  Italian  plate-dancer,  whom  they  had  met  in 
Havana.  The  poor  fellow's  fortunes  were  at  a  very 
low  ebb,  having  lost  the  use  of  his  left  side  from 
paralysis.  He  supported  himself  by  exhibiting  a  per- 
forming dog,  which  turned  a  spinning  wheel  and  did 
several  other  tricks.  Miss  Lind  had  heard  of  his 
case  and  was  very  anxious  that  part  of  the  benefit 
money  should  be  given  him. 

The  morning  after  the  concert  the  bell  rang  and 
Barnum  found,  on  going  to  the  door,  a  procession 


266  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

of  children  from  the  convent  which  had  received  a 
large  sum  of  money  from  Miss  Lind.  The  children 
were  attended  by  ten  or  twelve  priests  in  rich  vest- 
ments. They  had  come  to  see  the  songstress  and 
to  thank  her  in  person.  But  Jenny  shrank  from 
appearing  before  such  a  stately  deputation :  "Tell 
them  I  cannot  see  them,"  she  exclaimed.  "  They  have 
nothing  to  thank  me  for.  If  I  have  done  good  it 
was  no  more  than  my  duty."  And  the  grand  pro- 
cession with  its  wreaths  and  banners,  were  obliged 
to  depart. 

The  same  day,  Vivalla  called  and  brought  her  a 
basket  of  fruit.  With  tears  of  joy,  he  called  down 
every  blessing  on  the  head  of  the  benevolent  lady. 
"  I  shall  go  back  to  Italy !  I  shall  see  my  brothers 
and  sisters  again  !  "  he  cried.  Miss  Lind  had  gone 
for  a  drive,  but  Barnum  promised  to  give  her  the  fruit 
and  the  message.  As  he  was  passing  out  the  door 
he  hesitated  and  said:  "Mr.  Barnum,  I  should  like 
so  much  to  have  the  good  lady  see  my  dog  turn  a 
wheel.  It  is  very  nice  ;  he  can  spin  very  good  ; 
shall  I  bring  the  dog  and  the  wheel  for  her  ?  She 
is  such  a  good  lady,  I  wish  to  please  her  very  much." 
Mr.  Barnum  told  the  grateful  fellow  that  Miss  Lind 
had  refused  to  see  the  priests  from  the  convent  that 
morning,  because  she  never  received  thanks  for 
favors,  and  that  he  was  quite  welcome  to  the  money. 

When  Miss  Lind  returned  and  heard  the  story, 
she  exclaimed:  "Poor  man,  poor  man,  do  let  him 
come  ;  its  all  the  good  creature  can  do  for  me ; " 


MAKING   VI VALLA  HAPPY.  267 

then  with  tears  rolling  down  her  face — "  I  like  that, 
I  like  that ;  do  let  him  come  and  bring  his  dog.  It 
will  make  him  so  happy." 

<rGod  bless  you,  it  will  make  him  happy,"  said 
Barnum.  "He  shall  come  to-morrow."  And  he 
went  himself  to  tell  Vivalla  that  Jenny  Lind  would 
see  his  dog  perform,  the  next  day  at  four  precisely. 

"I  will  be  punctual,"  said  Vivalla,  quite  overcome 
with  emotion,  "but  I  was  sure  she  would  like  to  see 
my  dog  perform." 

For  full  half  an  hour  before  the  time  appointed  did 
Jenny  Lind  sit  in  her  window  on  the  second  floor  and 
watch  for  Vivalla  and  his  dog.  A  few  minutes 
before  the  appointed  hour,  she  saw  him  coming. 
"Ah,  here  he  comes!  here  he  comes!"  she  ex- 
claimed in  delight,  as  she  ran  down  stairs  and 
opened  the  door  to  admit  him.  A  negro  boy  was 
bringing  the  small  spinning-wheel,  while  Vivalla  led 
the  dog.  Handing  the  boy  a  silver  coin,  she 
motioned  him  away,  and  taking  the  wheel  in  her 
arms,  she  said,  "This  is  very  kind  of  you  to  come 
with  your  dog.  Follow  me.  I  will  carry  the  wheel 
up  stairs."  Her  servant  offered  to  take  the  wheel, 
but  no,  she  would  let  no  one  carry  it  but  herself. 
She  called  the  whole  party  to  her  parlor,  and  for  one 
full  hour  did  she  devote  herself  to  the  happy  Italian. 
She  went  down  on  her  knees  to  pet  the  clog  and  to 
ask  Vivalla  all  sorts  of  questions  about  his  perform- 
ances, his  former  course  of  life,  his  friends  in  Italy, 
and  his  present  hopes  and  determinations.  Then 


268  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  8ARNUM. 

she  sang  and  played  for  him,  gave  him  some  refresh- 
ments, finally  insisted  on  carrying  his  wheel  to  the 
door,  and  her  servant  accompanied  Vivalla  to  his 
boarding-house. 

Poor  Vivalla !  He  was  probably  never  so  happy 
before,  but  his  enjoyment  did  not  exceed  that  of 
Miss  Lind.  A  few  months  later,  however,  the 
Havana  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Herald 
announced  the  death  of  Vivalla,  and  stated  that  the 
poor  Italian's  last  words  were  about  Jenny  Lind  and 
Mr.  Barnum. 

In  the  party  which  accompanied  Barnum  to  Ha- 
vana was  a  man  who  had  formerly  kept  the  Peale 
Museum  in  New  York,  afterwards  managing  the 
establishment  for  Mr.  Barnum.  At  present  he  was 
acting  as  ticket-taker. 

He  was  a  curious  fellow,  at  times  full  of  fun  and 
gayety  and  at  other  times  melancholy  to  the  verge 
of  insanity.  Madness  ran  in  his  family,  and  one  of 
his  brothers,  in  a  moment  of  frenzy  had  blown  his 
brains  out.  Barnum  knew  of  Bennett's  tendency  to 
melancholy  and  watched  him  constantly.  When 
they  were  on  board  the  steamer  "  Falcon  "  on  their 
way  back  to  New  Orleans,  a  thrilling  incident 
occurred  which  Barnum  afterwards  related  in  this 
way: 

"  Mr.  James  Gordon  Bennett,  editor  of  the  New 
York  Herald,  and  his  wife,  were  also  passengers. 
After  permitting  one  favorable  notice  in  his  paper, 
Bennett  had  turned  around,  as  usual,  and  had  abused 


MAD  BENNETT.  269 

Jenny  Lind  and  bitterly  attacked  me.  I  was  always 
glad  to  get  such  notices,  for  they  served  as  inexpen- 
sive advertisements  to  my  museum. 

"  Ticket-taker  Bennett,  however,  took  much  to 
heart  the  attacks  of  Editor  Bennett  upon  Jenny 
Lind.  When  Editor  Bennett  came  on  board  the 
1  Falcon,'  his  violent  name-sake  said  to  a  by-stander  : 

"  'I  would  willingly  be  drowned  if  I  could  see  that 
old  scoundrel  go  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea.' 

"  Several  of  our  party  overheard  the  remark  and 
I  turned  laughingly  to  Bennett  and  said  :  '  Nonsense  ; 
he  can't  harm  any  one,  and  there  is  an  old  proverb 
about  the  impossibility  of  drowning  those  who  are 
born  for  another  fate.' 

"That  very  night,  however,  as  I  stood  near  the 
cabin  door,  conversing  with  my  treasurer  and  other 
members  of  my  company,  Henry  Bennett  came  up 
to  me  with  a  wild  air,  and  hoarsely  whispered : 

"'Old  Bennett  has  gone  forward  alone  in  the 
dark — and  I  am  going  to  throw  him  overboard  ! ' 

"We  were  all  startled,  for  we  knew  the  man,  and 
he  seemed  terribly  in  earnest.  Knowing  how  most 
effectively  to  address  him  at  such  times,  I  exclaimed  : 

"  '  Ridiculous !  you  would  not  do  such  a  thing.' 

"  '  I  swear  I  will,'  was  his  savage  reply.  I  expos- 
tulated with  him,  and  several  of  our  party  joined  me. 

"  '  Nobody  will  know  it,'  muttered  the  maniac, 
'and  I  shall  be  doing  the  world  a  favor.' 

"I  endeavored  to  awaken  him  to  a  sense  of  the 
crime  he  contemplated,  assuring  him  that  it  could 


2  70  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

not  possibly  benefit  any  one,  and  that  from  the  fact 
of  the  relations  existing  between  the  editor  and  my- 
self, I  should  be  the  first  to  be  accused  of  his  mur- 
der. I  implored  him  to  go  to  his  stateroom,  and  he 
finally  did  so,  accompanied  by  some  of  the  gentle- 
men of  our  party.  I  took  pains  to  see  that  he  was 
carefully  watched  that  night,  and,  indeed,  for  several 
days,  till  he  became  calm  again.  He  was  a  large, 
athletic  man,  quite  able  to  pick  up  his  name-sake 
and  drop  him  overboard.  The  matter  was  too 
serious  for  a  joke,  and  we  made  little  mention  of  it ; 
but  more  than  one  of  our  party  said  then,  and  has 
said  since,  what  I  really  believe  to  be  true,  that 
'  James  Gordon  Bennett  would  have  been  drowned 
that  night  had  it  not  been  for  P.  T.  Barnum.' ' 

Bennett's  end  was  tragic,  as  might  be  expected. 
Sometime  after  the  Havana  journey  Barnum  sent 
him  to  London.  He  conducted  the  business  success- 
fully, wrote  up  the  accounts  to  a  penny,  then  hand- 
ing the  papers  to  a  mutual  friend  with  directions  to 
give  them  to  Barnum  when  he  should  arrive,  he 
went  to  his  lodgings  and  committed  suicide. 

"  In  New  Orleans  the  wharf  was  crowded  by  a 
great  concourse  of  persons,  as  the  steamer  "  Falcon" 
approached.  Jenny  Lind  had  enjoyed  a  month  of 
quiet,  and  dreaded  the  excitement  which  she  must 
now  again  encounter. 

"  Mr  Barnum,  I  am  sure  I  can  never  get  through 
that  crowd,"  she  said  in  despair. 


ARRIVAL  AT  NEW  ORLEANS.  273 

"  Leave  that  to  me.  Remain  quiet  for  ten. minutes, 
and  there  shall  be  no  crowd  here,"  replied  Barnum. 

Taking  his  daughter  on  his  arm,  she  drew  her 
vail  over  her  face  and  they  descended  the  gangway. 

"That's  Barnum,  I  know  him,"  called  out  several 
persons  at  the  top  of  their  voices. 

"  Open  the  way,  if  you  please  for  Mr.  Barnum 
and  Miss  Lind !  "  cried  Le  Grand  Smith  over  the 
railing  of  the  ship,  the  deck  of  which  he  had  just 
reached  from  the  wharf. 

"  Don't  crowd  her,  if  you  please,  gentlemen,"  said 
Barnum,  and  so  pushing  and  squeezing  they  reached 
the  carriage  and  drove  to  Miss  Lind's  apartments. 
A  few  minutes  later  Jenny  and  her  companion  came 
quietly  in  a  carriage  and  were  in  the  house  before 
the  ruse  was  discovered.  In  answer  to  the  calls  of  the 
crowd  she  appeard  on  the  balcony,  and  bowed  to  the 
throng,  which  gave  her  three  cheers  and  dispersed. 

A  very  funny  incident  occurred  in  New  Orleans. 
Next  to  the  theatre  where  the  concerts  were  given, 
was  an  exhibition  in  the  large  open  lots  of  mammoth 
hogs,  grizzly  bears  and  other  animals. 

A  gentleman  had  a  son  about  twelve  years  old, 
who  had  a  wonderful  ear  for  music.  He  could 
whistle  or  sing  any  tune  after  hearing  it  once.  His 
father  did  not  know  nor  care  for  a  single  note,  but 
so  anxious  was  he  to  please  his  son,  that  he  paid 
thirty  dollars  for  two  tickets  to  the  concert. 

"I  liked  the  music  better  than  I  expected,"  said 
he  the  next  day,  "but  my  son  was  in  raptures.  He 

16 


274  LIFE  OJf  p-   T-  BARNUM. 

was  so  perfectly  enchanted  that  he  scarcely  spoke  the 
whole  evening,  and  I  would  on  no  account  disturb 
his  delightful  reveries.  When  the  concert  was 
finished  we  came  out  of  the  theatre.  Not  a  word  was 
spoken.  I  knew  that  my  musical  prodigy  was  happy 
among  the  clouds,  and  I  said  nothing.  I  could  not 
help  envying  him  his  love  of  music,  and  considered 
my  thirty  dollars  as  nothing,  compared  to  the  bliss 
which  it  secured  to  him.  Indeed,  I  was  seriously 
thinking  of  taking  him  to  the  next  concert,  when  he 
spoke.  We  were  just  passing  the  numerous  shows 
upon  the  vacant  lots.  One  of  the  signs  attracted 
him,  and  he  said,  '  Father,  let  us  go  in  and  see  the 
big  hog  ! '  The  little  scamp  !  I  could  have  horse- 
whipped him ! '  said  the  father,  who.  loving  a  joke, 
could  not  help  laughing  at  the  ludicrous  incident. 

The  party  took  passage  to  Cairo,  Illinois,  in  the 
beautiful  river  steamer  "  Magnolia."  They  had 
made  arrangements  with  the  captain  to  delay  in 
Natchez  and  in  Memphis  where  concerts  were  given. 

The  time  on  board  the  steamer  was  pleasantly 
spent  in  reading  and  watching  the  scenery.  One  day 
they  had  a  musicale  in  the  ladies'  cabin  for  the 
gratification-  of  the  passengers,  at  which  Miss  Lind 
volunteered  to  sing.  Barnum  amused  the  passen- 
gers with  his  inexhaustible  fund  of  anecdotes  and 
stories,  and  the  tricks  of  legerdemain,  which  he  had 
learned  and  used  in  the  South  under  rather  different 
circumstances.  Among  other  tricks,  he  made  a 
silver  piece  disappear  so  mysteriously  that  the  negro 


UP  THE  MISSISSIPPI.  275 

barber  who  witnessed  the  feat,  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  great  man  must  be  in  league  with  the 
devil.  "The  next  morning,"  says  Mr.  Barnum,  "I 
seated  myself  in  the  barber's  chair  and  the  darkey 
began  to  talk  : 

"  '  Beg  pardon,  Mr.  Barnum,  but  I  have  heard  a 
great  deal  about  you,  and  I  saw  more  than  I  wanted 
to  see  last  night.  Is  it  true  that  you  have  sold  your- 
self to  the  devil,  so  that  you  can  do  what  you've  a 
mind  to  ? ' 

"'Oh,  yes,"  was  my  reply,  'that  is  the  bargain 
between  us/ 

"  '  How  long  did  you  agree  for  ?  '  was  the  question 
next  in  order. 

'"Only  nine  years,'  said  I.  'I  have  had  three  of 
them  already.  Before  the  other  six  are  out,  I  shall 
find  a  way  to  nonplus  the  old  gentleman,  and  I  have 
told  him  so  to  his  face.' 

"At  this  avowal,  a  larger  space  of  white  than 
usual  was  seen  in  the  darkey's  eyes,  and  he  in- 
quired, '  Is  it  by  this  bargain  that  you  get  so  much 
money  ?  ' 

" '  Certainly.  No  matter  who  has  money,  nor 
where  he  keeps  it,  in  his  box  or  till,  or  anywhere 
about  him,  I  have  only  to  speak  the  words  and  it 
comes.' 

"The  shaving  was  completed  in  silence,  but 
thought  had  been  busy  in  the  barber's  mind,  and  he 
embraced  the  speediest  opportunity  to  transfer  his 
bag  of  coin  to  the  iron  safe  in  charge  of  the  clerk. 


276  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

"  The  movement  did  not  escape  me,  and  imme- 
diately a  joke  was  afoot.  I  had  barely  time  to  make 
two  or  three  details  of  arrangement  with  the  clerk, 
and  resume  my  seat  in  the  cabin,  ere  the  barber 
sought  a  second  interview,  bent  on  testing  the  al- 
leged powers  of  Beelzebub's  colleague. 

" '  Beg  pardon,  Mr.  Barnum,  but  where  is  my 
money  ?  Can  you  get  it  ? ' 

"  'I  do  not  want  your  money,'  was  the  quiet  an- 
swer. '  It  is  safe.' 

"  '  Yes,  I  know  it  is  safe — ha  !  ha  ! — it  is  in  the  iron 
safe  in  the  clerk's  office — safe  enough  from  you  ? ' 

"  '  It  is  not  in  the  iron  safe  !'  said  I.  This  was 
said  so  quietly,  yet  positively,  that  the  colored  gentle- 
man ran  to  the  office,  and  inquired  if  all  was  safe. 
'All  right,'  said  the  clerk.  'Open,  and  let  me  see,' 
replied  the  barber.  The  safe  was  unlocked  and  lo  ! 
the  money  was  gone  ! 

"In  mystified  terror  the  loser  applied  to  me  for 
relief.  'You  will  find  the  bag  in  your  drawer,'  said 
I,  and  there  it  was  found  ! 

"  His  curiosity  was  still  great.  '  Please  do  another 
trick,'  said  he. 

"  '  Very  well,'  I  replied,  '  stand  perfectly  still.' 

"  He  did  so,  and  I  commenced  muttering  some 
mysterious  words,  as  if  performing- an  incantation. 

"  '  What  are  you  doing  ?'  said  the  barber. 

"  'I  am  changing  you  into  a  black  cat,'  I  replied, 
1  but  don't  be  afraid  ;  I  will  change  you  back  again, 
if  I  don't  forget  the  words  to  do  it  with.' 


BARNUM  AND   THE  BARBER. 

"  This  was  too  much  for  the  terrified  darkey  ; 
with  an  awful  screech  he  rushed  to  the  side  of  the 
boat  resolved  to  drown  rather  than  undergo  such  a 
transformation. 

"  He  was  captured  and  brought  back  to  me,  when 
I  dispelled  his  fright  by  explaining  the  way  in  which 
I  had  tricked  him.  Relieved  and  reassured,  he 
clapped  his  hands  and  executed  an  impromtu  jig,  ex- 
claiming, '  Ha  !  ha  !  when  I  get  back  to  New  Or- 
leans won't  I  come  de  Barnum  ober  dem  niggers  ! ' 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  TRIALS  OF  AN  1MPRESSARIO. 

ST.  Louis— THE  SECRETARY'S  LITTLE   GAME— LEGAL  ADVICE— SMOOTH 
WATERS  AGAIN — BARNUM'S  EFFORTS  APPRECIATED — AN  EXTRAVAGANT 

ENCOMIUM. 

The  concerts  at  Natchez  and  Memphis  were  ex- 
tremely successful.  The  sixty-first  concert  was 
given  in  St.  Louis,  and  on  the  morning  of  their 
arrival  in  the  city  Miss  Lind's  secretary  came  to 
Mr.  Barnum,  commissioned,  as  he  claimed,  by  the 
singer,  and  told  the  Manager  that  as  sixty  concerts 
had  already  been  given,  Miss  Lind  proposed  to 
avail  herself  of  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  contract 
and  cancel  the  engagement  next  morning.  Much 
startled  by  this  sudden  complication,  but  outwardly 
undisturbed,  Barnum  asked  if  Miss  Lind  had  author- 
ized the  notice.  "I  so  understand  it,"  was  the 
secretary's  reply.  Thinking  that  it  might  be  another 
scheme  of  her  advisers  and  that  Miss  Lind  herself 
might  possibly  know  nothing  of  it,  Barnum  told  the 
secretary  that  he  would  see  him  again  in  an  hour. 
He  then  proceeded  to  his  old  friend  Sol  Smith  for 
legal  advice.  They  went  over  the  contract  together, 
Barnum  telling  his  friend  of  the  annoyances  he  had 
278 


A   MILLION'  DOLLARS  A    CONCERT.  279 

suffered  from  Miss  Lind's  advisers,  and  they  both 
agreed  that  if  she  broke  the  contract  thus  suddenly, 
she  was  bound  to  pay  back  all  that  she  had  received 
over  the  stipulated  $1000,  for  each  concert.  As  she 
had  been  paid  $137,000,  for  sixty  concerts,  this  extra 
money  amounted  to  something  like  $77,000. 

Barnum  then  went  back  to  the  secretary  and  told 
him  that  he  was  ready  to  settle  with  Miss  Lind  and 
to  close  the  engagement. 

"But,"  said  he,  evidently  much  surprised,  "you 
have  already  advertised  concerts  in  Louisville  and 
Cincinnati,  have  you  not?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Barnum  calmly,  "  but  you  may 
take  the  contracts  for  halls  and  printing  off  my  hands 
at  cost."  He  further  offered  the  assistance  of  his 
agent  and  his  own  personal  services  to  give  Miss 
Lind  a  good  start  on  her  own  account. 

The  secretary  emboldened  by  this  liberality  then 
made  a  proposition  so  extraordinary  that  Barnum  at 
once  saw  that  Miss  Lind  could  have  had  nothing  to 
do  with  the  scheme. 

"  Now  suppose,"  he  asked,  "  Miss  Lind  should 
wish  to  give  some  fifty  concerts  in  this  country,  what 
would  you  charge  as  manager? ' 
*  "  A  million  dollars  a  concert,"  answered  Barnum 
promptly  ;  then  he  added,  "  Now  see  here  ;  I  don't 
believe  Miss  Lind  has  authorized  you  to  make  this 
proposition.  If  she  has,  just  bring  me  a  line  to  that 
effect,  over  her  own  signature,  and  her  check  for  the 
amount  due  me  by  the  terms  of  our  contract,  some 


28O  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BAR  NUM. 

$77,000,  and  we  will  close  our  business  connection 
at  once." 

"But  why  not  make  a  new  arrangement,"  per- 
sisted the  secretary,  "  for  fifty  more  concerts,  by 
which  Miss  Lind  will  pay  you  liberally,  say  $1,000 
a  concert?  " 

"For  the  simple  reason  that  I  hired  Miss  Lind, 
and  not  she  me,"  replied  Barnum,  "and  because  I 
ought  never  to  take  a  farthing  less  for  my  risk  and 
trouble  than  the  contract  gives  me.  I  have  volun- 
tarily given  Miss  Lind  more  than  twice  as  much  as 
I  originally  contracted  to  give  her,  or  as  she  ex- 
pected to  receive  when  she  engaged  with  me.  Now 
if  she  is  not  satisfied  I  wish  to  settle  instantly  and 
finally.  If  you  do  not  bring  me  her  decision  to-day, 
I  shall  ask  her  for  it  in  the  morning." 

The  next  morning  Barnum  asked  him  again  for 
the  written  communication  from  Miss  Lind;  the 
secretary  replied  that  it  was  all  a  "joke,"  and  that 
he  merely  wanted  to  see  what  the  manager  would 
say  to  the  proposition.  He  begged  that  nothing 
would  be  said  to  Miss  Lind  concerning  it.  So  it  is 
altogether  likely  that  she  knew  nothing  of  it.  The 
four  concerts  at  St.  Louis  were  given  and  the  pro- 
gram as  arranged  for  the  other  cities  was  carried 
out,  with  no  more  troublous  incidents  occurring. 

To  show  that  Barnum' s  efforts  as  manager  of 
the  Jenny  Lind  enterprise  were  appreciated,  we 
copy  the  dedication  of  Sol  Smith's  Autobiograpy 
published  in  1854.  Smith  was  one  of  the  characters 


SOL  SMITH'S  DEDICATION.  281 

of  his   time,   being  celebrated   as    a    comedian,   an 
author,  a  manager  and  a  lawyer : 

"  To  PHINEAS  T.  BARNUM,  PROPRIETOR  OF  THE 
AMERICAN  MUSEUM,  ETC. 

"  Great  Impressario :  Whilst  you  were  engaged 
in  your  grand  Jenny  Lind  speculation,  the  following 
conundrum  went  the  rounds  of  the  American  news- 
papers : 

"'Why  is  it  that  Jenny  Lind  and  Barnum  will 
never  fall  out  ? '  Answer  :  '  Because  he  is  always 
for-getting,  and  she  is  always  for-giving.' 

"  I  have  never  asked  you  the  question  directly, 
whether  you,  Mr.  Barnum,  started  that  conundrum, 
or  not ;  but  I  strongly  suspect  that  you  did.  At  all 
events,  I  noticed  that  your  whole  policy  was  con- 
centrated into  one  idea^to  make  an  angel  of  Jenny, 
and  depreciate  yourself  in  contrast. 

"You  may  remember  that  in  this  city  (St.  Louis), 
I  acted  in  one  instance  as  your  '  legal  adviser,'  and 
as  such,  necessarily  became  acquainted  with  all  the 
particulars  of  your  contract  with  the  so-called  Swedish 
Nightingale,  as  well  as  the  various  modifications 
claimed  by  that  charitable  lady,  and  submitted  to  by 
you  after  her  arrival  in  this  country  ;  which  modifica- 
tions (I  suppose  it  need  no  longer  be  a  secret)  secured 
to  her — besides  the  original  stipulation  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars  for  every  concert,  attendants,  carriages, 
assistant  artists,  and  a  pompous  and  extravagant 
retinue,  fit  (only)  for  a  European  princess — one-half 


282  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

of  the  profits  of  each  performance.  You  may  also 
remember  the  legal  advice  I  gave  you  on  the  occa- 
sion referred  to,  and  the  salutary  effect  of  your 
following  it.  You  must  remember  the  extravagant 
joy  you  felt  afterwards,  in  Philadelphia,  when  the 
'  Angel '  made  up  her  mind  to  avail  herself  of  one 
of  the  stipulations  in  her  contract,  to  break  off  at 
the  end  of  a  hundred  nights,  and  even  bought  out 
seven  of  that  hundred — supposing  that  she  could  go 
on  without  your  aid  as  well  as  with  it.  And  you 
cannot  but  remember,  how,  like  a  rocket-stick  she 
dropped,  when  your  business  connection  with  her 
ended,  and  how  she  'fizzed  out'  the  remainder  of  her 
concert  nights  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  soon  after- 
wards retired  to  her  domestic  blissitude  in  Sweden. 

"  You  know,  Mr.  Barnum,  if  you  would  only  tell, 
which  of  the  two  it  was  that  was  '  for-getting, '  and 
which  '  for-giving  ; '  and  you  also  know  who  actually 
gave  the  larger  portion  of  those  sums  which  you 
heralded  to  the  world  as  the  sole  gifts  of  the  'divine 
Jenny.' 

"  Of  all  your  speculations — from  the  negro  cen- 
tenarian, who  didn't  nurse  General  Washington, 
down  to  the  Bearded  Woman  of  Genoa — there  was 
not  one  which  required  the  exercise  of  so  much 
humbuggery  as  the  Jenny  Lind  concerts  ;  and  I 
verily  believe  there  is  no  man  living,  other  than 
yourself,  who  could,  or  would,  have  risked  the  enor- 
mous expenditure  of  money  necessary  to  carry  them 
through  successfully — travelling,  with  sixty  artists, 


A  GREAT  UNDERTAKING.  283 

four  thousand  miles,  and  giving  ninety-three  con- 
certs, at  an  actual  cost  of  forty-five  hundred  dollars 
each,  is  what  no  other  man  would  have  undertaken 
— you  accomplished  this,  and  pocketed  by  the  opera- 
tion but  little  less  than  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars !  Mr.  Barnum,  you  are  yourself,  alone  ! 

"I  honor  you,  oh !  Great  Impressario,  as  the  most 
successful  manager  in  America  or  any  other  country. 
Democrat,  as  you  are,  you  can  give  a  practical  les- 
son to  the  aristocrats  of  Europe  how  to  live.  At 
your  beautiful  and  tasteful  residence,  '  Iranistan '  (I 
don't  like  the  name,  though),  you  can  and  do  enter- 
tain your  friends  with  a  warmth  of  hospitality,  only 
equalled  by  that  of  the  great  landed  proprietors  of 
the  old  country,  or  of  our  own  '  sunny  South.' 
Whilst  riches  are  pouring  into  your  coffers  from 
your  various  'ventures'  in  all  parts  of  the  world, 
you  do  not  hoard  your  immense  means,  but  con- 
tinually 'cast  them  forth  upon  the  waters,'  reward- 
ing labor,  encouraging  the  arts,  and  lending  a  help- 
ing hand  to  industry  in  all  its  branches.  Not  con- 
tent with  doing  all  this,  you  deal  telling  blows,  when- 
ever opportunity  offers,  upon  the  monster  Intemper- 
ance. Your  labors  in  this  great  cause  alone  should 
entitle  you  to  the  thanks  of  all  good  men,  women 
and  children  in  the  land.  Mr.  Barnum,  you  deserve 
all  your  good  fortune,  and  I  hope  you  may  long  live 
to  enjoy  your  wealth  and  honor. 

"  As  a  small  installment  towards  the  debt,  I,  as 
one  of  the  community,  owe  you,  and  with  the  hope 


284  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

of  affording  you  an  hour's  amusement  (if  you  can 
spare  that  amount  of  time  from  your  numerous 
avocations  to  read  it),  I  present  you  with  this  litttle 
volume,  containing  a  very  brief  account  of  some  of 
my  'journey-work'  in  the  South  and  West;  and 
remain,  very  respectfully, 

"  Your  friend,  and  affectionate  uncle, 

"  SOL  SMITH. 
"  CHOUTEAU  AVENUE,  ST.  Louis, 

"Nov.  i,  1854." 

Although  Barnum  never  acknowledged  it,  there 
was  a  vast  deal  of  truth  in  Mr.  Smith's  statements. 

Whenever  Miss  Lind  sang  for  charity  she  gave 
what  she  might  have  earned  at  a  regular  concert ; 
Barnum  always  insisted  upon  paying  for  the  hall, 
orchestra,  printing  and  other  expenses.  But  Miss 
Lind  received  the  entire  credit  for  liberality  and 
benevolence. 

It  is  but  just  to  say,  however,  that  she  frequently 
remonstrated  with  Barnum  and  declared  that  the 
expenses  ought  to  be  deducted  from  the  proceeds  of 
the  concert,  but  he  always  insisted  on  doing  what  he 
called  his  share. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

CLOSING  THE  GRAND  TOUR. 

APRIL  FOOL  JOKES  AT  NASHVILLE — A  TRICK  AT  CINCINNATI — RETURN 
TO  NEW  YORK — JENNY  LIND  PERSUADED  TO  LEAVE  BARNUM — 
FINANCIAL  RESULTS  OF  THE  ENTERPRISE. 

Five  concerts  were  given  at  St.  Louis,  and  then 
they  went  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  the  sixty-sixth 
and  sixty-seventh  of  the  series  were  given.  At  the 
latter  place,  Jenny  Lind,  accompanied  by  Barnum 
and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Lyman,  visited  "  The  Her- 
mitage," where  Barnum  himself  had  years  before 
seen  '•  Old  Hickory  "  Jackson.  While  there,  the 
prima  donna  heard,  for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  wild 
mocking  birds  singing  in  the  trees,  and  great  was 
her  delight  thereat. 

They  spent  the  first  of  April,  1851,  at  Nashville. 
In  the  forenoon  of  the  day,  the  various  members  of 
the  party  amused  themselves  by  playing  little 
"April  Fool  "  jokes  on  Barnum,  and  after  dinner  he 
took  his  revenge  upon  them.  Securing  a  supply  of 
telegraph  blanks  and  envelopes,  he  set  to  work  pre- 
paring messages  full  of  the  most  sensational  and 
startling  intelligence,  for  most  of  the  people  in  the 
party.  Almost  every  one  of  them  presently  received 
what  purported  to  be  a  telegraphic  despatch.  Bar- 
285 


286  LIFE  OF  f.   T.  BARNUM. 

num's  own  daughter  did  not  escape.  She  was  in- 
formed that  her  mother,  her  cousin,  and  several  other 
relatives,  were  waiting  for  her  in  Louisville,  and 
various  other  important  and  extraordinary  items  of 
domestic  intelligence  were  communicated  to  her. 
Mr.  Le  Grand  Smith  was  told  by  a  despatch  from  his 
father  that  his  native  village  in  Connecticut,  was  in 
ashes,  including  his  own  homestead,  etc.  Several  of 
Barnum's  employees  had  most  liberal  offers  of 
engagements  from  banks  and  other  institutions  at 
the  North.  Burke,  and  others  of  the  musical  pro- 
fessors, were  offered  princely  salaries  by  opera 
managers,  and  many  of  them  received  most  tempt- 
ing inducements  to  proceed  immediately  to  the 
World's  Fair  in  London. 

One  married  gentleman  received  the  gratifying 
intelligence  that  he  had  for  two  days  been  the  father 
of  a  pair  of  bouncing  boys  (mother  and  children 
doing  well),  an  event  which  he  had  been  anxiously 
looking  for  during  the  week,  though  on  a  somewhat 
more  limited  scale.  In  fact,  nearly  every  person  in 
the  party  engaged  by  Barnum  received  some  extra- 
ordinary telegraphic  intelligence  ;  and,  as  the  great 
impressario  managed  to  have  the  despatches  deliv- 
ered simultaneously,  each  recipient  was  for  some 
time  busily  occupied  with  his  own  personal  news. 

By  and  by  each  began  to  tell  his  neighbor  his 
good  or  bad  tidings ;  and  each  was,  of  course,  re- 
joiced or  grieved,  according  to  circumstances.  Sev- 
eral gave  Mr.  Barnum  notice  of  their  intention  to 


ANOTHER  TRICK  ON    THE  CROWD.  287 

leave  him,  in  consequence  of  better  offers ;  and  a 
number  of  them  sent  off  telegraphic  despatches 
and  letters  by  mail,  in  answer  to  those  received. 

The  man  who  had  so  suddenly  become  the  father 
of  twins,  telegraphed  to  his  wife  to  "be  of  good 
cheer,"  and  that  he  would  "start  for  home  to-mor- 
row." And  so  cleverly  did  Barnum  manage  the 
whole  business  that  his  victims  did  not  discover  how 
they  had  been  fooled  until  next  morning,  when  they 
read  the  whole  story  in  a  local  newspaper,  to  which 
it  had  been  given  by  Barnum  himself. 

From  Nashville,  Jenny  Lind  and  a  few  of  the 
party  went  to  the  Mammoth  Cave,  and  thence  to 
Louisville,  the  others  going  directly  to  the  latter 
point  by  steamer.  There  they  were  joined  by  Sig- 
nor  Salvi,  whom  Barnum  had  engaged  at  Havana. 
Three  concerts  were  given  at  Louisville,  and  they 
then  proceeded  to  Cincinnati,  accompanied  by 
George  D.  Prentice,  the  famous  editor  of  The  Louis- 
ville Journal.  A  stop  was  made  at  Madison  long 
enough  to  give  one  concert,  and  they  reached  Cin- 
cinnati the  next  morning.  There  was  a  tremendous 
crowd  on  the  wharf,  and  Barnum  was  afraid  that 
an  attempt  to  repeat  the  ruse  he  had  played  with  his 
daughter  at  New  Orleans  would  not  work  here,  as 
an  account  of  it  had  been  published  in  the  Cincin- 
nati papers,  and  everyone  would  be  suspecting  it. 
But  he  was  fertile  in  expedients,  and  quickly  devised 
another  scheme. 


288  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

So  he  took  Miss  Lind  on  his  arm  and  boldly 
started  to  walk  down  the  gang-plank  in  the  face  of 
the  crowd.  As  he  did  so,  Le  Grand  Smith,  who  was 
in  the  plot,  called  out  from  the  deck  of  the  boat,  as 
if  he  had  been  one  of  the  passengers,  "That's  no  go, 
Mr.  Barnum  ;  you  can't  pass  your  daughter  off  for 
Jenny  Lind  this  time,"  The  remark  elicited  a  peal  of 
merriment  from  the  crowd,  several  persons  calling 
out,  "  That  won't  do,  Barnum !  You  may  fool  the 
New  Orleans  folks,  but  you  can't  come  it  over  the 
'  Buckeyes.'  We  intend  to  stay  here  until  you  bring 
out  Jenny  Lind ! "  They  readily  allowed  him  to 
pass  with  the  lady  whom  they  supposed  to  be  his 
daughter,  and  in  five  minutes  afterwards  the  Night- 
ingale was  complimenting  Mr.  Coleman  upon  the 
beautiful  and  commodious  apartments  which  were 
devoted  to  her  in  the  Burnett  House. 

A  concert  was  given  at  Wheeling,  and  another  at 
Pittsburg,  and  then,  early  in  May,  the  company  re- 
turned to  New  York.  There  they  gave  fourteen 
concerts,  partly  at  Castle  Garden  and  partly  at 
Metropolitan  Hall,  making  ninety-two  of  the  regular 
series. 

Miss  Lind  now  came  within  the  influence  of  vari- 
ous legal  and  other  advisers,  who  seemed  intent  on 
creating  trouble  between  her  and  her  manager. 
Barnum  soon  discovered  this  state  of  affairs,  but 
was  little  troubled  by  it.  Indeed  he  really  hoped 
that  they  would  persuade  her  to  stop  at  the  hun- 
dredth concert,  for  he  was  already  worn  out  with 


COMMODORE  VANDERBILT. 


ENDING  THE  CONTRACT. 

the  constant  excitement  and  unremitting  exertions 
of  the  tour.  He  thought  that  perhaps  it  would  be 
well  for  Miss  Lind  to  try  giving  a  few  concerts  on 
her  own  account,  or  under  some  other  manager,  in 
order  to  disprove  what  her  friends  had  told  her, 
namely,  that  Mr.  Barnum  had  not  managed  the  en- 
terprise as  successfully  as  he  might  have  done. 

Accordingly  he  was  much  pleased  when,  after  the 
eighty-fifth  concert,  she  told  him  that  she  had  decided 
to  pay  the  forfeit  of  $25,000,  and  terminate  the 
concert  tour  after  the  one  hundredth  performance. 
After  the  second  series  of  concerts  in  New  York, 
they  went  to  Philadelphia,  where  Barnum  had  ad- 
vertised the  ninety-third  and  ninety-fourth  concerts. 
As  he  did  not  care  enough  for  the  probable  profits 
of  the  last  seven  of  the  hundred  concerts  to  run  the 
risk  of  disturbing  the  very  friendly  relations  which 
had  so  far  existed  between  him  and  Miss  Lind,  he 
now  offered  to  relinquish  the  engagement,  if  she  de- 
sired it,  at  the  end  of  the  ninety-third  concert.  The 
only  terms  he  required  were  that  she  would  allow 
him  $1,000  for  each  of  the  remaining  seven  concerts, 
besides  the  $25,000  forfeit  already  agreed  upon. 
She  accepted  this  offer,  and  the  engagement  was 
forthwith  ended. 

After  parting  with  Barnum,  Miss  Lind  gave  a 
number  of  concerts,  with  varied  success.  Then  she 
went  to  Niagara  Falls  for  a  time,  and  afterward  to 
Northampton,  Massachusetts.  While  living  at  the 

latter  place  she  visited  Boston,  and  was  there  mar- 
17 


LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

ried  to  Otto  Goldschmidt.  He  was  a  German  com- 
poser and  pianist,  who  had  studied  music  with  her 
in  Germany,  and  to  whom  she  had  long  been  much 
attached.  He  had,  indeed,  travelled  with  her  and 
Barnum  during  a  portion  of  their  tour,  and  had 
played  at  several  of  the  concerts. 

After  the  end  of  their  engagement,  Barnum  and 
Miss  Lind  met  on  several  occasions,  always  in  the 
friendliest  manner.  Once,  at  Bridgeport,  she  com- 
plained rather  bitterly  to  him  of  the  unpleasant  ex- 
periences she  had  had  since  leaving  him.  "People 
cheat  me  and  swindle  me  very  much,"  said  she,  "  and 
I  find  it  very  annoying  to  give  concerts  on  my  own 
account." 

"I  was  always,"  said  Mr.  Barnum,  sometime 
afterward,  "supplied  with  complimentary  tickets 
when  she  gave  concerts  in  -New  York,  and  on  the 
occasion  of  her  last  appearance  in  America  I  visited 
her  in  her  room  back  of  the  stage,  and  bade  her 
and  her  husband  adieu,  with  my  best  wishes.  She 
expressed  the  same  feeling  to  me  in  return.  She 
told  me  she  should  never  sing  much,  if  any  more,  in 
public  ;  but  I  reminded  her  that  a  good  Providence 
had  endowed  her  with  a  voice  which  enabled  her  to 
contribute  in  an  eminent  degree  to  the  enjoyment 
of  her  fellow  beings,  and  if  she  no  longer  needed 
the  large  sums  of  money  which  they  were  willing 
to  pay  for  this  elevating  and  delightful  entertain- 
ment, she  knew  by  experience  what  a  genuine 
pleasure  she  would  receive  by  devoting  the  money 


JENNY  L IND"  S  SUBSE  Q  UENT  CAREER.  293 

to  the  alleviation  of  the  wants  and  sorrows  of  those 
who  needed  it." 

"Ah!  Mr.  Barnum,"  she  replied,  "that  is  very 
true ;  and  it  would  be  ungrateful  in  me  to  not  con- 
tinue to  use,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  and  lowly, 
that  gift  which  our  kind  Heavenly  Father  has  so 
graciously  bestowed  upon  me.  Yes,  I  will  continue 
to  sing  so  long  as  my  voice  lasts,  but  it  will  be 
mostly  for  charitable  objects,  for  I  am  thankful  to 
say  that  I  have  all  the  money  which  I  shall  ever  need." 

It  is  pleasant  to  add  that  this  noble  resolution 
was  carried  out.  A  large  proportion  of  the  con- 
certs which  she  gave  after  her  return  to  Europe  and 
during  the  remainder  of  her  entire  public  career, 
were  devoted  to  objects  of  charity.  If  she  con- 
sented, for  example,  to  sing  for  a  charitable  object 
in  London,  the  fact  was  not  advertised  at  all,  but 
the  tickets  were  readily  disposed  of  in  private  for 
from  $5  to  $10  each. 

As  for  Mr.  Barnum,  he  was  glad  to  enjoy  a  sea- 
son of  rest  and  quiet  after  such  an  arduous  cam- 
paign. After  leaving  Miss  Lind,  in  Philadelphia, 
therefore,  he  went  to  Cape  May  for  a  week  and 
then  to  his  home,  Iranistan,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  the  summer. 

It  is  interesting,  as  a  matter  of  record,  to  review 
at  this  point,  the  financial  results  of  this  notable 
series  of  concerts.  The  following  recapitulation  is 
entirely  accurate,  being  taken  from  Mr.  Barnum's 
own  account  books : 


294 


LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 


JENNY  LIND  CONCERTS. 

TOTAL  RECEIPTS,  EXCEPTING  OF  CONCERTS  DEVOTED  TO  CHARITY. 

New  York $17,864.05       No.  38.  Baltimore 8,121.33 


14,203.03 


No.    i.        "        12,519.59 

2.            "            14,266.09 

3-  "        12,174-74 

4-  "        16,028.39 

5.  Boston 16,479.50 

6.  "      11,848.62 

7-        "     8,639.92 

8.  "     10,169.25 

9.  Providence 6,525.54 

10.  Boston 10,524.87 

11.  "     5,240.00 

12.  "     7,586.00 

13.  Philadelphia  9,291.25 

14-  "               7,547-00 

15-  "               8,458.65 

16.  New  York 6,415.90 


4,009.70 
5,982.00 
8,007.10 
6,334.20 
9,429.15 

9,912.17 
5,773-40 

4,993-50 
6,670.15 

9,840.33 


17.  "  ........... 

18.  "  ........... 

19.  "  ........... 

20.  "  ........... 

21.  "  ........... 

22.  "  ........... 

23.  "  ........... 

24.  "  ........... 

25.  "  ........... 

26.  '•  ........... 

27.  "  ........... 

28.  «  ........... 

29.  "  ........... 

30.  "  ........... 

31.  Philadelphia  ...... 

32.  "  ...... 

33-  "  ...... 

34-  "  ...... 

35.  Baltimore,  ..........     7,117.00 

36.  "  ...........    8,357.05 

37-  "  ..........    8406.50 


8,263.30 
10,570.25 
10,646.45 

5480.75 
5,728.65 
3,709-88 


39.  Washington  City..  6,878.55 

40.  "                   ...  8,507.05 

41.  Richmond 12,385.21 

42.  Charleston 6,775.00 

43-        "         3,653-75 

44.  Havana  4,666.17 

45-        "      2,837.92 

46.  Havana 2,931.95 

47.  New  Orleans 12,599.85 

48.  "               10,210.42 

49-        "              8,131.15 

50.  "              6,019.85 

51.  "              6,644.00 

52.  "              9,720.80 

53-  "             7,545-50 

54-  "             6,053.50 

55-  "             4,850.25 

56.       "             4,495-35 

57-       "             6,630.35 

58.  "             4,745-io 

59.  Natchez 5,000.00 

60.  Memphis 4,539-56 

61.  St.  Louis 7,811.85 

62.  "        7,961.92 

63.  "        7,708.70 

64.  "        4,086.50 

65-        "        3,044-70 

66.  Nashville 7,786.30 

67.  "        4,248.00 

68.  Louisville 7,833.90 

69-        "         6,595,60 

70.  "        5,000.00 

71.  Madison 3,693.25 

72.  Cincinnati 9,339-75 

73«        "           11,001.50 

74-  "           8,446.30 

75-  "          8,954-18 

76.  "          6,500.40 

77.  Wheeling 5,000.00 


REVIEW  OF  THE  CONCERT  TOUR. 


295 


78.  Pittsburg  ............     7,210.58 

79.  New  York  .........    6,858.42 


86.  New  York  .........     6,642.04 


80. 
81. 
82. 
83. 
84. 
85. 


5.453-00 
5,463-70 
7,378.35 


6,641.00 
6,917.13 


87.  "  ......... 

88.  «  ......... 

89.  «  ......... 

9°-  "  ......... 

91-  "  ......... 

92.  "  ......... 

93.  Philadelphia  ....... 


3.738-75 
4,335-28 

5,339-23 
4,087.03 


9,525-8o 
3,852-75 


Of  Miss  Lind's  half  receipts  of  the  first  two  Con- 
certs she  devoted  $10,000  to  charity  in  New  York. 
She  afterwards  gave  Chanty  Concerts  in  Boston, 
Baltimore,  Charleston,  Havana,  New  Orleans,  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  and  donated  large  sums  for 
the  like  purposes  in  Richmond,  Cincinnati  and  else- 
where. There  were  also  several  Benefit  Concerts, 
for  the  Orchestra,  Le  Grand  Smith,  and  other  per- 
sons and  objects. 

RECAPITULATION. 

New  York 35  Concerts.     Receipts,  1286,216.64     Average,  $8,177.50 

Philadelphia 8  "  «  48,884,41  "  6,110.55 

Boston 7  "  "  70,388.16  "  10,055.45 

Providence I  "  "  6,525.54  "  6,525.54 

Baltimore 4  "  "  32,101.88  "  8,000.47 

Washington 2  "  "  15,385.60  "  7.692.80 

Richmond I  "  "  12,385.21  "  12,385.21 

Charleston 2  "  "  10,428.75  "  5-214-37 

Havana 3  "  "  10,436.04  ".  3,478-68 

New  Orleans 12  "  "  87,646.12  '  7,3°3-84 

Natchez I  "  "  5,000.00  '  5,000.00 

Memphis I  "  "    .  4,539-56  '  4,539-56 

St.  Louis 5  •'  "  30,613.67  '  6,122.73 

Nashville. 2  "  "  12,034.30  «  6,017.15 

Louisville 3  "  "  19,429.50  "  6,476.50 

Madison I  "  "  3,693.25  "  3,693.25 

Cincinnati 5  «  "  44,242.13  "  8,848.43 

Wheeling I  "  "  5,000.00  "  5,000.00 

Pittsburg I  "  "  7,210.58  "  7,210.58 

Total 95  Concerts.     Receipts,  $712,161.34    Average,  $7,496.43 


296  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

JENNY  LINO'S  RECEIPTS. 

From  the  Total  Receipts  of  Ninety-five  Concerts $712,161.34 

Deduct  the  receipts  of  the  first  two,  which,  as  between 
P.  T.  Barnum  and  Jenny  Lind  were  aside  from  the 
contract,  and  are  not  numbered  in  the  table 32,067.08 


Total  Receipts  of  Concerts  from  No.  l  to  No.  93.^680,094.26 
Deduct  the  Receipts  of  the  28  Concerts, 

each  of  which  fell  short  of  $5,500  ........  $123,311.15 

Also  deduct  $5,500  for   each  of  the  re- 

maining 65  Concerts  ........................  357,500.00  480,811.15 

Leading  the  total  excess,  as  above  .....  $199,283.11 

Being  equally  divided,  Miss  Lind's  portion  was  ........................     $99>641.55 

Barnum  paid  her  $l,ooo  for  each  of  the  93  Concerts  .................       93,000.00 

Also  one-half  the  receipts  of  the  first  two  Concerts  .................. 


Amount  paid  to  Jenny  Lind  ......................................  ...  $208,675.09 

She  refunded  to  Barnum  as  forfeiture,  per  contract,  in 

case  she  withdrew  after  the  looth  Concert  ............       $25,000 

She  also  paid  him  $1,000  each  for  the  seven  concerts 

relinquished  ..................................................  7,000    $32,000.00 


JENNY  LIND'S  net  avails  of  95  concerts $176,675.09 

P.  T.  BARNUM'S  gross  receipts,  after  paying  Miss  Lind 535.486.25 


TOTAL  RECEIPTS  of  95  Concerts $712,161.34 

The  highest  prices  paid  for  tickets  were  at  auc- 
tion, as  follows  :  John  N.  Genin,  in  New  York, 
$225  ;  Ossian  E.  Dodge,  in  Boston,  $625 ;  Col. 
William  C.  Ross,  in  Providence,  $650 ;  M.  A.  Root, 
in  Philadelphia,  $625  ;  Mr.  D'Arcy,  in  New  Orleans, 
$240  ;  a  keeper  of  a  refreshment  saloon  in  St.  Louis, 
$150;  a  Daguerrotypist,  in  Baltimore,  $100. 
After  the  sale  of  the  first  ticket  the  premium  usually 
fell  to  $26,  and  so  downward  in  the  scale  of  figures. 
The  fixed  price  of  tickets  ranged  from  $7  to  $3. 
Promenade  tickets  were  from  $2  to  $i  each. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

A  FEW  SIDE  ISSUES. 

THE  EXPEDITION  TO  CEYLON — HARNESSING  AN  ELEPHANT  TO  A  PLOW — 
BARNUM  AND  VANDERBILT — THE  TALKING  MACHINE — A  FIRE  AT 
IRANISTAN — MOUNTAIN  GROVE  CEMETERY. 

The  great  showman  did  not  allow  even  so  great 
an  enterprise  as  the  Jenny  Lind  concerts  to  monop- 
olize his  attention.  In  1849  he  planned  the  forma- 
tion of  a  great  travelling  show,  combining  the 
features  of  a  museum,  a  menagerie  and  a  circus. 
In  this  he  associated  with  himself  Mr.  Seth  B.  Howes, 
who  was  already  a  noted  and  successful  showman, 
and  also  Mr.  Stratton,  the  father  of  Tom  Thumb.  In 
order  to  procure  a  supply  of  novelties  for  this  show 
they  chartered  the  ship  "  Regatta,"  and  sent  it  from 
New  York  in  May,  1850,  to  Ceylon.  The  object  of 
this  voyage,  was  to  procure,  either  by  purchase  or 
by  capture,  a  number  of  living  elephants  and  other 
wild  animals.  To  make  sure  of  a  sufficient  supply 
of  fodder  for  them,  nearly  a  thousand  tons  of  hay 
were  purchased  in  New  York  and  taken  out  aboard 
the  ship.  Five  hundred  tons  of  it  were  left  at  the 
Island  of  St.  Helena,  to  be  taken  up  on  the  return 
trip,  and  a  great  supply  of  staves  and  hoops  were 
also  left  there  for  the  construction  of  water  casks. 
297 


298  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

This  extraordinary  mission  was  successful.  In 
almost  exactly  a  year  from  the  day  of  sailing  the 
ship  returned  to  New  York.  Its  novel  cargo  was 
unloaded,  the  ten  elephants  which  had  been  secured 
were  harnessed  in  pairs  to  a  gigantic  chariot,  and 
the  whole  show  paraded  up  Broadway  past  the  Irving 
House.  It  was  reviewed  from  the  window  of  that 
hotel  by  Jenny  Lind,  who  was  stopping  there  on 
her  second  visit  to  New  York.  An  elaborate  outfit 
of  horses,  wagons,  tents,  etc.,  was  added,  the  whole 
costing  over  $100,000,  and  then  the  show  went  on 
the  road  under  the  nominal  leadership  of  Tom 
Thumb.  It  was  called,  "  Barnum's  Great  Asiatic 
Caravan,  Museum  and  Menagerie;"  it  travelled 
about  the  country  for  four  years,  and  yielded  to  its 
proprietors  enormous  profits. 

At  the  end  of  this  tour  Barnum  sold  out  the 
entire  establishment,  including  animals,  cages,  char- 
iots and  everything  else,  excepting  one  elephant. 
This  huge  brute  he  took  to  his  farm  at  Bridgeport, 
for  advertising  purposes.  It  occurred  to  him  that  if 
he  should  keep  the  animal  there  for  a  time  and  put 
him  to  some  novel  use,  such  as  working  on  the  farm, 
it  would  set  people  to  talking  and  greatly  add  to 
public  curiosity  and  interest  in  his  American  Museum. 

He  accordingly  took  the  elephant  to  Bridgeport 
and  put  him  in  charge  of  a  competent  keeper,  who 
was  dressed  in  a  striking  Oriental  costume.  A  six 
acre  field  close  by  the  New  York  and  New  Haven 
railroad  track  was  set  apart  for  their  use.  Barnum 


FARMING  WITH  ELEPHANTS.  299 

gave  the  keeper  a  time-table  of  the  road  and  directed 
him  to  make  a  point,  whenever  trains  were  passing, 
always  to  be  busily  engaged  with  the  elephant  at 
plowing  or  other  agricultural  work  as  close  to  the 
track  as  possible.  Of  course  the  passengers  noticed 
the  strange  spectacle,  items  concerning  it  appeared 
in  the  newspapers,  extending  even  to  the  press  of 
foreign  lands,  and  thousands  of  people  came  from 
all  parts  of  the  country  to  witness  the  strange  sight. 
Every  mail  brought  numerous  letters  inquiring 
about  it.  Many  of  these  were  from  the  officers  of 
agricultural  societies  in  all  parts  of  the  United 
States,  making  serious  and  earnest  inquiry  as  to 
the  utility  of  the  elephant  as  an  agricultural  ani- 
mal. These  letters  were  greatly  diversified  in 
tone,  but  the  substance  of  their  inquires  was  about 
as  follows : 

1.  "Is  the  elephant  a  profitable  agricultural  ani- 
mal?" 

2.  "  How  much  can  an  elephant  plow  in  a  day  ?  " 

3.  "  How  much  can  he  draw  ?  " 

4.  "  How  much  does  he  eat  ?  " — this  question  was 
invariably  asked,  and  was  a  very  important  one. 

5.  "Will  elephants   make  themselves  generally 
useful  on  a  farm  ?  " 

6.  "  What  is  the  price  of  an  elephant  ?  " 

7.  "Where  can  elephants  be  purchased?" 
Then  would  follow  a  score  of  other  inquiries,  such 

as,  whether  elephants  were  easily  managed  ;  if  they 
would  quarrel  with  cattle  ;  if  it  was  possible  to  breed 


3<DO  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

them  ;  how  old  calf  elephants  must  be  before  they 
would  earn  their  own  living ;  and  so  on  indefinitely. 

Barnum  presently  began  to  be  alarmed  lest  some 
one  should  buy  an  elephant  and  thus  share  the  fate 
of  the  man  who  drew  one  -in  a  lottery  and  did  not 
know  what  to  do  with  him.  "  Accordingly,"  he  says, 
"  I  had  a  general  letter  printed,  which  I  mailed  to  all 
my  anxious  inquirers.  It  was  headed  '  strictly  confi- 
dential,' and  I  then  stated,  begging  my  correspondents 
'not  to  mention  it,'  that  to  me  the  elephant  was  a 
valuable  agricultural  animal,  because  he  was  an  ex- 
cellent advertisement  to  my  museum  ;  but  that  to 
other  farmers  he  would  prove  very  unprofita- 
ble for  many  reasons.  In  the  first  place,  such  an 
animal  would  cost  from  $3,000  to  $10,000;  in  cold 
weather  he  could  not  work  at  all ;  in  any  weather 
he  could  not  earn  half  his  living  ;  he  would  eat  up 
the  value  of  his  own  head,  trunk  and  body  every 
year  ;  and  I  begged  my  correspondents  not  to  do  so 
foolish  a  thing  as  to  undertake  elephant  farming." 

The  result  of  this  experiment  in  advertising  was 
highly  successful.  Newspaper  correspondents  sent 
highly  colored  accounts  of  it  all  over  the  world,  and 
numerous  pictures  of  the  elephant  harnessed  to  a 
plow  appeared  in  the  illustrated  papers  and  maga- 
zines. After  the  field  had  been  plowed  over  fifty  or 
sixty  times,  Barnum  concluded  that  the  elephant 
had  been  "worked  for  all  he  was  worth,"  and  sold 
him  to  Van  Amburgh's  menagerie. 


A  STEAMSHIP  OWNER.  301 

In  1851  Mr.  Barnum  became  a  part  owner  of  the 
steamship  "  North  America,"  which  he  proposed  to 
run  between  America  and  Ireland  as  a  passenger 
and  freight  vessel.  This  idea  was  presently  aban- 
doned, and  the  ship  was  sent  around  Cape  Horn  to 
San  Francisco  and  put  into  service  on  the  Pacific 
Mail  Line,  Commodore  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  having 
purchased  a  one-half  interest  in  it  and  Mr.  Barnum 
retaining  one-third  interest  in  the  remaining  half. 
After  she  had  made  several  trips  Barnum  called 
upon  Mr.  Vanderbilt  at  his  office  and  introduced 
himself.  It  was  their  first  meeting,  and  this  is 
Barnum's  own  account  of  the  interview : 

"  '  Is  it  possible  you  are  Barnum  ? '  exclaimed  the 
Commodore,  in  surprise,  '  why,  I  expected  to  see  a 
monster,  part  lion,  part  elephant,  and  a  mixture  of 
rhinoceros  and  tiger!  Is  it  possible,'  he  continued, 
'  that  you  are  the  showman  who  has  made  so  much 
noise  in  the  world  ?  ' 

"  I  laughingly  replied  that  I  was,  and  added  that  if 
I  too  had  been  governed  in  my  anticipation  of  his 
personal  appearance  by  the  fame  he  had  achieved 
in  his  line,  I  should  have  expected  to  have  been 
saluted  by  a  steam  whistle,  and  to  have  seen  him 
dressed  in  a  pea  jacket,  blowing  off  steam,  and 
crying  out  '  all  aboard  that's  going.' 

"'Instead  of  which,'  replied  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  'I 
suppose  you  have  come  to  ask  me  to  walk  up  to 
the  Captain's  office  and  settle. 


3<D2  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

"After  this  interchange  of  civilities,  we  talked 
about  the  success  of  the  '  North  America '  in  having 
got  safely  around  the  Horn,  and  of  the  acceptable 
manner  in  which  she  was  doing  her  duty  on  the 
Pacific  side. 

"  '  We  have  received  no  statement  of  her  earnings 
yet,'  said  the  Commodore,  'but  if  you  want  money, 
give  your  receipt  to  our  treasurer,  and  take  some.' 

"A  few  months  subsequent  to  this,  I  sold  out  my 
share  in  the  steamship  to  Mr.  Daniel  Drew." 

Numerous  smaller  enterprises  also  marked  this 
stage  of  Mr.  Barnum's  career.  Some  of  these  were 
connected  with  his  museum,  while  others  were  en- 
tirely independent  of  it.  Thus  in  1844,  in  Paris,  be- 
sides purchasing  Robt.  Houdin's  ingenius  automatic 
writer  and  other  costly  curiosities  for  the  museum, 
he  had  made  at  great  expense,  a  huge  panorama  of 
the  funeral  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte.  This  gigantic 
picture  showed  every  event  of  that  pageant,  begin- 
ning with  the  embarkation  of  the  body  at  St.  Helena 
and  ending  with  its  final  entombment  at  the  Hotel 
des  Invalides.  This  exhibition,  after  having  had  its 
day  at  the  American  Museum,  was  sold,  and 
extensively  and  profitably  exhibited  elsewhere. 
While  Barnum  was  in  London,  during  the  same 
year,  he  engaged  a  company  of  "  Campanalogians, 
or  Lancashire  Bell  Ringers,"  then  performing  in 
Ireland,  to  make  an  American  tour.  They  were 
really  admirable  performers,  and  by  means  of  fjfeir 
numerous  bells  of  various  sizes,  they  produced  the 


SIDE  SHOWS.  303 

most  delightful  music.  They  attracted  much  at- 
tention in  various  parts  of  the  United  States,  in 
Canada,  and  in  Cuba. 

After  the  loss  of  the  bell  ringers  to  the  English 
public  Barnum  secured  and  sent  thither  a  party  of 
sixteen  North  American  Indians,  who  were  widely 
exhibited.  On  his  return  to  America  after  his  first 
visit  to  Europe  he  engaged  an  ingenius  workman  to 
construct  an  automatic  orator.  This  was  a  life-size 
and  remarkably  life-like  figure,  and  when  worked 
from  a  key-board  similar  to  that  of  a  piano  it  act- 
ually uttered  words  and  sentences  with  surprising 
distinctness.  It  was  exhibited  for  several  months  in 
London  and  elsewhere  in  England,  but  though  it 
was  really  a  wonderful  machine  and  attracted  the 
earnest  attention  of  some  people,  it  was  not  a 
popular  success.  The  Duke  of  Wellington  visited  it 
several  times,  and  at  first  he  thought  that  the  "  voice  " 
proceeded  from  the  exhibiter,  whom  he  assumed  to 
be  a  skilful  ventriloquist.  He  was  asked  to  touch 
the  keys  with  his  own  fingers,  and,  after  some  in- 
struction in  the  method  of  operating,  he  was  able  to 
make  the  machine  speak,  not  only  in  English  but 
also  in  German,  with  which  language  the  Duke 
seemed  familiar.  Thereafter,  he  entered  his  name 
on  the  exhibiter's  autograph  book,  and  certified  that 
the  "Automaton  Speaker"  was  an  extraordinary 
production  of  mechanical  genius. 

Barnum  also  secured  duplicates  of  the  models  of 
machinery  exhibited  at  the  Royal  Polytechnic  Institu- 


304  LIFE  OF  p- 

tion  in  London  and  a  great  many  interesting  panora- 
mas and  pictures.  These  were  all  exhibited  at  his 
museum  in  New  York  and  afterwards  sold  to  other 
travelling  showmen  who  exhibited  them  throughout 
the  country.  In  the  summer  of  1850  he  added  to 
the  museum  his  famous  Chinese  collection,  includ- 
ing a  Chinese  family  of  two  men,  two  "  small  footed  " 
women,  and  two  children. 

Few  of  his  curiosities  attracted  more  attention 
than  the  performances  of  the  "  Scotch  Boys."  One 
of  these  was  securely  blindfolded,  and  then,  in 
answer  to  questions  put  by  the  other,  accurately 
described  any  objects  presented  by  persons  who 
attended  the  surprising  exhibition.  The  mystery, 
which  was  merely  the  result  of  patient  practice,  con- 
sisted wholly  in  the  manner  in  which  the  question 
was  propounded  ;  in  fact,  the  question  invariably 
carried  its  own  answer  ;  for  instance  : 

"What  is  this?"  meant  gold;  "Now  what  is 
this  ?  "  silver ;  "  Say,  what  is  this  ?  "  copper ;  "  Tell 
me  what  this  is  ?"  iron;  "What  is  the  shape?" 
long;  "Now,  what  shape?"  round;  "Say  what 
shape?"  square;  "Please  say  what  this  is,"  a 
watch  ;  "  Can  you  tell  what  is  in  this  lady's  hand  ?  " 
a  purse  ;  "  Now,  please  say  what  this  is  ?  "  a  key  ; 
"  Come  now,  what  is  this  ?  "  money  ;  "  How  much  ?  " 
a  penny  ;  "  Now,  how  much  ?  "  sixpence  ;  "  Say  how 
much,"  a  quarter  of  a  dollar  ;  "  What  color  is  this  ? " 
black  ;  "  Now,  what  color  is  this  ?  "  red  ;  "  Say  what 
color?"  green  ;  and  so  on,  ad  infinitum.  To  such 


FIRE  AT  A   WEDDING.  305 

perfection  was  this  brought  that  it  was  almost  im- 
possible to  present  any  object  that  could  not  be 
quite  closely  described  by  the  blindfolded  boy. 

In  1850,  the  celebrated  Bateman  children  acted 
for  several  weeks  at  the  American  Museum,  and  in 
June  of  that  year  Barnum  sent  them  to  London 
with  their  father  and  Mr.  Le  Grand  Smith,  where 
they  played  in  the  St.  James  Theatre,  and  afterwards 
in  the  principal  provincial  theatres.  The  elder  of 
these  children,  Miss  Kate  Bateman,  subsequently 
attained  the  highest  histrionic  distinction  in  America 
and  abroad,  and  reached  the  head  of  her  profession. 

Miss  Catharine  Hayes  and  Herr  Begnis  were 
engaged  by  Barnum  in  the  fall  of  1852  to  give  a 
series  of  sixty  concerts  in  California,  and  the  enter- 
prise proved  highly  profitable,  although  Mr.  Barnum 
intrusted  its  execution  to  his  agents,  not  caring 
himself  to  travel  so  far.  Before  she  set  out  for 
California  Miss  Hayes,  with  her  mother  and  sister, 
spent  several  days  at  Iranistan  to  attend  the  mar- 
riage of  Barnum's  eldest  daughter,  Caroline,  to  Mr. 
David  W.  Thompson. 

The  wedding  was  to  take  place  in  the  evening, 
and  on  the  afternoon  of  that  day  Mr.  Barnum  went 
to  Bridgeport  to  get  shaved  for  the  occasion. 
While  he  was  lying  in  the  barber's  chair,  half  of  his 
face  shaved  and  the  other  half  covered  with  lather, 
his  prospective  son-in-law,  Mr.  Thompson,  drove  up 
to  the  door  of  the  shop  and  rushed  in,  exclaiming 
excitedly,  "  Mr.  Barnum,  Iranistan  is  in  flames !" 


306  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

Barnum  jumped  up  from  the  chair  and,  half  shaved 
and  with  the  lather  still  on  his  face,  jumped  into  the 
wagon  and  started  for  home  with  the  horse  on  a 
run.  "I  was  greatly  alarmed,"  he  afterward  said, 
"for  the  house  was  full  of  visitors  who  had  come 
from  a  distance  to  attend  the  wedding,  and  all  the 
costly  presents,  dresses,  refreshments,  and  every- 
thing prepared  for  a  marriage  celebration  to  which 
nearly  a  thousand  guests  had  been  invited,  were 
already  in  my  house.  Mr.  Thompson  told  me  he 
had  seen  the  flames  bursting  from  the  roof,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  that  there  was  little  hope  of  saving 
the  building. 

"  My  mind  was  distressed,  not  so  much  at  the 
great  pecuniary  loss  which  the  destruction  of  Iranis- 
tan  would  involve,  as  at  the  possibility  that  some  of 
my  family  or  visitors  would  be  killed  or  seriously 
injured  in  attempting  to  save  something  from  the 
fire.  Then  I  thought  of  the  sore  disappointment 
this  calamity  would  cause  to  the  young  couple,  as 
well  as  to  those  who  were  invited  to  the  wedding. 
I  saw  that  Mr.  Thompson  looked  pale  and  anxious. 

"'Never  mind!'  said  I;  'we  can't  help  these 
things ;  the  house  will  probably  be  burned ;  but  if 
no  one  is  killed  or  injured,  you  shall  be  married  to- 
night, if  we  are  obliged  to  perform  the  ceremony  in 
the  coach-house.'  ' 

"On  our  way,  we  overtook  a  fire  company,  and  I 
implored  them  to  '  hurry  up  their  machine.'  Arriv- 
ing in  sight  of  Iranistan,  we  saw  huge  volumes  of 


BARJSUM'S  MONUMENT. 


MO UNTAIN  GR O  VE  CEME  TER  Y.  309 

smoke  rolling  out  from  the  roof  and  many  men  on 
the  top  of  the  house  were  passing  buckets  of  water 
to  pour  upon  the  fire.  Fortunately,  several  men 
had  been  engaged  during  the  day  in  repairing  the 
roof,  and  their  ladders  were  against  the  house.  By 
these  means  and  with  the  assistance  of  the  men 
employed  upon  my  grounds,  water  was  passed  very 
rapidly,  and  the  flames  were  soon  subdued  without 
serious  damage.  The  inmates  of  Iranistan  were 
thoroughly  frightened ;  Catherine  Hayes  and  other 
visitors,  packed  their  trunks  and  had  them  carried 
out  on  the  lawn ;  and  the  house  came  as  near  de- 
struction as  it  well  could  and  escape." 

While  Miss  Hayes  was  at  Bridgeport  she  gave, 
at  Barnum's  request,  a  concert  for  the  benefit  of 
"Mountain  Grove  Cemetery,"  and  the  large  pro- 
ceeds were  devoted  to  the  erection  of  the  stone 
tower  and  gateway  that  now  adorn  the  entrance  to 
that  beautiful  resting  place  of  the  dead.  Barnum 
had  bought  the  eighty  acres  of  land  for  this  ceme- 
tery a  few  years  before  from  several  farmers.  He 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  tramping  over  it,  gunning, 
and  while  thus  engaged,  had  observed  its  admirable 
fitness  for  the  purposes  of  a  cemetery.  After  the 
title  deeds  for  the  property  were  secured,  it  was 
offered  for  a  cemetery,  and  at  a  meeting  of  citizens, 
several  lots  were  subscribed  for,  enough,  indeed,  to 
cover  the  amount  of  the  purchase  money.  Thus 
was  begun  the  "  Mountain  Grove  Cemetery,"  which 
is  now  beautifully  laid  out  and  adorned  with  many 


3IO  LIFE  OF  P.   7.  BAR  NUM. 

tasteful  and  costly  monuments.  Among  these  are 
Barnum's  own  substantial  granite  monument,  the 
family  monuments  of  Harral,  Bishop,  Hubbell, 
Lyon,  Wood,  Loomis,  Wordin,  Hyde,  and  others, 
and  General  Tom  Thumb  erected  a  tall  marble 
shaft  which  is  surmounted  by  a  life-size  statue  of 
himself.  There  is  no  more  charming  burial-ground 
in  the  whole  country;  yet  when  the  project  was  sug- 
gested, many  persons  preferred  an  intermural 
cemetery  to  this  rural  resting-place  for  their 
departed  friends  ;  though  now  all  concur  in  consid- 
ering it  fortunate  that  this  adjunct  was  secured  to 
Bridgeport  before  the  land  could  be  permanently 
devoted  to  other  purposes. 

Mr.  Dion  Boucicault  also  lectured  at  Bridgeport 
for  the  benefit  of  this  cemetery  and  Tom  Thumb 
gave  an  entertainment  for  the  same  object.  At 
Barnum's  request  and  under  his  management,  Tom 
Thumb  and  his  wife,  and  Commodore  Nutt  and  his 
wife,  gave  several  exhibitions  and  entertainments 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Bridgeport  Charitable  Society, 
the  Bridgeport  Library,  and  other  local  institutions. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

SOME    DOMESTIC    ENTERPRISES. 

PUTTING  A  PICKPOCKET  ON  EXHIBITION — TRAVELLING  INCOGNITO — THE 
PEQUONNOCK  BANK — THE  NEW  YORK  CRYSTAL  PALACE — A  POEM 
ON  AN  INCIDENT  AT  IRANISTAN. 

In  the  summer  of  1853  Alfred  Bunn,  formerly  man- 
ager of  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  London,  arrived  in 
Boston.  He  was  then  one  of  the  most  notable 
figures  in  the  theatrical  world.  It  was  he  who  had 
made  the  first  engagement  with  Jenny  Lind  to  appear 
in  London.  She  had  "been  induced  to  break  this 
engagement,  however,  through  the  solicitations  of 
Mr.  Lumley,  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  with  the 
result  that  Mr.  Lumley  had  to  pay  to  Mr.  Bunn  heavy 
damages  for  the  breach  of  contract.  Barnum  and 
Bunn  had  never  met,  though  they  knew  each  other 
well  by  reputation,  and  indeed  Bunn  labored  under 
the  delusion  that  he  had  met  Barnum,  for  soon  after 
his  arrival  he  hastened  to  New  York  and  entered 
Barnum's  private  office  at  the  Museum  with  the  ex- 
clamation, "  Well,  Barnum,  do  you  remember  me  ?  " 

Barnum  was  confident  that  he  had  never  seen  him 
before,  and  indeed  did  not  really  know  who  he  was. 
But,  quick  as  a  flash,  he  thought  that  the  ex-manager 

3" 


312  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

of  Drury  Lane  must  be  the  only  living  Englishman 
with  presumption  enough  to  accost  him  in  this  way. 
So  he  answered  without  hesitation,  "Why,  this  is 
Mr.  Bunn,  isn't  it  ? " 

"Ah,  my  boy,"  said  Bunn,  slapping  him  familiarly 
on  the  back,  "  I  thought  you  would  remember  me. 
Well,  Barnum,  how  have  you  been  since  I  last  saw 
you  ?  " 

Barnum  replied  in  a  manner  that  encouraged  his 
impression  that  they  were  old  acquaintances,  and 
during  the  next  two  hours  they  had  much  gossip 
about  men  and  affairs  in  London.  Bunn  called  upon 
Barnum  several  times  after  that,  and  probably  never 
realized  that  Barnum  really  had  been  in  London  two 
or  three  years  without  making  his  acquaintance. 
When  Barnum  went  to  London  again  in  1858  he 
renewed  his  acquaintance  with  Bunn  and  they  became 
great  chums. 

The  years  1851,  1852  and  1853  were  mostly  spent 
at  Bridgeport,  with  frequent  visits  to  New  York  of  a 
day  or  two  each.  In  the  last-named  year  he  resigned 
the  office  of  President  of  the  Fairfield  County  Agri- 
cultural Society,  but  in  accepting  his  resignation  the 
society  insisted  that  it  should  not  go  into  effect  until 
after  the  annual  fair  of  1854.  His  administration  of 
the  affairs  of  the  society  had  been  very  successful, 
especially  in  relation  to  the  fairs  and  cattle  shows. 

The  manner  in  which  Barnum  turned  every  cir- 
cumstance to  account  in  the  interest  of  these  fairs  is 
well  shown  in  his  dealings  with  a  pickpocket  at  the 


DEALING    WITH  PICKPOCKETS.  313 

fair  of  1853.  The  man  was  caught  in  the  act  of 
taking  a  pocket-book  from  a  country  farmer,  and  on 
arrest  was  found  to  be  a  notorious  English  thief. 
He  had  already  victimized  many  other  visitors  to  the 
fair,  and  there  was  almost  a  state  of  panic  among 
the  visitors.  The  fair  was  to  close  the  next  day. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  thief  was  taken  before 
a  justice,  legally  examined,  and  was  bound  over  for 
trial.  Barnum  then  obtained  consent  from  the 
Sheriff  that  the  fellow  should  be  put  on  the  fair 
grounds,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  those  who  had 
been  robbed  an  opportunity  of  identifying  him.  For 
this  purpose  he  was  handcuffed  and  placed  in  a  con- 
spicuous position,  where  of  course  he  was  "  the  ob- 
served of  all  observers."  Then  Barnum  papered 
the  country  round  about  with  handbills,  stating  that, 
for  the  last  day  of  the  fair,  the  managers  had  secured 
an  extraordinary  attraction.  They  would,  he  said, 
exhibit,  safely  handcuffed,  and  without  extra  charge, 
a  live  pickpocket,  who  had  on  the  day  preceding 
been  caught  in  the  act  of  robbing  an  honest  farmer. 
Crowds  of  people  rushed  in  to  see  the  show,  parents 
for  miles  around  brought  their  children  to  see  the 
awful  example  of  iniquity,  and  great  was  the  profit 
to  the  treasury  of  the  fair. 

At  the  close  of  his  presidency  in  1854  Barnum 
was  asked  to  deliver  the  opening  speech  at  the 
County  Fair  at  Stamford.  He  did  so,  delivering 
simply  a  portion  of  his  lecture  on  "  The  Philosophy 
of  Humbug."  The  next  morning,  as  he  was  being 


3 14  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

shaved  in  the  village  barber's  shop,  which  was  at 
the  time  crowded  with  customers,  the  ticket-seller 
to  the  fair  came  in.  Here  is  Barnum's  own  account 
of  what  followed : 

"  What  kind  of  a  house  did  you  have  last  night  ?  " 
asked  one  of  the  gentlemen  in  waiting. 

"Oh,  first-rate,  of  course.  Barnum  always  draws 
a  crowd,"  was  the  reply  of  the  ticket-seller,  to  whom 
I  was  not  known. 

Most  of  the  gentlemen  present,  however,  knew 
me,  and  they  found  much  difficulty  in  restraining 
their  laughter. 

"  Did  Barnum  make  a  good  speech  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  did  not  hear  it.  I  was  out  in  the  ticket-office. 
I  guess  it  was  pretty  good,  for  I  never  heard  so 
much  laughing  as  there  was  all  through  his  speech. 
But  it  makes  no  difference  whether  it  was  good  or 
not,"  continued  the  ticket-seller,  "  the  people  will  go 
to  see  Barnum." 

"  Barnum  must  be  a  curious  chap,"  I  remarked 

"Well,  I  guess  he  is  up  to  all  the  dodges." 

"  Do  you  know  him  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Not  personally,"  he  replied  ;  "  but  I  always  get 
into  the  Museum  for  nothing.  I  know  the  door- 
keeper, and  he  slips  me  in  free." 

"Barnum  would  not  like  that,  probably,  if  he 
knew  it,"  I  remarked. 

"  But  it  happens  he  don't  know  it,"  replied  the 
ticket-seller,  in  great  glee. 

"  Barnum  was  on  the  cars  the  other  day,  on  his 


OTHER  BITS  OF  HUMBUG.  315 

way  to  Bridgeport,"  said  I,  "  and  I  heard  one  of  the 
passengers  blowing  him  up  terribly  as  a  humbug. 
He  was  addressing  Barnum  at  the  time,  but  did  not 
know  him.  Barnum  joined  in  lustily,  and  indorsed 
everything  the  man  said.  When  the  passenger 
learned  whom  he  had  been  addressing,  I  should 
think  he  must  have  felt  rather  flat." 

"  I  should  think  so,  too,"  said  the  ticket-seller. 

This  was  too  much,  and  we  all  indulged  in  a  burst 
of  laughter ;  still  the  ticket-seller  suspected  nothing. 
After  I  had  left  the  shop,  the  barber  told  him  who  I 
was.  I  called  into  the  ticket-office  on  business 
several  times  during  the  day,  but  the  poor  ticket- 
seller  kept  his  face  turned  from  me,  and  appeared 
so  chapfallen  that  I  did  not  pretend  to  recognize 
him  as  the  hero  of  the  joke  in  the  barber's  shop. 

There  were  many  incidents  similar  to  the  fore- 
going in  Barnum's  career.  One  occurred  on  board 
a  steamboat,  going  from  New  York  to  Bridgeport. 
As  they  entered  the  harbor  of  the  latter  city  a 
stranger  asked  the  great  showman  to  point  out 
"  Barnum's  house  "  from  the  deck.  Barnum  did  so, 
and  then  another  bystander  remarked,  "  I  know  all 
about  that  house,  for  I  did  a  lot  of  painting  there  for 
several  months  while  Barnum  was  in  Europe."  He 
went  on  to  say  that  it  was  the  meanest  and  worst 
contrived  house  he  ever  saw,  and  added,  "  It  will 
cost  old  Barnum  a  mint  of  money  and  not  be  worth 
two  cents  after  it  is  finished."  "  I  suppose  from  that 
that  old  Barnum  didn't  pay  you  very  punctually," 


3l6  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

observed  Barnum  himself.  "  Oh,  yes;  he  pays 
promptly  every  Saturday  night,"  said  the  other; 
"  there's  no  trouble  about  that.  He  has  made  half 
a  million  by  exhibiting  a  little  boy  whom  he  took 
from  Bridgeport  and  whom  we  never  thought  any 
great  shakes  until  Barnum  took  him  and  trained 
him." 

Presently  one  of  the  other  passengers  told  this 
man  who  Barnum  was,  and  nothing  more  was  seen 
of  him. 

On  another  occasion,  says  Barnum,  I  went  to 
Boston  by  the  Fall  River  route.  Arriving  before 
sunrise,  I  found  but  one  carriage  at  the  depot.  I 
immediately  engaged  it,  and,  giving  the  driver  the 
check  for  my  baggage,  told  him  to  take  me  directly 
to  the  Revere  House,  as  I  was  in  great  haste,  and 
enjoined  him  to  take  in  no  other  passengers,  and  I 
would  pay  his  demands.  He  promised  compliance 
with  my  wishes,  but  soon  afterwards  appeared  with 
a  gentleman,  two  ladies,  and  several  children,  whom 
he  crowded  into  the  carriage  with  me,  and,  placing 
their  trunks  on  the  baggage-rack,  started  off.  I 
thought  there  was  no  use  in  grumbling,  and  consoled 
myself  with  the  reflection  that  the  Revere  House 
was  not  far  away.  He  drove  up  one  street  and 
down  another  for  what  seemed  to  me  a  very  long 
time,  but  I  was  wedged  in  so  closely  that  I  could  not 
see  what  route  he  was  taking. 

After  half  an  hour's  drive  he  halted,  and  I  found 
we  were  at  the  Lowell  Railway  Depot.  Here  my 


BUSINESS  ENTERPRISES.  317 

fellow-passengers  alighted,  and  after  a  long  delay 
the  driver  delivered  their  baggage,  received  his  fare, 
and  was  about  closing  the  carriage  door  preparatory 
to  starting  again.  I  was  so  thoroughly  vexed  at  the 
shameful  manner  in  which  he  had  treated  me,  that  I 
remarked: 

"  Perhaps  you  had  better  wait  till  the  Lowell  train 
arrives ;  you  may  possibly  get  another  load  of 
passengers.  Of  course  my  convenience  is  of  no 
consequence.  I  suppose  if  you  land  me  at  the 
Revere  House  any  time  this  week,  it  will  be  as 
much  as  I  have  a  right  to  expect." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  replied,  "  but  that  was 
Barnum  and  his  family.  He  was  very  anxious  to  get 
here  in  time  for  the  first  train,  so  I  stuck  him  for  $2, 
and  now  I'll  carry  you  to  the  Revere  House  free." 

"  What  Barnum  is  it  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  The  Museum  and  Jenny  Lind  man,"  he  replied. 

The  compliment  and  the  shave  both  having  been 
intended  for  me,  I  was  of  course  mollified,  and 
replied,  "You  are  mistaken,  my  friend,  /  am 
Barnum." 

"  Coachee "  was  thunderstruck,  and  offered  all 
sorts  of  apologies. 

"A  friend  at  the  other  depot  told  me  that  I  had 
Mr.  Barnum  on  board,"  said  he,  "and  I  really  sup- 
posed he  meant  the  other  man.  When  I  come  to 
notice  you,  I  perceive  my  mistake,  but  I  hope  you 
will  forgive  me.  I  have  carried  you  frequently 
before,  and  hope  you  will  give  me  your  custom  while 


3l8  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

you  are  in  Boston.  I  never  will  make  such  a  mis- 
take again." 

The  Pequonnock  Bank  of  Bridgeport  was  organ- 
ized in  the  spring  of  1851.  Barnum  had  no  interest 
whatever  in  it,  not  holding  a  single  share  of  the 
stock.  He  was,  however,  unanimously  elected  Presi- 
dent of  it.  He  accepted  the  office,  but  as  he  knew 
he  could  not  devote  much  time  to  it,  requested  that 
Mr.  Hubbell,  then  Mayor  of  Bridgeport,  should  be 
made  Vice-President. 

Mr.  Barnum  also  invested  $20,000,  as  special 
partner,  in  a  company  for  the  publication  of  an  illus- 
trated weekly  newspaper  in  New  York.  This  was 
The  Illustrated  News.  The  first  number  was  issued 
on  the  ist  of  January,  1853,  and  within  a  month  it 
had  seventy  thousand  circulation.  Various  com- 
plications arose,  which  greatly  annoyed  Barnum, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  the  whole  concern 
was  sold  out  without  loss. 

He  was  earnestly  urged,  in  February,  1854,  to 
accept  the  presidency  of  the  Universal  Exposition, 
which  was  held  in  New  York  in  the  famous  Crystal 
Palace.  At  first  he  positively  declined.  But  the 
matter  was  persistently  urged  upon  him  by  many 
influential  gentlemen,  who  represented  to  him  that 
the  success  of  the  enterprise  depended  upon  his 
acceptance  of  the  position.  The  result  was  that  at 
last  he  did  accept  it,  and  he  entered  upon  its  duties 
with  all  the  vigor  he  could  command.  The  concern 

o 

was  almost  bankrupt,  and  to  save  it  from  utter  ruin 


WINTER   BOUQUETS.  319 

Barnum  advanced  large  sums  of  money  from  his 
own  purse.  By  this  means  and  by  various  other 
efforts,  such  as  the  re-inauguration,  the  famous  Jul- 
lien  concerts,  etc.,  here  stored  a  semblance  of  pros- 
perity. But  it  was  uphill  work,  and  after  a  time  he 
resigned  the  presidency  and  abandoned  the  institu- 
tion to  its  fate. 

A  little  incident  which  occurred  at  Iranistan,  in  the 
winter  of  1852,  was  observed  by  a  lady  from  Phila- 
delphia who  was  visiting  there  -at  the  time.  She 
afterward  made  it  the  subject  of  a  poem,  which  Mr, 
Barnum  prized  highly.  It  was  as  follows : 

WINTER  BOUQUETS. 

AN   INCIDENT   IN  THE   LIFE  OF  AN   AMERICAN  CITIZEN. 

The  poor  man's  garden  lifeless  lay 

Beneath  a  fall  of  snow ; 
But  Art  in  costly  greenhouses, 

Keeps  Summer  in  full  glow. 
And  Taste  paid  gold  for  bright  bouquets, 

The  parlor  vase  that  drest, 
That  scented  Fashion's  gray  boudoir, 

Or  bloomed  on  Beauty's  breast. 

A  rich  man  sat  beside  the  fire, 

Within  his  sculptured  halls ; 
Brave  heart,  clear  head,  and  busy  hand 

Had  reared  those  stately  walls. 
fie  to  his  gardener  spake,  and  said 

In  tone  of  quiet  glee — 
"  I  want  a  hundred  fine  bouquets — 

Canst  make  them,  John,  for  me  ?  " 

John's  eyes  became  exceeding  round, 

This  question  when  he  heard ; 
He  gazed  upon  his  master, 

And  he  answered  not  a  word. 


320  LIFE   OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

"  Well,  John,"  the  rich  man  laughing  said, 

"  If  these  too  many  be, 
What  sayest  to  half  the  number,  man  ? 

Canst  fifty  make  for  me  ?  " 

Now  John  prized  every  flower,  as  'twere 

A  daughter  or  a  son ; 
And  thought,  like  Regan — "  What  the  need 

Of  fifty,  or  of  one  ?  " 
But,  keeping  back  the  thought,  he  said, 

"  I  think,  sir,  that  I  might ; 
But  it  would  leave  my  lady's  flowers 

In  very  ragged  plight." 

"  Well,  John,  thy  vegetable  pets 

Must  needs  respected  be ; 
We'll  halve  the  number  once  again — 

Make  twenty-five  for  me. 
And  hark  ye,  John,  when  they  are  made 

Come  up  and  let  me  know ; 
And  I'll  give  thee  a  list  of  those 

To  whom  the  flowers  must  go." 

The  twenty-five  bouquets  were  made, 

And  round  the  village  sent ; 
And  to  whom  thinkest  thou,  my  friend, 

These  floral  jewels  went  ? 
Not  to  the  beautiful  and  proud — 

Not  to  the  rich  and  gay — 
Who,  Dives-like,  at  Luxury's  feast 

Are  seated  every  day. 

An  aged  Pastor,  on  his  desk 

Saw  those  fair  preachers  stand ; 
A  Widow  wept  upon  the  gift, 

And  blessed  the  giver's  hand. 
Where  Poverty  bent  o'er  her  task, 

They  cheered  the  lonely  room; 
And  round  the  bed  where  sickness  lay, 

They  breathed  Health's  fresh  perfume. 

Oh !  kindly  heart  and  open  hand — 
Those  flowers  in  dust  are  trod, 


WINTER   BOUQUETS.  321 

But  they  bloom  to  weave  a  wreath  for  thee, 

In  the  Paradise  of  God. 
Sweet  is  the  Minstrel's  task,  whose  song 

Of  deeds  like  these  may  tell ; 
And  long  may  he  have  power  to  give, 

Who  wields  that  power  so  well ! 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE   JEROME    CLOCK   COMPANY. 

FOUNDING  EAST  BRIDGEPORT  —  GROWTH  OF  THE  CITY — THE  JEROME 
CLOCK  BUBBLE — A  RUINED  MAN — PAVING  HONEST  DEBTS — DOWN 
IN  THE  DEPTHS. 

In  the  year  1851  Mr.  Barnum  had  purchased  from 
William  H.  Noble,  of  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  the  undi- 
vided half  of  his  late  father's  homestead — fifty 
acres  of  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  opposite 
the  city  of  Bridgeport.  Together  they  bought  the 
one  hundred  and  seventy-four  acres  adjoining,  and 
laid  out  the  entire  property  in  regular  streets,  and 
lined  them  with  trees.  A  beautiful  grove  of  eight 
acres  was  reserved  for  a-  park.  This  they  intended 
for  a  nucleus  of  a  new  city,  to  be  known  as  East 
Bridgeport. 

They  then  commenced  selling  alternate  lots,  at  the 
same  price  as  the  land  had  cost  them  by  the  acre, 
always  on  condition  that  a  suitable  dwelling-house, 
store  or  manufactory  should  be  erected  on  the  ground 
within  a  year ;  that  every  building  should  be  placed 
at  a  certain  distance  from  the  street ;  that  the  style 
of  architecture  should  be  approved  by  the  sellers ; 
that  the  grounds  be  inclosed  with  suitable  fences, 
322 


EAST  BRIDGEPORT  "ON  THE  BRAIN."  323 

and  that  in  all  respects  the  locality  should  be  kept 
desirable  for  respectable  residents. 

A  new  foot-bridge  was  built  across  the  river,  con- 
necting the  new  town  with  the  city  of  Bridgeport, 
and  a  public  toll-bridge,  which  belonged  to  Barnum 
and  Noble,  was  thrown  open  to  the  public  free. 
They  also  erected  a  covered  drawbridge  at  a  cost 
of  $16,000,  which  was  made  free  to  the  public  for 
several  years. 

They  built  and  leased  to  a  union  company  of  young 
coach-makers  a  large  manufactory,  which  was  one 
of  the  first  buildings  erected  in  the  town,  and  which 
went  into  operation  on  the  first  day  of  the  year 
1852. 

In  addition  to  the  inducements  of  low  prices  for 
the  lots,  the  owners  advanced  one-half,  two-thirds, 
and  sometimes  all  the  funds  to  erect  buildings,  per- 
mitting the  purchasers  to  repay  them  in  small  sums 
at  their  own  convenience.  The  town,  under  such 
favorable  auspices,  began  to  develop  and  to  grow 
with  great  rapidity. 

No  one  of  Barnum's  schemes  had  ever  interested 
him  as  this  one  did.  He  was  willing  to  listen  to  any 
one  who  thought  they  had  a  project  favorable  to  the 
advancement  of  the  new  city.  It  was  the  man's 
weak  spot,  and  it  was  this  weak  spot  which  was 
destined  to  be  touched  once  too  often. 

There  was  a  small  clock  factory  in  the  town  of 
Litchfield,  in  which  Barnum  was  a  stockholder. 
Thinking  always  of  his  beloved  enterprise,  it  oc- 


324  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

curred  to  him  at  length  that  if  the  Litchfield  clock 
company  could  be  transferred  to  East  Bridgeport,  it 
would  necessarily  bring  with  it  numerous  families  to 
swell  the  population.  A  new  stock  company  was 
formed,  under  the  name  of  the  "  Terry  and  Barnum 
Manufacturing  Company,"  and  in  1852  a  factory  was 
built  in  East  Bridgeport. 

It  will  be  seen  how  recklessly  the  owners  of  the 
site  were  spending  money.  They  looked  for  their 
profits  wholly  from  the  sale  of  the  reserved  lots, 
which  they  felt  sure  would  bring  high  values. 

In  1855  Mr.  Barnum  was  visited  by  the  President 
of  the  Jerome  Clock  Company,  Mr.  Chauncey  Jerome, 
with  a  proposition  that  the  concern,  which  was  re- 
puted to  be  very  wealthy,  should  be  removed  to 
East  Bridgeport.  Negotiations  were  opened,  and  at 
last  Barnum  was  offered  a  transfer  of  the  great 
manufactory  with  its  seven  hundred  to  one  thou- 
sand employees,  if  he  would  lend  his  name  as  secur- 
ity for  $i  10,000  in  aid  of  the  company. 

He  was  shown  an  official  report  of  the  directors 
of  the  company,  exhibiting  a  capital  of  $400,000  with 
a  surplus  of  $187,000.  They  were  in  need  of  money 
to  tide  over  a  dull  season  and  a  market  glutted  with 
goods.  The  company  also  was  represented  as  being 
extremely  loth  to  dismiss  any  of  their  employees, 
who  would  suffer  greatly  if  their  means  of  livelihood 
were  taken  from  them.  The  company  was  reputed 
to  be  rich;  the  President,  Mr.  Chauncey  Jerome, 
had  built  a  church  in  New  Haven,  at  a  cost  of 


THE  BARGAIN  CLOSED. 

$40,000,  and  proposed  to  present  it  to  a  congrega- 
tion ;  he  had  given  a  clock  to  a  church  in  Bridge- 
port, and  these  things  showed  that  he,  at  least, 
thought  he  was  wealthy.  The  Jerome  clocks  were 
for  sale  all  over  the  world,  even  in  China,  where  the 
Celestials  were  said  to  take  out  the  "  movements," 
and  use  the  cases  for  little  temples  for  their  idols, 
"Thus  proving  that  faith  was  possible  without 
'works,'"  as  Mr.  Barnum  said. 

Further  testimony  came  in  the  form  of  a  letter 
from  the  cashier  of  one  of  the  New  Haven  banks, 
expressing  the  highest  confidence  in  the  financial 
strength  of  the  company.  Barnum  afterwards 
learned  that  his  correspondent  represented  a  bank 
which  was  one  of  the  largest  creditors  of  the  con- 
cern. 

Barnum  finally  agreed  to  lend  the  clock  company 
his  notes  for  a  sum  not  to  exceed  $50,000,  and  to 
accept  drafts  to  an  amount  not  to  exceed  $60,000. 
He  also  received  the  written  guarantee  of  the  Presi- 
dent, Chauncey  Jerome,  that  in  no  event  should  he 
lose  by  the  loan,  as  he  would  be  personally  respon- 
sible for  the  repayment.  Mr.  Barnum  was  willing 
that  his  notes  should  be  taken  up  and  renewed  an 
indefinite  number  of  times  just  so  the  maximum  of 
$110,000  was  not  exceeded.  Upon  the  representa- 
tion that  it  was  impossible  to  say  exactly  when  it 
would  be  necessary  to  use  the  notes,  Barnum  was 
induced  to  put  his  name  to  several  notes  for  $3,000, 
$5,000  and  $10,000,  leaving  the  date  of  payment 

18 


328  LIF£   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

blank,  it  being  stipulated  that  the  blanks  should  be 
filled  to  make  the  notes  payable  in  five,  ten,  or  even 
sixty  days  from  date.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was 
agreed  that  the  Jerome  Company  should  exchange 
its  stock  with  the  Terry  and  Barnum  stockholders, 
thus  absorbing  that  concern,  and  unite  the  whole 
business  in  East  Bridgeport. 

Three  months  later  Barnum's  memoranda  showed 
that  the  entire  $110,000  had  been  used.  He  was 
then  solicited  by  the  New  York  agent  of  the  com- 
pany for  five  additional  notes  for  $5,000  each.  The 
request  was  refused  unless  they  would  return  an 
equal  amount  of  his  own  cancelled  notes,  since  the 
agent  assured  him  that  they  were  cancelling  these 
notes  "every  week."  The  cancelled  notes  were 
brought  him  next  day  and  he  renewed  them.  This 
he  did  afterwards  very  frequently,  until  at  last  his 
confidence  in  their  integrity  became  so  firmly  estab- 
lished that  he  ceased  to  ask  to  see  the  notes  that 
had  been  taken  up,  but  furnished  new  paper  as  often 
as  it  was  desired. 

But  gradually  the  rumor  that  the  banks  were 
hesitating  about  discounting  his  paper  came  to 
Barnum's  ears.  Wondering  at  this,  he  made  a  few 
inquiries,  which  resulted  in  the  startling  discovery 
that  his  notes  had  never  been  taken  up,  as  repre- 
sented by  the  Jerome  Company,  and  that  some  of 
the  blank-date  notes  had  been  made  payable  in 
twelve,  eighteen  and  twenty-four  months.  Further 
investigation  revealed  the  fact  that  he  had  indorsed 


THE  BUBBLE  BURSTS.  329 

for  the  company  to  the  amount  of  over  half  a  million 
dollars,  and  that  most  of  the  notes  had  been  ex- 
changed for  old  Jerome  Company  notes  due  to  the 
banks  and  other  creditors. 

Barnum  simply  went  to  work,  paid  every  debt  he 
owed  in  the  world,  and — failed ! 

The  Jerome  Company  also  failed,  and  in  addition 
to  absorbing  Barnum's  fortune,  was  able  to  pay  only 
about  fifteen  per  cent,  of  its  own  obligations.  Of 
course  it  never  removed  to  East  Bridgeport  at  all. 

The  failure  was  a  nine-days'  wonder  all  over  the 
country.  Never  had  Barnum  achieved  such  notoriety. 
As  he  expressed  it,  he  was  taken  to  pieces,  analyzed, 
put  together  again,  kicked,  "  pitched  into,"  tumbled 
about,  preached  to,  preached  about,  and  made  to 
serve  every  purpose  to  which  a  sensation  loving 
world  could  put  him. 

Barnum  declared  that  he  could  stand  the  abuse, 
the  cooling  of  false  friends  and  even  the  loss  of 
fortune,  but  it  made  him  furious  to  read  and  hear 
the  moralizings  over  the  "instability  of  ill-gotten 
gains."  His  fortune,  if  made  quickly,  had  been 
honestly  worked  for  and  honorably  acquired,  though 
envious  people  pretended  not  to  believe  it. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE   WHEAT   AND   THE   CHAFF. 

FALSE  AND  TRUE  FRIENDS — MEETING  OF  BRIDGEPORT  CITIZENS— BAR- 
NUM'S  LETTER — TOM  THUMB'S  OFFER — SHILLABER'S  POEM — BARNUM'S 
MESSAGE  TO  THE  CREDITORS  OF  THE  JEROME  CLOCK  COMPANY — RE- 
MOVAL TO  NEW  YORK — BEGINNING  LIFE  ANEW  AT  FORTY-SIX. 

But  while  misfortune  reveals  a  man  his  foes,  it 
also  shows  him  his  friends.  Barnum  was  over- 
whelmed with  offers  of  assistance,  funds  were  de- 
clared at  his  disposal,  both  Tor  the  support  of  his 
family  and  to  re-establish  him  in  business.  "  Bene- 
fits" by  the  score  were  offered  him,  and  there  was 
even  a  proposition  among  leading  citizens  of  New 
York  to  give  a  series  of  benefits. 

Every  one  of  these  offers  Barnum  declined  on  his 
unvarying  principle  of  never  accepting  a  money 
favor.  The  following  correspondence  is  taken  from 
the  New  York  papers  of  the  time,  and  will  show  the 
stand  he  took  in  the  matter : 

NEW  YORK,  June  ad,  1856. 
MR.  P.  T.  BARNUM  : 

Dear  Sir :  The  financial  ruin  of  a  man  of  ac- 
knowledged energy  and  enterprise  is  a  public  calam- 

33° 


THE   WHEAT  AAD  THE  CHAFF,  331 

ity.  The  sudden  blow,  therefore,  that  has  swept 
away,  from  a  man  like  yourself,  the  accumulated 
wealth  of  years,  justifies,  we  think,  the  public  sym- 
pathy. The  better  to  manifest  our  sincere  respect 
for  your  liberal  example  in  prosperity,  as  well  as 
exhibit  our  honest  admiration  of  your  fortitude  under 
overwhelming  reverses,  we  propose  to  give  that 
sympathy  a  tangible  expression  by  soliciting  your 
acceptance  of  a  series  of  benefits  for  your  family, 
the  result  of  which  may  possibly  secure  for  your 
wife  and  children  a  future  home,  or  at  least  rescue 
them  from  the  more  immediate  consequences  of  your 
misfortune. 

Freeman  Hunt,  E.  K.  Collins,  Isaac  V.  Fowler, 
James  Phalen,  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  F.  B.  Cutting, 
James  W.  Gerard,  Simeon  Draper,  Thomas  McEl- 
rath,  Park  Godwin,  R.  F.  Carman,  Gen.  C.  W.  San- 
ford,  Philo  Hurd,  President  H.  R.  R. ;  Wm.  Ells- 
worth, President  Brooklyn  Ins.  Co. ;  George  S. 
Doughty,  President  Excelsior  Ins.  Co. ;  Chas.  T. 
Cromwell,  Robert  Stuyvesant,  E.  L.  Livingston,  R. 
Busteed,  Wm.  P.  Fettridge,  E.  N.  Haughwout,  Gco. 
F.  Nesbitt,  Osborne  Boardman  &  Townsend,  Charles 
H.  Delavan,  I.  &  C.  Berrien,  Fisher  &  Bird,  Solo- 
mon &  Hart,  B.  Young,  M.  D.,  Treadwell,  Acker 
&  Co.,  St.  Nicholas  Hotel;  John  Wheeler,  Union 
Square  Hotel ;  S.  Leland  &  Co.,  Metropolitan  Hotel; 
Albert  Clark,  Brevoort  House;  H.  D.  Clapp,  Everett 
House  ;  John  Taylor,  International  Hotel ;  Sydney 
Hopman,  Smithsonian  Hotel ;  Messrs.  Delmonico. 


LIFE  OF  p-  T>  BARNUM. 

Delmonico's ;  Geo.  W.  Sherman,  Florence's  Hotel ; 
Kingsley  &  Ainslee,  Howard  Hotel ;  Libby  &  Whit- 
ney, Lovejoy's  Hotel ;  Howard  &  Brown,  Tammany 
Hall ;  Jonas  Bartlett,  Washington  Hotel ;  Patten  & 
Lynde,  Pacific  Hotel ;  J.  Johnson,  Johnson's  Hotel, 
and  over  1,000  others. 

To  this  gratifying  communication  he  replied  as 
follows : 

LONG  ISLAND,  Tuesday,  June  3d,  1856. 

GENTLEMEN  :  I  can  hardly  find  words  to  express 
my  gratitude  for  your  very  kind  proposition.  The 
popular  sympathy  is  to  me  far  more  precious  than 
gold,  and  that  sympathy  seems  in  my  case  to  extend 
from  my  immediate  neighbors,  in  Bridgeport,  to  all 
parts  of  our  Union. 

Proffers  of  pecuniary  assistance  have  reached 
me  from  every  quarter,  not  only  from  friends,  but 
from  entire  strangers.  Mr.  Wm.  E.  Burton,  Miss 
Laura  Keene,  and  Mr.  Wm.  Niblo  have  in  the 
kindest  manner  tendered  me  the  receipts  of  theit 
theatres  for  one  evening.  Mr.  Gough  volunteered 
the  proceeds  of  one  of  his  attractive  lectures ;  Mr. 
James  Phalon  generously  offered  me  the  free  use 
of  the  Academy  of  Music ;  many  professional  ladies 
and  gentlemen  have  urged  me  to  accept  their  gratu- 
itous services.  I  have,  on  principle,  respectfully 
declined  them  all,  as  I  beg,  with  the  most  grateful  ac- 
knowledgments (at  least  for  the  present),  to  decline 
yours — not  because  a  benefit,  in  itself,  is  an  objec- 


THE   WHEAT  AND  THE  CHAFF.  333 

tionable  thing,  but  because  I  have  ever  made  it  a 
point  to  ask  nothing  of  the  public  on  personal 
grounds,  and  should  prefer,  while  I  can  possibly 
avoid  that  contingency,  to  accept  nothing  from  it 
without  the  honest  conviction  that  I  had  individually 
given  it  in  return  a  full  equivalent. 

While  favored  with  health,  I  feel  competent  to 
earn  an  honest  livelihood  for  myself  and  family. 
More  than  this  I  shall  certainly  never  attempt  with 
such  a  load  of  debt  suspended  in  terrorem  over  me. 
While  I  earnestly  thank  you,  therefore,  for  your 
generous  consideration,  gentlemen,  I  trust  you  will 
appreciate  my  desire  to  live  unhumiliated  by  a  sense 
of  dependence,  and  believe  me,  sincerely  yours, 

P.  T.  BARNUM. 

To  Messrs.  FREEMAN  HUNT,  E.  K.  COLLINS,  and 
others. 

And  with  other  offers  of  assistance  from  far  and 
near,  came  the  following  from  a  little  gentleman  who 
did  not  forget  his  old  friend  and  benefactor  in  the 
time  of  trial : 

i 

JONES'  HOTEL,  PHILADELPHIA,  May  i2th,  1856. 
MY  DEAR  MR.  BARNUM  :  I  understand  your 
friends,  and  that  means  "all  creation,"  intend  to  get 
up  some  benefits  for  your  family.  Now,  my  dear 
sir,  just  be  good  enough  to  remember  that  I  belong 
to  that  mighty  crowd,  and  I  must  have  a  finger  (or 
at  least  a  "  thumb  ")  in  that  pie.  I  am  bound  to  ap- 
pear on  all  such  occasions  in  some  shape,  from  "  Jack 


334  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

the  Giant  killer,"  up-stairs,  to  the  door-keeper  down, 
whichever  may  serve  you  best ;  and  there  are  some 
feats  that  I  can  perform  as  well  as  any  other  man 
of  my  inches.  I  have  just  started  out  on  my  West- 
ern tour,  and  have  my  carriage,  ponies,  and  assistants 
all  here,  but  I  am  ready  to  go  on  to  New  York,  bag 
and  baggage,  and  remain  at  Mrs.  Barnum's  service 
as  long  as  I,  in  a  small  way,  can  be  useful.  Put  me 
into  any  "heavy"  work,  if  you  like.  Perhaps  I  can 
not  lift  as  much  as  some  other  folks,  but  just  take 
your  pencil  in  hand  and  you  will  see  I  can  draw  a 
tremendous  load.  I  drew  two  hundred  tons  at  a 
single  pull  to-day,  embracing  two  thousand  persons, 
whom  I  hauled  up  safely  and  satisfactorily  to  all 
parties,  at  one  exhibition.  Hoping  that  you  will  be 
able  to  fix  up  a  lot  of  magnets  that  will  attract  all  New 
York,  and  volunteering  to  sit  on  any  part  of  the 
loadstone,  I  am,  as  ever,  your  little  but  sympathiz- 
ing friend,  GEN.  TOM  THUMB. 

All  the  prominent  papers  published  editorials  and 
paragraphs  full  of  sympathy  for  the  great  man's  mis- 
fortune, the  Saturday  Evening  Gazette  of  Boston 
breaking  out  in  the  following  poem. 

BARNUM    REDIVIVUS. 

A  WORD  FOR  BARNUM. 

BARNUM,  your  hand !  Though  you  are  "  down," 

And  see  full  many  a  frigid  shoulder, 
Be  brave,  my  brick,  and  though  they  frown, 

Prove  that  misfortune  makes  you  bolder. 


THE  NEWSPAPERS.  335 

There's  many  a  man  that  sneers,  my  hero, 

And  former  praise  converts  to  scorning, 
Would  worship — when  he  fears — a  Nero, 

And  bend  "  where  thrift  may  follow  fawning." 

You  humbugged  us — that  we  hare  seen, 

We  got  our  money's  worth,  old  fellow, 
And  though  you  thought  our  minds  were  green, 

We  never  thought  your  heart  was  yellow. 
We  knew  you  liberal,  generous,  warm, 

Quick  to  assist  a  falling  brother, 
And,  with  such  virtues,  what's  the  harm 

All  memories  of  your  faults  to  smother  ? 

We  had  not  heard  the  peerless  Lind, 

But  for  your  spirit  enterprising, 
You  were  the  man  to  raise  the  wind, 

And  make  a  coup  confessed  surprising. 
You're  reckoned  in  your  native  town 

A  friend  in  need,  a  friend  in  danger, 
You  ever  keep  the  latch-string  down, 

And  greet  with  open  hand  the  stranger. 

Stiffen  your  upper  lip.    You  know 

Who  are  your  friends  and  who  your  foes  now ; 
We  pay  for  knowledge  as  we  go  ; 

And  though  you  get  some  sturdy  blows  now, 
You've  a  fair  field — no  favors  crave — 

The  storm  once  passed  will  find  you  braver — 
In  virtue's  cause  long  may  you  wave, 

And  on  the  right  side,  never  waver. 

The  editor  of  the  paper  was  Mr.  B.  P.  Shillaber, 
better  known  as  "  Mrs.  Partington,"  and  to  him  Bar- 
num  years  later  wrote  to  find  out  the  author  of 
this  effuson.  Mr.  Shillaber  replied  as  follows: 

CHELSEA,  April  25th,  1868. 

MY  DEAR  MR.  BARNUM  :  The  poem  in  question 
was  written  by  A.  Wallace  Thaxter,  associate  editcft 


336  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

with  Mr.  Clapp  and  myself,  on  the  Gazette — since 
deceased,  a  glorious  fellow — who  wrote  the  poem 
from  a  sincere  feeling  of  admiration  for  yourself. 
Mr.  Clapp  (Hon.  W.  W.  Clapp)  published  it  with 
his  full  approbation.  I  heard  of  your  rrew  trouble, 
in  my  sick  chamber,  where  I  have  been  all  winter, 
with  regret,  and  wish  you  as  ready  a  release  from 
attending  difficulty  as  your  genius  has  hitherto 
achieved  under  like  circumstances. 
Yours,  very  truly 

B.  F.  SHILLABER. 

The  manifestations  of  sympathy  from  his  fellow- 
citizens  in  Bridgeport  gratified  Barnum  more  than 
all  the  rest.  The  Mayor  headed  and  more  than  300 
leading  citizens  signed  a  call  for  a  mass  meeting  of 
sympathy. 

At  the  hour  appointed  for  the  meeting  a  large 
assemblage  crowded  Washington  Hall,  the  prin- 
cipal hall  of  the  city.  Many  people  thronged  the 
door,  unable  to  gain  entrance. 

Mr.  Charles  B.  Hubbell,  President  of  the  Pequon- 
nock  Bank,  was  appointed  President ;  Messrs. 
Charles  Foote,  Cashier  of  the  Connecticut  Bank  ; 
Stephen  Tomlinson,  President  of  the  Farmers'  Bank ; 
Samuel  F.  Hurd,  President  of  the  Bridgeport  City 
Bank  ;  Hanford  Lyon,  Dwight  Morris,  E.  Ferris 
Bishop,  A.  P.  Houston,  and  Wm.  H.  Noble,  Vice- 
Presidents,  and  Messrs.  Samuel  M.  Chesney  and 
Julius  L.  Hanover,  Secretaries, 


S  YMPA  TH\ '  F£ OM  BRID  GEPOR  T.  ^  37 

Mr.  D  wight  Morris  said  that  they  had  met  for  the 
purpose  of  expressing  their  sympathy  with  their  for- 
mer fellow-citizen,  P.  T.  Barnum,  in  his  pecuniary 
reverses.  It  was  well  known  how  much  Mr.  Bar- 
num had  done  for  Bridgeport.  He  had  expended 
large  sums  to  build  up  their  city,  had  accommodated 
many  of  them  with  the  means  of  securing  themselves 
homes,  and  it  was  principally  to  him  that  they  owed 
their  present  beautiful  re  sting-place  for  the  dead. 
[Applause.]  The  citizens  of  Bridgeport  hoped  that 
his  misfortunes  would  soon  pass  away,  and  that  he 
would  ere  long  resume  his  position  in  Bridgeport, 
and  among  the  citizens  of  Fairfield  County.  [Pro- 
longed applause.] 

Mr.  Wm.  H.  Noble  read  the  following  resolu- 
tions. 

WHEREAS,  Our  late  neighbor  and  friend,  P.  T.  Bar- 
num, has  become  involved  in  financial  misfortune 
which  seems  likely  to  be  irretrievable,  and  to  pre- 
vent his  again  residing  in  our  vicinity — 

Resolved,  That  we  as  citizens  of  Bridgeport  deem 
it  an  act  of  justice  no  less  than  a  slight  return  for  the 
many  acts  of  liberality,  philantropy,  and  public 
spirit  in  our  midst,  which  have  marked  his  pros- 
perity, to  offer  him  our  tribute  of  respect  and  sym- 
pathy in  this  the  hour  of  his  trouble. 

Resolved,  That  in  his  intercourse  with  us  in  the 
private  and  social  relations  of  life,  Mr.  Barnum  is 
remembered  as  a  man  of  upright  dealing's  and  hon- 
orable sentiments — a  kind  and  genial  neighbor,  and 

22 


338  LIFE  OF  p>  T'  BARNUM. 

exemplary. character,  a  beneficent  philantropist,  and 
a  most  generous  friend. 

Resolved,  That  in  his  more  extended  capacity  as 
a  citizen  he  has  enduringly  associated  his  name  with 
numerous  objects,  which  remain  as  monuments 
among  us,  connected  with  the  institutions  of  re- 
ligion, education,  and  commercial  prosperity — with 
the  advancement  of  the  mechanical,  agricultural, 
and  other  useful  arts  and  sciences — with  the  spirit 
of  public  improvement  and  public  morals ;  and  that 
so  long  as  these  remain  to  us  matters  of  interest, 
we  shall  never  forget  that  he  has  been  of  them  all 
among  the  foremost,  most  liberal,  and  most  efficient 
promoters. 

Resolved,  That  we  hereby  express  to  him  our 
heartfelt  sympathy  in  his  misfortunes,  our  unshaken 
confidence  in  his  integrity,  and  our  admiration  of 
the  dignified  fortitude  and  composure  with  which 
he  has  met  the  reverses  into  which  he  has  been 
dragged,  through  no  fault  of  his  own,  except  a  too 
generous  confidence  in  pretended  friends,  and  our 
earnest  hope  that  he  may  yet  return  to  that  wealth 
which  he  has  so  nobly  employed  and  to  the  commu- 
nity he  has  so  signally  benefited. 

Resolved,  That  copies  of  these  resolutions,  signed 
by  the  President  and  other  officers  of  this  meeting, 
be  transmitted  to  Mr.  Barnum,  and  also  to  the  press 
of  this  city. 

Mr.  E.  B.  Goodsell  said  that  Mr.  Barnum  had 
been  the  friend  of  the  poor,  and  his  hospitalities 


SYMPA THY  FROM  BRIDGEPORT.  339 

had  been  extended  to  men  of  every  State  in  the 
Union.  The  citizens  of  Bridgeport  should  be 
proud  to  claim  as  one  of  their  citizens  P.  T.  Barnum. 
His  name  was  written  upon  every  charity  in  their 
city,  and  the  temples  of  God  bore  its  Impress.  By 
a  few  fell  strokes  of  an  ugly  pen,  he  has  been  drawn 
into  that  whirlpool  of  destruction  to  himself  and 
almost  destruction  to  many  in  the  city.  In  the 
midst  of.  his  prosperity,  while  he  was  building  up  a 
city  on  the  east  side  of  their  little  harbor,  he  had 
fallen  by  the  hand  of  traitors.  He  hoped  that  he 
might  survive  his  misfortunes  and  come  back  to 
live  in  their  midst.  He  did  not  expect  that  he 
could  ever  return  with  that  " pocketful  of  rocks" 
which  he  used  to  talk  so  much  about ;  but,  if  he 
would  come,  he  for  one  was  ready  to  pledge  him- 
self that  he  should  never  starve  in  the  city  of 
Bridgeport.  [Loud  and  prolonged  applause.] 

Mr.  Oakley  was  loudly  called  for.  He  said  that 
he  had  deep  regard  for  Mr.  Barnum  in  his  distress. 
He  was  one  of  the  very  few  people  in  Bridgeport 
who  had  never  received  any  aid  from  Mr.  Barnum, 
but  he  was  ready  to  join  in  any  expression  of  sym- 
pathy, and  saw  no  reason  why  it  should  not  assume 
a  material  form  [loud  applause].  He  would  only 
allude  to  Mr.  Barnum's  unostentatious  benevolence. 
To  one  of  the  churches  of  the  city  Mr.  Barnum  gave 
$500 — to  one  of  their  churches  in  which  he  felt  no 
interest  beyond  his  interest  for  Bridgeport,  and  this 
was  but  a  specimen  of  his  munificence.  Nobody 


340  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

could  say  that  Mr.  Barnum  had  not  made  the  best 
and  most  benevolent  use  of  his  money  [Applause]. 
He  had  been  the  means  of  adding  a  large  number 
to  the  population  of  Bridgeport.  He  never  yet  had 
found  a  man*  who  was  more  eminently  the  friend  of 
the  poor  man  than  P.  T.  Barnum  [Cheers].  He 
had  alleviated  the  sufferings  of  many  a  broken 
heart,  and  he  had  aided  many  a  young  man  to  start 
in  business.  If  Mr.  Barnum  had  erred,  it  was  only 
an  error  of  judgment  [Cheers],  He  sympathized 
with  Mr.  Barnum.  He  had  talents  which  would 
cope  with  those  of  most  of  the  human  race.  He  did 
not  believe  that  there  was  a  man  in  the  city  who  had 
so  little  soul  as  to  begrudge  a  tear  to  him  in  his 
misfortune  [loud  applause].  They  should  at  least 
send  him  assurance  that  there  were  thousands  of 
hearts  in  his  own  city  which  appreciated  his  noble 
benevolence,  and  loved  and  honored  his  character. 

Mr.  Noble  read  the  following  letter  from  Mr. 
Barnum : 

"NEW  YORK,  April  25th,  1856. 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  I  have  just  received  a  slip  containing 
a  call  for  a  public  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Bridge- 
port, to  sympathize  with  me  in  my  trouble.  It  is 
headed  by  his  Honor  the  Mayor,  and  is  signed  by 
most  of  our  prominent  citizens,  as  well  as  by  many 
more  who  by  hard  labor  earn  their  daily  bread,  and 
who  appreciate  a  calamity  which  at  a  single  blow 
strips  a  man  of  his  fortune,  his  dear  home,  and  all 
the  worldly  comfort  which  years  of  diligent  labor  has 


S  YMPA  THY  FROM  BRlbcEPOR T.  34 1 

acquired.  It  is  due  to  truth  to  say  that  I  knew  noth- 
ing of  this  movement  until  your  letter  informed  me 
of  it.  In  misfortune,  the  true  sympathy  of  neighbors 
is  more  consoling  and  precious  than  anything  which 
money  can  purchase.  This  voluntary  offering  of  my 
fellow-citizens,  though  it  thrills  me  with  painful 
emotions  and  causes  tears  of  gratitude,  yet  it  imparts 
renewed  strength  and  fills  my  heart  with  thankful- 
ness to  Providence  for  raising  up  to  my  sight,  above 
all  this  wreck,  kind  hearts  which  soar  above  the 
sordid  atmosphere  of  '  dirty  dollars.'  I  can  never 
forget  this  unexpected  kindness  from  my  old  friends 
and  neighbors.  I  trust  I  am  not  blind  to  my  many 
faults  and  shortcomings ;  I,  however,  do  feel  great 
consolation  in  believing  that  I  never  used  money  or 
position  to  oppress  the  poor  or  wrong  my  fellow- 
men,  and  that  I  never  turned  empty  away  whom  I 
had  the  power  to  assist.  My  poor  sick  wife,  who 
needs  the  bracing  air  which  our  dear  home  (made 
beautiful  by  her  willing  hand)  would  now  have 
afforded  her,  is  driven  by  the  orders  of  her  physician 
to  a  secluded  spot  on  Long  Island,  where  the  sea- 
wind  lends  its  healthful  influence,  and  where  I  have 
also  retired  for  the  double  purpose  of  consoling  her 
and  recruiting  my  own  constitution,  which,  through 
the  excitement  of  the  last  few  months,  has  most 
seriously  failed  me.  In  our  quiet  and  humble  re- 
treat that  which  I  most  sincerely  pray  for  is  tran- 
quillity and  contentment.  I  am  sure  that  the  re- 
membrance of  the  kindness  of  my  Bridgeport  friends 


342  LIF&  OF  P.  T.  SARNVM. 

will  aid  me  in  securing  these  cherished  blessings. 
No  man  who  has  not  passed  through  similar  scenes, 
can  fully  comprehend  the  misery  which  has  been 
crowded  into  the  last  few  months  of  my  life ;  but  I 
have  endeavored  to  preserve  my  integrity,  and  I 
humbly  hope  and  believe  that  I  am  being  taught 
humility  and  reliance  upon  Providence,  which  will 
yet  afford  a  thousand  times  more  peace  and  true 
happiness  than  can  be  acquired  in  the  dire  strife  and 
turmoil,  excitements  and  struggles  of  this  money- 
worshiping  age.  The  man  who  coins  his  brain  and 
blood  into  gold,  who  wastes  all  of  his  time  and 
thought  upon  the  almighty  dollar,  who  looks  no 
higher  than  blocks  of  houses  and  tracts  of  lands,  and 
whose  iron  chest  is  crammed  with  stocks  and  mort- 
gages, tied  up  with  his  own  heart-strings,  may  con- 
sole himself  with  the  idea  of  safe  investments ;  but 
he  misses  a  pleasure  which  I  firmly  believe  this  les- 
son was  intended  to  secure  to  me,  and  which  it  will 
secure,  if  I  can  fully  bring  my  mind  to  realize  its  wis- 
dom. I  think  I  hear  you  say, 

When  the  devil  was  sick, 
The  devil  a  saint  would  be, 
But  when  the  devil  got  well, 
The  devil  a  saint  was  he.' 

"  Granted,  but  after  all  the  man  who  looks  upon 
the  loss  of  money  as  anything  compared  to  the  loss 
of  honor,  or  health,  or  self-respect,  or  friends ;  a 
man  who  can  find  no  source  of  happiness  except  in 
riches,  is  to  be  pitied  for  his  blindness.  I  certainly 


^  YMPA  THY  FR OM  BRID GEPOR T.  345 

feel  that  the  loss  of  money,  of  home  and  my  home 
comforts,  is  dreadful ;  that  to  be  driven  again  to  find 
a  resting  place  away  from  the  friends  that  I  loved, 
and  from  where  I  had  fondly  hoped  I  was  to  end  my 
days.  And  when  I  had  lavished  time,  money,  and 
everything  to  make  my  descent  to  the  grave  placid 
and  pleasant,  is  indeed  a  severe  lesson  ;  but  after  all 
I  firmly  believe  it  is  for  the  best,  and  though  my 
heart  may  break  I  will  not  repine.  I  regret,  beyond 
expression,  that  any  man  should  be  a  loser  for 
having  trusted  to  my  name ;  it  would  not  have 
been  so  if  I  had  not  myself  been  deceived.  As  it  is, 
I  am  gratified  in  knowing  that  all  my  individual  ob- 
ligations will  be  met.  It  would  have  been  much 
better  if  clock  creditors  had  accepted  the  best  offers 
that  it  was  in  my  power  to  make  them.  But  it  was 
not  so  to  be,  it  is  now  too  late,  and  as  I  willingly  give 
up  all  I  possess,  I  can  do  no  more.  Wherever  my 
future  lot  may  be  cast,  I  shall  ever  fondly  cherish  the 
kindness  which  I  have  always  received  from  the  cit- 
izens of  Bridgeport.  I  am,  my  dear  sir, 

"  Truly  yours,       P.  T.  BARNUM." 

The  reading  of  the  letter  excited  much  sensation, 
applause,  and  laughter. 

The  resolutions  were  re-read  and  passed  unani- 
mously. 

Mr.  William  Bishop  said  it  was  unusual  for  cit- 
izens to  meet  together  to  express  sympathy  with 
one  who  had  lost  his  fortune.  It  was  very  com- 
mon for  the  people  and  the  press  to  eulogize  a  man 


346  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

when  he  was  beyond  the  reach  of  human  sympathy. 
He  thought  it  was  far  better  to  tender  a  man  the 
marks  of  approval  while  he  was  yet  alive  and  could 
appreciate  it.  [Applause.]  For  a  long  time  in  this 
city  they  were  accustomed  to  bury  their  dead  among 
the  living.  Mr.  Barnum  had  done  more  than  any 
other  man  to  secure  to  this  city  the  most  beautiful 
cemetery  in  Connecticut.  He  alone  had  secured  to 
the  city  what  it  had  never  had  before — a  public 
square.  On  the  east  side  of  the  river  he  had  almost 
completed  a  school-house,  a  thing  which  could  be 
said  of  no  other  man.  [Loud  cheering.]  If  mate- 
rial aid  were  needed,  he  should  be  proud  to  assist 
in  raising  it.  There  was  one  clause  in  the  resolu- 
tions which  he  did  not  believe.  He  did  not  believe 
that  "in  all  probability  he  could  ever  retrieve"  his 
fortune.  [Prolonged  cheering.] 

Mr.  J.  E.  Dunham  made  a  brief  but  earnest 
speech.  He  hoped  this  meeting  would  put  down 
the  sneers  which  were  in  circulation  in  relation  to 
Mr.  Barnum's  sincerity,  by  showing  that  those  esti- 
mated him  most  who  knew  him  best. 

Mr.  Nathaniel  Greene  and  Mr.  Bowles  made  short 
but  effective  speeches. 

The  meeting  was  characterized  throughout  by  the 
greatest  enthusiasm,  and  adjourned  with  three  loud 
cheers  for  Barnum. 

Nor  was  sympathy  all  his  neighbors  offered  him  ; 
shortly  after  this  meeting  a  number  of  gentlemen  in 
Bridgeport  offered  him  a  loan  of  $50,000,  if  that 
sum  would  meet  the  exigency. 


MEETING  OF  THE  CREDITORS.  347 

Little  by  little  the  magnitude  of  the  fraud  prac- 
ticed upon  Barnum's  too  confiding  nature  dawned 
upon  him.  Not  only  had  his  notes  been  used  to 
five  times  the  amount  stipulated,  but  the  money  had 
been  applied,  not  to  relieving  the  temporary  embar- 
rassment of  the  company,  but  almost  entirely  to 
the  redemption  of  the  old  claims  of  years  gone  by. 
Barnum  sent  two  of  his  friends  to  New  Haven  to 
ask  for  a  meeting  of  the  creditors,  authorizing  them 
to  say  for  him  in  substance : 

"  GENTLEMEN  :  This  is  a  capital  practical  joke ! 
Before  I  negotiated  with  your  clock  company  at  all, 
I  was  assured  by  several  of  you,  and  particularly 
by  a  representative  of  the  bank  which  was  the 
largest  creditor  of  the  concern,  that  the  Jerome  Com- 
pany was  eminently  responsible,  and  that  the  head 
of  the  same  was  uncommonly  pious.  On  the 
strength  of  such  representations  solely,  I  was  in- 
duced to  agree  to  indorse  and  accept  paper  for  that 
company  to  the  extent  of  $i  10,000 — no  more.  That 
sum  I  am  now  willing  to  pay  for  my  own  verdancy, 
with  an  additional  sum  of  $40,000  for  your  'cuteness, 
making  a  total  of  $150,000,  which  you  can  have  if 
you  cry  'quits'  with  the  fleeced  showman  and  let 
him  off." 

Many  of  the  old  creditors  favored  this  proposi- 
tion ;  but  it  was  found  that  the  indebtedness  was  so 
scattered  it  would  be  impracticable  to  attempt  a 
settlement  by  an  unanimous  compromise  of  the 
creditors. 


348  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

Barnum  therefore  turned  over  his  Bridgeport 
property  to  Connecticut  assignees,  moved  his  family 
to  New  York,  and  made  an  assignment  there  of  all 
his  other  property,  real  estate  and  personal  effects. 

About  this  time  he  received  a  letter  from  Phila- 
delphia proffering  the  loan  of  $500  in  case  he  really 
was  in  need.  The  wording  of  the  letter  made  Bar- 
num suspicious  that  it  was  a  trick  to  ascertain 
whether  he  really  had  any  property  or  if  he  made 
an  honest  settlement  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  To 
this  letter  Barnum  replied  that  he  did  need  $500, 
and  as  he  had  expected  the  money  never  came. 

But  the  Philadelphia  banks  which  were  holding 
the  Jerome  paper  for  a  higher  percentage,  at  once 
acceded  to  the  terms  which  Mr.  Barnum  had  ad- 
nounced  himself  able  to  pay, 

Every  dollar  which  he  owed  on  his  own  account 
he  had  already  paid,  and  for  the  liabilities  incurred 
by  the  swindle  which  had  involved  him  he  offered 
such  a  percentage  which  he  thought  his  estate,  when 
sold,  would  eventually  pay.  Mrs.  Barnum  also  gave 
up  certain  portions  of  her  own  property  to  redeem 
such  notes  as  could  be  secured  upon  these  terms. 

They  went  to  live  in  a  hired  furnished  house  in 
New  York,  the  landlady  and  her  family  boarding 
with  them.  At  forty-six  Barnum  found  himself  once 
more  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder — beginning  life 
anew. 

"  The  situation  is  disheartening,"  he  said,  "  but  I 
have  experience,  energy,  health,  and  hope." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

IDLENESS   WITHOUT   REST. 

ANNOYING  PERSECUTIONS  OF  CREDITORS — SUMMER  ON  LON-J  ISLAND— 
THE  BLACK  WHALE  PAYS  THE  BOARD  BILL — THE  WHEELER  & 
WILSON  COMPANY  REMOVE  TO  EAST  BRIDGEPORT — SETTING  SAIL  FOR 
ENGLAND. 

In  the  summer  of  1855  Barnum  had  sold  the 
American  Museum  to  Messrs.  John  Greenwood, 
Jr.,  and  Henry  D.  Butler.  They  paid  nearly  twice 
as  much  for  the  collection  as  it  had  originally  cost, 
giving  notes  for  nearly  the  entire  amount,  securing 
the  notes  by  a  chattel  mortgage,  and  hiring  the  prem- 
ises from  Mrs.  Barnum,  who  owned  the  Museum 
property  lease,  and  on  which,  by  agreement  of  the 
lessees,  she  realized  something  like  $19,000  a  year. 
The  chattel  mortgage  was,  of  course,  turned  over  to 
the  New  York  assignees  with  the  other  property. 

Barnum's  widespread  reputation  for  shrewdness 
was,  in  his  present  difficulties,  destined  to  be  the 
cause  of  considerable  annoyance  to  him.  Certain 
outside  creditors  who  had  bought  clock  notes  at  a 
tremendous  discount,  believing  that  Barnum's  means 
were  still  ample,  made  up  their  minds  that  they 
must  be  paid  at  once  without  waiting  for  the  sale  of 
the  property  by  assignees. 

349 


LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

They,  therefore,  took  what  is  known  as  "  supple- 
mentary proceedings,"  by  which  is  meant  an  exam- 
ination before  a  judge,  compelling  the  debtor  to 
disclose,  under  oath,  everything  in  regard  to  his 
property,  his  present  means  of  living,  and  so  on. 

"  Putting  Barnum  through  a  course  of  sprouts," 
as  they  expressed  it,  came  to  be  a  very  frequent 
occurrence.  One  creditor  after  another  hauled  him 
up,  and  the  attorneys  would  ask  the  same  questions 
which  had  already  been  answered  a  dozen  times. 

This  persistent  and  unnecessary  annoyance  cre- 
ated a  great  deal  of  sympathy  for  the  man,  the 
papers  took  his  part,  and  even  the  judges  before 
whom  he  appeared,  personally  sided  with  him, 
although  they  were  obliged  to  administer  the  law. 
After  a  while,  the  judges  ruled  that  he  need  not 
answer  any  questions  propounded  by  an  attorney, 
if  he  had  already  answered  the  same  question  in  any 
previous  examination. 

In  fact,  one  of  the  judges  lost  all  patience  on 
one  occasion,  and  said  sharply  to  the  examining 
attorney : 

"This,  sir,  has  become  simply  a  case  of  persecu- 
tion. Mr.  Barnum  has  many  times  answered  every 
question  that  can  properly  be  put  to  him,  to  elicit 
the  desired  information ;  and  I  think  it  is  time  to 
stop  these  examinations.  I  advise  him  not  to  an- 
swer one  interrogatory  which  he  has  replied  to 
under  any  previous  inquiries." 

One  consequential  little  lawyer  commenced  his 


PA  YING  THE  LA  WYERS  IN  THEIR  OWN  COIN.     35  t 

examination  in  behalf  of  a  note-shaver,  who  held  a 
thousand  dollar  note  which  he  had  bought  for  seven 
hundred.  After  the  oath  had  been  administered,  he 
arranged  his  pen,  ink,  and  paper,  and  in  a  loud  tone 
of  voice  asked : 

"  What  is  your  name,  sir  ?" 

The  answer  was  given,  and  the  next  question  de- 
livered in  a  louder,  more  peremptory  tone  was : 

"What  is  your  business  ?" 

"  Attending  bar,"  answered  Barnum. 

"Attending  bar!"  exclaimed  the  lawyer;  "at- 
tending bar !  Why,  I  thought  you  were  a  tee- 
totaler." 

"  So  I  am,"  declared  the  witness. 

"  And  yet,  sir,  you  have  the  audacity  to  assert 
that  you  peddle  rum  all  day,  and  drink  none  your- 
self?" 

"That  is  not  a  relevant  question,"  said  Barnum. 

"I  will  appeal  to  his  Honor  the  Judge  if  you 
don't  answer  it  instantly,"  said  the  lawyer,  gleefully. 

"  Very  well ;  I  do  attend  bar,  and  yet  never  drink 
intoxicating  liquors." 

"  Where  do  you  attend  bar,  and  for  whom  ?" 
pursued  the  lawyer. 

"  I  attend  the  bar  of  this  court  nearly  every  day, 
for  the  benefit  of  two-penny  lawyers  and  their 
greedy  clients,"  replied  the  disgusted  Barnum. 

On  another  occasion  a  young  lawyer  who  had 
been  pushing  his  inquiries  to  a  great  length,  said  in 
a  half-laughing  tone  of  apology : 


352  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

"  You  see,  Mr.  Barnum,  I  am  searching  after  the 
small  thing ;  I  am  willing  to  take  even  the  crumbs 
that  fall  from  the  rich  man's  table." 

"Which  are  you,  then,  Lazarus  or  one  of  the 
dogs  ?"  asked  Barnum,  wearily. 

"  I  guess  a  blood-hound  would  not  smell  out  much 
on  this  trial,"  returned  the  lawyer,  good-naturedly, 
adding  that  he  had  no  more  questions  to  ask. 

On  account  of  Mrs.  Barnum's  continued  ill-health, 
the  family  spent  the  summer  in  a  farm-house  at 
Westhampton,  Long  Island.  The  farm  lay  close  to 
the  ocean,  and  the  place  was  very  cool  and  delight- 
ful. The  respite  from  active  life,  and  the  annoyance 
attendant  to  his  financial  troubles  was  of  the  greatest 
benefit  to  Mr.  Barnum,  who  spent  the  time  shoot- 
ing, fishing,  and  driving. 

One  morning  they  discovered  that  the  waves  had 
thrown  up  on  the  beach  a  young  black  whale,  nearly 
twelve  feet  long.  The  animal  was  dead,  but  still 
hard  and  fresh,  and  Barnum  bought  it  for  a  few 
dollars  from  the  man  who  claimed  it  by  right  of  dis- 
covery. He  sent  it  at  once  to  the  Museum,  where 
it  was  exhibited  in  a  huge  refrigerator  for  a  few 
days,  where  crowds  came  to  see  it.  The  managers 
very  properly  gave  Barnum  a  share  of  the  profits, 
which  amounted  to  a  sum  sufficient  to  pay  the  board- 
bill  of  the  family  for  the  entire  season. 

"  Well,"  said  the  amazed  landlord,  when  he  heard 
of  it,  "  you  do  beat  all  for  luck.  Here  you  come  and 
board  for  four  months  with  your  family,  and  when 


BARNUM  BEGINS  TO  SEE  HIS  WAY  OUT.  353 

the  time  is  nearly  up  and  you're  getting  ready  to 
leave,  out  rolls  a  big  black  whale  on  our  beach, 
a  thing  never  heard  of  before  in  this  vicinity,  and 
you  take  that  whale  and  pay  your  board-bill  with  it ! " 

Shortly  after  his  return  to  New  York  an  unfore- 
seen event  occurred  which  Barnum  realized  was 
likely  to  extricate  him  from  his  difficulties. 

The  new  city  which  had  led  him  into  ruin  now 
promised  to  be  his  redemption. 

The  now  gigantic  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Sewing- 
Machine  Company  was  then  doing  a  comparatively 
small  yet  rapidly  growing  business  at  Watertown, 
Connecticut.  The  Terroy  &  Barnum  clock  factory 
was  standing  idle,  almost  worthless,  in  East  Bridge- 
port, and  Wheeler  &  Wilson  saw  in  the  empty 
building,  the  situation,  the  ease  of  communication 
with  New  York,  and  other  advantages,  precisely 
what  they  wanted,  provided  they  could  procure  the 
premises  at  a  rate  which  would  compensate  them 
for  the  expense  and  trouble  of  removing  their  estab- 
lishment from  Watertown.  The  clock  factory  was 
sold  for  a  trifle  and  the  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Com- 
pany moved  into  it  and  speedily  enlarged  it. 

This  important  occurrence  gave  Barnum  great 
hope  for  the  increased  value  of  the  land  belonging 
to  his  estate.  And  moreover  Mr.  Wheeler  offered 
him  a  loan  of  $5,000  without  security,  which  sum 
Barnum  accepted,  and  devoted  it,  together  with  Mrs. 
Barnum's  money,  to  purchasing  the  East  Bridgeport 
property  at  the  assignees'  sale  and  also  taking  up 


354  LIFE  OF  p-  T-  BARNUM. 

such  clock  notes  as  could  be  purchased  at  a  reason- 
able percentage.  Though  this  new  plan  did  event- 
ually result  in  putting  more  money  in  his  procket  than 
the  Jerome  complication  had  taken  out,  yet  the  pro- 
cess was  a  slow  one.  But  Barnum  concluded  to 
let  it  work  itself  out,  and  meanwhile,  with  the  idea 
of  doing  something  to  help  out  the  accumulation 
and  even  saving  something  to  add  to  the  amount, 
he  made  up  his  mind  to  go  to  Europe  again. 

He  set  sail  in  1857,  taking  with  him  Tom  Thumb 
and  little  Cordelia  Howard,  who  had  attained  ce- 
lebrity for  her  artistic  rendering  of  juvenile  charac- 
ters. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  PROSPEROUS  EXILE. 

His  SUCCESSFUL  PUPIL— MAKING  MANY  FRIENDS  IN  LONDON — ACQUAINT- 
ANCE WITH  THACKERAY — A  COMEDY  OF  ERRORS  IN  A  GERMAN  CUSTOM 
HOUSE — ARISTOCRATIC  PATRONAGE  AT  FASHIONABLE  RESORTS — BAR- 
NUM'S  IMPRESSIONS  OF  HOLLAND  AND  THE  DUTCH. 

Years  ago  Barnum  had  known  Albert  Smith  in 
London  as  a  dentist,  literary  "hack,"  occasional 
writer  for  Punch  and  various  magazines,  etc.,  not 
achieving  notable  success  in  any  of  these  under- 
takings. He  now  found  him  the  most  eminent  and 
successful  showman  in  the  city,  occupying  Barnum's 
old  quarters  in  Egyptian  Hall.  The  chief  attraction 
of  his  show  was  a  panorama  of  Mont  Blanc,  ac- 
companying which  he  gave  a  lecture,  descriptive  of 
the  mountain  and  relating  his  own  experiences  in 
climbing  it.  When  Barnum  called  upon  him  he 
found  him  just  as  unassuming  and  cordial  as  ever ; 
he  was  forthwith  entered  on  the  free  list  at  all  of 
Smith's  entertainments,  and  the  two  often  dined 
together  at  the  Garrick  Club. 

The  first  time  Barnum  attended  Smith's  exhibi- 
tion, the  latter  gave  him  a  sly  wink  from  the  stage 
at  the  moment  of  his  describing  a  scene  in  the  golden 
chamber  of  St.  Ursula's  church  in  Cologne,  where  the 
355 


356  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

old  sexton  narrating  the  story  of  the  ashes  and  bones 
to  the  eleven  thousand  innocent  virgins,  who,  accord- 
ing to  tradition,  were  sacrificed  on  a  certain  occasion. 
One  of  the  characters  whom  he  pretended  to  have  met 
several  times  on  his  trip  to  Mont  Blanc,  was  a 
Yankee,  whom  he  named  "Phineas  Cutecraft." 
The  wink  came  at  the  time  he  introduced  Phineas 
in  the  Cologne  church,  and  made  him  say  at  the  end 
of  the  sexton's  story  about  the  virgins'  bones  : 

"  Old  fellow,  what  will  you  take  for  that  hull  lot  of 
bones  ?  I  want  them  for  my  museum  in  America  !  " 

When  the  question  had  been  interpreted  to  the 
old  German,  he  exclaimed  in  horror,  according  to 
Albert  Smith : 

"  Mine  Gott !  it  is  impossible  !  We  will  never  sell 
the  virgins'  bones  !  " 

"Never  mind,"  replied  Phineas  Cutecraft,  "I'll 
send  another  lot  of  bones  to  my  museum,  swear 
mine  are  the  real  bones  of  the  Virgins  of  Cologne, 
and  burst  up  your  show  !  " 

This  always  excited  the  heartiest  laughter  ;  but  Mr. 
Smith  knew  very  well  that  Barnum  would  at  once 
recognize  it  as  a  pharaphrase  of  the  scene  wherein 
they,  too,  had  figured  in  1844,  at  the  porter's  lodge 
of  Warwick  Castle.  "  In  the  course  of  the  entertain- 
ment," says  Barnum,  "I  found  he  had  woven  in 
numerous  anecdotes  I  had  told  him  at  that  time, 
and  many  incidents  of  our  excursion  were  also  tra- 
vestied and  made  to  contribute  to  the  interest  of 
his  description  of  the  ascent  of  Mont  Blanc." 


RE  LA  TIONS  WITH  THA  CKERA  K  357 

When  they  dined  together  at  the  club  that  day, 
Smith  introduced  Barnum  to  several  of  his  acquaint- 
ances as  his  teacher  in  the  show  business.  He  also 
remarked  to  Barnum  that  he  must  have  recognized 
as  old  friends  many  of  the  incidents  and  jokes  in 
the  lecture.  Barnum  replied  that  he  did.  "  Well," 
said  Smith,  "  of  course  you  as  a  showman,  know 
very  well  that,  to  win  popular  success,  we  have  to 
appropriate  and  adapt  to  our  uses  everything  of  the 
sort  that  we  can  get  hold  of." 

By  thus  engrafting  his  various  experiences  upon 
this  Mont  Blanc  entertainment,  Albert  Smith  suc- 
ceeded in  serving  up  a  salmagundi  feast  which  was 
relished  alike  by  royal  and  less  distinguished 
palates. 

When  William  Makepeace  Thackeray  first  visited 
this  country,  he  brought  a  letter  of  introduction  to 
Barnum,  from  Albert  Smith,  and  called  on  the  show- 
man at  his  New  York  museum.  He  spent  an  hour 
or  more  there,  asking  much  advice  of  Barnum  in 
regard  to  the  management  of  the  course  of  lectures 
on  "The  English  Humorists  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century,"  which  he  proposed  to  deliver,  as  he  did 
afterwards,  with  very  great  success,  in  the  principal 
cities  of  the  Union.  Barnum  gave  him  the  best 
advice  he  could  as  to  management,  and  the  cities  he 
ought  to  visit,  for  which  he  was  very  grateful,  and 
he  called  on  Barnum  whenever  he  was  in  New  York. 
Barnum  also  saw  him  repeatedly  when  he  came  to 
America  the  second  time  with  his  lectures  on  "  The 


358  LIFE  OF  P.  T,  BARNUM. 

Four  Georges,"  which,  it  will  be  remembered,  he 
delivered  in  the  United  States  in  the  season  of 
1855-56,  before  he  read  them  to  audiences  in  Great 
Britain.  Barnum's  relations  with  this  great  novelist 
were  cordial  and  intimate  ;  and  now,  when  he  called 
upon  him,  in  1857,  at  his  own  house,  Thackeray 
grasped  him  heartily  by  the  hand,  and  said : 

"Mr.  Barnum,  I  admire  you  more  than  ever.  I  have 
read  the  accounts  in  the  papers  of  the  examinations 
you  underwent  in  New  York  courts ;  and  the  posi- 
tive pluck  you  exhibit  under  your  pecuniary  embar- 
rassments is  worthy  of  all  praise.  You  would  never 
have  received  credit  for  the  philosophy  you  manifest 
if  these  financial  misfortunes  had  not  overtaken  you." 

Barnum  thanked  him  for  his  compliment,  and  he 
continued : 

"  But  tell  me,  Barnum,  are  you  really  in  need  of 
present  assistance?  For  if  you  are  you  must  be 
helped." 

"Not  in  the  least,"  the  showman  replied,  laugh- 
ing ;  "I  need  more  money  in  order  to  get  out  of 
bankruptcy,  and  I  intend  to  earn  it ;  but  so  far  as 
daily  bread  is  concerned,  I  am  quite  at  ease,  for  my 
wife  is  worth  ^30,000  or  /4o,cx>o." 

"Is  it  possible!  "  he  exclaimed,  with  evident  de- 
light; "well,  now,  you  have  lost  all  my  sympathy; 
why,  that  is  more  than  I  ever  expect  to  be  worth ; 
I  shall  be  sorry  for  you  no  more." 

During  his  stay  in  London,  Barnum  met  Thack- 
eray several  times,  and  on  one  occasion  dined  with 


MAKING  MANY  FRIENDS.  359 

him.  He  repeatedly  expressed  his  obligations  to 
Barnum  for  the  advice  and  assistance  he  had  given 
him  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  lecturing  visit  to  the 
United  States. 

Soon  after  Barnum  arrived  in  London  he  was 
visited  by  Mr.  Otto  Goldschmidt,  who  had  married 
Jenny  Lind.  They  were  then  living  in  Dresden,  but 
Madame  Goldschmidt  had  insisted  on  his  hurrying 
over  to  England  to  see  her  old  manager,  and  ascer- 
tain whether  he  really  was  in  want.  Barnum  assured 
him  that  he  was  getting  on  comfortably,  though  he 
had  to  exercise  economy,  and  that  his  family  would 
presently  come  over  and  live  with  him  in  London. 
Goldschmidt  urged  him  to  come  to  Dresden  to  live. 
"It  is  much  cheaper  living  there,"  he  said,  "and 
my  wife  will  be  so  glad  to  find  a  suitable  house  for 
you."  But  Barnum  declined  the  offer.  His  busi- 
ness prospects  would  be  better  in  London  than  in 
Dresden. 

Barnum's  old  friends,  Julius  Benedict  and  Signer 
Belletti,  also  called  on  him  frequently,  and  made  him 
feel  much  at  home.  Among  others  whom  he  met 
in  London,  some  of  them  quite  frequently  at  din- 
ners, were  Mr.  George  Augustus  Sala,  Mr.  Edmund 
Yates,  Mr.  Horace  Mayhew,  Mr.  Alfred  Bunn,  Mr. 
Lumley,  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre ;  Mr.  Buckstone, 
of  the  Haymarket ;  Mr.  Charles  Kean,  our  princely 
countryman  ;  Mr.  George  Peabody,  Mr.  J.  M.  Mor- 
ris, the  manager,  Mr.  Bates,  of  Baring  Brothers 
&  Co. ;  Mr.  Oxenford,  dramatic  critic  of  the  London 


360       ,  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BAR  NUM. 

Times ;  Dr.  Ballard,  the  American  dentist,  and  many 
other  eminent  persons. 

He  had  numerous  offers  from  professional  friends 
on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  who  supposed  him  to 
be  in  need  of  employment.  Mr.  Barney  Williams, 
who  had  not  then  acted  in  England,  proposed,  in 
the  kindest  manner,  to  make  him  his  agent  for  a 
tour  through  Great  Britain,  and  to  give  him  one- 
third  of  the  profits  which  he  and  Mrs.  Williams 
might  make  by  their  acting.  Mr.  Pettengill,  of  New 
York,  the  newspaper  advertising  agent,  offered  him 
the  fine  salary  of  $10,000  a  year  to  transact  business 
for  him  in  Great  Britain.  He  wrote  :  "  When  you 
failed  in  consequence  of  the  Jerome  clock  notes,  I 
felt  that  your  creditors  were  dealing  hard  with  you  ; 
that  they  should  have  let  you  up  and  give  you  a 
chance,  and  they  would  have  fared  better,  and  I 
wish  I  was  a  creditor,  so  as  to  show  what  I  would 
do."  These  offers,  both  from  Mr.  Williams  and 
Mr.  Pettengill,  Barnum  felt  obliged  to  decline. 

Mr.  Lumley,  manager  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre, 
used  to  send  him  an  order  for  a  private  box  for 
every  opera  night,  and  Barnum  frequently  availed 
himself  of  his  courtesy. 

Meanwhile  the  showman  was  by  no  means  idle. 
Cordelia  Howard  as  "Little  Eva,"  with  her  mother 
as  the  inimitable  "Topsy,"  were  highly  successful  in 
London  and  other  large  cities,  while  General  Tom 
Thumb,  returning  after  so  long  an  absence,  drew 
crowded  houses  wherever  he  went.  These  were 


AT  THE  GERMAN  CUSTOM  HOUSE.  363 

strong  spokes  in  the  wheel  that  was  moving  slowly 
but  surely  in  the  effort  to  get  Barnum  out  of  debt, 
and,  if  possible,  to  save  some  portion  of  his  real 
estate.  Of  course,  it  was  not  generally  known  that 
he  had  any  interest  whatever  in  either  of  these  ex- 
hibitions ;  if  it  had  been,  possibly  some  of  the  clock 
creditors  would  have  annoyed  him  ;  but  he  busied 
himself  in  these  and  in  other  ways,  working  indus- 
triously and  making  much  money,  which  he  con- 
stantly remitted  to  his  trusty  agent  at  home. 

Barnum  spent  some  weeks  in  London  and  then 
went  to  Germany.  He  was  accompanied  by  Tom 
Thumb,  and  they  went  by  the  way  of  Paris,  Stras- 
burg,  and  Baden-Baden.  At  the  frontier  they  had  a 
terrible  time  with  the  thick-headed  customs-inspector. 
This  was  at  Kehl,  near  Strasburg.  "I  knew,"  said 
Barnum  in  telling  the  story,  "  that  I  had  no 
baggage  which  was  rightfully  subject  to  duty,  as  I 
had  nothing  but  my  necessary  clothing,  and  the 
package  of  placards  and  lithographs,  illustrating 
the  General's  exhibitions.  As  the  official  was  ex- 
amining my  trunks,  I  assured  him  in  French,  that  I 
had  nothing  subject  to  duty ;  but  he  made  no  reply 
and  deliberately  handled  every  article  in  my  lug- 
gage. He  then  cut  the  strings  to  the  large  pack- 
ages of  show-bills.  I  asked  him  in  French,  whether 
he  understood  that  language.  He  gave  a  grunt, 
which  was  the  only  audible  sound  I  could  get  out  of 
him,  and  then  laid  my  show-bills  and  lithographs  on 
his  scales  as  if  to  weigh  them.  I  was  much  excited. 

20  * 


364  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

An  English  gentleman,  who  spoke  German,  kindly 
offered  to  act  as  my  interpreter. 

"  '  Please  to  tell  him,'  said  I,  'that  those  bills  and 
lithographs  are  not  articles  of  commerce ;  that  they 
are  simply  advertisements.' 

"My  English  friend  did  as  I  requested  ;  but  it  was 
of  no  use  ;  the  custom-house  officer  keptfrpiling  them 
upon  his  scales.  I  grew  more  excited. 

" '  Please  tell  him  I  give  them  away,'  I  said.  The 
translation  of  my  assertion  into  German  did  not 
help  me  ;  a  double  grunt  from  the  functionary,  was 
the  only  response.  Tom  Thumb,  meanwhile, 
jumped  about  like  a  little  monkey,  for  he  was  fairly 
delighted  at  my  worry  and  perplexity.  Finally,  I 
said  to  my  new  found  English  friend:  'Be  good 
enough  to  tell  the  officer  to  keep  the  bills  if  he 
wants  them,  and  that  I  will  not  pay  duty  on  them, 
any  how.' 

"  He  was  duly  informed  of  my  determination,  but 
he  was  immovable.  He  lighted  his  huge  Dutch 
pipe,  got  the  exact  weight,  and,  marking  it  down, 
handed  it  to  a  clerk,  who  copied  it  on  his  book,  and 
solemnly  passed  it  over  to  another  clerk,  who 
copied  it  on  still  another  book ;  a  third  clerk  then 
took  it,  and  copied  it  on  to  a  printed  bill,  the  size  of 
a  half  letter  sheet,  which  was  duly  stamped  in  red 
ink  with  several  official  devices.  By  this  time  I  was 
in  a  profuse  perspiration ;  and,  as  the  document 
passed  from  clerk  to  clerk,  I  told  them  they  need 
not  trouble  themselves  to  make  out  a  bill,  for  I 


GERMAN  EXPERIENCES.  365 

would  not  pay  it ;  they  would  get  no  duty  and  they 
might  keep  the  property. 

"  To  be  sure,  I  could  not  spare  the  placards  for 
any  length  of  time,  for  they  were  exceedingly 
valuable  to  me  as  advertisements,  and  I  could  not 
easily  have  duplicated  them  in  Germany  ;  but  I  was 
determined  that  I  would  not  pay  duties  on  articles 
which  were  not  merchandise.  Every  transfer,  there- 
fore, of  the  bill  to  a  new  clerk,  gave  me  a  fresh 
twinge,  for  I  imagined  that  every  clerk  added  more 
charges,  and  that  every  charge  was  a  tighter  turn  to 
the  vise  which  held  my  fingers.  Finally,  the  last 
clerk  defiantly  thrust  in  my  face  the  terrible  official 
document,  on  which  were  scrawled  certain  cabalistic 
characters,  signifying  the  amount  of  money  I  should 
be  forced  to  pay  to  the  German  government  before 
I  could  have  my  property.  I  would  not  touch  it ;  but 
resolved  I  would  really  leave  my  packages  until  I 
could  communicate  with  one  of  our  consuls  in  Ger- 
many, and  I  said  as  much  to  the  English  gentleman 
who  had  kindly  interpreted  for  me. 

"  He  took  the  bill,  and,  examining  it,  burst  into  a 
loud  laugh,  '  Why,  it  is  but  fifteen  kreutzers ! '  he  said. 

" '  How  much  is  that  ? '  I  asked,  feeling  for  the 
golden  sovereigns  in  my  pocket. 

"  'Sixpence  !'  was  the  reply. 

"  I  was  astonished  and  delighted,  and,  as  I  handed 
out  the  money,  I  begged  him  to  tell  the  officials  that 
the  custom-house  charge  would  not  pay  the  cost 
of  the  paper  on  which  it  was  written.  But  this  was 


366  LIFE  OF  /».  T.  BARNUM. 

a  very  fair  illustration  of  sundry  red-tape  dealings 
in  other  countries  as  well  as  in  Germany." 

Baden-Baden  was  found  to  be  an  uncommonly 
pleasant  place,  the  neatest  and  cleanest  little  city  he 
had  ever  seen,  Barnum  thought.  As  soon  as  they 
were  fairly  settled  there,  Tom  Thumb  began  driving 
out  on  the  streets  in  his  tiny  carriage,  with  his  ponies 
and  liveried  coachmen  and  footmen.  Public  curiosity 
was  greatly  excited.  The  place  was  thronged  with 
visitors,  it  being  one  of  the  most  popular  resorts  in 
Europe.  There  were  kings  and  queens,  and  minor 
royalties  and  members  of  the  nobility  without  num- 
ber. All  these  soon  forgot  their  other  amusements 
and  entertainments  in  their  interest  in  the  little 
General.  They  crowded  his  rooms  at  his  reception 
every  day,  and  Barnum,  seeing  the  quality  of  his 
patrons,  put  the  entrance  fee  higher  than  it  ever 
was  at  any  other  place.  Their  stay  at  this  resort 
was  exceedingly  profitable. 

Thence  they  proceded  to  the  other  German 
watering  places,  such  as  Ems,  Weisbaden  and  Ham- 
burg. They  saw  that  it  paid  to  strike  for  high  game. 
No  matter  how  high  their  fee,  the  crowned,  titled,  rich, 
aristocratic  throng  came  to  their  show  by  thousands. 
Among  them  was  the  King  of  Holland,  who  was 
particularly  interested  in  Tom  Thumb.  So  profit- 
able was  the  tour,  that  Barnum  was  able  to  send 
many  thousands  of  dollars  to  his  agents  in  America, 
to  buy  back  his  real  estate  and  settle  up  the  remains 
of  the  disastrous  clock  business. 


IMPRESSIONS  Of  HOLLAND.         367 

Other  German  cities  visited  were  Frankfort-on- 
the-Main,  Mayence  and  Cologne.  At  the  latter 
place,  they  remained  for  some  time,  seeing  as  well 
as  giving  shows.  Then  they  went  on  to  Rotterdam 
and  Amsterdam. 

The  shrewd  and  enterprising  Yankee  was  much 
impressed  by  the  thrift  and  industry  of  Holland.  "  It 
gave  me,"  he  afterwads  said,  "  more  genuine  satis- 
faction than  any  other  foreign  country  I  have  ever 
visited,  if  I  except  Great  Britain.  Redeemed  as  a 
large  portion  of  the  whole  surface  of  the  land  has 
been  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  by  the  wonderful 
dykes,  which  are  monuments  of  the  industry  of 
whole  generations  of  human  beavers,  Holland  seems 
to  me  the  most  curious,  as  well  as  interesting  country 
in  the  world.  The  people,  too,  with  their  quaint 
costumes,  their  extraordinary  cleanliness,  their  thrift, 
industry  and  frugality,  pleased  me  very  much.  It  is 
the  universal  testimony  of  all  travellers,  that  the 
Hollanders  are  the  neatest  and  most  economical 
people  among  all  nations.  So  far  as  cleanliness  is 
concerned,  in  Holland  it  is  evidently  not  next  to, 
but  far  ahead  of  godliness.  It  is  rare,  indeed,  to 
meet  a  ragged,  dirty,  or  drunken  person.  The 
people  are  very  temperate  and  economical  in  their 
habits  ;  and  even  the  very  rich — and  there  is  a  vast 
amount  of  wealth  in  the  country — live  with  great 
frugality,  though  all  of  the  people  live  well. 

"  As  for  the  scenery,  I  cannot  say  much  for  it, 
since  it  is  only  diversified  by  thousands  of  windmills, 


368  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

which  are  made  to  do  all  kinds  of  work,  from  grind- 
ing grain  to  pumping  water  from  the-  inside  of  the 
dykes  back  to  the  sea  again.  As  I  exhibited  the 
General  only  in  Rotterdam  and  Amsterdam,  and  to 
no  great  profit  in  either  city,  we  spent  most  of  our 
time  in  rambling  about  to  see  what  was  to  be  seen. 
In  the  country  villages  it  seemed  as  if  every  house 
was  scrubbed  twice  and  whitewashed  once  ever)'  day 
in  the  week,  excepting  Sunday.  Some  places  were 
almost  painfully  pure,  and  I  was  in  one  village  where 
horses  and  cattle  were  not  allowed  to  go  through 
the  streets  and  no  one  was  permitted  to  wear  their 
boots  or  shoes  in  the  houses.  There  is  a  general 
and  constant  exercise  of  brooms,  pails,  floor-brushes 
and  mops  all  over  Holland,  and  in  some  places, 
even,  this  kind  of  thing  is  carried  so  far,  I  am  told, 
that  the  only  trees  set  out  are  scrub-oaks." 

Barnum  thought  that  the  reason  why  his  exhibi- 
tions were  not  better  patronized  here  was  that  the 
people  were  too  frugal  to  spend  much  money  for 
mere  amusements.  "  But  they  and  their  habits  and 
ways  afforded  us  so  much  amusement,  that  we  were 
quite  willing  they  should  give  our  entertainment  the 
'  go  by,'  as  they  generally  did.  We  were  in  Amster- 
dam at  the  season  of  '  Kremis,'  or  the  annual  fair, 
which  is  held  in  all  the  principal  towns,  and  where 
shows  of  all  descriptions  are  open,  at  prices  for 
admission  ranging  from  one  to  five  pennies,  and  are 
attended  by  nearly  the  whole  population.  For  the 
people  generally,  this  one  great  holiday  seems  all- 


POOR  SUCCESS   OF   THE  SHOW.  369 

sufficient  for  the  whole  year.  I  went  through  scores 
of  booths,  where  curiosities  and  monstrosities  of  all 
kinds  were  exhibited,  and  was  able  to  make  some 
purchases  and  engagements  for  the  American 
Museum.  Among  these  was  the  Albino  family, 
consisting  of  a  man,  his  wife,  and  son,  who  were  by 
far  the  most  interesting  and  attractive  specimens  of 
their  class  I  had  ever  seen. 

"We  visited  the  Hague,  the  capital  and  the 
finest  city  in  Holland.  It  is  handsomely  and  regu- 
larly laid  out,  and  contains  a  beautiful  theatre,  a 
public  picture  gallery,  which  contains  some  of  the 
best  works  of  Vandyke,  Paul  Potter,  and  other 
Dutch  masters,  while  the  museum  is  especially  rich 
in  rarities  from  China  and  Japan.  When  we  arrived 
at  the  Hague,  Mr.  August  Belmont,  who  had  been 
the  United  States  Minister  at  that  court,  had  just 
gone  home,  but  I  heard  many  encomiums  passed 
upon  him  and  his  family,  and  I  was  told  some  pretty 
good  stories  of  his  familiarity  with  the  king,  and  of 
the  'jolly  times '  these  two  personages  frequently 
enjoyed  together.  I  did  not  miss  visiting  the  great 
government  museum,  as  I  wished  particularly  to  see 
the  rich  collection  of  Japan  ware  and  arms,  made 
during  the  many  years  when  the  Dutch  carried  on 
almost  exclusively  the  entire  foreign  trade  with  the 
Japanese.  I  spent  several  days  in  minutely  examin- 
ing these  curious  manufactures  of  a  people  who 
were  then  almost  as  little  known  to  nations  gener- 
ally as  are  the  inhabitants  of  the  planet  Jupiter." 


370  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

On  the  first  day  of  his  visits  to  this  museum, 
Barnum  stood  for  an  hour  before  a  large  case  con- 
taining a  most  unique  and  extraordinary  collection 
of  fabulqus  animals,  made  from  paper  and  other 
materials,  and  looking  as  natural  and  genuine  as 
the  stuffed  skins  of  any  animals  in  the  American 
Museum.  There  were  serpents  two  yards  long, 
with  a  head  and  a  pair  of  feet  at  each  end  ;  frogs 
as  large  as  a  man,  with  human  hands  and  feet ; 
turtles  with  three  heads ;  monkeys  with  two  heads 
and  six  legs  ;  scores  of  equally  curious  monstrosi- 
ties ;  and  at  least  two  dozen  mermaids,  of  all  sorts 
and  sizes.  Looking  at  these  "  sirens "  he  easily 
divined  from  whence  the  Feejee  mermaid  originated. 

After  a  delightful  visit  in  Holland,  he  went  back 
to  England  ;  and  proceeding  to  Manchester,  opened 
his  exhibition.  For  several  days  the  hall  was 
crowded  to  overflowing  at  each  of  the  three,  and 
sometimes  four,  entertainments  they  gave  every  day. 
By  this  time,  his  wife  and  two  youngest  daughters 
had  come  over  to  London,  and  he  hired  furnished 
lodgings  in  the  suburbs  where  they  could  live  within 
the  strictest  limits  of  economy.  It  was  necessary 
now  for  him  to  return  for  a  few  weeks  to  America,  to 
assist  personally  in  forwarding  a  settlement  of  the 
clock  difficulties.  So  leaving  the  little  General  in 
the  hands  of  trusty  and  competent  agents  to  carry 
on  the  exhibitions  in  his  absence,  he  set  his  face 
once  more  towards  home  and  the  west,  and  took 
steamer  at  Liverpool  for  New  York. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

HOME  AGAIN. 

A  JOLLY  VOYAGE— MOCK  TRIALS  ON  SHIPBOARD — BARNUM  ON  TRIAL 
FOR  His  LIFE — DISCOMFITED  WITNESSES  AND  A  TRIUMPHANT 
PRISONER — FAIR  WEATHER  FRIENDS — THE  BURNING  OF  IRANISTAN. 

Barnum  made  in  his  life  many  voyages  across  the 
Atlantic,  but  none,  perhaps,  pleasanter  than  this. 
On  every  such  trip  he  got  under  rest  and  relief  from 
his  multitudinous  business  cares  and  arduous  labors ; 
and  he  always  contrived  to  organize  plenty  of  merry- 
making among  his  fellow-passengers.  On  this  occa- 
sion he  felt  in  uncommonly  good  spirits  because  he 
was  so  rapidly  retrieving  his  well-nigh  fallen  fortunes. 
The  feature  of  the  voyage  was  a  series  of  mock 
trials,  in  which  a  judge  was  selected,  jurymen  drawn, 
prisoners  arraigned,  counsel  employed,  and  all  the 
formalities  of  a  court  established.  "  I  have  the 
vanity  to  think,"  said  he,  afterwards,  in  telling  in 
his  own  inimitable  way  the  story  of  this  voyage, 
"  that  if  my  good  fortune  had  directed  me  to  that 
profession,  I  should  have  made  a  very  fair  lawyer, 
for  I  have  always  had  a  great  fondness  for  debate 
and  especially  for  the  cross-examination  of  witnesses, 
unless  that  witness  was  P.  T.  Barnum  in  examina- 
tion under  supplementary  proceedings  at  the  in- 


372  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

stance  of  some  note- shaver,  who  had  bought  a  clock 
note  at  a  discount  of  thirty-six  per  cent.  In  this 
mock  court,  I  was  unanimously  chosen  as  prosecuting 
attorney,  and,  as  the  court  was  established  expressly 
to  convict,  I  had  no  difficulty  in  carrying  the  jury 
and  securing  the  punishment  of  the  prisoner.  A 
small  fine  was  generally  imposed,  and  the  fund  thus 
collected  was  given  to  a  poor  sailor  boy  who  had 
fallen  from  the  mast  and  broken  his  leg." 

"After  several  of  these  trials  had  been  held,  a 
dozen  or  more  of  the  passengers  secretly  put  their 
heads  together  and  resolved  to  place  the  '  showman ' 
on  trial  for  his  life.  An  indictment,  covering  twenty 
pages,  was  drawn  up  by  several  legal  gentlemen 
among  the  passengers,  charging  him  with  being  the 
Prince  of  Humbugs,  and  enumerating  a  dozen 
special  counts,  containing  charges  of  the  most 
absurd  and  ridiculous  description.  Witnesses  were 
then  brought  together,  and  privately  instructed 
what  to  say  and  do.  Two  or  three  days  were  de- 
voted to  arranging  this  mighty  prosecution.  '  When 
everything  was  ready.  I  was  arrested,  and  the  for- 
midable indictment  read  to  me.  I  saw  at  a  glance 
that  time  and  talent  had  been  brought  into  requisi- 
tion, and  that  my  trial  was  to  be  more  elaborate 
than  any  that  had  preceded  it.  I  asked  for  half  an 
hour  to  prepare  for  my  defense,  which  was  granted. 
Meanwhile,  seats  were  arranged  to  accommodate 
the  court  and  spectators,  and  extra  settees  were 
placed  for  the  ladies  on  the  upper  deck,  where  they 


BARNUM  TRIED  FOR  HIS  LIFE.  373 

could  look  down,  see  and  hear  all  that  transpired. 
Curiosity  was  on  tip-toe,  for  it  was  evident  that  this 
was  to  be  a  long,  exciting  and  laughable  trial.  At 
the  end  of  half  an  hour  the  judge  was  on  the  bench, 
the  jury  had  taken  their  places  ;  the  witnesses  were 
ready  ;  the  counsel  for  the  prosecution,  four  in  num- 
ber, with  pens,  ink,  and  paper  in  profusion,  were 
seated,  and  everything  seemed  ready.  I  was  brought 
in  by  a  special  constable,  the  indictment  read,  and 
I  was  asked  to  plead  guilty,  or  not  guilty.  I  rose, 
and  in  a  most  solemn  manner,  stated  that  I  could 
not  conscientiously  plead  guilty  or  not  guilty  ;  that  I 
had,  in  fact, committed  many  of  the  acts  charged  in  the 
indictment,  but  these  acts,  I  was  ready  to  show,  were 
not  criminal,  but  on  the  contrary,  worthy  of  praise. 
My  plea  was  received  and  the  first  witness  called. 

"  He  testified  to  having  visited  the  prisoner's 
museum,  and  of  being  humbugged  by  the  Feejee 
mermaid ;  the  nurse  of  Washington  ;  and  by  other 
curiosities,  natural  and  unnatural.  The  questions 
and  answers  having  been  all  arranged  in  advance, 
everything  worked  smoothly.  Acting  as  my  own 
counsel,  I  cross-examined  the  witness  by  simply  ask- 
ing whether  he  saw  anything  else  in  the  museum 
besides  what  he  had  mentioned. 

"  '  Oh  !  yes,  I  saw  thousands  of  other  things.' 

"  '  Were  they  curious  ?  ' 

"  '  Certainly  ;  many  of  them  very  astonishing.' 

" '  Did  you  ever  witness  a  dramatic  representation 
in  the  museum  ?  ' 


374  LIFE  OF  p- 

"  'Yes,  sir,  a  very  good  one.' 

"  '  What  did"  you  pay  for  all  this  ? ' 

" '  Twenty-five  cents.' 

'"That  will  do,  sir;  you  can  step  down.' 

"A  second,  third  and  fourth  witness  were  called, 
and  the  examination  was  similar  to  the  foregoing. 
Another  witness  then  appeared  to  testify  in  regard 
to  another  count  in  the  indictment.  He  stated  that 
for  several  weeks  he  was  the  guest  of  the  prisoner, 
at  his  country  residence,  Iranistan,  and  he  gave  a 
most  amusing  description  of  the  various  schemes 
.and  contrivances  which  were  there  originated  for  the 
purpose  of  being  carried  out  at  some  future  day  in 
the  museum. 

"  '  How  did  you  live  there  ? '  asked  one  of  the 
counsel  for  the  prosecution. 

"'Very  well,  indeed,  in  the  daytime/  was  the 
reply  ;  '  plenty  of  the  best  to  eat  and  drink,  except 
liquors.  In  bed,  however,  it  was  impossible  to  sleep. 
I  rose  the  first  night,  struck  a  light,  and  on  examina- 
tion found  myself  covered  with  myriads  of  little  bugs, 
so  small  as  to  be  almost  imperceptible.  By  using  my 
microscope  I  discovered  them  to  be  infantile  bed- 
bugs. After  the  first  night  I  was  obliged  to  sleep  in 
the  coach-house  in  order  to  escape  this  annoyance.' 

"Of  course  this  elicited  much  mirth.  The  first 
question  put  on  the  cross-examination  was  this  : 

"'Are  you  a  naturalist,  sir?' 

"The  witness  hesitated.  In  all  the  drilling  that 
had  taken  place  before  the  trial,  neither  the  counsel 


AN  EXPER  T  ON  JA  CK ASSES.  375 

nor  witnesses  had  thought  of  what  questions  might 
come  up  in  the  cross-examination,  and  now,  not  see- 
ing the  drift  of  the  question,  the  witness  seemed  a 
little  bewildered,  and  the  counsel  for  the  prosecu- 
tion looked  puzzled. 

"The  question  was  repeated  with  some  em- 
phasis. 

"'No,  sir/  replied  the  witness,  hesitatingly,  'I  am 
not  a  naturalist.' 

'"Then,  sir,  not  being  a  naturalist,  dare  you  af- 
firm that  those  microscopic  insects  were  not  hum- 
bugs instead  of  bedbugs' — (here  the  prisoner  was 
interrupted  by  a  universal  shout  of  laughter,  in 
which  the  solemn  judge  himself  joined) — 'and  if 
they  were  humbugs,  I  suppose  that  even  the  learned 
counsel  opposed  to  me  will  not  claim  that  they  were 
out  of  place 

"'They  may  have  been  humbugs,'  replied  the 
witness. 

"  'That  will  do,  sir;  you  may  go,'  said  I ;  and  at 
the  same  time,  turning  to  the  array  of  counsel,  I 
remarked,  with  a  smile,  'You  had  better  have  a 
naturalist  for  your  next  witness,  gentlemen.' 

" '  Don't  be  alarmed,  sir,  we  have  got  one,  and 
we  will  now  introduce  him,'  replied  the  counsel. 

"  The  next  witness  testified  that  he  was  a  planter 
from  Georgia,  that  some  years  since  the  prisoner 
visited  his  plantation  with  a  show,  and  that  while 
there  he  discovered  an  old  worthless  donkey  be- 
longing to  the  planter,  and  bought  him  for  five  dol- 


376  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BAR  NUM. 

lars.  The  next  year  the  witness  visited  Iranistan, 
the  country  seat  of  the  prisoner,  and,  while  walking 
about  the  grounds,  his  old  donkey,  recognizing  his 
former  master,  brayed;  'whereupon,'  continued  the 
witness,  '  I  walked  up  to  the  animal  and  found  that 
two  men  were  engaged  in  sticking  wool  upon  him, 
and  this  animal  was  afterwards  exhibited  by  the 
prisoner  as  the  woolly  horse.' 

"The  whole  court — spectators,  and  even  the 
'prisoner'  himself — were  convulsed  with  laughter 
at  the  gravity  with  which  the  planter  gave  his  very 
ludicrous  testimony. 

"  'What  evidence  have  you,'  I  inquired,  'that  this 
was  the  same  donkey  which  you  sold  to  me  ? ' 

"  '  The  fact  that  the  animal  recognized  me,  as  was 
evident  from  his  braying  as  soon  as  he  saw  me.' 

"  'Are  you  a  naturalist,  sir?  ' 

" '  Yes,  i  am,'  replied  the  planter,  with  firm  em- 
phasis, as  much  as  to  say,  you  can't  catch  me  as  you 
did  the  other  witness. 

"  '  Oh  !  you  are  a  naturalist,  are  you?  Then,  sir, 
I  ask  you,  as  a  naturalist,  do  you  not  know  it  to  be 
a  fact  in  natural  history  that  one  jackass  always 
brays  as  soon  as  he  sees  another  ?  ' 

"  This  question  was  received  with  shouts  of 
laughter,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  nonplussed  wit- 
ness backed  out  of  court,  and  all  the  efforts  of 
special  constables,  and  even  the  high  sheriff  himself, 
were  unavailing  in  getting  him  again  on  the  witness 
stand. 


ILL  TREATMENT  AT  HOME.  377 

"  This  trial  lasted  two  days,  to  the  great  delight 
of  all  on  board.  After  my  success  with  the  '  natu- 
ralist,' not  one-half  of  the  witnesses  would  appear 
against  me.  In  my  final  argument  I  sifted  the  testi- 
mony, analyzed  its  bearings,  ruffled  the  learned 
counsel,  disconcerted  the  witnesses,  flattered  the 
judge  and  jury,  and  when  the  judge  had  delivered 
his  charge,  the  jury  acquitted  me  without  leaving 
their  seats.  The  judge  received  the  verdict,  and 
then  announced  that  he  should  fine  the  naturalist  for 
the  mistake  he  made,  as  to  the  cause  of  the  donkey's 
braying,  and  he  should  also  fine  the  several  wit- 
nesses, who,  through  fear  of  the  cross-fire,  had 
refused  to  testify." 

The  trial  afforded  a  pleasant  topic  of  conversa- 
tion for  the  rest  of  the  voyage ;  and  the  morning 
before  arriving  in  port,  a  vote  of  thanks  was  passed 
to  Barnum,  in  consideration  of  the  amusement  he 
had  intentionally  and  unintentionally  furnished  to 
the  passengers  during  the  voyage. 

The  treatment  to  which  Barnum  was  subjected  on 
his  arrival  in  New  York,  was  in  strange  and. dis- 
creditable contrast  to  that  which  he  had  enjoyed 
abroad.  He  sometimes  spoke  of  it  in  later  life, 
though  without  any  bitterness.  He  was  too  much 
of  a  philosopher  to  take  it  to  heart.  "After  my 
arrival,"  he  would  say,  "often,  in  passing  up  and 
down  Broadway,  I  saw  old  and  prosperous  friends 
coming,  but  before  I  came  anywhere  near  them,  if 
they  espied  me,  they  would  dodge  into  a  store,  or 


378  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

across  the  street,  or  opportunely  meet  some  one 
with  whom  they  had  pressing  business,  or  they 
would  be  very  much  interested  in  something  that 
was  going  on  over  the  way,  or  on  top  of  the  City 
Hall.  I  was  delighted  at  this,  for  it  gave  me  at  once 
a  new  sensation  and  a  new  experience.  '  Ah,  ha !  '  I 
said  to  myself,  'my  butterfly  friends,  I  know  you 
now ;  and,  what  is  more  to  the  point,  if  ever  I  get 
out  of  this  bewilderment  of  broken  clock-wheels,  I 
shall  not  forget  you ; '  and  I  heartily  thanked  the 
old  clock  concern  for  giving  me  the  opportunity  to 
learn  this  sad  but  most  needful  lesson.  I  had  a 
very  few  of  the  same  sort  of  experiences  in  Bridge- 
port, and  they  proved  valuable  to  me." 

One  of  Barnum's  assignees  was  his  neighbor  and 
quondam  "gamekeeper,"  Mr.  Johnson,  and  he  it 
was  who  had  written  to  Barnum  to  return  to  Amer- 
ica, to  facilitate  the  settlement  of  his  affairs.  He 
now  told  him  that  there  was  no  probability  of  dis- 
posing of  Iranistan  at  present,  and  that  therefore  he 
might  as  well  move  back  into  his  old  home.  That 
was  August.  In  September,  Barnum's  family  fol- 
lowed him  to  America,  and  they  decided  to  take  Mr. 
Johnson's  advice  and  re-occupy  Iranistan.  They 
went  to  Bridgeport,  to  superintend  arrangements, 
and  there  Barnum's  second  daughter,  Helen,  was 
married  to  Mr.  S.  W.  Hurd,  on  October  20,  1857. 

"  Meanwhile,  Iranistan,  which  had  been  closed 
and  unoccupied  for  more  than  two  years,  was  once 
more  opened  to  the  carpenters  and  painters  whom 


BARNUM  IN  HIS  HOME. 


THE  FATE  OF  IRANISTAN.  381 

Mr.  Johnson  sent  there  to  put  the  house  in  order. 
He  agreed  with  Barnum  that  it  was  best  to  keep  the 
property  as  long  as  possible,  and  in  the  interval,  till 
a  purchaser  for  the  estate  appeared,  or  till  it  was 
forced  to  auction,  to  take  up  the  clock  notes,  when- 
ever they  were  offered.  The  workmen  who  were 
employed  in  the  house  were  specially  instructed  not 
to  smoke  there,  but  nevertheless,  it  was  subsequently 
discovered  that  some  of  the  men  were  in  the  habit 
occasionally  of  going  into  the  main  dome  to  eat 
their  dinners  which  they  brought  with  them,  and  that 
they  stayed  there  awhile  after  dinner  to  smoke  their 
pipes.  In  all  probability,  one  of  these  lighted  pipes 
was  left  on  the  cushion  which  covered  the  circular 
seat  in  the  dome  and  ignited  the  tow  with  which  the 
cushion  was  stuffed.  It  may  have  been  days  and 
even  weeks  before  this  smouldering  tow  fire  burst 
into  flame. 

Barnum  was  staying  at  the  Astor  House,  in  New 
York,  when,  on  the  morning  of  December  18,  1857, 
he  received  a  telegram  from  his  brother,  Philo  F. 
Barnum,  dated  at  Bridgeport,  and  informing  him 
that  Iranistan  was  burned  to  the  ground  that  morn- 
ing. The  alarm  was  given  at  eleven  o'clock  on  the 
night  of  the  i  yth,  and  the  fire  burned  till  one  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  i8th. 

This  was,  of  course,  a  considerable  loss  to  Bar- 
num's  estate,  for  the  house  had  cost  about  $150,000. 
It  was  also  generally  regarded  as  a  public  calamity. 
This  house  had  been  the  only  building  in  its  peculiar 

22 


382  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

style  of  architecture  of  any  pretension  in  America, 
and  many  persons  had  visited  Bridgeport  every  year 
expressly  to  see  it.  The  insurance  on  the  mansion 
had  usually  been  about  $62,000,  but  Barnum  had 
let  some  of  the  policies  expire  without  renewing 
them,  so  that  at  the  time  of  the  fire  there  was  only 
$ 28,000  insurance  on  the  property.  Most  of  the 
furniture  and  pictures  were  saved,  generally  in  a 
damaged  state. 

Subsequently,  the  assignees  sold  the  grounds  and 
outhouses  of  Iranistan  to  Elias  Howe,  Jr.,  the  inven- 
tor of  the  sewing-machine.  The  property  brought 
$50,000,  which,  with  the  $2  8,000  insurance  went  into 
Barnum' s  assets  to  satisfy  clock  creditors.  It  was 
Mr.  Howe's  intention  to  erect  a  splendid  mansion 
on  the  estate,  but  his  untimely  and  lamented  death 
prevented  the  fulfilment  of  the  pla*. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE    ART   OF   MONEY   GETTING. 

THE  LECTURE  FIELD  —  SUCCESS  —  CAMBRIDGE — OXFORD  —  AN  UNIQUE 
ENTERTAINMENT — BARNUM  EQUAL  TO  THE  OCCASION — INVITED  TO 
STAY  A  WEEK. 

Seeing  the  necessity  of  making  more  money  to 
assist  in  extricating  his  affairs  from  financial  disorder, 
Barnum  went  back  to  England,  taking  with  him  Tom 
Thumb,  whom  he  exhibited  in  all  the  principal  places 
of  England,  Scotland  and  Wales ;  this  was  early  in 
1858. 

The  tour  was  a  profitable  one,  and  the  money,  as 
fast  as  it  came  in,  was  remitted  to  his  agents  and 
assignees  in  America. 

At  the  suggestion  of  some  of  his  American  friends 
in  London,  Barnum  next  appeared  on  the  lecture 
platform.  The  subject  chosen  was  "The  Art  of 
Money  Getting,"  although  Barnum  told  his  friends 
that  in  the  light  of  recent  events  he  felt  more  com- 
petent to  speak  on  the  art  of  money  losing.  But 
they  assured  him  that  his  name  having  been  asso- 
ciated with  the  Jenny  Lind  concerts  and  other  great 
money-making  enterprises,  the  lecture  would  un- 
doubtedly prove  both  attractive  and  profitable. 

383 


384  LIFE   OF  p-    T-  BARNUM. 

The  lecture  was  widely  advertised,  of  course,  and 
at  the  appointed  time  the  great  St.  James'  Hall,  Re- 
gent Street,  Piccadilly,  was  completely  filled.  It  was 
the  evening  of  December  29,  1858.  We  subjoin 
extracts  from  the  lecture,  which  was  closely  listened 
to  and  well  received  by  many  more  audiences  than 
the  one  which  heard  it  first  at  St.  James'  Hall. 

Those  who  really  desire  to  attain  an  independence, 
have  only  to  set  their  minds  upon  it,  and  adopt  the 
proper  means,  as  they  do  in  regard  to  any  other  ob- 
ject which  they  wish  to  accomplish,  and  the  thing  is 
easily  done.  But  however  easy  it  may  be  found  to 
make  money,  I  have  no  doubt  many  of  my  hearers 
will  agree  it  is  the  most  difficult  thing  in  the  world 
to  keep  it.  The  road  to  wealth  is,  as  Dr.  Franklin, 
truly  says,  "  as  plain  as  the  road  to  mill."  It  consists 
simply  in  expending  less  than  we  earn ;  that  seems 
to  be  a  very  simple  problem.  Mr.  Micawber,  one 
of  those  happy  creations  of  the  genial  Dickens,  puts 
the  case  in  a  strong  light  when  he  says  that  to  have 
an  income  of  twenty  pounds  per  annum,  and  spend 
twenty  pounds  and  sixpence,  is  to  be  the  most  mis- 
erable of  men ;  whereas,  to  have  an  income  of  only 
twenty  pounds,  and  spend  but  nineteen  pounds  and 
sixpence,  is  to  be  the  happiest  of  mortals.  Many  of 
my  hearers  may  say,  "we  understand  this;  this  is 
economy,  and  we  know  economy  is  wealth  ;  we  know 
we  can't  eat  our  cake  and  keep  it  also."  Yet  I  beg 
to  say  that  perhaps  more  cases  of  failure  arise  from 
mistakes  on  this  point  than  almost  any  other.  The 


THE  ART   OF  MONEY  GETTING.  385 

fact  is,  many  people  think  they  understand  economy 
when  they  really  do  not. 

True  economy  is  misapprehended,  and  people  go 
through  life  without'  properly  comprehending  what 
that  principle  is.  One  says,  "  I  have  an  income  of 
so  much,  and  here  is  my  neighbor  who  has  the  same ; 
yet  every  year  he  gets  something  ahead  and  I  fall 
short ;  why  is  it  ?  I  know  all  about  economy."  He 
thinks  he  does,  but  he  does  not.  There  are  many 
who  think  that  economy  consists  in  saving  cheese- 
parings and  candle-ends,  in  cutting  off  twopence 
from  trie-laundress'  bill  and  doing  all  sorts  of  little, 
mean,  dirty  things.  Economy  is  not  meanness.  The 
misfortune  is,  also,  that  this  class  of  persons  let  their 
economy  apply  in  only  one  direction.  They  fancy 
they  are  so  wonderfully  economical  in  saving  a  half- 
penny where  they  ought  to  spend  twopence,  that 
they  think  they  can  afford  to  squander  in  other  direc- 
tions. A  few  years  ago,  before  kerosene  oil  was 
discovered  or  thought  of,  one  might  stop  over  night 
at  almost  any  farmer's  house  in  the  agricultural  dis- 
tricts and  get  a  very  good  supper,  but  after  supper 
he  might  attempt  to  read  in  the  sitting-room,  and 
would  find  it  impossible  with  the  inefficient  light  of 
one  candle.  The  hostess,  seeing  his  dilemma,  would 

O 

say:  "It  is  rather  difficult  to  read  here  evenings;  the 
proverb  says  '  you  must  have  a  ship  at  sea  in  order 
to  be  able  to  burn  two  candles  at  once; '  we  never 
have  an  extra  candle  except  on  extra  occasions." 
These  extra  occasions  occur,  perhaps,  twice  a  year. 


386  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   B ANNUM. 

In  this  way  the  good  woman  saves  five,  six,  or  ten 
dollars  in  that  time  ;  but  the  information  which  might 
be  derived  from  having  the  extra  light  would,  of 
course,  far  outweigh  a  ton  of  candles. 

But  the  trouble  does  not  end  here.  Feeling  that 
she  is  so  economical  in  tallow  candles,  she  thinks  she 
can  afford  to  go  frequently  to  the  village  and  spend 
twenty  or  thirty  dollars  for  ribbons  and  furbelows, 
many  of  which  are  not  necessary.  This  false  econ- 
omy may  frequently  be  seen  in  men  of  business,  and 
in  those  instances  it  often  runs  to  writing-paper. 
You  find  good  business  men  who  save  all  the  old 
envelopes  and  scraps,  and  would  not  tear  a  new  sheet 
of  paper,  if  they  could  avoid  it,  for  the  world.  This 
is  all  very  well ;  they  may  in  this  way  save  five  or 
ten  dollars  a  year,  but  being  so  economical  (only  in 
note-paper),  they  think  they  can  afford  to  waste  time  ; 
to  have  expensive  parties,  and  to  drive  their  car- 
riages. 

True  economy  consists  in  always  making  the  in- 
come exceed  the  out-go.  Wear  the  old  clothes  a 
little  longer  if  necessary;  dispense  with  the  new  pair 
of  gloves;  mend  the  old  dress;  live  on  plainer  food 
if  need  be ;  so  that,  under  all  circumstances,  unless 
some  unforeseen  accident  occurs,  there  will  be  a  mar- 
gin in  favor  of  the  income.  A  penny  here,  and  a 
dollar  there,  placed  at  interest,  goes  on  accumulating, 
and  in  this  way  the  desired  result  is  attained.  It  re- 
quires some  training,  perhaps,  to  accomplish  this 
economy,  but  when  once  used  to  it,  you  will  find  there 


GOOD  HEALTH  THE  FOUNDATION  OF  SUCCESS.  387 

is  more  satisfaction  in  rational  saving  than  in  irra- 
tional spending.  Here  is  a  recipe  which  I  recom- 
mend ;  I  have  found  it  to  work  an  excellent  cure  for 
extravagance,  and  especially  for  mistaken  economy : 
When  you  find  that  you  have  no  surplus  at  the  end 
of  the  year,  and  yet  have  a  good  income,  I  advise 
you  to  take  a  few  sheets  of  paper  and  form  them 
into  a  book  and  mark  down  every  item  of  expendi- 
ture. Post  it  every  day  or  week  in  two  columns,  one 
headed  "  necessaries  "  or  even  "  comforts,"  and  the 
other  headed  "  luxuries,"  and  you  will  find  that  the 
latter  column  will  be  double,  treble,  and  frequently 
ten  times  greater  than  the  former.  The  real  com- 
forts of  life  cost  but  a  small  portion  of  what  most 
of  us  can  earn. 

The  foundation  of  success  in  life  is  good  health ; 
that  is  the  substratum  of  fortune ;  it  is  also  the  basis 
of  happiness.  A  person  cannot  accumulate  a  fortune 
very  well  when  he  is  sick.  He  has  no  ambition ; 
no  incentive ;  no  force.  Of  course,  there  are  those 
who  have  bad  health  and  cannot  help  it ;  you  cannot 
expect  that  such  persons  can  accumulate  wealth ; 
but  there  are  a  great  many  in  poor  health  who  need 
not  be  so. 

If,  then,  sound  health  is  the  foundation  of  success 
and  happiness  in  life,  how  important  it  is  that  we 
should  study  the  laws  of  health,  which  is  but  another 
expression  for  the  laws  of  nature !  The  closer  we 
keep  to  the  laws  of  nature  the  nearer  we  are  to  good 
health,  and  yet  how  many  persons  there  are  who  pay 


388  LIFE    OF  P.   T.   BARNUM. 

no  attention  to  natural  laws,  but  absolutely  trans- 
gress them,  even  against  their  own  natural  inclina- 
tion. We  ought  to  know  that  the  "sin  of  ignorance" 
is  never  winked  at  in  regard  to  the  violation  of  na- 
ture's laws ;  their  infraction  always  brings  the  penalty. 
A  child  may  thrust  its  finger  into  the  flames  without 
knowing  it  will  burn,  and  so  suffers;  repentance, even, 
will  not  stop  the  smart.  Many  of  our  ancestors 
knew  very  little  about  the  principle  of  ventilation. 
They  did  not  know  much  about  oxygen,  whatever 
other  "  gin  "  they  might  have  been  acquainted  with ; 
and  consequently,  they  built  their  houses  with  little 
seven-by-nine  feet  bedrooms,  and  these  good  old 
pious  Puritans  would  lock  themselves  up  in  one  of 
these  cells,  say  their  prayers  and  go  to  bed.  In  the 
morning  they  would  devoutly  return  thanks  for  the 
"preservation  of  their  lives"  during  the  night,  and 
nobody  had  better  reason  to  be  thankful.  Probably 
some  big  crack  in  the  window,  or  in  the  door,  let  in 
a  little  fresh  air,  and  thus  saved  them. 

Many  persons  knowingly  violate  the  laws  of  nature 
against  their  better  impulses,  for  the  sake  of  fashion. 
For  instance,  there  is  one  thing  that  nothing  living 
except  a  vile  worm  ever  naturally  loved,  and  that  is 
tobacco ;  yet  how  many  persons  there  are  who  de- 
liberately train  an  unnatural  appetite,  and  overcome 
this  implanted  aversion  for  tobacco,  to  such  a  degree 
that  they  get  to  love  it.  They  have  got  hold  of  a 
poisonous,  filthy  weed,  or  rather  that  takes  a  firm 
hold  of  them.  Here  are  married  men  who  run  about 


WINE  A -MOCKER.  389 

spitting  tobacco-juice  on  the  carpet  and  floors,  and 
sometimes  even  upon  their  wives  besides.  They  do 
not  kick  their  wives  out-of-doors  like  drunken  men, 
but  their  wives,  I  have  no  doubt,  often  wish  they  were 
outside  of  the  house.  Another  perilous  feature  is 
that  this  artificial  appetite,  like  jealousy,  "grows  by 
what  it  feeds  on ; "  when  you  love  that  which  is  un- 
natural, a  stronger  appetite  is  created  for  the  hurtful 
thing  than  the  natural  desire  for  what  is  harmless. 
There  is  an  old  proverb  which  says  that  "  habit  is 
second  nature,"  but  an  artificial  habit  is  stronger  than 
nature.  Take,  for  instance,  an  old  tobacco-chewer  ; 
his  love  for  the  "  quid  "  is  stronger  than  his  love  for 
any  particular  kind  of  food.  He  can  give  up  roast 
beef  easier  than  give  up  the  weed. 

These  remarks  apply  with  tenfold  force  to  the  use 
of  intoxicating  drinks.  To  make  money,  requires  a 
clear  brain.  A  man  has  got  to  see  that  two  and  two 
make  four ;  he  must  lay  all  his  plans  with  reflection 
and  forethought,  and  closely  examine  all  the  details 
and  the  ins  and  outs  of  business.  As  no  man  can 
succeed  in  business  unless  he  has  a  brain  to  enable 
him  to  lay  his  plans,  and  reason  to  guide  him  in  their 
execution,  so,  no  matter  how  bountifully  a  man  may 
be  blessed  with  intelligence,  if  the  brain  is  muddled, 
and  his  judgment  warped  by  intoxicating  drinks,  it  is 
impossible  for  him  to  carry  on  business  successfully. 
How  many  good  opportunities  have  passed,  never  to 
return,  while  a  man  was  sipping  a  "  social  glass  " 
with  his  friend !  How  many  foolish  bargains  have 


39°  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

been  made  under  the  influence  of  the  "nervine," 
which  temporarily  makes  its  victim  think  he  is  rich. 
How  many  important  chances  have  been  put  off  until 
to-morrow,  and  then  forever,  because  the  wine-cup 
has  thrown  the  system  into  a  state  of  lassitude, 
neutralizing  the  energies  so  essential  to  success  in 
business.  Verily,  "  wine  is  a  mocker."  The  use  of 
intoxicating  drinks  as  a  beverage  is  as  much  an  in- 
fatuation as  is  the  smoking  of  opium  by  the  Chinese, 
and  the  former  is  quite  as  destructive  to  the  success 
of  the  business  man  as  the  latter.  It  is  an  unmiti- 
gated evil,  utterly  indefensible  in  the  light  of  philos- 
ophy, religion  or  good  sense.  It  is  the  parent  of 
nearly  every  other  evil  in  our  country. 

The  safest  plan,  and  the  one  most  sure  of  success 
for  the  young  man  starting  in  life,  is  to  select  the 
vocation  which  is  most  congenial  to  his  tastes. 
Parents  and  guardians  are  often  quite  too  negligent 
in  regard  to  this.  It  is  very  common  for  a  father  to 
say,  for  example :  "  I  have  five  boys.  I  will  make 
Billy  a  clergyman  ;  John  a  lawyer  ;  Tom  a  doctor, 
and  Dick  a  farmer."  He  then  goes  into  town  and 
looks  about  to  see  what  he  will  do  with  Sammy. 
He  returns  home,  and  says :  "  Sammy,  I  see  watch- 
making is  a  nice,  genteel  business ;  I  think  I  will 
make  you  a  goldsmith."  He  does  this,  regardless 
of  Sam's  natural  inclinations  or  genius. 

We  are  all,  no  doubt,  born  for  a  wise  purpose. 
There  is  as  much  diversity  in  our  brains  as  in  our 
countenances.  Some  are  born  natural  mechanics, 


SELEC1    THE  RIGHT  VOCATION.  39! 

while  some  have  great  aversion  to  machinery.  Let 
a  dozen  boys  of  ten  years  get  together,  and  you  will 
soon  observe  two  or  three  are  "  whittling  "  out  some 
ingenious  device ;  working  with  locks  or  complicated 
machinery.  When  they  were  but  five  years  old 
their  father  could  find  no  toy  to  please  them  like  a 
puzzle.  They  are  natural  mechanics ;  but  the  other 
eight  or  nine  boys  have  different  aptitudes.  I  belong 
to  the  latter  class ;  I  never  had  the  slightest  love  for 
mechanism ;  on  the  contrary,  I  have  a  sort  of  abhor- 
rence for  complicated  machinery.  I  never  had  in- 
genuity enough  to  whittle  a  cider-tap  so  it  would 
not  leak.  I  never  could  make  a  pen  that  I  could 
write  with,  or  understand  the  principle  of  a  steam- 
engine.  If  a  man  was  to  take  such  a  boy  as  I  was, 
and  attempt  to  make  a  watchmaker  of  him,  the  boy 
might,  after  an  apprenticeship  of  five  or  seven  years, 
be  able  to  take  apart  and  put  together  a  watch ;  but 
all  through  life  he  would  be  working  uphill  and 
seizing  every  excuse  for  leaving  his  work  and  idling 
away  his  time.  Watchmaking  is  repulsive  to  him. 
Unless  a  man  enters  upon  the  vocation  intended 
for  him  by  nature,  and  best  suited  to  his  peculiar 
genius,  he  cannot  succeed.  I  am  glad  to  believe  that 
the  majority  of  persons  do  find  their  right  vocation. 
Yet  we  see  many  who  have  mistaken  their  calling, 
from  the  blacksmith  up  (or  down)  to  the  clergyman. 
You  will  see,  for  instance,  that  extraordinary  linguist, 
the  "  learned  blacksmith,"  who  ought  to  have  been 

o 

a  teacher  of  languages ;   and  you  may  have  seen 


392  LIFE    Of  f.    T.    BARNUM. 

lawyers,  doctors  and  clergymen  who  were  better 
fitted  by  nature  for  the  anvil  or  the  lapstone. 

Avoid  debt.  Young  men  starting  in  life  should 
avoid  running  into  debt.  There  is  scarcely  anything 
that  drags  a  person  down  like  debt.  It  is  a  slavish 
position  to  get  in,  yet  we  find  many  a  young  man, 
hardly  out  of  his  "teens,"  running  in  debt.  He 
meets  a  chum,  and  says,  "Look  at  this:  I  have  got 
trusted  for  a  new  suit  of  clothes."  He  seems  to  look 
upon  the  clothes  as  so  much  given  to  him ;  well,  it 
frequently  is  so,  but,  if  he  succeeds  in  paying  and 
then  gets  trusted  again,  he  is  adopting  a  habit  which 
will  keep  him  in  poverty  through  life.  Debt  robs  a 
man  of  his  self-respect,  and  makes  him  almost  despise 
himself.  Grunting  and  groaning  and  working  for 
what  he  has  eaten  up  or  worn  out,  and  now  when 
he  is  called  upon  to  pay  up  he  has  nothing  to  show 
for  his  money ;  this  is  properly  termed  "  working  for 
a  dead  horse."  I  do  not  speak  of  merchants  buying 
and  selling  on  credit,  or  of  those  who  buy  on  credit 
in  order  to  turn  the  purchase  to  a  profit.  The  old 
Quaker  said  to  his  farmer  son,  "John,  never  get 
trusted ;  but  if  thee  gets  trusted  for  anything,  let  it 
be  for  '  manure/  because  that  will  help  thee  pay  it 
back  again." 

Mr.  Beecher  aclvised  young  men  to  get  in  debt  if 
they  could  to  a  small  amount  in  the  purchase  of  land 
in  the  country  districts.  "  If  a  young  man,"  he  says, 
"  will  only  get  in  debt  for  some  land  and  then  get 
married,  these  two  things  will  keep  him  straight,  or 


AVOID  DEBT.  393 

nothing  will."  This  may  be  safe  to  a  limited  extent, 
but  getting  in  debt  for  what  you  eat  and  drink  and 
wear  is  to  be  avoided.  Some  families  have  a  foolish 
habit  of  getting  credit  at  "  the  stores,"  and  thus  fre- 
quently purchase  many  things  which  might  have 
been  dispensed  with. 

It  is  all  very  well  to  say,  "  I  have  got  trusted  for 
sixty  days,  and  if  I  don't  have  the  money  the  creditor 
will  think  nothing  about  it."  There  is  no  class  of 
people  in  the  world  who  have  such  good  memories 
as  creditors.  When  the  sixty  days  run  out  you  will 
have  to  pay.  If  you  do  not  pay,  you  will  break  your 
promise,  and  probably  resort  to  a  falsehood.  You 
may  make  some  excuse  or  get  in  debt  elsewhere  to 
pay  it,  but  that  only  involves  you  the  deeper. 

A  good-looking,  lazy  young  fellow,  was  the  ap- 
prentice boy,  Horatio.  His  employer  said,  "  Horatio, 
did  you  ever  see  a  snail  ?  "  "  I — think — I — have," 
he  drawled  out.  "  You  must  have  met  him,  then,  for 
I  am  sure  you  never  overtook  one,"  said  the  "  boss." 
Your  creditor  will  meet  you  or  overtake  you  and 
say,  "  Now,  my  young  friend,  you  agreed  to  pay  me  ; 
you  have  not  done  it,  you  must  give  me  your  note." 
You  give  the  note  on  interest  and  it  commences 
working  against  you  ;  "  it  is  a  dead  horse."  The 
creditor  goes  to  bed  at  night  and  wakes  up  in  the 
morning  better  off  than  when  he  retired  to  bed,  be- 
cause his  interest  has  increased  during  the  night, 
but  you  grow  poorer  while  you  are  sleeping,  for  the 
interest  is  accumulating  against  you. 


394  LIFE   OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

Among  the  maxims  of  the  elder  Rothschild  was 
one,  an  apparent  paradox :  "  Be  cautious  and  bold." 
This  seems  to  be  a  contradiction  in  terms,  but  it  is 
not,  and  there  is  great  wisdom  in  the  maxim.  It  is, 
in  fact,  a  condensed  statement  of  what  I  have  already 
said.  It  is  to  say,  "you  must  exercise  your  caution 
in  laying  your  plans,  but  be  bold  in  carrying  them 
out."  A  man  who  is  all  caution  will  never  dare  to 
take  hold  and  be  successful ;  and  a  man  who  is  all 
boldness  is  merely  reckless,  and  must  eventually  fail. 
A  man  may  go  on  "  'change"  and  make  fifty  or  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  in  speculating  in  stocks 
at  a  single  operation.  But  if  he  has  simple  boldness 
without  caution,  it  is  mere  chance,  and  what  he  gains 
to-day  he  will  lose  to-morrow.  You  must  have  both 
the  caution  and  the  boldness  to  insure  success. 

The  Rothschilds  have  another  maxim :  "  Never 
have  anything  to  do  with'  an  unlucky  man  or  place." 
That  is  to  say,  never  have  anything  to  do  with  a 
man  or  place  which  never  succeeds,  because,  although 
a  man  may  appear  to  be  honest  and  intelligent,  yet 
if  he  tries  this  or  that  thing  and  always  fails,  it  is  on 
account  of  some  fault  or  infirmity  that  you  may  not 
be  able  to  discover,  but  nevertheless  which  must 
exist. 

There  is  no  such  thing  in  the  world  as  luck. 
There  never  was  a  man  who  could  go  out  in  the 
morning  and  find  a  purse  full  of  gold  in  the  street 
to-day,  and  another  to-morrow,  and  so  on,  day  after 
day.  He  may  do  so  once  in  his  life  ;  but  so  far  as 


ADVERTISE    YOUR   BUSINESS.  395 

mere  luck  is  concerned,  he  is  as  liable  to  lose  it  as 
to  find  it.  "  Like  causes  produce  like  effects."  If  a 
man  adopts  the  proper  methods  to  be  successful, 
"  luck  "  will  not  prevent  him.  If  he  does  not  succeed, 
there  are  reasons  for  it,  although,  perhaps,  he  may 
not  be  able  to  see  them. 

We  all  depend,  more  or  less,  upon  the  public  for 
our  support.  We  all  trade  with  the  public — lawyers, 
doctors,  shoemakers,  artists,  blacksmiths,  showmen, 
opera  singers,  railroad  presidents,  and  college  pro- 
fessors. Those  who  deal  with  the  public  must  be 
careful  that  their  goods  are  valuable ;  that  they  are 
genuine,  and  will  give  satisfaction.  When  you  get 
an  article  which  you  know  is  going  to  please  your 
customers,  and  that  when  they  have  tried  it  they  will 
feel  they  have  got  their  money's  worth,  then  let  the 
fact  be  known  that  you  have  got  it.  Be  careful  to 
advertise  it  in  some  shape  or  other,  because  it  is 
evident  that  if  a  man  has  ever  so  good  an  article  for 
sale,  and  nobody  knows  it,  it  will  bring  him  no  return. 
In  a  country  like  this,  where  nearly  everybody  reads, 
and  where  newspapers  are  issued  and  circulated  in 
editions  of  five  thousand  to  two  hundred  thousand, 
it  would  be  very  unwise  if  this  channel  was  not 
taken  advantage  of  to  reach  the  public  in  advertising. 
A  newspaper  goes  into  the  family,  and  is  read  by 
wife  and  children,  as  well  as  the  head  of  the  house; 
hence  hundreds  and  thousands  of  people  may  read 
your  advertisement,  while  you  are  attending  to  your 
routine  business.  Many,  perhaps,  read  it  while  you 


396  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

are  asleep.  The  whole  philosophy  of  life  is,  first 
"  sow,"  then  "  reap."  That  is  the  way  the  farmer 
does ;  he  plants  his  potatoes  and  corn,  and  sows  his 
grain,  and  then  goes  about  something  else,  and  the 
time  comes  when  he  reaps.  But  he  never  reaps 
first  and  sows  afterwards.  This  principle  applies  to 
all  kinds  of  business,  and  to  nothing  more  eminently 
than'  to  advertising.  If  a  man  has  a  genuine  article, 
there  is  no  way  in  which  he  can  reap  more  advan- 
tageously than  by  "  sowing  "  to  the  public  in  this 
way.  He  must,  of  course,  have  a  really  good  article, 
and  one  which  will  please  his  customers  ;  anything 
spurious  will  not  succeed  permanently,  because  the 
public  is  wiser  than  many  imagine.  Men  and 
women  are  selfish,  and  we  all  prefer  purchasing 
where  we  can  get  the  most  for  our  money ;  and 
we  try  to  find  out  where  we  can  most  surely  do  so. 

You  may  advertise  a  spurious  article,  and  induce 
many  people  to  call  and  buy  it  once,  but  they  will 
denounce  you  as  an  impostor  and  swindler,  and  your 
business  will  gradually  die  out  and  leave  you  poor. 
This  is  right.  Few  people  can  safely  depend  upon 
chance  custom.  You  all  need  to  have  your  custo- 
mers return  and  purchase  again.  A  man  said  to  me, 
"  I  have  tried  advertising  and  did  not  succeed ;  yet 
I  have  a  good  article." 

I  replied,  "  My  friend,  there  may  be  exceptions 
to  a  general  rule.  But  how  do  you  advertise  ?  " 

"  I  put  it  in  a  weekly  newspaper  three  times,  and 
paid  a  dollar  and  a  half  for  it."  I  replied :  "Sir, 


ADVERTISE    YOUR  BUSINESS.  399 

advertising  is  like  learning — 'a  little  is  a  dangerous 
thing!'" 

A  French  writer  says  that  "  The  reader  of  a  news- 
paper does  not  see  the  first  insertion  of  an  ordinary 
advertisement;  the  second  insertion  he  sees,  but 
does  not  read ;  the  third  insertion  he  reads ;  the 
fourth  insertion,  he  looks  at  the  price;  the  fifth  in- 
sertion, he  speaks  of  it  to  his  wife ;  the  sixth  inser- 
tion, he  is  ready  to  purchase,  and  the  seventh  inser- 
tion, he  purchases."  Your  object  in  advertising  is 
to  make  the  public  understand  what  you  have  got  to 
sell,  and  if  you  have  not  the  pluck  to  keep  adver- 
tising, until  you  have  imparted  that  information,  all 
the  money  you  have  spent  is  lost. 

Work  at  it,  if  necessary,  early  and  late,  in  season 
and  out  of  season,  not  leaving  a  stone  unturned,  and 
never  deferring  for  a  single  hour  that  which  can  be 
done  just  as  well  now.  The  old  proverb  is  full  of 
truth  and  meaning :  "  Whatever  is  worth  doing  at  all, 
is  worth  doing  well."  Many  a  man  acquires  a  for- 
tune by  doing  his  business  thoroughly,  while  his 
neighbor  remains  poor  for  life,  because  he  only  half 
does  it.  Ambition,  energy,  industry,  perseverance, 
are  indispensable  requisites  for  success  in  business, 

Fortune  always  favors  the  brave,  and  never  helps 
a  man  who  does  not  help  himself.  It  won't  do  to 
spend  your  time  like  Mr.  Micawber,  in  waiting  fo* 
something  to  "turn  up."  To  such  men  one  of  two 
things  usually  "  turns  up:"  the  poor-house  or  the 
jail ;  for  idleness  breeds  bad  habits,  and  clothes  a 

23 


400  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BAKNVM. 

man  in  rags.      The  poor  spendthrift  vagabond  said 
to  a  rich  man  : 

"  I  have  discovered  there  is  money  enough  in  the 
world  for  all  of  us,  if  it  was  equally  divided ;  this 
must  be  done,  and  we  shall  all  be  happy  together." 

"  But,"  was  the  response,  "  if  everybody  was  like 
you,  it  would  be  spent  in  two  months,  and  what 
would  you  do  then  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  divide  again  ;  keep  dividing,  of  course !  " 

I  was  recently  reading  in  a  London  paper  an 
account  of  a  like  philosophic  pauper,  who  was  kicked 
out  of  a  cheap  boarding-house  because  he  could  not 
pay  his  bill,  but  he  had  a  roll  of  papers  sticking  out 
of  his  coat  pocket,  which,  upon  examination,  proved 
to  be  his  plan  for  paying  off  the  national  debt  of 
England  without  the  aid  of  a  penny.  People  have 
got  to  do  as  Cromwell  said :  "  Not  only  trust  in  Prov^ 
idence,  but  keep  the  powder  dry."  Do  your  part 
of  the  work,  or  you  cannot  succeed.  Mahomet,  one 
night,  while  encamping  in  the  desert,  overheard  one 
of  his  fatigued  followers  remark :  "  I  will  loose  my 
camel,  and  trust  it  to  God."  "  No,  no,  not  so,"  said 
the  prophet ;  "  tie  thy  camel,  and  trust  it  to  God." 
Do  all  you  can  for  yourselves,  and  then  trust  to 
Providence,  or  luck,  or  whatever  you  please  to  call 
it,  for  the  rest. 

Some  men  have  a  foolish  habit  of  telling  their 
business  secrets.  If  they  make  money  they  like  to 
tell  their  neighbors  how  it  was  done.  Nothing  is 
gained  by  this,  and  ofttimes  much  is  lost.  Say 


PRESERVE    YOtJR  INTEGRITY.  401 

nothing  about  your  profits,  your  hopes,  your  expec- 
tations, your  intentions.  And  this  should  apply  to 
letters  as  well  as  to  conversation.  Goethe  makes 
Mephistophiles  say  :  "  Never  write  a  letter  nor  destroy 
one."  Business  men  must  write  letters,  but  they 
should  be  careful  what  they  put  in  them.  If  you  are 
losing  money,  be  specially  cautious  and  not  tell  of  it, 
or  you  will  lose  your  reputation. 

Preserve  your  integrity..  It  is  more  precious  than 
diamonds  or  rubies.  The  old  miser  said  to  his  sons : 
"  Get  money ;  get  it  honestly,  if  you  can,  but  get 
money."  This  advice  was  not  only  atrociously 
wicked,  but  it  was  the  very  essence  of  stupidity.  It 
was  as  much  as  to  say,  "if  you  find  it  difficult  to 
obtain  money  honestly,  you  can  easily  get  it  dis- 
honestly. Get  it  in  that  way."  Poor  fool !  Not 
to  know  that  the  most  difficult  thing  in  life  is 
to  make  money  dishonestly !  not  to  know  that 
our  prisons  are  full  of  men  who  attempted  to 
follow  this  advice ;  not  to  understand  that  no  man 
can  be  dishonest  without  soon  being  found  out,  and 
that  when  his  lack  of  principle  is  discovered,  nearly 
every  avenue  to  success  is  closed  against  him  for- 
ever. The  public  very  properly  shun  all  whose 
integrity  is  doubted.  No  matter  how  polite  and 
pleasant  and  accommodating  a  man  may  be,  none 
of  us  dare  to  deal  with  him  if  we  suspect  "  false 
weights  and  measures."  Strict  honesty  not  only 
lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  success  in  life  (finan- 
cially), but  in  every  other  respect.  Uncompromising 


402  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

integrity  of  character  is  invaluable.  It  secures  to  its 
possessor  a  peace  and  joy  which  cannot  be  attained 
without  it — which  no  amount  of  money,  or  houses 
and  lands,  can  purchase.  A  man  who  is  known  to 
be  strictly  honest,  may  be  ever  so  poor,  but  he  has 
the  purses  of  all  the  community  at  his  disposal — for 
all  know  that  if  he  promises  to  return  what  he  bor- 
rows, he  will  never  disappoint  them.  As  a  mere 
matter  of  selfishness,  therefore,  if  a  man  had  no 
higher  motive  for  being  honest,  all  will  find  that  the 
maxim  of  Dr.  Franklin  can  never  fail  to  be  true — 
that  "  honesty  is  the  best  policy." 

I  hold  that  no  man  ought  ever  to  indorse  a  note  or 
become  security  for  any  man,  be  it  his  father  or 
brother,  to  a  greater  extent  than  he  can  afford  to 
lose  and  care  nothing  about,  without  taking  good 
security.  Here  is  a  man  that  is  worth  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars ;  he  is  doing  a  thriving  manufacturing 
or  mercantile  trade ;  you  are  retired  and  living  on 
your  money ;  he  comes  to  you  and  says  : 

"You  are  aware  that  I  am  worth  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  and  don't  owe  a  dollar :  if  I  had  five  thou- 
sand dollars  in  cash,  I  could  purchase  a  particular  lot 
of  goods  and  double  my  money  in  a  couple  of  months ; 
will  you  indorse  my  note  for  that  amount?  " 

You  reflect  that  he  is  worth  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  and  you  incur  no  risk  by  indorsing  his  note; 
you  like  to  accommodate  him,  and  you  lend  your 
name  without  taking  the  precaution  of  getting 
security.  Shortly  after,  he  shows  you  the  note  with 


DON'T  INDORSE    WITHOUT  SECURITY.  403 

your  indorsement  cancelled,  and  tells  you,  probably 
truly,  "  that  he  made  the  profit  that  he  expected  by 
the  operation;"  you  reflect  that  you  have  done  a 
good  action,  and  the  thought  makes  you  feel  happy. 
By  and  by  the  same  thing  occurs  again  and  you  do 
it  again ;  you  have  already  fixed  the  impression  in 
your  mind  that  it  is  perfectly  safe,  to  indorse  his  notes 
without  security. 

But  the  trouble  is,  this  man  is  getting  money  too 
easily.  He  has  only  to  take  your  note  to  the  bank, 
get  it  discounted,  and  take  the  cash.  He  gets  money 
for  the  time  being  without  effort ;  without  incon- 
venience to  himself.  Now  mark  the  result.  He 
sees  a  chance  for  speculation  outside  of  his  business. 
A  temporary  investment  of  only  $10,000  is  required. 
It  is  sure  to  come  back  before  a  note  at  the  bank 
would  be  due.  He  places  a  note  for  that  amount 
before  you.  You  sign  it  almost  mechanically. 
Being  firmly  convinced  that  your  friend  is  responsi- 
ble and  trustworthy,  you  indorse  his  notes  as  a 
"matter  of  course." 

Unfortunately  the  speculation  does  not  come  to  a 
head  quite  so  soon  as  was  expected,  and  another 
$10,000  note  must  be  discounted  to  take  up  the  last 

,     TT  J. 

one  when  due.  Before  this  note  matures  the  specula- 
tion has  proved  an  utter  failure  and  all  the  money 
is  lost.  Does  the  loser  tell  his  friend,  the  indorser, 
that  he  has  lost  half  of  his  fortune?  Not  at  all. 
He  don't  even  mention  that  he  has  speculated  at  all 
But  he  has  got  excited  ;  the  spirit  of  speculation  has 


404  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

seized  him ;  he  sees  others  making  large  sums  in  this 
way  (we  seldom  hear,  of  the  loser),  and,  like  other 
speculators,  he  "  looks  for  his  money  where  he  loses 
it."  He  tries  again.  Indorsing  notes  has  become 
chronic  with  you,  and  at  every  loss  he  gets  your 
signature  for  whatever  amount  he  wants.  Finally 
you  discover  your  friend  has  lost  all  of  his  property 
and  all  of  yours.  You  are  overwhelmed  with  aston- 
ishment and  grief,  and  you  say  "  it  is  a  hard  thing ; 
my  friend  here  has  ruined  me,"  but,  you  should  add, "  I 
have  also  ruined  him."  If  you  had  said  in  the  first 
place,  "  I  will  accommodate  you,  but  I  never  indorse 
without  taking  ample  security,"  he  could  not  have 
gone  beyond  the  length  of  his  tether,  and  he  would 
never  have  been  tempted  away  from  his  legitimate 
business.  It  is  a  very  dangerous  thing,  therefore, 
at  any  time,  to  let  people  get  possession  of  money 
too  easily ;  it  tempts  them  to  hazardous  speculations, 
if  nothing  more.  Solomon  truly  said,  "  He  that 
hateth  suretiship  is  sure." 

We  sometimes  see  men  who  have  obtained  for- 
tunes suddenly  become  poor.  In  many  cases  this 
arises  from  intemperance,  and  often  from  gaming  and 
other  bad  habits.  Frequently  it  occurs  because  a 
man  has  been  engaged  in  "outside  operations"  of 
some  sort.  When  he  gets  rich  in  his  legitimate 
business,  he  is  told  of  a  grand  speculation  where 
he  can  make  a  score  of  thousands.  He  is  con- 
stantly flattered  by  his  friends,  who  tell  him  that  he 
is  born  lucky,  that  everything  he  touches  turns  into 


OUTSIDE   OPERATIONS.  405 

gold.  Now  if  he  forgets  that  his  economical  habits, 
his  rectitude  of  conduct  and  a  personal  attention  to 
a  business  which  he  understood,  caused  his  success 
in  life,  he  will  listen  to  the  siren  voices.  He  says : 

"  I  will  put  in  twenty  thousand  dollars.  I  have 
been  lucky,  and  my  good  luck  will  soon  bring  me 
back  sixty  thousand  dollars." 

A  few  days  elapse,  and  it  is  discovered  he  must 
put  in  ten  thousand  dollars  more ;  soon  after  he  is 
told  "  it  is  all  right,"  but  certain  matters  not  fore- 
seen require  an  advance  of  twenty  thousand  dollars 
more,  which  will  bring  him  a  rich  harvest;  but 
before  the  time  comes  around  to  realize  the  bubble 
bursts,  he  loses  all  he  is  possessed  of,  and  then  he 
learns  what  he  ought  to  have  known  at  the  first, 
that  however  successful  a  man  may  be-  in  his  own 
business,  if  he  turns  from  that  and  engages  in  a 
business  which  he  don't  understand,  he  is  like  Sam- 
son when  shorn  of  his  locks — his  strength  has 
departed,  and  he  becomes  like  other  men. 

If  a  man  has  plenty  of  money,  he  ought  to  invest 
something  in  everything  that  appears  to  promise 
success,  and  that  will  probably  benefit  mankind ;  but 
let  the  sums  thus  invested  be  moderate  in  amount, 
and  never  let  a  man  foolishly  jeopardize  a  fortune 
that  he  has  earned  in  a  legitimate  way  by  investing 
it  in  things  in  which  he  has  had  no  experience. 

When  a  man  is  in  the  right  path  he  must  per- 
severe. I  speak  of  this  because  there  are  some 
persons  who  are  "born  tired;"  naturally  lazy  and 


406  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

possessing  no  self-reliance  and  no  perseverance. 
But  they  can  cultivate  these  qualities,  as  Davy 
Crockett  said  : 

"  This  thing  remember,  when  I  am  dead, 
Be  sure  you  are  right,  then  go  ahead." 

It  is  this  go-aheaditiveness,  this  determination  not 
to  let  the  "horrors"  or  the  "blues"  take  possession 
of  you,  so  as  to  make  you  relax  your  energies  in 
the  struggle  for  independence,  which  you  must 
cultivate. 

How  many  have  almost  reached  the  goal  of  their 
ambition,  but,  losing  faith  in  themselves,  have  re- 
laxed their  energies,  and  the  golden  prize  has  been 
lost  forever. 

It  is,  no  doubt,  often  true,  as  Shakespeare  says : 

"  There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men, 
Which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune."    ' 

If  you  hesitate,  some  bolder  hand  will  stretch  out 
before  you  and  get  the  prize.  Remember  the  prov- 
erb of  Solomon :  "  He  becometh  poor  that  dealeth 
with  a  slack  hand;  but  the  hand  of  the  diligent 
maketh  rich." 

Perseverance  is  sometimes  but  another  word  for 
self-reliance.  Many  persons  naturally  look  on  the 
dark  side  of  life,  and  borrow  trouble.  They  are 
born  so.  Then  they  ask  for  advice,  and  they  will 
be  governed  by  one  wind  and  blown  by  another, 
and  cannot  rely  upon  themselves,  Until  you  can  get 


MAXIMS.  407 

so  that  you  can  rely  upon  yourself,  you  need  not 
expect  to  succeed.  I  have  known  men,  personally, 
who  have  met  with  pecuniary  reverses,  and  abso- 
lutely committed  suicide,  because  they  thought  they 
could  never  overcome  their  misfortune.  But  I  have 
known  others  who  have  met  more  serious  financial 
difficulties,  and  have  bridged  them  over  by  simple 
perseverance,  aided  by  a  firm  belief  that  they  were 
doing  justly,  and  that  Providence  would  "  overcome 
evil  with  good." 

Learn  something  useful.  Every  man  should  make 
his  son  or  daughter  learn  some  trade  or  profession, 
so  that  in  these  days  of  changing  fortunes — of  being 
rich  to-day  and  poor  to-morrow — they  may  have 
something  tangible  to  fall  back  upon.  This  provi- 
sion might  save  many  persons  from  misery,  who  by 
some  unexpected  turn  of  fortune  have  lost  all  their 
means. 

Let  hope  predominate,  but  be  not  too  visionary. 
Many  persons  are  always  kept  poor  because  they 
are  too  visionary.  Every  project  looks  to  them  like 
certain  success,  and  therefore  they  keep  changing 
from  one  business  to  another,  always  in  hot  water, 
always  "under  the  harrow."  The  plan  of  "count- 
ing the  chickens  before  they  are  hatched  "  is  an  erroi 
of  ancient  date,  but  it  does  not  seem  to  improve  by 
age. 

Do  not  scatter  your  powers.  Engage  in  one  kind  of 
business  only,  and  stick  to  it  faithfully  until  you  suc- 
ceed, or  until  your  experience  shows  that  you  should 


408  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

abandon  it.  A  constant  hammering  on  one  nail  will 
generally  drive  it  home  at  last,  so  that  it  can  be 
clinched.  When  a  man's  undivided  attention  is  cen- 
tred on  one  object,  his  mind  will  constantly  be  sug- 
gesting improvements  of  value,  which  would  escape 
him  if  his  brain  was  occupied  by  a  dozen  different 
subjects  at  once.  Many  a  fortune  has  slipped  through 
a  man's  fingers  because  he  was  engaged  in  too  many 
occupations  at  a  time.  There  is  good  sense  in  the 
old  caution  against  having  too  many  irons  in  the  fire 
at  once. 

Be  systematic.  Men  should  be  systematic  in  their 
business.  A  person  who  does  business  by  rule,  hav- 
ing a  time  and  place  for  everything,  doing  his  work 
promptly,  will  accomplish  twice  as  much  and  with 
half  the  trouble  of  him  who  does  it  carelessly  and 
slipshod.  By  introducing  system  into  all  your  trans- 
actions, doing  one  thing  at  a  time,  always  meeting 
appointments  with  punctuality,  you  will  find  leisure 
for  pastime  and  recreation ;  whereas  the  man  who 
only  half  does  one  thing,  and  then  turns  to  some- 
thing else,  and  half  does  that,  will  have  his  business 
at  loose  ends,  and  will  never  know  when  his  day's 
work  is  done,  for  it  never  will  be  done.  Of  course, 
there  is  a  limit  to  all  these  rules.  We  must  try  to  pre- 
serve the  happy  medium,  for  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
being  too  systematic.  There  are  men  and  women,  for 
instance,  who  put  away  things  so  carefully  that  they 
can  never  find  them  asfain.  It  is  too  much  like  the 

o 

"  red-tape  "  fprmality  at  Washington,  and  Mr.  Pick- 


THE  MEASURE   OF  SUCCESS.  409 

ens'  "  Circumlocution  Office," — all  theory  and  no 
result. 

To  get  rich  is  not  always  equivalent  to  being  suc- 
cessful. "  There  are  many  rich  poor  men,"  while 
there  are  many  others,  honest  and  devout  men  and 
women,  who  have  never  possessed  so  much  money 
as  some  rich  persons  squander  in  a  week,  but  who 
are  nevertheless  really  richer  and  happier  than  any 
man  can  ever  be  while  he  is  a  transgressor  of  the 
higher  laws  of  his  being. 

The  inordinate  love  of  money,  no  doubt,  may  be 
and  is  "  the  root  of  all  evil,"  but  mdney  itself,  when 
properly  used,  is  not  only  a  "handy  thing  to  have  in 
the  house,"  but  affords  the  gratification  of  blessing 
our  race  by  enabling  its  possessor  to  enlarge  the 
scope  of  human  happiness  and  human  influence. 
The  desire  for  wealth  is  nearly  universal,  and  none 
can  say  it  is  not  laudable,  provided  the  possessor  of 
it  accepts  its  responsibilities,  and  uses  it  as  a  friend 
to  humanity. 

The  history  of  money-getting,  which  is  commerce, 
is  a  history  of  civilization,  and  wherever  trade  has 
flourished  most,  there,  too,  have  art  and  science  pro- 
duced the  noblest  fruits.  In  fact,  as  a  general  thing, 
money-getters  are  the  benefactorsof  our  race.  To  them 
in  a  great  measure,  are  we  indebted  for  our  institu- 
tions of  learning  and  of  art,  our  academies,  colleges 
and  churches.  It  is  no  argument  against  the  desire 
for,  or  the  possession  of,  wealth,  to  say  that  there  are 
sometimes  misers  who  hoard  money  only  for  the  sake 


410  LIFE    OF  P.    T.    BARNUM. 

of  hoarding,  and  who  have  no  higher  aspiration  than 
to  grasp  everything  which  comes  within  their  reach. 
As  we  have  sometimes  hypocrites  in  religion,  and 
demagogues  in  politics,  so  there  are  occasionally  mis- 
ers among  money-getters.  These,  however,  are  only 
exceptions  to  the  general  rule.  But  when,  in  this 
country,  we  find  such  a  nuisance  and  stumbling-block 
as  a  miser,  we  remember  with  gratitude  that  in  Amer- 
ica we  have  no  laws  of  primogeniture,  and  that  in  the 
due  course  of  nature  the  time  will  come  when  the 
hoarded  dust  will  be  scattered  for  the  benefit  of 
mankind.  To  "all  men  and  women,  therefore,  do  I 
conscientiously  say,  make  money  honestly,  and  not 
otherwise,  for  Shakespeare  has  truly  said,  "  He  that 
wants  money,  means  and  content,  is  without  three 
good  friends." 

Money  is  in  some  respects  like  fire ;  it  is  a  very 
excellent  servant  but  a  terrible  master.  When  you 
have  it  mastering  you ;  when  interest  is  constantly 
piling  up  against  you,  it  will  keep  you  down  in  the 
worst  kind  of  slavery.  But  let  money  work  for  you, 
and  you  have  the  most  devoted  servant  in  the  world. 
It  is  no  "  eye-servant."  There  is  nothing  animate  or 
inanimate  that  will  work  so  faithfully  as  money  when 
placed  at  interest,  well  secured.  It  works  night  and 
day,  and  in  wet  or  dry  weather. 

Do  not  let  it  work  against  you ;  if  you  do,  there 
is  no  chance  for  success  in  life  so  far  as  money  is 
concerned.  John  Randolph,  the  eccentric  Virginian, 
once  exclaimed  in  Congress,  "  Mr.  Speaker,  I  have 


NEWSPAPER   COMMENT.  41 1 

discovered  the  philosopher's  stone  :  pay  as  you  go." 
This  is,  indeed,  nearer  to  the  philosopher's  stone 
than  any  alchemist  has  ever  yet  arrived. 

Barnum  and  the  newspapers  had  always  been  on 
the  best  of  terms,  and  in  nearly  every  instance  the 
press  praised  the  lecture  in  most  unqualified  terms. 
The  following1  extract  from  the  London  Times  is  a 

o 

fair  sample  of  many  notices  which  he  received  : 

"  We  are  bound  to  admit  that  Mr.  Barnum  is  one 
of  the  most  entertaining  lecturers  that  ever  addressed 
an  audience  on  a  theme  universally  intelligible.  The 
appearance  of  Mr.  Barnum,  it  should  be  added,  has 
nothing  of  the  '  charlatan '  about  it,  but  is  that  of  the 
thoroughly  respectable  man  of  business ;  and  he  has 
at  command  a  fund  of  dry  humor  that  convulses 
everybody  with  laughter,  while  he  himself  remains 
perfectly  serious.  A  sonorous  voice  and  an  admirably 
clear  delivery  complete  his  qualifications  as  a  lec- 
turer, in  which  capacity  he  is  no  'humbug,'  either  in 
a  higher  or  lower  sense  of  the  word." 

o 

During  the  year  1859  he  delivered  this  lecture 
nearly  one  hundred  times  in  London  and  in  different 
parts  of  England,  always  with  great  success. 

Remembering  his  experiences  with  Tom  Thumb 
at  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  and  knowing  the  fondness 
of  the  college  men  for  joking,  Barnum  made  up  his 
mind  to  endure  any  amount  of  friendly  chaff  when 
he  visited  their  cities. 

He  commenced  at  Cambridge,  where  he  was 
greeted  with  a  crowded  house,  composed  largely  of 


412  tIF&   OP  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

under-graduates.  Soon  after  he  began  to  speak,  one 
of  the  young  men  called  out:  "Where  is  Joice 
Heth  ?  "  to  which  Barnum  replied :  "  Young  gentle- 
man, please  to  restrain  yourself  till  the  close  of  the 
lecture,  when  I  shall  take  great  pleasure  in  affording 
you  all  the  information  I  possess  concerning  your 
deceased  relative." 

This  turned  the  laugh  against  the  youthful  inquirer, 
and  kept  the  students  quiet  for  a  few  moments. 
Questions  of  a  similar  character  were  occasionally 
propounded  and  as  promptly  answered,  and  on  the 
whole  the  lecture  was  interrupted  less  than  Barnum 
had  anticipated,  while  the  receipts  were  over  one 
hundred  pounds  sterling. 

At  Oxford  the  hall  was  filled  to  suffocation  half 
an  hour  before  the  time  announced  for  the  lecture 
to  begin,  and  the  sale  of  tickets  was  stopped. 

Barnum  therefore  stepped  upon  the  platform,  and 
said :  "  Ladies  and  gentlemen  :  as  every  seat  is  now 
occupied  and  the  ticket-office  is  closed,  I  propose  to 
begin  my  lecture  now  and  not  keep  you  waiting  till 
the  advertised  hour." 

"Good  for  you,  old  Barnum," — "Time  is  money," 
— "  Nothing  like  economy,"  yelled  the  audience. 
Holding  up  his  hand  for  silence,  Barnum  proceeded: 

"  Young  gentlemen,  I  have  a  word  or  two  to  say, 
in  order  that  we  may  have  a  thorough  understanding 
between  ourselves  at  the  outset.  I  see  symptoms 
of  a  pretty  jolly  time  here  this  evening,  and  you  have 
paid  me  liberally  for  the  single  hour  of  my  time, 


ADAPTING   THE  LECTURE   TO   THE  CROWD.      413 

which  is  at  your  service.  I  am  an  old  traveller  and 
an  old  showman,  and  I  like  to  please  my  patrons. 
Now,  it  is  quite  immaterial  to  me ;  you  may  furnish 
the  entertainment  for  the  hour,  or  I  will  endeavor  to 
do  so,  or  we  will  take  portions  of  the  time  by  turns 
— you  supplying  a  part  of  the  amusement  and  I  a 
part — as  we  say  sometimes  in  America,  'you  pays 
your  money,  and  you  takes  your  choice.' ' 

This  frankness  pleased  the  students,  who  agreed 
to  this  unique  proposition  unhesitatingly. 

The  lecture  proceeded  for  fifteen  minutes,  when  a 
voice  called  out :  "  Come,  old  chap !  you  must  be 
tired  by  this  time.  Hold  up  now  till  we  sing  Yankee 
Doodle."  Whereupon  they  all  joined  in  that  honor- 
able song  with  lusty  good-will,  Barnum  meanwhile 
sitting  down  comfortably,  to  show  them  that  he  was 
quite  satisfied  with  their  manner  of  passing  the  time. 
When  the  song  was  concluded,  the  leader  of  the 
party  said :  "  Now,  Mr.  Barnum,  you  may  go  ahead 
again." 

The  lecture  went  on,  or  rather  a  lecture,  for 
Barnum  began  to  adapt  his  remarks  to  the  occasion. 
Every  few  minutes  would  come  some  interruption, 
which  was  always  as  much  enjoyed  by  Barnum  as 
by  the  audience.  When  the  entertainment  con- 
cluded, the  young  men  crowded  to  the  platform  to 
shake  hands  with  the  speaker,  declaring  that  they 
had  had  a  "jolly  good  time,"  while  the  leader  said: 
"  Stay  with  us  a  week,  Barnum,  and  we'll  dine  you, 
wine  you,  and  give  you  full  houses  every  night." 


414  LIFE   OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

Barnum  would  have  accepted  the  invitation  had 
he  not  been  announced  to  lecture  in  London  the 
next  evening,  and  he  told  the  students  so.  They 
asked  him  all  sorts  of  questions  about  America,  the 
Museum  and  other  shows,  and  expressed  the  hope 
that  he  would  come  out  of  his  troubles  all  right. 

At  least  a  score  of  them  invited  him  to  breakfast 
with  them  the  next  morning,  but  he  declined,  until 
one  young  gentleman  insisted  on  personal  grounds. 
"  My  dear  sir,"  said  he,  "  you  must  breakfast  with 
me.  I  have  almost  split  my  throat  here  to-night, 
and  it  is  only  fair  for  you  to  repay  me  by  coming  to 
see  me  in  the  morning."  This  appeal  was  irre- 
sistible, and  Barnum  agreed  to  come. 

The  boys  were  pleased  with  his  nerve  and  good 
nature,  but  they  confided  to  him  that  they  liked 
better  to  get  people  angry.  A  few  weeks  before 
Howard  Paul  had  left  them  in  disgust,  because  they 
insisted  on  smoking  when  his  wife  was  on  the  stage. 
They  added  that  the  entertainment  was  excellent, 
and  Howard  Paul  might  have  made  a  thousand 
pounds  if  he  had  kept  his  temper. 

Some  time  later  Barnum  was  offered  ,£1,200,  or 
$6,000,  for  the  copyright  of  his  lecture ;  the  offer 
was,  however,  refused. 


ft 


M 

C 

g 
w 

W 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

AN    ENTERPRISING    ENGLISHMAN. 

A  NEW   FRIEND — DINNER   TO  TOM  THUMB  AND  COMMODORE  NUTT — 
MEASURING  THE  GIANT — THE  Two  ENGINES. 

The  morning  after  the  lecture  in  Manchester  a 
gentleman  named  John  Fish  called  at  the  hotel 
where  Barnum  was  staying.  He  said  that  he  had 
attended  the  lecture  the  evening  before,  and  added 
that  he  was  pretty  well  acquainted  with  the  lecturer, 
having  read  his  autobiography.  He  went  on  to  say 
that  he  was  joint  proprietor  with  another  gentleman 
in  a  cotton-mill  near  Manchester,  "although,"  he 
said,  "  a  few  years  ago  I  was  working  as  a  journey- 
man, and  probably  should  have  been  at  this  time 
had  I  not  read  your  book." 

Observing  Mr.  Barnum's  surprise,  he  continued : 
"The  fact  is,  Mr.  Barnum,  upon  reading  your 
autobiography,  I  thought  I  perceived  you  tried  to 
make  yourself  out  worse  than  you  really  were  ;  for  I 
discovered  a  pleasant  spirit  and  a  good  heart  under 
the  rougher  exterior  in  which  you  chose  to  present 
yourself  to  the  public;  but,"  he  added,  "after  read- 
ing your  life,  I  found  myself  in  possession  of  re- 

24 


41 8  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

newed  strength,  and  awakened  energies  and  aspira- 
tions, and  I  said  to  myself,  '  Why  can't  I  go  ahead 
and  make  money,  as  Barnum  did?  He  commenced 
without  money  and  succeeded ;  why  may  not  I  ? ' 
In  this  train  of  thought,"  he  continued,  "  I  went  to  a 
newspaper  office  and  advertised  for  a  partner  with 
money  to  join  me  in  establishing  a  cotton-mill.  I 
had  no  applications,  and,  remembering  your  ex- 
periences when  you  had  money  and  wanted  a  partner, 
I  spent  half  a  crown  in  a  similar  experiment.  I 
advertised  for  a  partner  to  join  a  man  who  had 
plenty  of  capital.  Then  I  had  lots  of  applicants 
ready  to  introduce  me  into  all  sorts  of  occupations, 
from  that  of  a  banker  to  that  of  a  horse-jockey  or 
gambler,  if  I  would  only  furnish  the  money  to  start 
with.  After  a  while,  I  advertised  again  for  a 

o 

partner,  and  obtained  one  with  money.  We  have  a 
good  mill.  I  devote  myself  closely  to  business,  and 
have  been  very  successful.  I  know  every  line  in 
your  book ;  so,  indeed,  do  several  members  of  my 
family ;  and  I  have  conducted  my  business  on  the 
principles  laid  down  in  your  published  '  Rules  for 
Money-making.'  I  find  them  correct  principles ; 
and,  sir,  I  have  sought  this  interview  in  order  to 
thank  you  for  publishing  your  autobiography,  and 
to  tell  you  that  to  that  act  of  yours  I  attribute  my 
present  position  in  life." 

"  Your  statement  is  certainly  flattering,"  said 
Mr.  Barnum,  "and  I  am  glad  if  I  have  been  able  in 
any  manner,  through  my  experiences,  to  aid  you  in 


MEASURING  A   MOKSTRR.  419 

starting-  in  life.  But  I  presume  your  genius  would 
have  found  vent  in  time  if  I  had  not  written  the 
book." 

"  No,  indeed,  it  would  not,"  he  replied,  in  an  ear- 
nest tone;  "I  am  sure  I  should  have  worked  as  a 
mill-hand  all  my  life  if  it  had  not  been  for  you.  Oh, 
I  have  made  no  secret  of  it,"  he  continued;  "the 
commercial  men  with  whom  I  deal  know  all  about 
it;  indeed,  they  call  me  'Barnum'  on  'change  here 
in  Manchester." 

On  one  occasion,  when  General  Tom  Thumb  ex- 
hibited in  Bury,  Mr.  Fish  closed  his  mill,  and  gave 
each  of  his  employees  a  ticket  to  the  exhibition  ;  out 
of  respect,  as  he  said,  to  Barnum.  On  a  subsequent 
occasion,  when  the  little  General  visited  England  the 
last  time,  Mr.  Fish  invited  him,  his  wife,  Commodore 
Nutt,  Minnie  Warren,  and  the  managers  of  "the 
show,"  to  a  splendid  and  sumptuous  dinner  at  his 
house,  which  the  distinguished  little  party  enjoyed 
exceedingly. 

Soon  after  his  return  to  America,  Barnum  read  an 
account  of  a  French  giant  then  exhibiting  in  Paris, 
and  said  to  be  over  eight  feet  in  height.  As  this 
was  considerably  taller  than  anything  that  the  show- 
man had  ever  beheld,  he  wrote  to  his  friend  Fish, 
who  had  expressed  a  wish  to  do  him  any  service  in 
his  power,  and  requested  him  to  go  to  Paris,  and, 
by  actual  measurement,  find  out  the  exact  height  of 
the  giant.  He  inclosed  an  offer,  arranging  the  prices 
on  a  sliding  scale,  commencing  at  eight  feet,  and  de- 


420  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

scending  to  seven  feet  two  inches,  for  if  he  were  not 
taller  than  that  he  was  not  to  be  desired. 

Mr.  Fish  put  a  two-foot  rule  in  his  pocket,  and 
started  for  Paris,  where,  after  several  days'  delay  and 
much  trouble  beside,  he  finally  succeeded  in  gaining 
an  interview.  The  giant  was  shown  Barnum's  letter, 
and  read  the  tempting  offers  made  for  his  services, 
provided  he  measured  eight  feet,  or  within  six  inches 
of  that  height. 

"  Oh,  I  measure  over  eight  feet,"  said  he. 

"Very  likely,"  responded  Mr.  Fish,  "but  you  see 
my  orders  are  to  measure  you." 

"There's  no  need  of  that;  you  can  see  for  your- 
self," stretching  himself  up  a  few  inches  by  aid  of  a 
peculiar  knack  which  giants  and  dwarfs  possess  to 
increase  or  diminish  their  apparent  stature. 

"  No  doubt  you  are  right,"  persisted  Mr.  Fish, 
"  but  you  see  I  must  obey  orders,  and  if  I  am  not 
permitted  to  measure  you  I  shall  not  engage  you." 

"Well,"  said  the  giant,  "if  you  can't  take  my  word 
for  it,  look  at  that  door.  You  see  my  head  is  more 
than  two  feet  above  the  top  (giving  his  neck  a  severe 
stretch)  ;  just  measure  the  door." 

But  Mr.  Fish  refused.  The  giant  was  now  desper- 
ate, and,  stretching  himself  up  to  his  full  height,  ex- 
claimed: "Well,  be  quick!  Put  your  rule  to  my 
feet  and  measure  me  ;  but  hurry  up,  please  !  " 

Mr.  Fish  regarded  him  coolly.  "  Look  here !  "  said 
he,  "  this  sort  of  thing  won't  do,  you  know.  I  don't 
understand  this  contrivance  around  the  soles  of  your 


THE  ENGINES,  "BARNUM"   AND  "CHARITY."       421 

boots,  but  it  seems  to  me  you've  got  a  set  of  springs 
there  which  aids  your  height  when  you  desire  it. 
Now  I  will  not  stand  any  more  nonsense.  If  I  en- 
gage you  at  all,  you  must  first  take  off  your  boots, and 
lie  flat  upon  your  back  in  the  middle  of  the  floor." 

The  giant  protested,  but  Mr.  Fish  was  firm,  and  at 
last  he  slowly  took  off  his  coat  and  lay  down  on  the 
floor.  Mr.  Fish  applied  his  rule,  and  to  his  own 
astonishment  and  the  giant's  indignation  the  latter 
proved  to  be  barely  seven  feet  one  and  one-half  inches. 
So  he  was  not  engaged  at  all. 

Some  time  afterwards  Barnum  wrote  to  his  friend 
and  asked  his  permission  to  put  him  into  a  new  book, 
then  in  course  of  preparation.  He  wrote  in  return 
the  following  characteristic  letter  : 

Had  I  made  a  fortune  of  ^"100,000  I  should  have 
been  proud  of  a  place  in  your  Autobiography ;  but 
as  I  have  only  been  able  to  make  (here  he  named  a 
sum  which  in  this  country  would  be  considered  almost 
a  fortune),  I  feel  I  should  be  out  of  place  in  your 
pages ;  at  all  events,  if  you  mention  me  at  all,  draw 
it  mildly,  if  you  please. 

The  American  war  has  made  sad  havoc  in  our 
trade,  and  it  is  only  by  close  attention  to  business 
that  I  have  lately  been  at  all  successful.  I  have  built 
a  place  for  one  thousand  looms,  and  have,  as  you 
know,  put  in  a  pair  of  engines,  which  I  have  named 
"  Barnum  "  and  "  Charity."  Each  engine  has  its  name 
engraved  on  two  large  brass  plates  at  either  end  of 
the  cylinder,  which  has  often  caused  much  mirth  when 


422  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   SARNUM. 

I  have  explained  the  circumstances  to  visitors.  I 
started  and  christened  "Chanty"  on  the  I4th  of 
January  last,  and  she  has  saved  me  £12  per  month 
in  coals  ever  since.  The  steam  from  the  boiler  goes 
first  to  "Charity"  (she  is  high  pressure),  and  "  Bar- 
num  "  only  gets  the  steam  after  she  has  done  with 
it.  He  has  to  work  at  low  pressure  (a  condensing 
engine),  and  the  result  is  a  saving.  Barnum  was 
extravagant  when  he  took  steam  direct,  but  since  I 
fixed  Charity  betwixt  him  and  the  boiler,  he  can  only 
get  what  she  gives  him.  This  reminds  me  that  you 
state  in  your  "  Life  "  you  could  always  make  money, 
but  formerly  did  not  save  it.  Perhaps  you  never 
took  care  of  it  till  Charity  became  Chancellor  of 
Exchequer.  When  I  visited  you  at  the  Bull  Hotel, 
in  Blackburn,  you  pointed  to  General  Tom  Thumb, 
and  said :  "  That  is  my  piece  of  goods ;  I  have  sold 
it  hundreds  of  thousands  of  times,  and  have  never 
yet  delivered  it !  "  That  was  ten  years  ago,  in  1858. 
If  I  had  been  doing  the  same  with  my  pieces  of  calico, 
I  must  have  been  wealthy  by  this  time ;  but  I  have 
been  hammering  at  one  (cotton)  nail  several  months, 
and,  as  it  did  not  offer  to  clinch,  I  was  almost  tempted 
to  doubt  one  of  your  "  rules,"  and  thought  I  would 
drive  at  some  other  nail ;  but,  on  reflection,  I  knew 
I  understood  cotton  better  than  anything  else,  and 
so  I  back  up  your  rule  and  stick  to  cotton,  not 
doubting  it  will  be  all  right  and  successful. 

Mr.  Fish  was  one  of  the  large  class  of  English 
manufacturers  who  suffered  seriously  from  the  effects 


THE  ENGINES,  "BARNUM"   AND  "CHARITY:        423 

of  the  rebellion  in  the  United  States.  As  an  Eng- 
lishman, he  could  not  have  a  patriot's  interest  in  the 
progress  of  that  terrible  struggle ;  but  he  made  a 
practical  exhibition  of  sympathy  for  the  suffering 
soldiers,  in  a  pleasant  and  characteristic  manner. 

At  the  great  Sanitary  Fair  in  New  York,  during 
the  war,  Mr.  Fish  sent  two  monster  "  Simuel  cakes," 
covered  with  miniature  forts,  cannon,  armies,  and  all 
the  panoply  of  war,  which  attracted  great  attention 
from  every  one  present. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

AT   HOME    AGAIN, 

THE  CLOCK  DEBTS  PAID — THE  MUSEUM  ONCE  MORE  UNDER  BARNUM'S 
MANAGEMENT — ENTHUSIASTIC  RECEPTION— His  SPEECH— Two    POEMS. 

In  1859,  Barnum  returned  to  the  United  States. 
During  his  trip  abroad  he  had  secured  many  novel- 
ties for  the  Museum,  the  Albino  Family,  Thiodon's 
Mechanical  Theatre,  and  others. 

These  afforded  him  a  liberal  commission,  and  he 
had  beside  made  considerable  money  from  the  Tom 
Thumb  exhibitions  and  his  lectures. 

All  this,  his  wife's  income,  as  well  as  a  large  sum 
derived  from  the  sale  of  some  of  her  property,  was 
faithfully  devoted  to  the  one  object  of  their  lives — 
paying  off  the  clock  debts. 

Mrs.  Barnum  and  her  daughter,  Pauline,  had 
either  boarded  in  Bridgeport  or  lived  in  a  small 
house  in  the  suburbs  during  the  entire  four  years  of 
struggle.  The  land  purchased  by  Mrs.  Barnum  at 
the  assignee's  sale  in  East  Bridgeport  had  increased 
in  value  meanwhile,  and  they  felt  justified  in  bor- 
rowing on  it,  some  of  the  single  lots  were  sold,  and 
424 


"BARNUM  IS  ON  HIS  FEET  AGAIN?  425 

all  this  money  went  toward  the  discharge  of  the 
debts. 

At  last,  in  March,  1860,  all  the  clock  indebtedness 
was  extinguished,  except  $20,000,  which  Barnum 
bound  himself  to  take  up  within  a  certain  time,  his 
friend  James  D.  Johnson  guaranteeing  his  bond  to 
that  effect. 

On  the  seventeenth  day  of  March,  Messrs.  Butler 
and  Greenwood  signed  an  agreement  to  sell  and 
deliver  to  Barnum  on  the  following  Saturday  their 
entire  good-will  and  interest  in  the  Museum  col- 
lection. This  fact  was  thoroughly  circulated,  and 
blazing  posters,  placards,  and  advertisements  an- 
nounced that  "  Barnum  is  on  his  feet  again."  It 

o 

was  furthermore  stated  that  the  Museum  would  be 
closed  for  one  week,  opening  March  3ist,  under  the 
management  and  proprietorship  of  its  original 
owner.  It  was  also  promised  that  Barnum  would 
address  the  audience  on  the  night  of  closing. 

The  Museum,  decked  in  its  holiday  dress  of  flags 
and  banners,  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity 
when  Barnum  made  his  appearance.  His  reception 
was  an  enthusiastic  one,  cheers  and  shouts  rent  the 
air,  and  tears  filled  the  showman's  eyes  as  he  thought 
of  this  triumphant  conclusion  of  his  four  years' 
struggle. 

Recovering  himself,  he  bowed  his  acknowledg- 
ments for  the  reception,  and  addressed  the  audience 
as  follows : 

"  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN  ;  I  should  be  more  or 


426  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

less  than  human,  if  I  could  meet  this  unexpected 
and  overwhelming  testimonial  at  your  hands,  without 
the  deepest  emotion.  My  own  personal  connection 
with  the  Museum  is  now  resumed,  and  I  avail  myself 
of  the  circumstance  to  say  why  it  is  so.  Never  did 
I  feel  stronger  in  my  worldly  prosperity  than  in 
September,  1855.  Three  months  later  I  was  so 
deeply  embarrassed  that  I  felt  certain  of  nothing, 
except  the  uncertainty  of  everything.  A  combina- 
tion of  singular  efforts  and  circumstances  tempted 
me  to  put  faith  in  a  certain  clock  manufacturing 
company,  and  I  placed  my  signature  to  papers  which 
ultimately  broke  me  down.  After  nearly  five  years 
of  hard  struggle  to  keep  my  head  above  water,  I 
have  touched  bottom  at  last,  and  here  to-night  I 
am  happy  to  announce  that  I  have  waded  ashore. 
Every  clock  debt  of  which  I  have  any  knowledge 
has  been  provided  for.  Perhaps,  after  the  troubles 
and  turmoils  I  have  experienced,  I  should  feel  no 
desire  to  re-engage  in  the  excitements  of  business ; 
but  a'  man  like  myself,  less  than  fifty  years  of  age, 
and  enjoying  robust  health,  is  scarcely  old  enough 
to  be  embalmed  and  put  in  a  glass  case  in  the 
Museum  as  one  of  its  million  of  curiosities.  '  It  is 
better  to  wear  out  than  rust  out.'  Besides,  if  a  man 
of  active  temperament  is  not  busy,  he  is  apt  to  get 
into  mischief.  To  avoid  evil,  therefore,  and  since 
business  activity  is  a  necessity  of  my  nature,  here  I 
am,  once  more,  in  the  Museum,  and  among  those 
with  whom  I  have  been  so  long  and  so  pleasantly 


BARNUM'S  SPEECH.  427 

identified.  I  am  confident  of  a  cordial  welcome,  and 
hence  feel  some  claim  to  your  indulgence  while  I 
briefly  allude  to  the  means  of  my  present  deliverance 
from  utter  financial  ruin.  Need  I  say,  in  the  first 
place,  that  I  am  somewhat  indebted  to  the  forbear- 
ance of  generous  creditors.  In  the  next  place, 
permit  me  to  speak  of  sympathizing  friends,  whose 
volunteered  loans  and  exertions  vastly  aided  my 
rescue.  When  my  day  of  sorrow  came,  I  first  paid 
or  secured  every  debt  I  owed  of  a  personal  nature. 
This  done,  I  felt  bound  in  honor  to  give  up  all  of 
my  property  that  remained  toward  liquidating  my 
'clock  debts.'  I  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  trustees 
and  receivers  for  the  benefit  of  all  the  'clock'  cred- 
itors. But  at  the  forced  sale  of  my  Connecticut 
real  estate,  there  was  a  purchaser  behind  the  screen, 
of  whom  the  world  had  little  knowledge.  In  the 
day  of  my  prosperity  I  made  over  to  my  wife  much 
valuable  property,  including  the  lease  of  this  Mu- 
seum building — a  lease  then  having  about  twenty- 
two  years  to  run,  and  enhanced  in  value  to  more 
than  double  its  original  worth.  I  sold  the  Museum 
collection  to  Messrs.  Greenwood  &  Butler,  subject 
to  my  wife's  separate  interest  in  the  lease,  and  she 
has  received  more  than  $80,000  over  and  above  the 
sums  paid  to  the  owners  of  the  building.  Instead 
of  selfishly  applying  this  amount  to  private  purposes, 
my  family  lived  with  a  due  regard  to  economy,  and 
the  savings  (strictly  belonging  to  my  wife)  were 
devoted  to  buying  in  portions  of  my  estate  at  the 


428  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

assignees'  sales,  and  to  purchasing  'clock  notes' 
bearing  my  indorsements.  The  Christian  name  of 
my  wife  is  Charity.  I  may  well  acknowledge,  there- 
fore, that  I  am  not  only  a  proper  '  subject  of  charity,' 
but  that  'without  Charity,  I  am  nothing.' 

"  But,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  while  Charity  thus 
labored  in  my  behalf,  Faith  and  Hope  were  not  idle. 
I  have  been  anything  but  indolent  during  the  last 
four  years.  Driven  from  pillar  to  post,  and  annoyed 
beyond  description  by  all  sorts  of  legal  claims  and 
writs,  I  was  perusing  protests  and  summonses  by 
day,  and  dreaming  of  clocks  run  down  by  night. 
My  head  was  ever  whizzing  with  dislocated  cog- 
wheels and  broken  main-springs ;  my  whole  mind 
(and  my  credit)  was  running  upon  tick,  and  every- 
thing pressing  on  me  like  a  dead  weight. 

"  In  this  state  of  affairs  I  felt  that  I  was  of  no  use 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  so,  giving  the  pendulum 
a  swing,  and  seizing  time  by  the  forelock,  I  went  to 
Europe.  There  I  furtively  pulled  the  wires  of  sev- 
eral exhibitions,  among  which  that  of  Tom  Thumb 
may  be  mentioned  for  example.  I  managed  a  variety 
of  musical  and  commercial  speculations  in  Great 
Britain,  Germany,  and  Holland.  These  enterprises, 
together  with  the  net  profits  of  my  public  lectures, 
enabled  me  to  remit  large  sums  to  confidential  agents 
for  the  purchase  of  my  obligations.  In  this  manner, 
I  quietly  extinguished,  little  by  little,  every  dollar  of 
my  clock  liabilities.  I  could  not  have  achieved  this 
difficult  feat,  however,  without  the  able  assistance 


BARNUM'S  SPEECH.  429 

of  enthusiastic  friends — and  among  the  chief  of  them 
let  me  gratefully  acknowledge  the  invaluable  services 
of  Mr.  James  D.  Johnson,  a  gentleman  of  wealth, 
in  Bridgeport,  Connecticut.  Other  gentlemen  have 
been  generous  with  me.  Some  have  loaned  me 
large  sums  without  security,  and  have  placed  me 
under  obligations  which  must  ever  command  my 
honest  gratitude  ;(but  Mr.  Johnson  has  been  a  '  friend 
in  deed/  for  he  has  been  truly  a  '  friend  in  need.' 

"  You  most  not  infer,  from  what  I  have  said,  that 
I  have  completely  recovered  from  the  stunning  blow 
to  which  I  was  subjected  four  years  ago.  I  have 
lost  more  in  the  way  of  tens  of  thousands,  yes,  hun- 
dreds of  thousands,  than  I  care  to  remember.  A 
valuable  portion  of  my  real  estate  in  Connecticut, 
however,  has  been  preserved,  and  as  I  feel  all  the 
ardor  of  twenty  years  ago,  and  the  prospect  here  is 
so  flattering,  my  heart  is  animated  with  the  hope  of 
ultimately,  by  enterprise  and  activity,  obliterating 
unpleasant  reminiscences,  and  retrieving  the  losses  of 
the  past.  Experience,  too,  has  taught  me  not  only 
that,  even  in  the  matter  of  money,  '  enough  is  as 
good  as  a  feast,'  but  that  there  are,  in  this  world, 
some  things  vastly  better  than  the  Almighty  Dollar  ! 
Possibly  I  may  contemplate,  at  times,  the  painful 
day  when  I  said  '  Othello's  occupation's  gone  ';  but  I 
shall  the  more  frequently  cherish  the  memory  of 
this  moment,  when  I  am  permitted  to  announce  that 
1  Richard's  himself  again.' 

"  Many  people  have  wondered  that  a  man  con- 


LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

sidered  so  acute  as  myself  should  have  been  de- 
luded into  embarrassments  like  mine,  and  not  a  few 
have  declared,  in  short  meter,  that  '  Barnum  was  a 
fool.'  I  can  only  reply  that  I  never  made  preten- 
sions to  the  sharpness  of  a  pawnbroker,  and  I  hope 
I  shall  never  so  entirely  lose  confidence  in  human 
nature  as  to  consider  every  man  a  scamp  by  in- 
stinct, or  a  rogue  by  necessity.  '  It  is  better  to  be 
deceived  sometimes,  than  to  distrust  always,'  says 
Lord  Bacon,  and  I  agree  with  him. 

"  Experience  is  said  to  be  a  hard  schoolmaster, 
but  I  should  be  sorry  to  feel  that  this  great  lesson 
in  adversity  has  not  brought  forth  fruits  of  some 
value.  I  needed  the  discipline  this  tribulation  has 
given  me,  and  I  really  feel,  after  all,  that  this,  like 
many  other  apparent  evils,  was  only  a  blessing  in 
disguise.  Indeed,  I  may  mention  that  the  very 
clock  factory  which  I  built  in  Bridgeport  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  hundreds  of  workmen  to  that 
city,  has  been  purchased  and  quadrupled  in  size  by 
the  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Sewing-Machine  Company, 
and  is  now  filled  with  intelligent  New  England 
mechanics,  whose  families  add  two  thousand  to  the 
population,  and  who  are  doing  a  great  work  in 
building  up  and  beautifying  that  flourishing  city. 
So  that  the  same  concern  which  prostrated  me 
seems  destined  as  a  most  important  agent  toward 
my  recuperation.  I  am  certain  that  the  popular 
sympathy  has  been  with  me  from  the  beginning ; 
and  this,  together  with  a  consciousness  of  rectitude, 


BARNUM'S  SPEECH.  43! 

is  more  than  an  offset  to  all  the  vicissitudes  to  which 
I  have  been  subjected. 

"In  conclusion,  I  beg  to  assure  you  and  the  public 
that  my  chief  pleasure,  while  health  and  strength  are 
spared  me,  will  be  to  cater  for  your  and  their  healthy 
amusement  and  instruction.  In  future,  such  capa- 
bilities as  I  possess  will  be  devoted  to  the  mainte- 
nance of  this  Museum  as  a  popular  place  of  family 
resort,  in  which  all  that  is  novel  and  interesting 
shall  be  gathered  from  the  four  quarters  of  the 
globe,  and  which  ladies  and  children  may  visit 
at  all  times  unattended,  without  danger  of  en- 
countering anything  of  an  objectionable  nature. 
The  dramas  introduced  in  the  Lecture  Room  will 
never  contain  a  profane  expression  or  a  vulgar  allu- 
sion ;  on  the  contrary,  their  tendency  will  always  be 
to  encourage  virtue  and  frown  upon  vice. 

"  I  have  established  connections  in  Europe,  which 
will  enable  me  to  produce  here  a  succession  of  in- 
teresting novelties  otherwise  inaccessible.  Although 
I  shall  be  personally  present  much  of  the  time,  and 
hope  to  meet  many  of  my  old  acquaintances,  as  well 
as  to  form  many  new  ones,  I  am  sure  you  will  be 
glad  to  learn  that  I  have  re-secured  the  services  of 
one  of  the  late  proprietors,  and  the  active  manager 
of  this  Museum,  Mr.  John  Greenwood,  Jr.  As  he  is 
a  modest  gentleman,  who  would  be  the  last  to  praise 
himself,  allow  me  to  add  that  he  is  one  to  whose 
successful  qualities  as  a  caterer  for  the  popular  en- 
tertainments, the  crowds  that  have  often  filled  this 


432  -  f  P.  f.  &ARJVUM. 

building  may  well  bear  testimony.  But,  more  than 
this,  he  is  the  unobtrusive  one  to  whose  integrity, 
diligence,  and  devotion  I  owe  much  of  my  present 
position  of  self-congratulation.  Mr.  Greenwood  will 
hereafter  act  as  assistant  manager,  while  his  late  co- 
partner, Mr.  Butler,  has  engaged  in  another  branch 
of  business.  Once  more,  thanking  you  all  for  your 
kind  welcome,  I  bid  you,  till  the  re-opening,  '  an  af- 
fectionate adieu.' ' 

The  speech  was  received  with  wild  enthusiasm, 
and  after  the  re-opening  of  the  Museum  the  number 
of  visitors  was  at  once  almost  doubled. 

Among  the  many  newspaper  congratulations  he 
received,  none  gave  Barnum  more  pleasure  than  a 
poem  from  his  old  admirer  on  the  Boston  Saturday 
Evening  Gazette. 

ANOTHER  WORD  FOR  BARNUM. 

Barnum,  your  hand !     The  struggle  o'er, 

You  face  the  world  and  ask  ne  favor; 
You  stand  where  you  have  stood  before, 

The  old  salt  hasn't  lost  its  savor. 
You  now  can  laugh  with  friends,  at  foes, 

Ne'er  heeding  Mrs.  Grundy's  tattle ; 
You've  dealt  and  taken  sturdy  blows, 

Regardless  of  the  rabble's  prattle. 

Not  yours  the  heart  to  harbor  ill 

'Gainst  those  who've  dealt  in  trivial  jestimg; 
You  pass  them  with  the  same  good  will 

Erst  shown  when  they  their  wit  were  testing. 
You're  the  same  Barnum  that  we  knew, 

You're  good  for  years,  still  fit  for  labor, 
Be  as  of  old,  be  bold  and  true, 

Honest  as  man,  as  friend,  as  neighbor. 


CO  KG  R  A  TULA  TIONS.  43  5 

At  about  this  period,  the  following  poem  was  pub- 
lished in  a  Pottsville,  Pa.,  paper,  and  copied  by 
many  journals  of  the  day : 


24 


A  HEALTH  TO  BARNUM. 

Companions !  fill  your  glasses  round 

And  drink  a  health  to  one 
Who  has  few  coming  after  him, 

To  do  as  he  has  done  ; 
Who  made  a  fortune  for  himself, 

Made  fortunes,  too,  for  many, 
Yet  wronged  no  bosom  of  a  sigh, 

No  pocket  of  a  penny. 
Come !  shout  a  gallant  chorus, 

And  make  the  glasses  ring, 
Here's  health  and  luck  to  Barnum ! 

The  Exhibition  King. 

Who  lured  the  Swedish  Nightingale 

To  Western  woods  to  come  ? 
Who  prosperous  and  happy  made 

The  life  of  little  Thumb  ? 
Who  oped  Amusement's  golden  door 

So  cheaply  to  the  crowd, 
And  taught  Morality  to  smile 

On  all  his  stage  allowed  ? 
Come !  shout  a  gallant  chorus, 

Until  the  glasses  ring — 
Here's  health  and  luck  to  Barnum ! 

The  Exhibition  King. 

And  when  the  sad  reverses  came, 

As  come  they  may  to  all, 
Who  stood  a  Hero,  bold  and  true, 

Amid  his  fortune's  fall  ? 
Who  to  the  utmost  yielded  up 

What  Honor  could  not  keep, 
Then  took  the  field  of  life  again 

With  courage  calm  and  deep  ? 


436 


LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

Come !  shout  a  gallant  chorus, 

Until  the  glasses  dance — 
Here's  health  and  luck  to  Barnum, 

The  Napoleon  of  Finance 

Yet,  no — our  hero  would  not  look 

With  smiles  on  such  a  cup ; 
Throw  out  the  wine — with  water  clear, 

Fill  the  pure  crystal  up. 
Than  rise,  and  greet  with  deep  respect, 

The  courage  he  has  shown, 
And  drink  to  him  who  well  deserves 

A  seat  on  Fortune's  throne. 
Here's  health  and  luck  to  Barnum ! 

An  Elba  he  has  seen, 
And  never  may  his  map  of  life 

Display  a  St.  Helene  ? 

It  is  of  interest  to  observe  that  the  phrase  "  Na- 
poleon of  Finance,"  which  has  in  recent  years  been 
applied  to  several  Wall  Street  speculators,  was  first 
coined  in  honorable  description  of  Phineas  T.  Bar- 
num, because  of  his  honesty  as  well  as  his  signal 
success. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE  STORY  OF  "  GRIZZLY  ADAMS." 

BARNUM'S  PARTNERSHIP  WITH  THE  FAMOUS  BEAR  HUNTER — FOOLING  HIM 
WITH  THE  "  GOLDEN  PIGEONS" — ADAMS  EARNS  £500  AT  DESPERATE 
COST — TRICKING  BARNUM  OUT  OF  A  FINE  HUNTING  SUIT — PROSPERITY 
OF  THE  MUSEUM — VISIT  OF  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES. 

The  famous  old  American  Museum  was  now  the 
centre  of  Barnum's  interests,  and  he  devoted  him- 
self to  its  development  with  such  energy  as  never  be- 
fore. His  enterprise  in  securing  new  curiosities,  and 
his  skill  in  presenting  them  to  the  public  in  the  most 
attractive  light,  surpassed  all  previous  efforts.  To  his 
office,  as  to  their  Mecca,  flocked  all  the  "  freaks  "  of 
the  land,  and  all  who  possessed  any  objects  of  rare 
or  marvelous  nature.  Foremost  among  these  visitors 
was  one  veteran  frontiersman,  who  had  attained 
— and  well  deserved — much  fame  as  a  fighter  of  the 
most  savage  wild  beasts.  His  name  was  James  C. 
Adams,  but  he  was  universally  known  as  "  Grizzly 
Adams,"  from  the  fact  that  he  had  captured  a 
great  many  grizzly  bears  at  the  risk  and  cost  of 
fearful  encounters  and  perils.  He  was  brave,  and 
with  his  bravery  there  was  enough  of  the  romantic 

437 


438  LIFE  OF  p-   T-  BARNUM. 

in  his  nature  to  make  him  a  real  hero.  For  many 
years  a  hunter  and  trapper  in  the  Rocky  and  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  he  acquired  a  recklessness,  which, 
added  to  his  natural  invincible  courage,  rendered 
him  one  of  the  most  striking  men  of  the  age,  and  he 
was  emphatically  a  man  of  pluck.  A  month  after 
Barnum  had  re-purchased  the  Museum,  Adams  ar- 
rived in  New  York  'with  his  famous  collection  of 
California  animals,  captured  by  himself,  consisting 
of  twenty  or  thirty  immense  grizzly  bears,  at  the 
head  of  which  stood  ''  Old  Samson,"  together  with 
several  wolves,  half  a.  dozen  different  species  of  Cali- 
fornia bears,  California  lions,  tigers,  buffalo,  elk,  and 
"  Old  Neptune,"  the  great  sea-lion  from  the  Pacific. 

Old  Adams  had  trained  all  these  monsters  so  that 
with  him  they  were  as  docile  as  kittens,  though 
many  of  the  most  ferocious  among  them  would  at- 
tack a  stranger  without  hesitation,  if  he  came  within 
their  grasp.  In  fact,  the  training  of  these  animals 
was  no  fool's  play,  as  Old  Adams  learned  to  his  cost, 
for  the  terrific  blows  which  he  received  from  time  to 
time,  while  teaching  them  "  docility,"  finally  cost  him 
his  life. 

Adams  called  on  Barnum  immediately  on  his  ar- 
rival in  New  York.  He  was  dressed  in  his  hunter's 
suit  of  buckskin,  trimmed  with  the  skins  and  bor- 
dered with  the  hanging  tails  of  small  Rocky  Moun- 
tain animals  ;  his  cap  consisting  of  the  skin  of  a 
wolfs  head  and  shoulders,  from  which  depended 
several  tails,  and  under  which  appeared  his  stiff 


IN  WITH  "  GR1ZZL  Y  ADAMS."  439 

bushy,  gray  hair  and  his  long,  white,  grizzly  beard  ; 
in  fact,  Old  Adams  was  quite  as  much  of  a  show  as 
his  beasts.  They  had  come  around  Cape  Horn  on 
the  clipper  ship  "  Golden  Fleece,"  and  a  sea  voyage 
of  three  and  a  half  months  had  probably  not  added 
much  to  the  beauty  or  neat  appearance  of  the  old 
bear-hunter.  During  their  conversation  Grizzly 
Adams  took  off  his  cap,  and  showed  Barnum  the  top 
of  his  head.  His  skull  was  literally  broken  in.  It 
had,  on  various  occasions,  been  struck  by  the  fearful 
paws  of  his  grizzly  students  ;  and  the  last  blow,  from 
the  bear  called  "  General  Fremont,"  had  laid  open 
his  brain  so  that  its  workings  were  plainly  visible. 
Barnum  remarked  that  he  thought  it  was  a  danger- 
ous wound  and  might  possibly  prove  fatal. 

"Yes,"  replied  Adams,  "that  will  fix  me  out.  It 
had  nearly  healed ;  but  old  Fremont  opened  it  for 
me,  for  the  third  or  fourth  time,  before  I  left  Cali- 
fornia, and  he  did  his  business  so  thoroughly,  I'm  a 
used-up  man.  However,  I  reckon  I  may  live  six 
months  or  a  year  yet."  This  was  spoken  as  coolly 
as  if  he  had  been  talking  about  the  life  of  a  dog. 

This  extraordinary  man  had  come  to  see  Barnum 
about  the  "  California  Menagerie,"  of  which  he, 
Adams,  was  the  owner.  Barnum  had  shortly  be- 
fore, however,  purchased  one-half  interest  in  it  from 
a  man  who  had  claimed  to  be  Adams's  equal  part- 
ner. This  Adams  disputed,  declaring  that  he  had 
merely  borrowed  frpm  the  man  some  money  on  the 
security  of  the  show,  that  the  man  was  not  his 


440  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  KARNUM, 

partner,  and  that  he  had  no  right  to  sell  one-half  or 
any  portion  of  the  menagerie.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
however,  the  man  did  have  a  bill  of  sale  for  one- 
half  of  the  show,  and  Adams  was  soon  convinced 
that  Barnum's  purchase  was  entirely  legitimate. 
The  result  was  that  Barnum  and  Adams  formed  a 
regular  partnership,  the  former  to  attend  to  all 
business  affairs,  the  latter  to  exhibit  the  animals. 
The  show  was  opened  in  a  huge  canvas  tent  on 
Broadway,  at  the  corner  of  Thirteenth  Street. 

On  the  morning  of  opening,  a  band  of  music 
preceded  a  procession  of  animal  cages  down  Broad- 
way and  up  the  Bowery,  old  Adams,  dressed  in  his 
hunting  costume,  heading  the  line,  with  a  platform 
wagon  on  which  were  placed  three  immense  grizzly 
bears,  two  of  which  he  held  by  chains,  while  he  was 
mounted  on .  the  back  of  the  largest  grizzly,  which 
stood  in  the  centre  and  was  not  secured  in  any 
manner  whatever.  This  was  the  bear  known  as 
"  General  Fremont,"  and  so  docile  had  he  become 
that  Adams  said  he  had  used  him  as  a  pack-bear, 
to  carry  his  cooking  and  hunting  apparatus  through 
the  mountains  for  six  months,  and  had  ridden  him 
hundreds  of  miles.  But  apparently  docile  as  were 
many  of  these  animals,  there  was  not  one  among 
them  that  would  not  occasionally  give  Adams  a  sly 
blow  or  a  sly  bite  when  a  good  chance  offered  ; 
hence  old  Adams  was  but  a  wreck  of  his  former 
self,  and  expressed  pretty  nearly  the  truth  when  he 
said : 


THE  "GOLDEN  PIGEONS."  44  x 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  I  am  not  the  man  I  was  five  years 
ago.  Then  I  felt  able  to  stand  the  hug  of  any 
grizzly  living,  and  was  always  glad  to  encounter, 
single  handed,  any  sort  of  an  animal  that  dared 
present  himself.  But  I  have  been  beaten  to  a  jelly, 
torn  almost  limb  from  limb,  and  nearly  chawed  up  and 
spit  out  by  these  treacherous  grizzly  bears.  How- 
ever, I  am  good  for  a  few  months  yet,  and  by  that 
time  I  hope  we  shall  gain  enough  to  make  my  old 
woman  comfortable,  for  I  have  been  absent  from 
her  some  years." 

His  wife  came  from  Massachusetts  to  New  York 
and  nursed  him.  Dr.  Johns  dressed  his  wounds 
every  day,  and  not  only  told  Adams  he  could  never 
recover,  but  assured  his  friends  that  probably  a  very 
few  weeks  would  lay  him  in  his  grave.  But  Adams 
was  as  firm  as  adamant  and  as  resolute  as  a  lion. 
Among  the  thousands  who  saw  him  dressed  in  his 

o 

grotesque  hunter's  suit,  and  witnessed  the  seeming 
vigor  with  which  he  "  performed  "  the  savage  mon- 
sters, beating  and  whipping  them  into  apparently 
the  most  perfect  docility,  probable  not  one  sus- 
pected that  this  rough,  fierce-looking,  powerful 
semi-savage,  as  he  appeared  to  be,  was  suffering 
intense  pain  from  his  broken  skull  and  fevered 
system,  and  that  nothing  kept  him  from  stretching 
himself  on  his  death-bed  but  his  most  indomitable 
and  extraordinary  will. 

Adams  was  an  inveterate  story-teller,  and  often 
"  drew  the  long  bow  "  with  daring  hand.  He  loved 


442  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

to  astonish  people  with  extraordinary  tales,  which 
were  sheer  inventions,  but  which  no  one  could  dis- 
prove. He  pretended,  too,  to  have  been  every- 
where and  to  have  seen  everything.  This  weakness 
made  him  good  game  for  Barnum,  who  determined 
to  expose  his  foibles  to  him  at  the  first  opportunity. 
The  opportunity  soon  came.  One  day,  amid  the 
innumerable  caravan  of  cranks  that  moved  to  the 
weird  realm  of  Barnum's  wonder-house,  there  ap- 
peared a  fat,  stolid  German,  carrying  in  his  hand  a 
small  basket,  which  he  guarded  with  jealous  care. 

"  I  have  come,"  he  said,  "  to  see  if  you  would  not 
like  some  golden  pigeons  to  buy  ?" 

"  Yes,"  Barnum  replied,  "  I  would  like  a  flock  of 
golden  pigeons,  if  I  could  buy  them  for  their  weight 
in  silver ;  for  there  are  no  '  golden  pigeons '  in 
existence,  unless  they  are  made  from  the  pure 
metal." 

"You  shall  some  golden  pigeons  alive  see,"  he 
replied,  at  the  same  time  entering  the  office,  and 
closing  the  door  after  him.  He  then  removed  the 
l|d  from  the  basket,  and  sure  enough,  there  were 
snugly  ensconced  a  pair  of  beautiful,  living  ruff- 
necked  pigeons,  as  yellow  as  saffron,  and  as  bright 
as  a  double-eagle  fresh  from  the  Mint. 

Barnum  was  somewhat  staggered  at  this  sight, 
and  quickly  asked  the  man  where  those  birds  came 
from.  A  dull,  lazy  smile  crawled  over  the  sober 
face  of  the  German  visitor,  as  he  replied  in  a  slow, 
guttural  tone  of  voice: 


THE  "GOLDEN  PIGEOXS."  443 

"What  you  think  yourself?" 

Catching  his  meaning,  Barnum  quickly  replied: 

"  I  think  it  is  a  humbug." 

"Of  course,  I  know  you  will  so  say;  because  you 
4  forstha '  such  things ;  so  I  shall  not  try  to  humbug 
you  ;  I  have  them  myself  colored." 

It  then  came  out  that  the  man  was  a  chemist,  and 
that  he  had  invented  a  process  by  which  he  could 
dye  the  feathers  of  living  birds  any  color  he  pleased, 
retaining  at  the  same  time  all  the  natural  gloss  of 
the  plumage.  Barnum  at  once  closed  a  bargain 
with  him  for  the  birds,  for  ten  dollars,  and  then  put 
them  in  his  "  Happy  Family  "  at  the  Museum.  He 
marked  them  "  Golden  Pigeons,  from  California," 
and  then  gleefully  awaited  Adams'  next  visit,  feel- 
ing sure  that  the  old  fellow  would  be  completely 
taken  in. 

Sure  enough,  next  morning  Adams  came  along, 
saw  the  pigeons,  looked  at  them  earnestly  for  a  few 
minutes,  and  then  went  straight  to  the  office. 

"  Mr.  Barnum,"  said  he,  "  you  must  let  me  have 
those  California  pigeons." 

"I  can't  spare  them,"  said  Barnum. 

*'  But  you  must  spare  them.  All  the  birds  and 
animals  from  California  ought  to  be  together.  You 
own  half  of  my  California  menagerie,  and  you  must 
lend  me  those  pigeons." 

"  Mr.  Adams,  they  are  too  rare  and  valuable  a 
bird  to  be  hawked  about  in  that  manner." 

"  Oh,  don't  be  a  fool,"  replied  Adams.     "  Rare 


444  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

bird,  indeed!  Why,  they  are  just  as  common  in 
California  as  any  other  pigeon !  I  could  have 
brought  a  hundred  of  them  from  San  Francisco,  if 
I  had  thought  of  it." 

"  But  why  did  you  not  think  of  it?"  with  a  sup- 
pressed smile. 

"  Because  they  are  so  common  there,"  said 
Adams.  "  I  did  not  think  they  would  be  any  curi- 
osity here." 

Barnum  was  ready  to  burst  with  laughter  to  see 
how  readily  Adams  swallowed  the  bait,  but,  main- 
taining the  most  rigid  gravity,  he  replied : 

"  Oh !  well,  Mr.  Adams,  if  they  are  really  so  com- 
mon in  California,  you  had  probably  better  take  them, 
and  you  may  write  over  and  have  half  a  dozen  pairs 
sent  to  me  for  the  Museum." 

A  few  weeks  later  Barnum,  being  in  the  Califor- 
nia Menagerie,  noticed  that  something  ailed  the 
pigeons.  They  had  a  sadly-mottled  appearance. 
Their  feathers  had  grown  out,  and  they  were  half 
white.  Adams  had  not  yet  noticed  it,  being  too 
busy  with  his  bears.  But  Barnum  called  him  at 
once  to  the  pigeon  cage. 

"  Look  here,  Adams,"  he  said,  "  I'm  afraid  you  are 
going  to  lose  your  Golden  Pigeons.  They  must  be 
very  sick.  Just  see  how  pale  they  look !  Good 
thing  they're  so  common  in  California,  so  you  can 
easily  get  some  more,  eh  ?" 

Adams  looked  at  them  a  moment  in  astonishment, 


THE  END  OF  "  GR1ZZL  Y  ADAMS" 

then  turning  to  Barnum,  and  seeing  that  he  could 
not  suppress  a  smile,  he  indignantly  exclaimed: 

"  Blast  the  Golden  Pigeons !  You  had  better 
take  them  back  to  the  Museum.  You  can't  humbug 
me  with  your  painted  pigeons !" 

This  was  too  much,  and  Barnum  laughed  till  he 

o 

cried,  to  witness  the  mixed  look  of  astonishment 
and  vexation  which  marked  the  grizzly  features  of 
old  Adams. 

After  the  exhibition  on  Thirteenth  Street  and 
Broadway  had  been  open  six  weeks,  the  doctor 
insisted  that  Adams  should  sell  out  his  share  in  the 
animals  and  settle  up  his  worldly  affairs,  for  he 
assured  him  that  he  was  growing  weaker  every  day, 
and  his  earthly  existence  must  soon  terminate.  "  I 
shall  live  a  good  deal  longer  than  you  doctors  think 
for,"  replied  Adams,  doggedly ;  and  then,  seeming 
after  all  to  realize  the  truth  of  the  doctor's  asser- 
tion, he  turned  and  said :  "  Well,  Mr.  Barnum,  you 
must  buy  me  out." 

A  bargain  was  soon  concluded.  Arrangements 
had  been  made  to  exhibit  the  bears  in  Connecticut 
and  Massachusetts  during  the  summer,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Museum,  and  Adams  insisted  that 
Barnum  should  engage  him  to  travel  for  the  season 
and  manage  the  bears.  He  offered  to  do  it  for 

o 

$60  a  week  and  expenses.  Barnum  replied  that 
he  would  gladly  make  such  an  arrangement,  but  he 
feared  Adams  was  not  strong  enough  to  stand  it. 


446  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

"  You  are  growing  weaker  every  day,"  he  said, 
"and  would  better  go  to  your  home  and  rest." 

"What  will  you  give  me  extra  if  I  will  travel  and 
exhibit  the  bears  every  day  for  ten  weeks?"  added 
old  Adams,  eagerly. 

"  Five  hundred  dollars." 

"  Done!"  exclaimed  Adams,  "I  will  do  it,  so  draw 
up  an  agreement  to  that  effect  at  once.  But  mind 
you,  draw  it  payable  to  my  wife,  for  I  may  be  too 
weak  to  attend  to  business  after  the  ten  weeks  are 
up,  and  if  I  perform  my  part  of  the  contract,  I  want 
her  to  get  the  $500  without  any  trouble." 

Barnum  drew  up  a  contract  to  pay  him  $60  per 
week  for  his  services,  and  if  he  continued  to  exhibit 
the  bears  for  ten  consecutive  weeks,  to  hand  him,  or 
his  wife,  $500  extra. 

"You  have  lost  your  $500!"  exclaimed  Adams  on 
taking  the  contract ;  "  for  I  am  bound  to  live  and 
earn  it." 

"  I  hope  you  may,  with  all  my  heart,  and  a  hundred 
years  more  if  you  desire  it,"  replied  Barnum. 

"Call  me  a  fool  if  I  don't  earn  the  $500!"  ex- 
claimed Adams,  with  a  triumphant  laugh. 

The  "  show  "  started  off  in  a  few  days,  and  at  the 
end  of  a  fortnight  Barnum  met  it  at  Hartford, 
Connecticut. 

"Well"  said  he,  "Adams,  you  seem  tc  stand  it 
pretty  well.  I  hope  you  and  your  wife  are  com- 
fortable ?." 

"  Yes,"  he  replied  with  a  laugh  ;  "  and  you  may  as 


THE  END  OF "GRIZZLY  ADAMS."  447 

well  try  to  be  comfortable,  too,  for  your  $500  is  a 
goner." 

"  All  right,"  Barnum  replied,  "  I  hope  you  will 
grow  better  every  day." 

But  the  case  was  hopeless.  Adams  was  dying. 
When  Barnum  met  him  three  weeks  later  at  New 
Bedford  his  eyes  were  glassy  and  his  hands  tremb- 
ling, but  his  courage  and  will  were  strong  as 
ever. 

"  This  hot  weather  tells  on  me,"  he  said,  "  but  I'll 
last  the  ten  weeks  and  more,  and  get  your  $500." 

Barnum  urged  him  to  quit  work,  to  take  half  of  the 
$500  and  oro  home.  But,  no.  He  would  not  listen 

TT  %/  O 

to  it.  And  he  did  actually  serve  through  the  whole 
ten  weeks,  and  got  the  $500 ;  remarking,  as  he 
pocketed  the  cash, 

"  Barnum,  it's  too  bad  you're  a  teetotaler,  for  I'd 
like  to  stand  treat  with  you  on  this." 

When  Adams  set  out  on  this  last  tour,  Barnum 
had  a  fine  new  hunting-suit  made  of  beaver-skins. 
He  had  procured  it  for  Herr  Driesbach,  the  animal 
tamer,  whom  he  had  engaged  to  take  Adams'  place 
whenever  the  latter  should  give  out.  Adams  had 
asked  him  to  loan  him  the  suit,  to  wear  occasionally 
when  he  had  great  audiences,  as  his  own  suit  was 
badly  worn.  Barnum  did  so ;  and  at  the  end  of  the 
engagement,  as  he  received  the  $500,  Adams  said : 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  I  suppose  you  are  going  to  give  me 
this  new  hunting-dress." 

o 

"  Oh,  no,"   Barnum  replied,   "  I  got  that  for  your 


44.3  LIFK  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

successor,  who  will  exhibit  the  bears  to-morrow,  be- 
sides, you  have  no  possible  use  for  it." 

"  Now,  don't  be  mean,  but  lend  me  the  dress,  if 
you  won't  give  it  to  me,  for  I  want  to  wear  it  home 
to  my  native  village." 

Barnum  could  not  refuse  the  poor  old  man  any- 
thing, and  he  therefore  replied  : 

"  Well,  Adams,  I  will  lend  you  the  dress,  but  you 
will  send  it  back  to  me  ?" 

"  Yes,  when  I  have  done  with  it,"  he  replied,  with 
an  evident  chuckle  of  triumph. 

Barnum  thought,  "  he  will  soon  be  done  with  it," 
and  replied:  "That's all  right." 

A  new  idea  evidently  struck  Adams,  for,  with  a 
brightening  look  of  satisfaction,  he  said : 

"  Now,  Barnum,  you  have  made  a  good  thing  out 
of  the  California  menagerie,  and  so  have  I ;  but  you 
will  make  a  heap  more.  So  if  you  won't  give  me 
this  new  hunter's  dress,  just  draw  a  little  writing, 
and  sign  it,  saying  that  I  may  wear  it  until  I  have 
done  with  it." 

Barnum  knew  that  in  a  few  days,  at  longest,  he 
would  be  "  done  "  with  this  world  altogether,  and,  to 
gratify  him,  he  cheerfully  drew  and  signed  the 
paper. 

"  Come,  old  Yankee,  I've  got  you  this  time — see 
if  I  hain't !"  exclaimed  Adams,  with  a  broad  grin,  as 
he  took  the  paper. 

Barnum  smiled,  and  said : 

"  All  right,  my  dear  fellow ;  the  longer  you  live 
the  better  I  shall  like  it." 


THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES' S  VISIT.  449 

They  parted,  and  Adams  went  to  Charlton,  Wor- 
cester County,  Massachusetts,  where  his  wife  and 
daughter  lived.  He  took  at  once  to  his  bed,  and 
never  rose  from  it  again.  The  excitement  had 
passed  away,  and  his  vital  energies  could  accom- 
plish no  more.  The  fifth  day  after  arriving  home, 
the  physician  told  him  he  could  not  live  until  the 
next  morning.  He  received  the  announcement  in 
perfect  calmness,  and  with  the  most  apparent  in- 
difference ;  then,  turning  to  his  wife,  with  a  smile  he 
requested  her  to  have  him  buried  in  the  new  hunt- 
ing-suit. "For,"  said  he,  "  Barnum  agreed  to  let 
me  have  it  until  I  have  done  with  it,  and  I  was  de- 
termined to  fix  his  flint  this  time.  He  shall  never 
see  that  dress  again."  That  dress  was  indeed  the 
shroud  in  which  he  was  entombed. 

After  Adams'  death,  Barnum  incorporated  the 
California  Menagerie  with  the  American  Museum, 
for  a  time,  but  afterward  sold  most  of  the  animals. 
The  Museum  was  now  most  prosperous,  and  Bar- 
num was  making  steady  progress  toward  paying  off 
the  debts  that  burdened  him. 

In  the  fall  of  1860  the  Museum  was  visited  by  the 
Prince  of  Wales  and  his  suite,  in  response  to  an  invi- 
tation from  Barnum.  Unfortunately,  Barnum  himself 
had  gone  to  Bridgeport  that  very  morning,  the  invi- 
tation not  having  been  accepted  until  about  an 
hour  before  the  visit.  Mr.  Greenwood,  the  manager, 
when  he  heard  that  the  Prince  was  coming,  caused 

o 7 

the  performance   in   the   lecture- room  to  be  com- 


45O  LIFE  OF  P-  T.  BARNUM, 

menced  half  an  hour  before  the  usual  time,  so  as  to 
clear  the  floors  of  a  portion  of  the  crowd,  in  order 
that  he  might  have  a  better  opportunity  to  examine 
the  curiosities.  When  the  Prince  arrived,  there  was 
a  great  crowd  outside  the  Museum,  and  hundreds 
more  were  soon  added  to  the  numbers  assembled 
within  the  building.  He  was  received  by  Mr.  Green- 
wood, and  immediately  conducted  to  the  second 
story,  where  the  first  object  of  interest  pointed 
out  was  the  "What  Is  It?"  in  which  his  Royal  High- 
ness manifested  much  curiosity.  In  compliance 
with  his  wish,  the  keeper  went  through  the  regular 
account  of  the  animal.  Here,  also,  the  party  were 
shown  the  Albino  family,  concerning  whom  they 
made  inquiries.  The  Siamese  twins,  the  sea-lions, 
and  the  seal  were  also  pointed  out,  and  some  of  the 
animals  were  fed  in  the  presence  of  the  Prince  at  his 
own  request.  He  was  conducted  through  the  build- 
ing, and  his  attention  was  called  to  many  objects  of 
special  interest.  At  the  close  of  a  short  visit,  the 
Prince  asked  for  Mr.  Barnum,  and  regretted  that  he 
had  not  an  opportunity -of  seeing  him  also.  "We 
have,"  he  said,  "missed  the  most  interesting  feature 
of  the  establishment." 

A  few  days  later  Barnum  called  on  the  Prince  in 
Boston  and  was  cordially  received.  The  Prince 
was  much  interested  and  amused  at  Barnum's  remi- 
niscences of  the  visits  to  Buckingham  Palace  with 
Tom  Thumb.  He  told  Barnum  that  he  had  been 
much  pleased  with  the  Museum,  and  had  left  his 
autograph  there  as  a  memento  of  his  visit. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

• 

BUILDING   A    CITY. 

AT  HOME  ONCE  MORE — GROWTH  OF  EAST  BRIDGEPORT — BARNUM'S  OFFER 
TO  MEN  WANTING  HOMES  OK  THEIR  OWN — REMARKABLE  PROGRESS 
OF  THE  PLACE — How  THE  STREETS  WERE  NAMED. 

It  was  now  about  five  years  since  Barnum  had 
had  a  settled  home.  The  necessities  of  his  business 
combined  with  the  adversities  of  fortune  had  kept 
him  knocking  about  irom  pillar  to  post.  Sometimes 
they  lived  in  boarding-houses,  and  sometimes  they 
kept  house  in  temporary  quarters.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Barnum  were  now  alone,  two  of  their  daughters 

O 

being  married  and  the  third  being  away  at  a  board- 
ing-school. Mrs.  Barnum's  health  was  much  im- 
paired, and  it  was  desirable  that  she  should  have  a 
comfortable  and  permanent  home.  Accordingly,  in 
1860,  Barnum  built  a  pleasant  house  at  Bridgeport, 
next  to  that  of  his  daughter  Caroline  and  not  far 
from  the  ruins  of  Iranistan. 

His  unfortunate  enterprise  in  the  clock  business 
had  not  discouraged  him  from  further  business  ven- 
tures^ His  pet  city,  East  Bridgeport,  was  growing 
rapidly.  An  enormous  sewing-machine  factory  had 
been  built,  employing  a  thousand  workmen.  Other 
26  453 


454  LIFE    OF  P.    T.    BARNUM. 

large  factoiies  were  springing  up,  many  private  resi- 
dences were  being  erected,  and  there  was  a  great 
demand  for  houses  of  all  kinds,  but  especially  for 
small  cottages  suitable  for  mechanics  and  other 

o 

laboring  men.  The  farm-land  which  Barnum  had 
purchased  only  a  few  years  before  was  rapidly  be- 
coming  a  city. 

It  was  characteristic  of  Barnum  to  place  himself 
in  the  forefront  in  this  city-building  movement,  and 
in  the  double  role  of  speculator  and  public  bene- 
factor. The  enterprise  which  he  undertook  was 
calculated  both  to  help  those  who  were  willing  to 
help  themselves  to  obtain  independent  homes,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  pay  a  handsome  profit  to  Mr. 
Barnum.  His  scheme  was  described  by  himself  as 
follows  in  the  Bridgeport  Standard  : 

"  NEW  HOUSES  IN  EAST  BRIDGEPORT. 
"EVERY  MAN  TO  OWN  THE  HOUSE  HE  LIVES  IN. 

"  There  is  a  demand  at  the  present  moment  for 
two  hundred  more  dwelling-houses  in  East  Bridge- 
port. It  is  evident  that  if  the  money  expended  in 
rent  can  be  paid  towards  the  purchase  of  a  house 
and  lot,  the  person  so  paying  will  in  a  few  years 
own  the  house  he  lives  in,  instead  of  always  remain- 
ing a  tenant.  In  view  of  this  fact,  I  propose  to  loan 
money  at  six  per  cent,  to  any  number,  not  exceeding 
fifty,  industrious,  temperate  and  respectable  individ- 
uals, who  desire  to  build  their  own  houses. 


HOMES  FOR  ALL.  455 

"  They  may  engage  their  own  builders,  and  build 
according  to  any  reasonable  plan  (which  I  may  ap- 
prove), or  1  will  have  it  clone  for  them  at  the  lowest 
possible  rate,  without  a  farthing  profit  to  myself  or 
agent,  I  putting  the  lot  at  a  fair  price  and  advancing 
eighty  per  cent,  of  the  entire  cost ;  the  other  party 
to  furnish  twenty  per  cent,  in  labor,  material, 
or  money,  and  they  may  pay  me  in  small  sums 
weekly,  monthly,  or  quarterly,  any  amount  not  less 
than  three  per  cent,  per  quarter,  all  of  which  is  to 
apply  on  the  money  advanced  until  it  is  paid. 

"  It  has  been  ascertained  that  by  purchasing  build- 
ing materials  for  cash,  and  in  large  quantities,  nice 
dwellings,  painted,  and  furnished  with  green  blinds, 
can  be  erected  at  a  cost  of  $1,500  or  $1,800,  for 
house,  lot,  fences,  etc.,  all  complete,  and  if  six  or 
eight  friends  prefer  to  join  in  erecting  a  neat  block 
of  houses  with  verandas  in  front,  the  average  cost 

o 

need  not  exceed  about  $1,300  per  house  and  lot. 
If,  however,  some  parties  would  prefer  a  single  01 
double  house  that  would  cost  $2,500  to  $3,000,  1 
shall  be  glad  to  meet  their  views. 

"  P.  T.  BARNUM. 
"February  16,  1864." 

On  this  the  editor  of  the  paper  commented  as 
follows : 

"AN  ADVANTAGEOUS  OFFER. — We  have  read  with 
great  pleasure  Mr.  Barnum's  advertisement,  offering 
assistance  to  any  number  of  persons,  not  exceeding 


456  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BAR  NUM. 

fifty,  in  the  erection  of  dwelling-houses.  This  plan 
combines  all  the  advantages  and  none  of  the  ob- 
jections of  building  associations.  Any  individual 
who  can  furnish  in  cash,  labor,  or  material,  one-fifth 
only  of  the  amount  requisite  for  the  erection  of  a 
dwelling-house,  can  receive  the  other  four-fifths  from 
Mr.  Barnum,  rent  his  house,  and  by  merely  paying 
what  may  be  considered  as  only  a  fair  rent,  for  a 
few  years,  find  himself  at  last  the  owner,  and  all 
further  payments  cease.  In  the  meantime, he  can  be 
making  such  inexpensive  improvements  in  his  prop- 
erty as  would  greatly  increase  its  market  value, 
and  besides  have  the  advantage  of  any  rise  in  the 
value  of  real  estate.  It  is  not  often  that  such  a 
generous  offer  is  made  to  working  men.  It  is  a 
loan  on  what  would  be  generally  considered  inade- 
quate security,  at  six  per  cent.,  at  a  time  when  a  much 
better  use  of  money  can  be  made  by  any  capitalist. 
It  is  therefore  generous.  Mr.  Barnum  may  make 
money  by  the  operation.  Very  well,  perhaps  he 
will,  but  if  he  does,  it  will  be  by  making  others 
richer,  not  poorer ;  by  helping  those  who  need 
assistance,  not  by  hindering  them,  and  we  can  only 
wish  that  every  rich  man  would  follow  such  a  noble 
example,  and  thus,  without  injury  to  themselves, 
give  a  helping  hand  to  those  who  need  it.  Success 
to  the  enterprise.  We  hope  that  fifty  men  will  be 
found  before  the  week  ends,  each  of  whom  desires 
in  such  a  manner  to  obtain  a  roof  which  he  can  call 
his  own." 


SUCCESS   OF  THE  PROJECT.  457 

A  considerable  number  of  men  immediately 
availed  themselves  of  Barnum's  offer,  and  succeeded 
after  a  time  in  paying  for  their  homes  without  much 
effort.  There  were  many  others,  however,  who  did 
not  fully  accept  his  proposals.  They  would  not 
sign  the  temperance  pledge,  and  they  would  not 
give  up  the  use  of  tobacco.  The  result  was,  that 
they  continued  month  after  month  and  year  after 
year  to  pay  rent  on  hired  tenements.  "  The  money 
they  have  expended  for  whiskey  and  tobacco," 
remarked  Mr.  Barnum,  moralizing  upon  this  topic, 
"  would  have  given  them  homes  of  their  own  if  it  had 
been  devoted  to  that  object,  and  their  positions, 
socially  and  morally,  would  have  been  far  better. 
How  many  infatuated  men  there  are  in  all  parts  of 
the  country  who  could  now  be  independent,  and  even 
owners  of  their  own  carriages,  but  for  their  slavery 
to  these  miserable  habits !  " 

This  East  Bridgeport  land  was  originally  pur- 
chased by  Barnum  at  an  average  cost  of  about 
$200  per  acre.  A  few  years  after  the  above-de- 
scribed enterprise,  a  considerable  part  of  it  was 
assessed  in  the  tax  list  at  from  $3,000  to  $4,000 
per  acre.  It  was  presently  annexed  to  the  city,  and 
connected  with  it  by  three  bridges  across  the  river. 
A  horse-railroad  was  also  built,  of  which  Mr.  Bar- 
num was  one  of  the  original  stockholders. 

This  part  of  the  city  was  laid  out  by  General 
Noble  and  Mr.  Barnum,  and  various  streets  were 
named  after  members  of  the  two  families.  Hence 


458  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

there  are  Noble  street,  Barnum  street,  William 
street  (General  Noble's  first  name),  Harriet  street 
(Mrs.  Noble's  name),  Hallett  street  (Mrs.  Barnum's 
maiden  name),  and  Caroline  street,  Helen  street, 
and  Pauline  street,  the  names  of  Barnum's  three 
daughters.  A  public  school  was  also  named  for 
Mr.  Barnum.  The  streets  were  lined  with  beauti- 
ful shade  trees,  set  out  by  thousands  by  Barnum 
and  Noble,  and  the  same  gentlemen  gave  to  the 
city  its  beautiful  Washington  Park  of  seven  acres. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

A  GREAT  YEAR  AT  THE  MUSEUM. 

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  fish- 
ermen 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 

O 

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  in- 
structed them  to  capture  for  him,  alive  and  un- 
harmed, a  couple  of  the  white  whales  which  at 

459 


460  LIFE    OF  P.   T.   BARNUM. 

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 


WHALES  IN  NEW    YORK.  461 

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  mes- 
sages 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  tremen- 
dous 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  in- 
tense, and,  when  at  last,  these  marine  monsters  ar- 
rived 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. 


462  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

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  re- 
solved 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  de- 
clared that  they  were  not  whales  at  all,  but  only  por- 
poises, 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 


WHALES  IN  NEW   YORK.  463 

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 : 


B 


ARNUM'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, 


464 


LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 


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  x 

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^  o'clock. 
Admission  to  all,  25  cents ;  Children  under  10,  15  cents. 


A  CARD  FROM  P.  T.  BARNUM.— LIVING  WHALES  on  exhibi- 
tion.— Having  learned  from  fishermen  and  eminent  naturalists,  includ- 
ing 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  Labra- 
dor, I  made  a  journey  there  in  June  last,  accompanied  by  my  agent.  I  re- 
mained 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 


EDITORIAL   COMMENTS. 


465 


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  whis- 
pering whale  to  the  public.  The  public  was 
delighted,  but  not  surprised,  because  it  feels  that  the 


466  LIFE   OF  p-    T-   BARNUM. 

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  sea- 
weed, 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 


OBITVAR  Y.  467 

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  pres- 
ent 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  mer- 
maids, 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. 


468  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

The  whale  shared  not  the  forebodings  of  its  friends. 
Mr.  Barnum  was  possessed  with  a  strange  presenti- 
ment 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,  cour- 
age— 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  sur- 
vivor 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 


WELCOME  TO  JUMBO. 


OBITUAR  Y.  47 ! 

the  objects  of  his  care  and  best  management  snatched 
from  him,  and  yet  he  announces  that  he  will  imme 
diately  send  on  for  two  more  whales  of  the  same 
sort.  We  shall  soon  forget  the  lost  whales  in  con- 
templation of  the  new.  Such  is  life,  it  is  well 
known. 

"  The  decease  may  be  attributed  in  a  great  meas- 
ure 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  gooo 
breath. 

"This  accent  of  destruction  will  be  removed  fron? 
27 


472  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

the  premises  before  the  next  whales  arrive,  and  suit- 
able 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,  1 86 1,  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." 

o 


"THE   GREAT  BEHEMOTH."  473 

Barnum  began  by  advertising  that  the  animal  was 
on  exhibition  for  a  short  time  only.  Then  he  an- 
nounced the  "  last  week  "  of  the  novel  show.  Then, 
"  by  special  request,"  another  week  was  added.  And 
thus  the  "last  week  of  the  hippopotamus"  was  pro- 
longed through  many  months.  The  following  is  a 
fair  sample  of  the  advertisements  with  which  the 
daily  papers  literally  teemed : 


B 


ARNUM'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 ;  Boats 
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  swim- 


474  /;//£  OF  P.  r.  BARNUM. 

ming  lienealh  the  surface,  walking  on  the  bottom  several  feet  beneath,  exhibit- 
ing, in  short,  all  the  peculiarities  of  his  nature;  and  to  perfect  the  scene,  a 
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 
aian  who  can  control  or  exhibit  his   Hippopotamiship,  is  in  constant  attend- 
ance.    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, 

Mile.  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  tfcat  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- 


"THE    GREAT  BEHEMOTH."  475 

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  dar- 
ling of  only  three  years — a  very  baby  of  a  hippo- 
potamus 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  any- 
body, 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  reck- 
less sacrifice  of  self  for  the  public  good.  The 
hippopotamus  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing and  attractive  of  all  the  strange  creatures  ever 
yet  caught  by  Mr.  Barnum,  and  offered  for  the  de- 


476  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNVM. 

lactation  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  ex- 
hibited 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  novel- 
ties. 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,  intelli- 
gent 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 


COMMODORE   NUTT.  477 

$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  news- 
papers 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  har- 
ness, 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  zfac-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,  sim- 
ply 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 


LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

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  n, 
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  non- 
plussed, 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  incred- 
ulous. 

"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 


THE   LONG  AND   SHORT  OF  IT.  479 

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  spend- 
ing 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 


480  LIFE    OF  P.    7\   BARNUM. 

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 

o 

the  chief  magistrate  of  our  own  nation  would  have 

o 

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 


REAL   LIVE   INDIANS.  48  T 

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 
/nade  them  a  speech  of  welcome,  which,  being  inter- 
preted 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  Gov- 
ernor'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 


482  LIFE    OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

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  Cen- 
tral 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  ex- 
change, but  on  the  contrary  presented  the  coveted 
article,  he  soon  found  he  had  established  a  danger- 
ous precedent.  Immediately  they  all  commenced 
to  beg  for  everything  in  the  vast  collection  which 
they  happened  to  take  a  liking  to.  This  cost  Bar- 
num 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 


REAL   LIVE  INDIANS.  483 

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  inexor- 
able 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-vvater,  chiefs  of  the  Cheyen- 
nes ;  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  li;id 


484  LIFE    OF  P-    T- 

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  understand- 
ing 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 


REAL   LIVE  INDIANS.  485 

smile,  fawn  upon  him,  and  stroke  his  arm,  while  he 
continued:  "  If  the  bloodthirsty  little  villain  under- 
stood 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,  mur- 
dered 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 
a  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  rhey  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 


486  L'FE   OF  p- 

Museum  a  dramatization  of  Dickens's  "  Great  Ex- 
pectations." 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  yean. 
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  he,  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,  cloves,  hawks,  harmonious  t 
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  tlie  waves  in  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  ; 


I*  S 

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GREAT  EXPECTATIONS.  489 

"  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  sum- 
mary 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 

28 


LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 


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  knowledp-e  of  men  rivalled  his  own. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

GENERAL   AND    MRS.    TOM   THUMB. 

Miss  LAVINIA  WARREN — THE  RIVALS — Miss  WARREN'S  ENGAGEMENT  TO 
TOM  THUMB — THE  WEDDING — GRAND  RECEPTION — LETTER  FROM  A 
WOULD-BE  GUEST,  AND  DR.  TAYLOR'S  REPLY. 

In  1862  Mr.  Barnum  heard  of  an  extraordinary 
dwarf  girl  named  Lavinia  Warren,  who  was  living 
at  Middleboro',  Massachusetts,  and  sent  an  invitation 
to  her  and  her  parents  to  visit  him  at  Bridgeport : 
they  came,  and  Barnum  found  her  to  be  a  very 
intelligent  and  refined  young  lady.  He  immediately 
made  a  contract  with  her  for  several  years,  she 
agreeing  to  visit  the  Old  World. 

He  purchased  a  splendid  wardrobe  for  her,  includ- 
ing many  elegant  dresses,  costly  jewels  and  every- 
thing else  that  could  add  to  her  naturally  charming 
person.  She  was  placed  on  exhibition  at  the  Museum, 
and  from  the  first  was  a  great  success.  Commodore 
Nutt  was  exhibited  with  her,  and  although  he  was 
several  years  her  junior,  he  at  once  took  a  violent 
fancy  to  her.  One  day  Mr.  Barnum  gave  Miss 
Warren  a  diamond  and  emerald  ring,  and  as  it  did 
not  exactly  fit  her  finger,  he  offered  to  get  her 

491 


492  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

another  one  just  like  it,  and  told  her  to  present  this 
one  to  Commodore  Nutt  in  her  own  name.  She 
did  so,  and  the  Commodore,  who  possessed  a  full 
proportion  of  masculine  vanity,  construed  the  gift 
to  be  a  love  token,  and  poor  Lavinia  was  much 
distressed,  for  she  considered  herself  quite  a  woman, 
and  the  Commodore  only  "a  nice  boy."  Still  she 
did  not  like  to  offend  him,  and  continued  to  treat 
him  kindly,  while  not  actually  encouraging  his  atten- 
tions. 

At  the  time  Tom  Thumb  was  not  on  exhibition  at 
the  Museum  ;  he  was  taking  a  vacation  at  his  home 
in  Bridgeport.  One  day  he  came  to  New  York 
quite  unexpectedly,  and  naturally  called  on  Mr. 
Barnum  at  the  Museum.  Lavinia  was  holding  one 
of  her  levees  when  he  came  in,  and  he  was  presented 
to  her. 

After  a  short  interview  with  her  he  went  directly 
to  Mr.  Barnum's  private  office  and  asked  to  see  him 
alone.  The  door  was  closed  and  the  General  sat 
down.  His  first  question  gave  Mr.  Barnum  a  slight 
inkling  of  the  object  of  the  interview.  The  General 
wanted  to  know  all  about  the  family  of  Lavinia 
Warren.  Mr.  Barnum  gave  him  all  information, 
and  the  General  said,  earnestly,  "  That  is  the  most 
charming  little  lady  I  ever  saw,  and  I  believe  she 
was  created  to  be  my  wife.  Now,  Mr.  Barnum, 
you've  always  been  a  friend  of  mine,  and  I  want  you 
to  say  a  good  word  for  me  to  her.  I've  got  plenty 
of  money  and  I  want  to  marry  and  settle  down,  and 


TOM  THUMB  IS  SMITTEN.  493 

I  really  feel  as  though  I  must  marry  that  young 
lady." 

Mr.  Barnum  laughed,  and  recalling  his  ancient 
joke,  said :  "  Lavinia  is  already  engaged,  General." 

"To  whom?  Commodore  Nutt?"  asked  Tom 
Thumb,  jealously. 

"  No,  to  me." 

"  Oh ! "  laughed  the  General,  much  relieved. 
"  Never  mind ;  you  may  exhibit  her  for  a  while,  and 
then  give  up  the  engagement ;  but  I  do  hope  you 
will  favor  my  suit  with  her." 

"Well,  General,"  replied  Barnum,  "I  will  not 
oppose  your  suit,  but  you  must  do  your  own  court- 
ing. I  will  tell  you,  however,  that  Commodore  Nutt 
will  be  jealous  of  you,  and  more  than  that,  Miss 
Warren  is  nobody's  fool,  and  you  will  have  to  pro- 
ceed very  cautiously  if  you  succeed  in  winning  her." 

The  General  promised  to  be  very  discreet.  A 
change  now  came  over  him.  He  had  been  very 
fond  of  his  country  home  at  Bridgeport,  where  he 
spent  all  his  leisure  time  with  his  horses  and  his 
yacht,  for  he  had  a  great  passion  for  the  water ;  but 
now  he  was  constantly  running  down  to  the  city, 
and  the  horses  and  yacht  were  sadly  neglected. 
He  had  a  married  sister  living  in  New  York,  and 
his  visits  to  her  multiplied  to  such  an  extent  that  his 
mother,  who  lived  in  Bridgeport,  remarked  that 
Charles  had  never  before  shown  so  much  brotherly 
affection,  nor  so  much  fondness  for  city  life. 

His  visits  to  the  Museum  were  frequent,  and  it 


494  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

was  very  amusing  to  watch  his  new  relations  with 
Commodore  Nutt,  who  strutted  around  like  a  bantam 
rooster  whenever  the  General  approached  Lavinia. 
One  day  the  rivals  got  into  a  friendly  scuffle  in  the 
dressing-room,  and  the  Commodore  laid  the  General 
very  neatly  on  his  back. 

But  while  the  Commodore  was  performing  on  the 
stage,  and  on  Sunday  afternoons  and  evenings,  the 
General  found  plenty  of  opportunities  to  talk  to 
Lavinia,  and  it  was  evident  that  his  suit  was  pro- 
gressing. 

Finally,  Tom  Thumb  returned  to  Bridgeport,  and 
privately  begged  Mr.  Barnum  to  bring  Lavinia  up 
the  next  Saturday  evening,  and  also  to  invite  him  to 
the  house. 

His  immediate  object  was  that  his  mother  might 
see  Miss  Warren.  Mr.  Barnum  agreed  to  the 
proposition,  and  on  the  following  Friday,  while  Miss 
Warren  and  the  Commodore  were  sitting  in  the 
green-room,  he  said  : 

"  Lavinia,  would  you  like  to  go  up  to  Bridgeport 
with  me  to-morrow,  and  stay  until  Monday?" 

"I  thank  you,"  she  replied,  "it  will  be  a  great 
relief  to  get  into  the  country  for  a  couple  of  days." 

"  Mr.  Barnum,"  said  the  Commodore,  "  I  should 
like  to  go  up  to  Bridgeport  to-morrow." 

"  What  for  ?  "  asked  Barnum. 

"  I  want  to  see  my  ponies  ;  I  have  not  seen  them 
for  several  months  ; "  he  replied. 

Mr.  Barnum  remarked  that  he  was  afraid  he  could 


MR.  BARNUM  HELPS  ALONG.  495 

not  spare  the  Commodore  from  the  Museum,  but  he 
said: 

"  Oh !  I  can  perform  at  half  past  seven  o'clock  and 
then  jump  on  the  evening  train  and  go  up  by  myself, 
reaching  Bridgeport  at  eleven,  and  return  early 
Monday  morning." 

Fearing  a  clash  of  interests  between  the  two  little 
men,  but  wishing  to  please  the  Commodore,  Mr. 
Barnum  consented,  especially  as  Miss  Warren 
seemed  to  favor  it. 

The  Commodore  had  made  his  feelings  almost  as 
plain  to  the  manager  as  had  General  Tom  Thumb, 
but  Lavinia  Warren's  secret  was  her  own.  She 
kept  up  a  wonderful  self-possession  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, for  she  must  have  known  the  reason  of 
the  General's  frequent  visits  to  the  Museum.  Bar- 
num was  afraid  that  she  intended  to  reject  Tom 
Thumb,  and  he  told  him  as  much ;  the  General  was 
nervous  but  determined ;  hence  his  anxiety  to  have 
Lavinia  meet  his  mother,  and  also  to  see  the  extent 
of  his  possessions  in  Bridgeport. 

The  General  met  his  lady-love  and  Mr.  Barnum 
at  the  station  Saturday  morning,  and  drove  them  to 
the  latter' s  house  in  his  own  carriage — the  coachman 
being  tidily  dressed,  with  a  broad  velvet  ribbon  and 
a  silver  buckle  on  his  hat,  especially  for  the  occasion. 

After  resting  for  a  half  hour  at  Lindencroft,  he 
came  back  and  took  Lavinia  out  to  drive.  They 
stopped  at  his  mother's  house,  where  she  saw  the 
apartments  which  had  been  built  for  him  and  filled 


496  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

with  the  most  gorgeous  furniture,  all  corresponding 
to  his  diminutive  size.  Then  he  took  her  to  East 
Bridgeport,  and  undoubtedly  took  occasion  to  point 
out  all  of  the  houses  which  he  owned,  for  he  de- 
pended much  on  his  wealth  making  an  impression 
on  her. 

He  stayed  to  lunch  at  Lindencroft,  and  was  much 
pleased  when  Lavinia  expressed  her  opinion  that 
"Mr.  Barnum  or  Tom  Thumb  owned  about  all 
Bridgeport." 

The  General  took  his  leave  and  returned  to  five 
o'clock  dinner,  accompanied  by  his  mother,  who  was 
delighted  with  Lavinia.  The  General  took  Mr.  Bar- 
num aside  and  begged  him  for  an  invitation  to  stay 
all  night,  "For,"  said  he,  "I  intend  to  ask  her  to 
marry  me  before  the  Commodore  arrives." 

After  tea  Lavinia  and  the  General  sat  down  to 
play  backgammon.  By  and  by  the  rest  went  to 
their  separate  rooms,  but  Tom  Thumb  had  volun- 
teered to  sit  up  for  the  Commodore,  and  persuaded 
Miss  Warren  to  keep  him  company. 

The  General  was  beaten  at  backgammon,  and 
after  sitting  a  few  minutes,  he  evidently  thought  it 
time  to  put  a  clincher  on  his  financial  abilities.  So 
he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  policy  of  insurance  and 
handed  it  to  Lavinia,  asking  her  if  she  knew  what  it 
was. 

Examining  it,  she  replied,  "  It  is  an  insurance  policy. 
I  see  you  keep  your  property  insured." 

"  But  the  beauty  of  it  is,  it  is  not  my  property," 


THE  AFFAIR  COMES  OFF,  497 

replied  the  General,  "  and  yet  I  get  the  benefit  of 
the  insurance  in  case  of  fire.  You  will  see,"  he  con- 
tinued, unfolding  the  policy,  "  this  is  the  property  of 
Mr.  Williams,  but  here,  you  will  observe,  it  reads 
'  loss,  if  any,  payable  to  Charles  S.  Stratton,  as  his 
interest  may  appear.'  The  fact  is,  I  loaned  Mr. 
Williams  three  thousand  dollars,  took  a  mortgage  on 
his  house,  and  made  him  insure  it  for  my  benefit. 
In  this  way,  you  perceive,  I  get  my  interest,  and  he 
has  to  pay  the  taxes." 

"  That  is  a  very  wise  way,  I  should  think,"  remarked 
Lavinia. 

"  That  is  the  way  I  do  all  my  business,"  replied  the 
General,  complacently,  as  he  returned  the  huge 
insurance  policy  to  his  pocket.  "You  see,"  he 
continued,  "  I  never  lend  any  of  my  money  without 
taking  bond  and  mortgage  security,  then  I  have 
no  trouble  with  taxes  ;  my  principal  is  secure,  and  I 
receive  my  interest  regularly." 

The  explanation  seemed  satisfactory  to  Lavinia, 
and  the  General's  courage  began  to  rise.  Drawing 
his  chair  a  little  nearer  to  hers,  he  said : 

"  So  you  are  going  to  Europe,  soon  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Lavinia,  "  Mr.  Barnum  intends  to 
take  me  over  in  a  couple  of  months." 

"You  will  find  it  very  pleasant,"  remarked  the 
General ;  "  I  have  been  there  twice,  in  fact  I  have 
spent  six  years  abroad,  and  I  like  the  old  countries 
very  much." 

"I  hope  I  shall  like  the  trip,  and  I  expect  I  shall," 


498  LIFE  OF  P.  T.   BARNUM. 

responded  Lavinia ;  "for  Mr.  Barnum  says  I  shall 
visit  all  the  principal  cities,  and  he  has  no  doubt  I 
will  be  invited  to  appear  before  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land, the  Emperor  and  Empress  of  France,  the 
King  of  Prussia,  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and 
at  the  courts  of  any  other  countries  which  we 
may  visit.  Oh !  I  shall  like  that,  it  will  be  so 
new  to  me." 

"  Yes,  it  will  be  very  interesting  indeed.  I  have 
visited  most  of  the  crowned  heads,"  remarked  the 
General,  with  an  evident  feeling  of  self-congratula- 
tion. "  But  are  you  not  afraid  you  will  be  lonesome 
in  a  strange  country?  "  asked  the  General. 

"  No,  I  think  there  is  no  danger  of  that,  for  friends 
will  accompany  me,"  was  the  reply. 

"  I  wish  I  was  going  over,  for  I  know  all  about 
the  different  countries,  and  could  explain  them  all  to 
you,"  remarked  Tom  Thumb. 

"That  would  be  very  nice,"  said  Lavinia. 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  said  the  General,  moving  his 
chair  still  closer  to  Lavinia's. 

"  Of  course,"  replied  Lavinia,  coolly,  "  for  I,  being 
a  stranger  to  all  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  peo- 
ple, as  well  as  to  the  country,  it  would  be  pleasant 
to  have  some  person  along  who  could  answer  all  my 
foolish  questions." 

"  I  should  like  it  first  rate,  if  Mr.  Barnum  would 
engage  me,"  said  the  General. 

"  I  thought  you  remarked  the  other  day  that  you 
had  money  enough,  and  was  tired  of  traveling, "  said 


THE  COMMODORE  IS  TOO  LATE.  499 

Lavinia,  with  a  slightly  mischievous  look  from  one 
corner  of  her  eye. 

"  That  depends  upon  my  company  while  traveling," 
replied  the  General. 

"You  might  not  find  my  company  very  agreeable." 

"  I  would  be  glad  to  risk  it." 

"Well,  perhaps  Mr.  Barnum  would  engage  you, 
if  you  asked  him,"  said  Lavinia. 

"  Would  you  really  like  to  have  me  go  ? "  asked 
the  General,  quietly  insinuating  his  arm  around  her 
waist,  but  hardly  close  enough  to  touch  her. 

"  Of  course  I  would,"  was  the  reply. 

The  little  General's  arm  clasped  the  waist  closer 
as  he  turned  his  face  nearer  to  hers,  and  said  : 

"  Don't  you  think  it  would  be  pleasanter  if  we  went 
as  man  and  wife  ?  " 

And  after  a  little  hesitation  she  agreed  that  it 
would. 

A  moment  later  a  carriage  drove  up  to  the  door, 
the  bell  rang  and  the  Commodore  entered. 

"You  here,  General?"  said  the  Commodore  as 
he  espied  his  rival. 

"Yes,"  said  Lavinia,  "Mr.  Barnum  asked  him  to 
stay,  and  we  were  waiting  for  you  " 

"  Where  is  Mr.  Barnum  ?  "  asked  the  Commodore. 

"  He  has  gone  to  bed,"  answered  Tom  Thumb, 
"but  a  supper  has  been  prepared  for  you." 

"  I  am  not  hungry,  thank  you,"  said  the  Commo- 
dore petulantly,  "What  room  does  Mr.  Barnum 
sleep  in  ?  " 


5OO  LIFE  OF  P.   T.   BARNUM. 

He  was  answered,  and  immediately  went  to  Mr. 
Barnum  whom  he  found  reading  in  bed. 

"Mr.  Barnum,"  he  said  sarcastically,  "does  Tom 
Thumb  board  here  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Mr.  Barnum,  "Tom  Thumb  does  not 
board  here.  I  invited  him  to  stop  over  night,  so 
don't  be  foolish,  but  go  to  bed." 

"  Oh,  it's  no  affair  of  mine.  I  don't  care  anything 
about  it.  Only  I  thought  he'd  taken  up  his  resi- 
dence here."  And  off  he  went  to  bed,  in  a  very 
bad  humor. 

Ten  minutes  after,  Tom  Thumb  rushed  into  the 
room  in  the  greatest  excitement,  and  cried  joyfully : 
"We're  engaged,  Mr.  Barnum  !  We're  engaged  !" 

"  Is  that  possible  ?  "  said  Barnum. 

"Yes  sir,  indeed  it  is,"  responded  the  General, 
"but  you  must'nt  mention  it.  We've  agreed  to  tell 
no  one,  so  don't  say  a  word.  I'm  going  to  ask  her 
Mother's  consent  Tuesday." 

Barnum  swore  secrecy,  and  the  General  went  off 
radiant  with  happiness. 

The  next  day  the  family  plied  Lavinia  with  all 
sorts  of  questions,  but  not  a  breath  passed  her  lips 
that  would  give  the  slightest  indication  as  to  what 
had  transpired.  She  was  most  amiable  to  the 
Commodore,  and  as  the  General  concluded  to  go 
home  the  next  morning,  the  Commodore's  happi- 
ness and  good  humor  were  fully  restored.  The 
General  made  a  call  Sunday  evening  and  managed 
to  have  an  interview  with  Lavinia,  The  next  morn- 


THE  COMMODORE  IS  TOO  LATE.  501 

ing  she  and  the  Commodore  returned  to  New  York, 
without  Mr.  Barnum. 

The  General  called  on  Monday  to  tell  Mr. 
Barnum  that  he  had  concluded  to  send  his  letter  to 
Lavinia's  mother  by  his  friend,  Mr.  Wells,  who  had 
consented  to  go  to  Middleboro'  the  next  day,  and 
to  urge  the  General's  suit  if  necessary. 

The  General  went  to  New  York  on  Wednesday 
to  wait  there  for  Mr.  Wells's  return.  That  same  day 
he  and  Lavinia  came  to  Mr.  Barnum,  and  Tom 
Thumb  said:  "Mr.  Barnum,  I  want  somebody  to 
tell  the  Commodore  that  Lavinia  and  I  are  engaged, 
for  I'm  afraid  there  will  be  a  row  when  he  hears 
of  it." 

"  Why  don't  you  do  it  yourself,  General  ?  "  asked 
Barnum. 

"  Oh!  "said  the  General,  almost  shuddering,  "I 
would  not  dare  do  it,  he  might  knock  me  down." 

"  I  will  do  it  myself,"  said  Lavinia.  So  the  General 
retired  and  the  Commodore  was  sent  for.  When 
he  had  joined  them,  Mr.  Barnum  began  by  saying, 
"  Commodore,  do  you  know  what  this  little  witch 
has  been  doing  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't,"  he  answered. 

"  Well,  she  has  been  cutting  up  the  greatest  prank 
you  ever  heard  of.  She  almost  deserves  to  be  shut 
up  for  daring  to  do  it.  Can't  you  guess  what  it  is  ?  " 

He  mused  a  moment,  and  then  said  in  a  low  tone, 
and  looking  full  at  her,  "  Engaged  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said    Barnum,   "actually  engaged   to   be 


5O2  LIFE  OP  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

married  to  General  Tom  Thumb.  Did  you  ever 
hear  of  such  a  thing  ?  " 

"  Is  it  so,  Lavinia?  "  he  asked,  earnestly. 

"Yes,"  said  Lavinia,  "it  is  really  so." 

The  Commodore  turned  pale,  choked  a  little,  and 
turning  on  his  heel,  he  said,  in  a  broken  voice : 

"  I  hope  you  may  be  happy." 

As  he  passed  out  the  door  a  tear  rolled  down  his 
cheek.  "That's  pretty  hard,"  said  Barnum. 

"Yes  it  is  hard,"  said  Lavinia,  "and  I  am  very 
sorry.  Only  I  could'nt  help  it.  It  was  all  the  fault 
of  your  emerald  and  diamond  ring." 

Half  an  hour  later  the  Commodore  returned  to 
the  office  and  said  : 

"  Mr.  Barnum  do  you  think  it  would  be  right  for 
Miss  Warren  to  marry  Charlie  Stratton  if  her 
mother  should  object?" 

"  No,  indeed,"  replied  Mr.  Barnum. 

"  Well,  she  says  she  will  marry  him  anyway ;  that 
she  gives  her  mother  the  chance  to  consent,  but  if 
she  objects,  she  will  have  her  way  and  marry  him." 

"  On  the  contrary,"  said  Barnum,  "  I  will  not 
permit  it.  She  is  engaged  to  go  to  Europe  with 
me,  and  I  will  not  release  her  if  her  mother  does  not 
consent  to  her  marriage." 

The  Commodore's  eyes  glistened,  and  he  said: 
"  Between  you  and  me,  Mr.  Barnum,  I  don't  believe 
she  will  consent." 

But  she  did,  although  at  first  she  had  objected, 
thinking  that  it  might  be  merely  a  money-making 


THE  WEbbltiC.  503 

scheme ;  but  after  she  read  Tom  Thumb's  letter, 
and  heard  Mr.  Barnum's  assurance  that  he  would 
release  her  from  her  engagement  with  him,  in  event 
of  the  marriage,  she  consented. 

After  the  Commodore  heard  the  news  Mr.  Barnum 
said  to  him : 

"  Never  mind,  Commodore ;  Minnie  Warren  is  a 
better  match  for  you  anyhow.  She  is  two  years 
younger  than  you,  and  Lavinia  is  older." 

But  the  Commodore  replied  grandly ;  "  Thank 
you  sir,  but  I  would  not  marry  the  best  woman 
living.  I  don't  believe  in  women." 

Barnum  then  suggested  that  he  stand  with  Minnie, 
as  groom  and  bridesmaid,  but  he  declined.  A  few 
weeks  later,  however,  he  told  Barnum  that  Tom 
Thumb  had  asked  him  to  stand  with  Minnie,  and 
that  he  was  going  to  do  so. 

"And  when  I  asked  you,  you  refused,"  said  Bar- 
num. 

"It  was  not  your  business  to  ask  me,"  said  the 
Commodore  pompously,  "when  the  proper  person 
asked  me,  I  accepted." 

The  approaching  wedding  was  announced  and 
created  an  immense  excitement.  Lavinia's  levees 
were  crowded  and  she  not  infrequently  sold  three 
hundred  dollars'  worth  of  photographs  in  a  day. 
The  General  was  engaged  to  exhibit  and  his 
own  photograph  was  largely  in  demand.  The  Mu- 
seum was  so  well  attended,  the  daily  receipts  being 
nearly  three  thousand  dollars,  that  Barnum  offered 


504  LIFE  OF  P.   T,   BARNUM. 

them  fifteen  thousand  dollars  if  they  would  postpone 
their  wedding  for  a  month  and  continue  the  levees. 

"  No  sir,"  said  the  General  excitedly,  "  not  for  fifty 
thousand  dollars." 

"  Good  for  you  Charlie,"  said  Lavinia,  "  only  you 
should  have  said  one  hundred  thousand." 

It  was  suggested  to  Barnum  to  have  the  wedding 
take  place  in  the  Academy  of  Music  and  charge  a 
good  admission. 

But  Barnum  refused. 

Grace  Church,  at  Broadway  and  Tenth  St.,  was 
the  scene  of  this  historic  wedding,  which  occurred  at 
noon  of  Tuesday,  Feb.  10,  1863.  Long  before  the 
hour  designated  the  entire  neighborhood  was 
thronged  by  expectant  and  smiling  crowds  awaiting 
the  arrival  of  the  happy  pair  with  their  attendants, 
and  looking  with  ill-concealed  envy  upon  the  scores 
of  carriages  that  bore  to  the  scene  of  action  the  for- 
tunate possessors  of  cards  of  invitation.  At  the 
entrance  the  ubiquitous  Brown  was  to  be  seen,  bland 
and  smiling,  looking  more  like  an  honest  Alderman 
of  yore  than  a  sexton,  and  recognizing  in  each  new 
deposit  of  youth  or  beauty  or  wealth  another  star  to 
shed  lustre  upon  the  extraordinary  occasion. 

Excellent  police  arrangements,  no  less  than  the 
self-respect  and  decorum  that  always  characterizes 
an  American  crowd,  secured  the  utmost  quiet  and 
order.  The  truth  was  that  an  outsider  could  only 
have  discovered  the  marriage  to  have  been  one  of 
peculiar  interest  from  the  snatches  of  feminine  gossip 


g 

W 


WEDDING. 

that  met  the  ear,  in  which  small-sized  adjectives 
were  profusely  employed. 

The  church  was  crowded  with  a  gay  assemblage 
of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  former  appearing  in 
full  opera  costume,  and  the  latter  in  dress  coats  and 
white  neck-cloths.  In  front  of  the  altar  a  platform 
three  feet  high  covered  with  Brussels  carpet  had 
been  erected.  Pending  the  arrival  of  the  wedding 
cortege,  Mr.  Morgan  performed  a  number  of  oper- 
atic selections  on  the  organ. 

At  high  noon  the  murmuring  of  the  swarming 
throng  outside  and  the  turning  of  all  heads  town- 
ward  presaged  the  arrival  of  the  bridal  party ;  its 
undoubted  arrival  was  announced  by  the  arrival  of 
Barnum  himself. 

The  bridal  party  quickly  entered  the  church,  and 
proceeding  up  the  middle  aisle,  took  proper  positions 
upon  the  platform.  Commodore  Nutt  acting  as 
groomsman,  and  Miss  Minnie  Warren  as  brides- 
maid. 

After  several  operatic  performances  on  the  organ, 
the  marriage  services  were  commenced,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Taylor  and  the  Rev.  Junius  M.  Willey  officiating. 
The  petite  bride  was  given  away  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Palmer,  at  the  request  of  her  parents.  Dr.  Taylor 
pronounced  the  marital  benediction,  when  the  party 
left  the  church  and  were  rapidly  driven  to  the  Metro- 
politan Hotel,  the  street,  stoops,  buildings  and  win- 
dows in  the  neighborhood  of  which  were  crowded 
with  men.  women  and  children. 

29 


5O8  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

At  i  o'clock  the  reception  commenced,  the  bride 
and  groom,  attended  by  the  Commodore  and  Miss 
Minnie  Warren,  occupying  a  dais  in  one  of  the  front 
parlors.  The  crowd  soon  resolved  into  a  perfect 
jam,  and  for  some  time  great  confusion  prevailed. 
After  a  time,  certain  arrangements  were  made  by 
which  the  company  were  enabled  to  pay  their  re- 
spects to  the  little  couple. 

The  graceful  form  of  Mrs.  Charles  S.  Stratton  was 
shown  to  advantage  in  her  bridal  robe,  which  was 
composed  of  plain  white  satin,  the  skirt  en  traine, 
being  decorated  with  a  flounce  of  costly  point  lace, 
headed  by  tulle  puffings ;  the  berthe  to  match.  Her 
hair,  slightly  waved,  was  rolled  a  la  Eugenie,  and 
elaborately  puffed  in  nceuds  behind,  in  which  the 
bridal  veil  was  looped :  natural  orange  blossoms 
breathed  their  perfume  above  her  brow,  and  min- 
gled their  fragrance  with  the  soft  sighs  of  her  gentle 
bosom.  Roses  and  japonicas  composed  a  star-shaped 
bouquet,  which  she  held  in  her  just-bestowed  hand. 

Her  jewels  consisted  of  diamond  necklace,  brace- 
lets, earrings,  and  a  star-shaped  ornament  en  diadem, 
with  brooch  to  match. 

Mr.  Stratton  was  attired  in  a  black  dress  coat  and 
a  vest  of  white  corded  silk,  with  an  undervest  of  blue 
silk. 

The  Commodore  was  similarly  attired,  and  Miss 
Minnie  Warren  appeared  in  a  white  silk  skirt,  with  a 
white  illusion  overdress,  trimmed  half  way  up  the 
skirt  with  bouillonnes  of  the  same  material,  dotted 


THE  WEDDING.  509 

with  pink  rosebuds.  The  corsage  was  decollete, 
with  berthe  to  match. 

At  3  o'clock  the  bridal  party  left  the  reception 
room,  and  retired  to  their  private  parlor,  when  the 
company  soon  after  dispersed.  Upon  leaving  the 
hotel  the  guests  were  supplied  with  wedding  cake, 
over  two  thousand  boxes  being  thus  distributed.  In 
a  parlor  adjoining  that  used  for  the  reception  were 
exhibited  the  bridal  presents. 

The  jewelry  and  silverware  were  displayed  in  glass 
cases. 

That  night,  at  10  o'clock,  the  New  York  Excelsior 
Band  serenaded  the  bridal  party  at  the  Metropolitan, 
when  Mr.  Stratton  appeared  upon  the  balcony  and 
made  the  following  speech  to  the  large  assemblage 
in  front  of  the  hotel : 

"  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN — I  thank  you  most  sin- 
cerely for  this  and  many  other  tokens  of  kindness 
showered  upon  me  to-day.  After  being  for  more 
than  twenty  years  before  the  public,  I  little  expected 
at  this  late  day,  to  attract  so  much  attention.  Indeed 
if  I  had  not  become  a  family  man  I  should  never  have 
known  how  high  I  stood  in  public  favor,  and  I  assure 
you  I  appreciate  highly  and  am  truly  grateful  for  this 
evidence  of  your  esteem  and  consideration.  I  am 
soon  off  for  foreign  lands,  but  I  shall  take  with  me 
the  pleasant  recollection  of  your  kindness  to-day. 
But,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  a  little  woman  in  the 
adjoining  apartment  is  very  anxious  to  see  us,  and  I 


5 id  LIFE  OF  P.  r. 

must,  therefore,  make  this  speech,  like  myself,  short. 
I  kindly  thank  the  excellent  band  of  music  for  its 
melody,  the  sweetness  of  which  is  only  exceeded  by 
my  anticipations  of  happiness  in  the  new  life  before 
me.  And  now,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  wishing  you 
all  health  and  happiness,  I  bid  you  all  a  cordial  good- 
night." [Applause.]  • 

The  following  entirely  authentic  correspondence, 
the  only  suppression  being  the  name  of  the  person 
who  wrote  to  Dr.  Tayior,  and  to  whom  Dr.  Taylor's 
reply  is  addressed,  shows  how  a  certain  would-be 
"  witness  "  was  not  a  witness  of  the  famous  wedding. 
In  other  particulars  the  correspondence  speaks  for 
itself. 

To  THE  REV.  DR.  TAYLOR. 

Sir :  The  object  of  my  unwillingly  addressing  you  this  note 
is  to  inquire  what  right  you  had  to  exclude  myself  and  other 
owners  of  pews  in  Grace  Church  from  entering  it  yesterday, 
enforced,  too,  by  a  cordon  of  police  for  that  purpose.  If  my 
pew  is  not  my  property,  I  wish  to  know  it ;  and  if  it  is,  I  deny 
your  right  to  prevent  me  from  occupying  it  whenever  the  church 
is  open,  even  at  a  marriage  of  mountebanks,  which  I  would  not 
take  the  trouble  to  cross  the  street  to  witness. 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

\y  *  #  #    g  #  #  * 

804  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK,  Feb.  16,  1863. 
MR.  W  *  *  *  S  *  *  * 

Dear  Sir :  I  am  sorry,  my  valued  friend,  that  you  should 
have  written  me  the  peppery  letter  that  is  now  before  me.  If 
the  matter  of  which  you  complain  be  so  utterly  insignificant 


INDIGNANT  PE  W-HOLDERS.  5 1 1 

and  contemptible  as  "a  marriage  of  mountebanks,  which  you 
would  not  take  the  trouble  to  cross  the  street  to  witness,"  it 
surprises  me  that  you  should  have  made  such  strenuous,  but  ill- 
directed  efforts  to  secure  a  ticket  of  admission.  And  why, 
permit  me  to  ask,  in  the  name  of  reason  and  philosophy,  do  you 
still  suffer  it  to  disturb  you  so  sadly  ?  It  would,  perhaps,  be  a 
sufficient  answer  to  your  letter,  to  say  that  your  cause  of  com- 
plaint exists  only  in  your  imagination.  You  have  never  been 
excluded  from  your  pew.  As  rector,-!  am  the  only  custodian  of 
the  church,  and  you  will  hardly  venture  to  say  that  you  have 
ever  applied  to  me  for  permission  to  enter,  and  been  refused. 

Here  I  might  safely  rest,  and  leave  you  to  the  comfort  of  your 
own  reflections  in  the  case.  But  as  you,  in  common  with  many 
other  worthy  persons,  would  seem  to  have  very  crude  notions  as 
to  your  rights  of  "property"  in  pews,  you  will  pardon  me  for 
saying  that  a  pew  in  a  church  is  property  only  in  a  peculiar  and 
restricted  sense.  It  is  not  property,  as  your  house  or  horse  is 
property.  It  vests  you  with  no  fee  in  the  soil ;  you  cannot  use 
it  in  any  way,  and  in  every  way,  and  at  all  times,  as  your 
pleasure  or  caprice  may  dictate;  you  cannot  put  .it  to  any 
common  or  unhallowed  uses;  you  cannot  remove  it,  nor  injure 
it,  nor  destroy  it.  In  short,  you  hold  by  purchase,  and  may 
sell  the  right  to,  the  undisturbed  possession  of  that  little  space 
within  the  church  edifice  which  you  call  your  pew  during  the 
hours  of  divine  service.  But  even  that  right  must  be  exercised 
decorously,  and  with  a  decent  regard  for  time  and  place,  or  else 
you  may  at  any  moment  be  ignominiously  ejected  from  it. 

I  regret  to  be  obliged  to  add  that,  by  the  law  of  custom,  you 
may,  during  those  said  hours  of  divine  service  (but  at  no  other 
time)  sleep  in  your  pew ;  you  must,  however,  do  so  noiselessly 
and  never  to  the  disturbance  of  your  sleeping  neighbors ;  your 
property  in  your  pew  has  this  extent  and  nothing  more.  Now, 
if  Mr.  W  *  *  *  S  *  *  *  were  at  any  time  to  come  to  me  and  say, 
"  Sir,  I  would  that  you  should  grant  me  the  use  of  Grace  Church 
for  a  solemn  service  (a  marriage,  a  baptism,  or  a  funeral,  as  the 
csise  may  be),  and  as  it  is  desirable  that  the  feelings  of  the  parties 


5 1  2  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

should  be  protected  as  far  as  possible  from  the  impertinent  intru- 
sion and  disturbance  of  a  crowd  from  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the 
city,  I  beg  that  no  one  may  be  admitted  within  the  doors  of  the 
church  during  the  very  few  moments  that  we  expect  to  be  there, 
but  our  invited  friends  only," — it  would  certainly,  in  such  a  case, 
be  my  pleasure  to  comply  with  your  request,  and  to  meet  your 
wishes  in  every  particular ;  and  I  think  that  even  Mr.  W  *  *  * 
S  *  *  *  will  agree  that  all  this  would  be  entirely  reasonable  and 
proper.  Then,  tell  me,  how  would  such  a  case  differ  from  the 
instance  of  which  you  complain?  Two  young  persons,  whose 
only  crimes  would  seem  to  be  that  they  are  neither  so  big,  nor 
so  stupid,  nor  so  ill-mannered,  nor  so  inordinately  selfish  as 
some  other  people,  come  to  me  and  say,  sir,  we  are  about  to  be 
married,  and  we  wish  to  throw  around  our  marriage  all  the 
solemnities  of  religion.  We  are  strangers  in  your  city,  and  as 
there  is  no  clergyman  here  standing  in  a  pastoral  relation  to  us, 
we  have  ventured  to  ask  the  favor  of  the  bishop  of  New  York  to 
marry  us,  and  he  has  kindly  consented  to  do  so ;  may  we  then 
venture  a  little  further  and  request  the  use  of  your  church  in 
which  the  bishop  may  perform  the  marriage  service  ?  We  assure 
you,  sir,  that  we  are  no  shams,  no  cheats,  no  mountebanks ;  we 
are  neither  monsters  nor  abortions ;  it  is  true  we  are  little,  but 
we  are  as  God  made  us,  perfect  in  our  littleness.  Sir,  we  are 
simply  man  and  woman  of  like  passions  and  infirmities  with  you 
and  other  mortals.  The  arrangements  for  our  marriage  are  con- 
trolled by  no  "showman,"  and  we  are  sincerely  desirous  that 
everything  should  be  ordered  with  a  most  scrupulous  regard  to 
decorum.  We  hope  to  invite  our  relations  and  intimate  friends, 
together  with  such  persons  as  may  in  other  years  have  extended 
civilities  to  either  of  us ;  but  we  pledge  ourselves  to  you  most 
sacredly  that  no  invitation  can  be  bought  with  money.  Permit 
us  to  say  further,  that  as  we  would  most  gladly  escape  from  the 
insulting  jeers,  and  ribald  sneers  and  coarse  ridicule  of  the  un- 
thinking multitude  without,  we  pray  you  to  allow  us,  at  our  own 
proper  charges,  so  to  guard  the  avenues  of  access  from  the  street, 
as  to  prevent  all  unseemly  tumult  and  disorder. 


A  TTEMPTED  BLA  CKMAIL.  5  \  « 

I  tell  you,  sir,  that  whenever,  and  from  whomsoever,  such  an 
appeal  is  made  to  my  Christian  courtesy,  although  it  should  come 
from  the  very  humblest  of  the  earth,  I  would  go  calmly  and 
cheerfully  forward  to  meet  their  wishes,  although  as  many 
W  #  *  *  S  *  *  *  's  as  would  reach  from  here  to  Kamtschatka, 
clothed  in  furs  and  frowns,  should  rise  up  to  oppose  me. 

In  conclusion,  I  will  say,  that  if  the  marriage  of  Charles  S. 
Stratton  and  Lavinia  Warren  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  pageant, 
then  it  was  the  most  beautiful  pageant  it  has  ever  been  my 
privilege  to  witness.  If,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  rather  to  be 
thought  of  as  a  solemn  ceremony,  then  it  was  as  touchingly 
solemn  as  a  wedding  can  possibly  be  rendered.  It  is  true  the 
bishop  was  not  present,  but  Mr.  Stratton's  own  pastor,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Willey,  of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  read  the  service  with 
admirable  taste  and  impressiveness,  and  the  bride  was  given  away 
by  her  mother's  pastor  and  her  own  "next  friend,"  a  venerable 
Congregational  clergyman  from  Massachusetts.  Surely,  there 
never  was  a  gathering  of  so  many  hundreds  of  our  best  people, 
when  everybody  appeared  so  delighted  with  everything;  surely  it  is 
no  light  thing  to  call  forth  so  much  innocent  joy  in  so  few  moments 
of  passing  time  ;  surely  it  is  no  light  thing,  thus  to  smooth  the 
roughness  and  sweeten  the  acerbities  which  mar  our  happiness  as 
we  advance  upon  the  wearing  journey  of  life.  Sir,  it  was  most 
emphatically  a  high  triumph  of  "  Christian  civilization  !  " 
Respectfully  submitted,  by  your  obedient  servant, 

THOMAS  HOUSE  TAYLOR. 

Not  long  after  the  wedding,  a  lady  called  at  Bar- 
num's  office  and  called  his  attention  to  a  little  six- 
paged  pamphlet  which  she  said  she  had  written.  It 
was  called  "  Priests  and  Pigmies,"  and  she  asked 
Barnum  to  read  it.  He  glanced  at  the  title,  and  at 
once  estimating  the  character  of  the  publication, 
promptly  declined  to  devote  any  portion  of  his 
valuable  time  to  its  perusal. 


51 4  LIFE  OF  P.   T.   BARNUM. 

"But  you  had  better  look  at  it,  Mr.  Barnum ;  it 
deeply  interests  you,  and  you  may  think  it  worth 
your  while  to  buy  it." 

"Certainly,  I  will  buy  it,  if  you  desire,"  said  he, 
tendering  her  a  sixpence,  which  he  supposed  to  be 
the  price  of  the  little  pamphlet. 

"  Oh !  you  quite  misunderstand  me ;  I  mean  buy 
the  copyright  and  the  entire  edition,  with  the  view 
of  suppressing  the  work.  It  says  some  frightful 
things,  I  assure  you,"  urged  the  author. 

He  lay  back  in  his  chair  and  fairly  roared  at  this 
exceedingly  feeble  attempt  at  blackmail. 

"But,"  persisted  the  lady,  "suppose  it  says  that 
your  Museum  and  Grace  Church  are  all  one,  what 
then  ?  " 

"My  dear  madam,"  he  replied,  "you  may  say 
what  you  please  about  me  or  about  my  Museum  ; 
you  may  print  a  hundred  thousand  copies  of  a 
pamphlet  stating  that  I  stole  the  communion  service, 
after  the  wedding,  from  Grace  Church  altar,  or  any- 
thing else  you  choose  to  write ;  only  have  the  kind- 
ness to  say  something  about  me,  and  then  come  to 
me  and  I  will  properly  estimate  the  money  value  of 
your  services  to  me  as  an  advertising  agent.  Good 
morning,  madam," — and  she  departed. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

POLITICAL   NOTES. 

BARNUM  BECOMES  A  REPUBLICAN — ILLUMINATING  THE  HOUSE  OF  A  DEMO- 
CRAT— THE  PEACE  MEETING — ELECTED  TO  THE  LEGISLATURE — WAR  ON 
THE  RAILROADS — SPEECH  ON  THE  AMENDMENT. 

While  he  had  always  taken  an  active  interest  in 
politics,  it  was  many  years  before  Barnum  consented 
to  run  for  any  office.  In  1852  he  was  strongly  urged 
to  submit  his  name  to  the  State  Convention,  as  a 
candidate  for  the  office  of  Governor,  and  although 
the  Democratic  party  (to  which  he  then  belonged) 
was  in  the  ascendancy,  and  the  nomination  was 
equivalent  to  election,  he  still  refused. 

In  1860  his  political  convictions  were  changed, 
and  he  identified  himself  with  the  Republican  party. 
During  the  exciting  campaign  of  that  year,  which 
resulted  in  Lincoln's  first  election  to  the  presidency, 
it  will  be  remembered  that  the  "Wide-Awake" 
associations,  with  their  uniforms  and  torchlight 
processions,  were  organized  in  every  city,  town  and 
village  throughout  the  North. 

One  day  Mr.  Barnum  arrived  home  from  New 
York  and  learned  that  the  Bridgeport  "  Wide 
Awakes,"  were  to  parade  that  evening  and  intended 


5 1 6  LIFE  OF  P.  T.   BARNUM. 

to  march  out  to  Lindencroft.  Ordering  two  boxes 
of  candles  he  prepared  for  an  illumination  of  every 
window  in  the  house.  Many  of  his  neighbors,  among 
them  several  Democrats,  came  to  Lindencroft  that 
evening  to  witness  the  parade,  and  to  see  the  illumi- 
nation. His  next  door  neighbor,  Mr.  T.,  was  a 
strong  Democrat,  and  before  he  left  home,  he 
ordered  his  servants  to  stay  in  the  basement,  and 
not  show  a  light,  thus  proving  by  the  darkness  of 
his  premises,  the  firmness  of  his  Democratic  prin- 
ciples. 

Barnum  urged  his  friend  James  D.  Johnson,  who 
was  not  less  a  joker  than  a  Democrat,  to  engage  the 
attention  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.,  and  to  keep  their  faces 
turned  toward  Bridgeport  and  the  approaching  pro- 
cession, while  he  and  Mr.  George  A.  Wells,  also  a 
Democrat,  ran  over  and  illuminated  Mr.  T.'s.  house. 
As  the  Wide- Awakes  approached  and  saw  that  the 
house  of  Mr.  T.  was  in  a  blaze  with  light,  they  con- 
cluded that  he  had  changed  his  politics,  and  gave 
three  rousing  cheers  for  him.  Hearing  his  name,  he 
turned  and  saw  his  house  lighted  from  basement  to 
attic,  and  uttering  one  single  emphatic  ejaculation, 
he  rushed  for  home.  But  he  was  not  able  to  extin- 
guish the  lights  before  the  Wide- Awakes  had  gone 
on  their  way  rejoicing  over  his  apparent  conversion. 

When  the  war  broke  out  in  1861,  Barnum  was  too 
old  for  active  service  in  the  field,  but  he  sent  four 
substitutes  and  contributed  largely  from  his  means 
to  the  support  of  the  Union. 


THE  PEA CE  MEETING.  517 

Aftet  Bull  Run,  July  2ist,  1861,  "  Peace  Meetings" 
began  to  be  held  in  different  parts  of  the  North,  and 
especially  in  Connecticut.  At  these  meetings  it  was 
usual  to  display  a  white  flag  bearing  the  word 
"  Peace,"  above  the  national  flag,  and  to  listen  to 
speeches  denunciatory  of  the  war. 

One  of  these  meetings  was  held  August  24,  1861, 
at  Stepney,  ten  miles  north  of  Bridgeport,  and  Mr. 
Barnum  and  Elias  Howe,  Jr.,  inventor  of  the  sewing 
machine  needle,  agreed  to  attend  and  hear  for  them- 
selves whether  the  speeches  were  loyal  or  not. 
They  communicated  their  intention  to  a  number  of 
their  friends,  asking  them  to  go  also,  and  at  least 
twenty  accepted  the  invitation.  It  was  their  plan  to 
listen  quietly  to  the  harangues,  and  if  they  found  any 
opposition  to  the  government  or  anything  calculated 
to  create  disaffection  in  the  community,  or  liable  to 
deter  enlistments, — to  report  the  matter  to  the 
authorities  at  Washington  and  ask  that  measures  be 
taken  to  suppress  the  gatherings. 

As  the  carriages  of  these  gentlemen  turned  into 
Main  street  they  discovered  two  large  omnibuses 
filled  with  soldiers  who  were  home  on  a  furlough, 
and  who  were  going  to  Stepney.  The  lighter 
carriages  soon  outran  the  omnibuses,  and  the  party 
arrived  at  Stepney  in  time  to  see  the  white  flag  run 
up  above  the  stars  and  stripes.  They  stood  quietly 
in  the  crowd,  while  the  meeting  was  organized,  and 
a  preacher — Mr.  Charles  Smith — was  invited  to  open 
the  proceedings  with  prayer.  "  The  Military  and 


5l8  LIFE  OF  P.  T.   BARNUM. 

Civil  History  of  Connecticut,  during  the  war  of 
1861-65,"  by  W.  A  Croffut  and  'John  M.  Morris,  thus 
continues  the  account  of  the  meeting  : 

"He  (Smith)  had  not,  however,  progressed  far  in 
his  supplication,  when  he  slightly  opened  his  eyes, 
and  beheld,  to  his  horror,  the  Bridgeport  omnibuses 
coming  over  the  hill,  garnished  with  Union  banners, 
and  vocal  with  loyal  cheers.  This  was  the  signal  for 
a  panic ;  Bull  Run,  on  a  small  scale  was  re-enacted. 
The  devout  Smith,  and  the  undelivered  orators,  it  is 
alleged,  took  refuge  in  a  field  of  corn.  The  proces- 
sion drove  straight  to  the  pole  unresisted,  the  hostile 
crowd  parting  to  let  them  pass ;  and  a  tall  man — 
John  Platt — amid  some  mutterings,  climbed  the  pole, 
reached  the  halliards,  and  the  mongrel  banners  were 
on  the  ground.  Some  of  the  peace-men,  rallying, 
drew  weapons  on  'the  invaders/  and  a  musket  and 
a  revolver  were  taken  from  them  by  soldiers  at 
the  very  instant  of  firing.  Another  of  the  defend- 
ers fired  a  revolver,  and  was  chased  into  the  fields. 
Still  others,  waxing  belligerent,  were  disarmed,  and 
a  number  of  loaded  muskets  found  stored  in  an  adja- 
cent shed  were  seized.  The  stars  and  stripes  were 
hoisted  upon  the  pole,  and  wildly  cheered.  P.  T. 
Barnum  was  then  taken  on  the  shoulders  of  the  boys 
in  blue,  and  put  on  the  platform,  where  he  made  a 
speech  full  of  patriotism,  spiced  with  the  humor  of  the 
occasion.  Captain  James  E.  Dunham  also  said  a  few 
words  to  the  point.  *****  j^g  c;tar  Span- 
gled Banner'  was  then  sung  in  chorus,  and  a  series 


ELECTED  TO  THE  LEGISLATURE.  519 

of  resolutions  passed,  declaring  that  '  loyal  men  are 
the  rightful  custodians  of  the  peace  of  Connecticut.' 
Elias  Howe,  Jr.,  chairman,  made  his  speech,  when 
the  crowd  threatened  to  shoot  the  speakers.  '  If  they 
fire  a  gun,  boys,  burn  the  whole  town,  and  I'll  pay 
for  it ! '  After  giving  the  citizens  wholesome  advice 
concerning  the  substituted  flag,  and  their  duty  to  the 
government,  the  procession  returned  to  Bridgeport, 
with  the  white  flag  trailing  in  the  mud  behind  an 
omnibus.  *  *  *  *  They  were  received  at 
Bridgeport  by  approving  crowds,  and  were  greeted 
with  continuous  cheers  as  they  passed  along." 

In  the  Spring  of  1865,  Barnum  accepted  from  the 
Republican  party  a  nomination  to  the  Connecticut 
Legislature,  from  the  town  of  Fairfield,  and  he  did 
so  mainly  because  he  wished  to  vote  for  the  then 
proposed  amendment  to  the  Constitution,  to  abolish 
slavery  forever  from  the  land. 

He  was  elected,  and  on  arriving  at  Hartford  the 
night  before  the  session  began,  found  the  wire  pul- 
lers at  work,  laying  their  plans  for  the  election  of  a 
Speaker  of  the  House. 

Barnum,  with  his  usual  penetration  and  shrewd- 
ness, saw  that  the  railroad  interests  had  combined 
in  support  of  one  of  the  candidates,  and  seeing  in 
this,  no  promise  of  good  to  the  community  at  large, 
he  at  once  consulted  with  a  few  friends  in  the  Leg- 
islature, and  they  resolved  to  defeat  the  railroad 
"  ring,"  if  possible,  in  caucus.  Their  efforts  were 


52O  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

successful  and  the  railroad's  candidate  was  not 
elected. 

Immediately  after  the  caucus,  Barnum  sought  the 
successful  nominee,  Hon.  E.  K.  Foster,  of  New 
Haven,  and  begged  him  not  to  appoint  as 
chairman  of  the  Railroad  Committee  the  man  who 
had  held  the  office  for  several  successive  years,  and 
who  was,  in  fact,  the  great  railroad  factotum  of  the 
State.  The  speaker  complied  with  Barnum's  request, 
and  he  soon  saw  how  important  it  was  to  check  the 
strong  and  growing  monopoly  ;  for,  as  he  said,  the 
"  outside  pressure  "  to  secure  the  appointment  of 
the  objectionable  party  was  terrible. 

Although  Barnum  had  not  foreseen  such  a  thing 
until  he  reached  Hartford,  he  soon  discovered  that 
a  battle  with  the  railroad  commissioners  would  be 
necessary,  and  his  course  was  shaped  accordingly. 
A  majority  of  the  commissioners  were  mere  tools 
in  the  hands  of  the  railroad  companies,  and  one  of 
them  was  actually  a  hired  clerk  in  the  office  of  the 
New  York  and  New  Haven  Railroad  Company.  It 
was  also  shown  that  the  chairman  of  the  commis- 
sioners permitted  most  of  the  accidents  which 
occurred  on  that  road  to  be  taken  charge  of  and 
reported  upon  by  their  paid  lobby  agent. 

This  was  so  manifestly  destructive  to  the  interests 
of  all  parties  who  might  suffer  from  accidents  on  the 
road,  or  have  any  controversy  with  the  company, 
that  the  farmers,  and  the  anti-monopolist  element 


WAR  WITH  THE  RAILROADS.  521 

united  to  defeat  the  chairman  of  the  railroad 
commissioners,  who  was  a  candidate  for  re-election, 
and  to  put  their  own  candidate  in  his  place. 

Through  Barnum's  efforts  a  law  was  passed  that 
no  person  in  the  employ  of  any  railroad  in  the 
State,  should  serve  as  railroad  commissioner. 

But  the  great  struggle,  which  lasted  through  the 
entire  session,  was  upon  the  subject  of  railroad 
passenger  commutations.  Commodore  Vanderbilt 
had  secured  control  of  the  Hudson  River  and 
Harlem  railroads,  and  had  increased  the  price  of 
commuters'  tickets,  from  two  hundred  to  four 
hundred  per  cent.  Many  men  living  on  the  line  of 
these  roads,  ten  to  fifty  miles  from  New  York,  had 
built  fine  residences  in  the  country  on  the  strength 
of  cheap  transit  to  and  from  the  city,  and  were  now 
compelled  to  submit  to  the  extortion.  Commodore 
Vanderbilt  was  also  a  large  shareholder  in  the  New 
York  and  New  Haven  road,  and  it  seemed  evident 
that  the  same  practice  would  be  introduced  there. 
Barnum  therefore  enlisted  as  many  as  he  could  in  a 
strong  effort  to  strangle  the  outrage  before  it  became 
too  strong  to  grapple  with.  Several  lawyers  in  the 
Assembly  promised  their  aid,  but  before  the  final 
struggle  came,  all  but  one,  in  the  whole  body,  had 
enlisted  in  favor  of  the  railroads. 

What  influence  had  been  at  work  with  these 
gentlemen  was,  of  course,  a  matter  of  conjecture. 

Certain  it  is  that  all  the  railroad  interests  in  the 
State  Tyere  combined  ;  and  while  they  had  plenty  ^f 


522  LIFE  OF  P.   T.   BARNUM. 

money  with  which  to  carry  out  their  designs,  the 
chances  were  small  indeed  for  those  members  of 
the  legislature  who  were  struggling  for  simple 
justice,  and  who  had  no  pecuniary  interests  at  stake. 

Nevertheless,  every  inch  of  ground  was  fought 
over,  day  after  day,  before  the  legislative  railroad 
committee ;  examinations  and  cross-examinations  of 
railroad  commissioners  and  lobbyists  were  kept  up. 
Scarcely  more  than  one  man,  Senator  Ballard,  of 
Darien,  lent  his  personal  aid  to  Barnum  in  the 
investigation,  but  together  they  left  not  a  stone 
unturned. 

The  man  who  was  prevented  from  being  ap- 
pointed chairman  succeeded  in  becoming  one  of 
the  railroad  commissioners,  but  so  much  light  was 
thrown  on  his  connection  with  railroad  reports,  railroad 
laws  and  lobbying,  by  the  indefatigable  Barnum,  that 
the  man  took  to  his  bed,  some  ten  days  before  the 
close  of  the  session,  and  actually  staid  there  "  sick  " 
until  the  legislature  adjourned. 

The  amendment  to  the  United  States  Constitution 
abolishing  slavery  met  with  little  opposition;  but 
the  proposed  amendment  to  the  State  Constitution, 
giving  the  right  of  suffrage  to  the  negro,  was  violently 
opposed  by  the  Democratic  members.  The  report 
from  the  minority  of  the  committee  to  whom  the 
question  was  referred  gave  certain  reasons  for 
rejecting  the  contemplated  amendment,  and  in  reply 
to  this  minority  report,  Barnum  spoke,  May  26th, 
1865,  as  follows: — 


SfEECff  OF  P.   T.   BARNUM.  525 

ON   THE   CONSTITUTIONAL   AMENDMENT. 

Mr.  Speaker :  I  will  not  attempt  to  notice  at  any  length  the 
declamation  of  the  honorable  gentleman  from  Milford,  for 
certainly  I  have  heard  nothing  from  his  lips  approaching  to  the 
dignity  of  argument.  I  agree  with  the  gentleman  that  the  right 
of  suffrage  is  "  dearly  and  sacredly  cherished  by  the  white 
man";  and  it  is  because  this  right  is  so  dear  and  sacred,  that  I 
wish  to  see  it  extended  to  every  educated  moral  man  within  our 
State,  without  regard  to  color.  He  tells  us  that  one  race  is  a 
vessel  to  honor,  and  another  to  dishonor  ;  and  that  he  has  seen 
on  ancient  Egyptian  monuments  the  negro  represented  as  "a 
hewer  of  wood  and  a  drawer  of  water."  This  is  doubtless  true, 
and  the  gentleman  seems  determined  always  to  keep  the  negro  a 
"vessel  of  dishonor,"  and  a  "hewer  of  wood."  We,  on  the 
other  hand,  propose  to  give  him  the  opportunity  of  expanding 
his  faculties  and  elevating  himself  to  true  manhood.  He  says  he 
"hates  and  abhors,  and  despises  demagogism."  I  am  rejoiced 
to  hear  it,  and  I  trust  we  shall  see  tangible  evidence  of  the  truth 
of  what  he  professes  in  his  abandonment  of  that  slavery  to  party 
which  is  the  mere  trick  and  trap  of  the  demagogue. 

When,  a  few  days  since,  this  honorable  body  voted  unani- 
mously for  the  Amendment  of  the  United  States  Constitution, 
abolishing  human  slavery,  I  not  only  thanked  God  from  my  heart 
of  hearts,  but  I  felt  like  going  down  on  my  knees  to  the  gentlemen 
of  the  opposition,  for  the  wisdom  they  had  exhibited  in  bowing 
to  the  logic  of  events  by  dropping  that  dead  weight  of  slavery 
which  had  disrupted  the  Democratic  party,  with  which  I  had 
been  so  long  connected.  And  on  this  occasion  I  wish  again  to 
appeal  to  the  wisdom  and  loyalty  of  my  Democratic  friends.  I 
say  Democratic  "friends,"  for  I  am  and  ever  was,  a  thorough, 
out  and  out  Democrat.  I  supported  General  Jackson,  and 
voted  for  every  Democratic  president  after  him,  up  to  and 
including  Pierce;  for  I  really  thought  Pierce  was  a  Democrat 
until  he  proved  the  contrary,  as  I  conceived,  in  the  Kansas 
question.  My  democracy  goes  for  the  greatest  good  to  the 
greatest  number,  for  equal  and  exact  justice  to  all  men,  and  for 
a  submission  to  the  will  of  the  majority.  It  was  the  repudiation 


526  LIFE  OF  P.   T.   BAR  NUM. 

by  the  Southern  Democracy  of  this  great  democratic  doctrine  of 
majority  rule  which  opened  the  rebellion. 

And  now,  Mr.  Speaker,  let  me  remind  our  Democratic  friends 
that  the  present  question  simply  asks  that  a  majority  of  the  legal 
voters,  the  white  citizens  of  this  State,  may  decide  whether  or  not 
colored  men  of  good  moral  character,  ivho  are  able  to  ready  and 
who  possess  all  the  qualifications  of  white  voters,  shall  be  entitled 
to  the  elective  franchise.  The  opposition  may  have  their  own 
ideas,  or  may  be  in  doubt  upon  this  subject ;  but  surely  no  true 
Democrat  will  dare  to  refuse  permission  to  our  fellow-citizens  to 
decide  the  question. 

Negro  slavery,  and  its  legitimate  outgrowths  of  ignorance, 
tyranny  and  oppression,  have  caused  this  gigantic  rebellion, 
which  has  cost  our  country  thousands  of  millions  of  treasure, 
and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  human  lives  in  defending  a  prin- 
ciple. And  where  was  this  poor,  down-trodden  colored  race  in 
this  rebellion?  Did  they  seize  the  "opportunity"  when  their 
masters  were  engaged  with  a  powerful  foe,  to  break  out  in  insur- 
rection, and  massacre  those  tyrants  who  had  so  long  held  them  in 
the  most  cruel  bondage  ?  No,  Mr.  Speaker,  they  did  not  do  this. 
My  "  Democratic  "  friends  would  have  done  it.  I  would  have 
done  it.  Irishmen,  Chinamen,  Portuguese,  would  have  done  it; 
any  white  man  would  have  done  it ;  but  the  poor  black  man  is 
like  a  lamb  in  his  nature  compared  with  the  white  man.  The 
black  man  possesses  a  confiding  disposition,  thoroughly  tinctured 
with  religious  enthusiasm,  and  not  characterized  by  a  spirit  of 
revenge.  No,  the  only  barbarous  massacres  we  heard  of,,  during 
the  war,  were  those  committed  by  their  white  masters  on  their 
poor,  defenceless  white  prisoners,  and  to  the  eternal  disgrace  of 
southern  white  "Democratic  "  rebels,  be  it  said,  these  instances 
of  barbarism  were  numerous  all  through  the  war.  When  this  re- 
bellion first  broke  out,  the  northern  Democracy  raised  a  hue-and- 
cry  against  permitting  the  negroes  to  fight ;  but  when  such 
a  measure  seemed  necessary,  in  order  to  put  down  traitors,  these 
colored  men  took  their  muskets  in  hand  and  made  their  bodies  a 
wall  of  defence  for  the  loyal  citizens  of  the  North.  And 


SPEECH  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM.  527 

when  our  grateful  white  citizens  ask  from  this  assembly  the  privi- 
lege of  deciding  by  their  votes  whether  these  colored  men,  who, 
at  least,  were  partially  our  saviours  in  the  war,  may  or  may  not, 
under  proper  restrictions,  become  participants  in  that  great  sal- 
vation, I  am  amazed  that  men  calling  themselves  Democrats  dare 
refuse  to  grant  this  democratic  measure.  We  wish  to  educate 
ignorant  men,  white  or  black.  Ignorance  is  incompatible  with 
the  genius  of  our  free  institutions.  In  the  very  nature  of  things 
it  jeopardizes  their  stability,  and  it  is  always  unsafe  to  transgress 
the  laws  of  nature.  We  cannot  safely  shut  ourselves  up  with 
ignorance  and  brutality ;  we  must  educate  and  Christianize  those 
who  are  now  by  circumstances  our  social  inferiors. 

Years  ago,  I  was  afraid  of  foreign  voters.  I  feared  that  when 
Europe  poured  her  teeming  millions  of  working  people  upon 
our  shores,  our  extended  laws  of  franchise  would  enable  them  to 
swamp  our  free  institutions,  and  reduce  us  to  anarchy.  But 
much  reflection  has  satisfied  me  that  we  have  only  to  elevate 
these  millions  and  their  descendants  to  the  standard  of  American 
citizenship,  and  we  shall  find  sufficient  of  the  leaven  of  liberty 
in  our  system  of  government  to  absorb  all  foreign  elements  and 
assimilate  them  to  a  truly  democratic  form  of  government. 

Mr.  Speaker :  We  cannot  afford  to  carry  passengers  and  have 
them  live  under  our  government  with  no  real  vital  interest  in  its 
perpetuity.  Every  man  must  be  a  joint  owner. 

The  only  safe  inhabitants  of  a  free  country  are  educated  citi- 
zens who  vote. 

Nor  in  a  free  government  can  we  afford  to  employ  journeymen ; 
they  may  be  apprenticed  until  they  learn  to  read,  and  study 
our  institutions;  and  then  let  them  become  joint  proprietors 
and  feel  a  proportionate  responsibility.  The  two  learned  and  dis- 
tinguished authors  of  the  minority  report  have  been  studying  the 
science  of  ethnology  and  have  treated  us  with  a  dissertation  on 
the  races.  And  what  have  they  attempted  to  show?  Why,  that 
a  race  which,  simply  on  account  of  the  color  of  the  skin,  has 
long  been  buried  in  slavery  at  the  South,  and  even  at  the  North 
has  been  tabooed  and  scarcely  permitted  to  rise  above  the  dig- 


52*  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNVM. 

nity  of  whitewashes  and  boot-btacks,  does  not  exhibit  the  same 
polish  and  refinement  that  the  white  citizens  do  who  have  enjoyed 
the  advantages  of  civilization,  education,  Christian  culture  and 
self-respect  which  can  only  be  attained  by  those  who  share  in 
making  the  laws  under  which  they  live. 

Do  our  Democratic  friends  assume  that  the  negroes  are  not 
human?  I  have  heard  professed  Democrats  claim  even  that; 
but  do  the  authors  of  this  minority  report  insist  that  the  negro 
is  a  beast  ?  Is  his  body  not  tenanted  by 'an  immortal  spirit  ?  If 
this  is  the  position  of  the  gentlemen,  then  I  confess  a  beast  can- 
not reason,  and  this  minority  committee  are  right  in  declaring 
that  "  the  negro  can  develop  no  inventive  faculties  or  genius  for 
the  arts."  For  although  the  elephant  may  be  taught  to  plow, 
or  the  dog  to  carry  your  market-basket  by  his  teeth,  you  can- 
not teach  them  to  shave  notes,  to  speculate  in  gold,  or  even  to 
vote ;  whereas,  the  experience  of  all  political  parties  shows  that 
men  may  be  taught  to  vote,  even  when  they  do  not  know  what 
the  ticket  means. 

But  if  the  colored  man  is  indeed  a  man,  then  his  manhood 
with  proper  training  can  be  developed.  His  soul  may  appear 
dormant,  his  brain  inactive,  but  there  is  a  vitality  there;  and 
Nature  will  assert  herself  if  you  will  give  her  the  opportunity. 

Suppose  ai  inhabitant  of  another  planet  should  drop  down 
upon  this  portion  of  our  globe  at  mid-winter.  He  would  find 
the  earth  covered  with  snow  and  ice,  and  congealed  almost  to 
the  consistency  of  granite.  The  trees  are  leafless,  everything  is 
cold  and  barren  ;  no  green  thing  is  to  be  seen  ;  the  inhabitants  are 
chilled,  and  stalk  about  shivering,  from  place  to  place ;  he  would 
exclaim,  "Surely  this  is  not  life;  this  means  annihilation.  No 
flesh  and  blood  can  long  endure  this;  this  frozen  earth  is  bound 
in  the  everlasting  embraces  of  adamantine  frost,  and  can  never 
develop  vegetation  for  the  sustenance  of  any  living  thing." 
He  little  dreams  of  the  priceless  myriads  of  germs  which  boun- 
tiful Nature  has  safely  garnered  in  the  warm  bosom  of  our  mother 
earth;  he  sees  no  evidence  of  that  vitality  which  the  benefi- 
cent sun  will  develop  to  grace  and  beautify  the  world.  But  let 


SPEECH  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM.  529 

him  remain  till  March  or  April,  and  as  the  snow  begins  to  melt 
away,  he  discovers  the  beautiful  crocus  struggling  through  the 
half-frozen  ground;  the  snow-drops  appear  in  all  their  chaste 
beauty ;  the  buds  of  the  swamp-maple  shoot  forth ;  the  beautiful 
magnolia  opens  her  splendid  blossoms;  the  sassafras  adds  its 
evidence  of  life  ;  the  pearl-white  blossoms  of  the  dog-wood  light 
up  every  forest :  and  while  our  stranger  is  rubbing  his  eyes  in 
astonishment,  the  earth  is  covered  with  her  emerald  velvet  car- 
pet ;  rich  foliage  and  brilliant  colored  blossoms  adorn  the  trees  ; 
fragrant  flowers  are  enwreathing  every  wayside ;  the  swift-winged 
birds  float  through  the  air  and  send  forth  joyous  notes  of  grati- 
tude from  every  tree-top ;  the  merry  lambs  skip  joyfully  around 
their  verdant  pasture-grounds ;  and  everywhere  is  our  stranger 
surrounded  with  life,  beauty,  joy  and  gladness. 

So  it  is  with  the  poor  African.  You  may  take  a  dozen  speci- 
mens of  both  sexes  from  the  lowest  type  of  man  found  in  Africa ; 
their  race  has  been  buried  for  ages  in  ignorance  and  barbarism, 
and  you  can  scarcely  perceive  that  they  have  any  more  of  man- 
hood or  womanhood  than  so  many  orang-outangs  or  gorillas. 
You  look  at  their  low  foreheads,  their  thick  skulls  and  lips,  their 
woolly  heads,  their  flat  noses,  their  dull,  lazy  eyes,  and  you  may 
be  tempted  to  adopt  the  language  of  this  minority  committee, 
and  exclaim  :  Surely  these  people  have  "  no  inventive  faculties, 
no  genius  for  the  arts,  or  for  any  of  those  occupations  requiring 
intellect  and  wisdom."  But  bring  them  out  into  the  light  of 
civilization ;  let  them  and  their  children  come  into  the  genial 
sunshine  of  Christianity ;  teach  them  industry,  self-reliance,  and 
self-respect ;  let  them  learn  what  too  few  white  Christians  have 
yet  understood,  that  cleanliness  is  akin  to  godliness,  and  a  part 
of  godliness;  and  the  human  soul  will  begin  to  develop  itself. 
Each  generation,  blessed  with  churches  and  common  schools, 
will  gradually  exhibit  the  result  of  such  culture ;  the  low  fore- 
heads will  be  raised  and  widened  by  an  active  and  expanded 
brain;  the  vacant  eye  of  barbarism,  ignorance  and  idleness  will 
light  up  with  the  fire  of  intelligence,  education,  ambition,  activity 
and  Christian  civilization ;  and  yo'i  will  find  the  immortal  soul 


53°  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

asserting  her  dignity,  by  the  development  of  a  man  who  would 
startle  by  his  intelligence  the  honorable  gentleman  from  Wal- 
lingford,  who  has  presumed  to  compare  beings  made  in  God's 
image  with  "oxen  and  asses."  That  honorable  gentleman,  if 
he  is  rightly  reported  in  the  papers  (I  did  not  have  the  happi- 
ness to  hear  his  speech),  has  mistaken  the  nature  of  the  colored 
man.  The  honorable  gentleman  reminds  me  of  the  young  man 
who  went  abroad,  and  when  he  returned,  there  was  nothing  in 
America  that  could  compare  with  what  he  had  seen  in  foreign 
lands.  Niagara  Falls  was  nowhere  ;  the  White  Mountains  were 
"  knocked  higher  than  a  kite"  by  Mont  Blanc  j  our  rivers  were 
so  large  that  they  were  vulgar,  when  contrasted  with  the  beautiful 
little  streams  and  rivulets  of  Europe;  our  New  York  Central 
Park  was  eclipsed  by  the  Bois  de  Bologne  and  the  Champs 
Elysees  of  Paris,  or  Hyde  or  Regent  Park  of  London,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  great  Phoenix  Park  at  Dublin. 

"  They  have  introduced  a  couple  of  Venetian  gondolas  on  the 
large  pond  in  Central  Park,"  remarked  a  friend. 

"All  very  well,"  replied  the  verdant  traveler,  "but  between 
you  and  me,  these  birds  can't  stand  our  cold  climate  more  than 
one  season."  The  gentleman  from  Wallingford  evidently  had 
is  little  idea  of  the  true  nature  of  the  African  as  the  young  swell 
had  of  the  pleasure-boats  of  Venice* 

Mr.  Johnson,  of  Wallingford :  "  The  gentleman  misapprehends 
my  remarks.  The  gentleman  from  Norwich  had  urged  that  the 
negro  should  vote  because  they  have  fought  in  our  battles.  I 
replied  that  oxen  and  asses  can  fight,  and  therefore  should,  on 
the  same  grounds,  be  entitled  to  vote." 

Mr.  Barnum :  I  accept  the  gentleman's  explanation.  Doubt- 
less General  Grant  will  feel  himself  highly  complimented  when 
he  learns  that  it  requires  no  greater  capacity  to  handle  the  mus- 
ket, and  meet  armed  battalions  in  the  field,  than  "oxen  and 
asses"  possess. 

Let  the  educated  free  negro  feel  that  he  is  a  man  j  let  him  be 
trained  in  New  England  churches,  schools  and  workshops ;  let 
him  support  himself,  pay  his  taxes,  and  cast  his  vote,  like  other 


SPEECH  Of   P.   T.   BARNUM.  53! 

men,  and  he  will  put  to  everlasting  shame  the  champions  of 
modern  Democracy,  by  the  overwhelming  evidence  he  will  give 
in  his  own  person  of  the  great  Scripture  truth,  that  "  God  has 
made  of  one  blood  all  the  nations  of  men."  A  human  soul, 
"  that  God  has  created  and  Christ  died  for,"  is  not  to  be  trifled 
with.  It  may  tenant  the  body  of  a  Chinaman,  a  Turk,  an  Arab 
or  a  Hottentot — it  is  still  an  immortal  spirit ;  and,  amid  all  as- 
sumptions of  caste,  it  will  in  due  time  vindicate  the  great  fact 
that,  without  regard  to  color  or  condition,  all  men  are  equally 
children  of  the  common  Father. 

A  few  years  since,  an  English  lord  and  his  family  were  riding 
in  his  carriage  in  Liverpool.  It  was  an  elegant  equipage ;  the 
servants  were  dressed  in  rich  livery ;  the  horses  caparisoned  in 
the  most  costly  style ;  and  everything  betokened  that  the  estab- 
lishment belonged  to  a  scion  of  England's  proudest  aristocracy. 
The  carriage  stopped  in  front  of  a  palatial  residence.  At  this 
moment  a  poor  beggar  woman  rushed  to  the  side  of  the  carriage, 
and  gently  seizing  the  lady  by  the  hand,  exclaimed,  "  For  the 
love  of  God  give  me  something  to  save  my  poor  sick  children 
from  starvation.  You  are  rich  ;  I  am  your  poor  sister,  for  God 
is  our  common  Father." 

"Wretch!"  exclaimed  the  proud  lady,  casting  the  woman's 
hand  away;  "  don't  call  me  sister;  I  have  nothing  in  common 
with  such  low  brutes  as  you."  And  the  great  lady  doubtless 
thought  she  was  formed  of  finer  clay  than  this  suffering  mendicant ; 
but  when  a  few  days  afterward  she  was  brought  to  a  sick  bed  by 
the  smallpox,  contracted  by  touching  the  hand  of  that  poor 
wretch,  she  felt  the  evidence  that  they  belonged  to  the  same 
great  family,  and  were  subject  to  the  same  pains  and  diseases. 

The  State  of  Connecticut,  like  New  Jersey,  is  a  border  Siate 
of  New  York.  New  York  has  a  great  commercial  city,  where 
aldermen  rob  by  the  tens  of  thousands,  and  where  principal  is 
studied  much  more  than  principle.  I  can  readily  understand 
how  the  negro  has  come  to  be  debased  at  the  North  as  well  as  at 
the  South.  The  interests  of  the  two  sections  in  the  product  of 
negro  labor  were  nearly  identical.  The  North  wanted  Southern 


532  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

cotton  and  the  South  was  ready  in  turn  to  buy  from  the  North 
whatever  was  needed  in  the  way  of  Northern  supplies  and  manu- 
factures. This  community  of  commercial  interests  led  to  an 
identity  in  political  principles,  especially  in  matters  pertaining  to 
the  negro  race — the  working  race  ot  the  South — which  produced 
the  cotton  and  consumed  so  much  of  what  Northern  merchants 
and  manufacturers  sold  for  plantation  use.  The  Southern  plant- 
ers were  good  customers  and  were  worth  conciliating.  So  when 
Connecticut  proposed  in  1818  to  continue  to  admit  colored  men 
to  the  franchise,  the  South  protested  against  thus  elevating  the 
negroes,  and  Connecticut  succumbed.  No  other  New  England 
State  has  ever  so  disgraced  herself;  and  now  Connecticut  Demo- 
crats are  asked  to  permit  the  white  citizens  of  this  State  to  ex- 
press their  opinion  in  regard  to  reinstating  the  colored  man 
where  our  Revolutionary  sires  placed  him  under  the  Constitution. 
Now,  gentlemen,  "Democrats,"  as  you  call  yourselves,  you  who 
speak  so  flippantly  of  your  "  loyalty,"  your  "  love  for  the  Union" 
and  your  "  love  for  the  people  ";  you  who  are  generally  talking 
right  and  voting  wrong,  we  ask  you  to  come  forward  and  act 
"democratically,"  by  letting  your  masters,  the  people,  speak. 

The  word  "  white  "  in  the  Constitution  cannot  be  strictly  and 
literally  construed.  The  opposition  express  great  love  for  white 
blood.  Will  they  let  a  mulatto  vote  half  the  time,  a  quadroon 
three-fourths,  and  an  octoroon  seven-eighths  of  the  time?  If 
not,  why  not?  Will  they  enslave  seven-eighths  of  a  white  man 
because  one-eighth  is  not  Caucasian  ?  Is  this  democratic  ?  Shall 
not  the  majority  seven  control  the  minority  one  ?  Out  on  such 
"  democracy." 

But  a  Democratic  minority  committee  (of  two)  seem  to  have 
done  something  besides  study  ethnology.  They  have  also  paid 
great  attention  to  fine  arts,  and  are  particularly  anxious  that  all 
voters  shall  have  a  "  genius  for  the  arts.' '  I  would  like  to  ask 
them  if  it  has  always  been  political  practice  to  insist  that  every 
voter  in  the  great  "unwashed"  and  " unterrified"  of  any  party 
should  become  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Arts  before  he  votes 
the  "  regular"  ticket?  I  thought  he  was  received  into  the  full 


SPEECH  OF  P.   T.   BARNUM.  533 

fellowship  of  a  political  party  if  he  could  exhibit  sufficient  "in- 
ventive faculties  and  genius  for  the  arts,"  to  enable  him  to  paint 
a  black  eye.  'Can  a  man  whose  "genius  for  the  arts"  enables 
him  to  strike  from  the  shoulder  scientifically,  be  admitted  to  full 
fellowship  in  a  political  party  ?  Is  it  evident  that  the  political 
artist  has  studied  the  old  masters,  if  he  exhibits  his  genius  by 
tapping  an  opponent's  head  with  a  shillelah?  The  oldest  master 
in  this  school  of  art  was  Cain ;  and  so  canes  have  been  made 
to  play  their  part  in  politics,  at  the  polls  and  even  in  the  United 
States  Senate  Chamber. 

Is  "genius  for  the  arts  and  those  occupations  requiring  intel- 
lect and  wisdom"  sufficiently  exemplified  in  adroitly  stuffing 
ballot-boxes,  forging  soldiers'  votes,  and  copying  a  directory,  as 
has  been  done,  as  the  return  list  of  votes?  Is  the  "  inventive 
faculty"  of  "voting  early  and  often"  a  passport  to  political 
brotherhood?  Is  it  satisfactory  evidence  of  "  artistic  "  genius, 
to  head  a  mob  ?  and  a  mob  which  is  led  and  guided  by  political 
passion,  as  numerous  instances  in  our  history  prove,  is  the  worst 
of  mobs.  Is  it  evidence  of  "  high  art  "  to  lynch  a  man  by  hang- 
ing him  to  the  nearest  tree  or  lamp-post?  Is  a  "  whisky  scrim- 
mage "  one  of  the  lost  arts  restored?  We  all  know  how  certain 
"artists"  are  prone  to  embellish  elections  and  to  enhance  the 
excitements  of  political  campaigns  by  inciting  riots,  and  the  fre- 
quency with  which  these  disgraceful  outbreaks  have  occurred  of 
late,  especially  in  some  of  the  populous  cities,  is  cause  for  just 
alarm.  It  is  dangerous  "art." 

Mr.  Speaker :  I  repeat  that  I  am  a  friend  to  the  Irishman.  I 
have  traveled  through  his  native  country  and  have  seen  how  he  is 
oppressed.  I  have  listened  to  the  eloquent  and  patriotic  appeals 
of  Daniel  O'Connell,  in  Conciliation  Hall,  in  Dublin,  and  I 
have  gladly  contributed  to  his  fund  for  ameliorating  the  condi- 
tion of  his  countrymen.  I  rejoice  to  see  them  rushing  to  this 
land  of  liberty  and  independence ;  and  it  is  because  I  am  their 
friend  that  I  denounce  the  demagogues  who  attempt  to  blind 
and  mislead  them  to  vote  in  the  interests  of  any  party  against  the 
interests  of  humanity,  and  the  principles  of  true  democracy. 


534  LIFE  OF  p- 

My  neighbors  will  testify  that  at  mid-winter  I  employ  Irishmen 
by  the  hundred  to  do  work  that  is  not  absolutely  necessary, 
in  order  to  help  them  support  their  families. 

After  hearing  the  minority  report  last  week,  I  began  to  feel 
that  I  might  be  disfranchised,  for  I  have  no  great  degree  of 
' :  genius  for  the  arts ;"  I  felt,  therefore,  that  I  must  get  "  posted ' ' 
on  that  subject  as  soon  as  possible.  I  at  once  sauntered  into  the 
Senate  Chamber  to  look  at  the  paintings:  there  I  saw  portraits 
of  great  men,  and  I  saw  two  empty  frames  from  which  the  pic- 
tures had  been  removed.  These  missing  paintings,  I  was  told, 
were  portraits  of  two  ex-Governors  of  the  State,  whose  position 
on  political  affairs  was  obnoxious  to  the  dominant  party  in  the 
Legislature ;  and  especially  obnoxious  were  the  supposed  senti- 
ments of  these  governors  on  the  war.  Therefore,  the  Senate 
voted  to  remove  the  pictures,  and  thus  proved,  as  it  would  seem, 
that  there  is  an  intimate  connection  between  politics  and  art. 

I  have  repeatedly  traveled  through  every  State  in  the  South, 
and  I  assert,  what  every  intelligent  officer  and  soldier  who  has 
resided  there  will  corroborate,  that  the  slaves,  as  a  body  are 
more  intelligent  than  the  poor  whites.  No  man  who  has  not 
been  there  can  conceive  to  what  a  low  depth  of  ignorance  the 
poor  snuff-taking,  clay-eating  whites  of  some  portions  of  the  South 
have  descended.  I  trust  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  the 
"  common  school  "  shall  throw  its  illuminating  rays  through  this 
Egyptian  pall. 

I  have  known  slave  mechanics  to  be  sold  for  $3,000,  and  even 
$5,000  each,  and  others  could  not  be  bought  at  all;  and  I  have 
seen  intelligent  slaves  acting  as  stewards  for  their  masters,  trav- 
eling every  year  to  New  Orleans,  Nashville,  and  even  to  Cincin- 
nati, to  dispose  of  their  masters'  crops.  The  iree  colored 
citizens  of  Opelousas,  St.  Martinsville,  and  all  the  Attakapas 
country  in  Loui:  'ana,  are  as  respectable  and  intelligent  as  an 
ordinary  community  of  whites.  They  speak  the  French  and 
English  languages,  educate  their  children  in  music  and  "  the 
arts,"  and  they  pay  their  taxes  on  more  than  fifteen  millions  of 
dollars. 


LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM.  535 

Gentlemen  of  the  opposition,  I  beseech  you  to  remember  that 
our  State  and  our  country  ask  from  us  something  more  than 
party  tactics.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  the  loyal  blacks  at 
the  South  should  vote,  in  order  to  save  the  loyal  whites.  Let 
Connecticut,  without  regard  to  party,  set  them  an  example  that 
shall  influence  the  action  at  the  South,  and  prevent  a  new  form 
of  slavery  from  arising  there,  which  shall  make  all  our  expendi- 
ture of  blood  and  treasure  fruitless. 

But  some  persons  have  this  color  prejudice  simply  by  the  force 
of  education,  and  they  say,  "Well,  a  nigger  is  a  nigger,  and  he 
can't  be  anything  else.  I  hate  niggers,  anyhow."  Twenty 
years  ago  I  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  among  our  passengers  was 
an  Irish  judge,  who  was  coming  out  to  Newfoundland  as  chief 
justice.  He  was  an  exceedingly  intelligent  and  polished  gentle- 
man, and  extremely  witty.  The  passengers  from  the  New  En- 
gland States  and  those  from  the  South  got  into  a  discussion  on 
the  subject  of  slavery,  which  lasted  three  days.  The  Southerners 
were  finally  worsted,  and  when  their  arguments  were  exhausted, 
they  fell  back  on  the  old  story,  by  saying:  "Oh!  curse  a 
nigger,  he  ain't  half  human  anyhow;  he  had  no  business  to  be  a 
nigger,  etc."  One  of  the  gentlemen  then  turned  to  the  Irish 
judge,  and  asked  his  opinion  of  the  merits  of  the  controversy. 
The  judge  replied : 

"  Gentlemen,  I  have  listened  with  much  edification  to  your 
arguments  pro  and  con  during  three  days.  I  was  quite  inclined 
to  think  the  anti-slavery  gentlemen  had  justice  and  right  on  their 
side,  but  the  last  argument  from  the  South  has  changed  my 
mind.  I  say  a  '  nigger  has  no  business  to  be  a  nigger,'  and  we 
should  kick  him  out  of  society  and  trample  him  under  foot — 
always  provided,  gentlemen,  you  prove  he  was  born  black  at  his 
own  particular  request.  If  he  had  no  word  to  say  in  the  matter, 
of  course  he  is  blameless  for  his  color,  and  is  entitled  to  the  same 
respect  that  other  men  are  who  properly  behave  themselves !" 

Mr.  Speaker :  I  am  no  politician  ;  I  came  to  this  legislature 
simply  because  I  wish  to  have  the  honor  of  voting  for  the  two 
constitutional  amendments— one  for  driving  slavery  entirely  out 


536  SPEECH  OF  P,   T.   BARNUM. 

of  our  country ;  the  other  to  allow  men  of  education  and  good 
moral  character  to  vote,  regardless  of  the  color  of  their  skins. 
To  give  my  voice  for  these  two  philanthropic,  just  and  Christian 
measures  is  all  the  glory  I  ask  legislativewise.  I  tare  nothing 
whatever  for  any  sect  or  party  under  heaven,  as  such.  I  have 
no  axes  to  grind,  no  logs  to  roll,  no  favors  to  as,k.  All  I  desire 
is  to  do  what  is  right,  and  prevent  what  is  wrong.  I  believe  in 
no  "expediency"  that  is  not  predicated  of  justice,  for  in  all 
things — politics,  as  well  as  everything  else — I  know  that  "  honesty 
is  the  best  policy."  A  retributive  Providence  will  unerringly 
and  speedily  search  out  all  wrong-doing  ;  hence,  right  is  al\\ays 
the  best  in  the  long  run.  Certainly,  in  the  light  of  the  great 
American  spirit  of  liberty  and  equal  rights  which  is  sweeping 
over  this  country,  and  making  the  thrones  of  tyrants  totter  in 
the  Old  World,  no  party  can  afford  to  carry  slavery,  either  of 
body  or  of  mind.  Knock  off  your  manacles  and  let  the  man  go 
free.  Take  down  the  blinds  from  his  intellect,  and  let  in  the  light 
of  education  and  Christian  culture.  When  this  is  dene  you  have 
developed  a  man.  Give  him  the  responsibility  of  a  man  and  the 
self-respect  of  a  man,  by  granting  him  the  right  of  suffrage, 
Let  universal  education,  and  the  universal  franchise  be  the  motto 
of  free  America,  and  the  toiling  millions  of  Europe,  who  are 
watching  you  with  such  intense  interest,  will  hail  us  as  thtir 
saviours.  Let  us  loyally  sink  "party"  on  this  question,  and  go 
for  "  God  and  our  Country."  Let  no  man  attach  an  eternal 
stigma  to  his  name  by  shutting  his  eyes  to  the  great  lesson  of 
the  hour,  and  voting  against  permitting  the  people  to  express 
their  opinion  on  this  important  subject.  Ltt  us  unanimously 
grant  this  truly  democratic  boon.  Then,  when  our  laws  of 
franchise  are  settled  on  a  just  basis,  let  future  parties  divide  where 
they  honestly  differ  on  State  or  national  questions  which  do  not 
trench  upon  the  claims  of  manhood  or  American  citizenship. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

BURNING   OF   THE    AMERICAN    MUSEUM. 

How  BARNUM  RECEIVED  THE  TIDINGS— HUMOROUS  DESCRIPTION  OF  THK 
FIRE — A  PUBLIC  CALAMITY — GREELEY'S  ADVICE — INTENTION  TO  RE- 
ESTABLISH THE  MUSEUM — SPEECH  AT  EMPLOYEES'  BENEFIT. 

On  the  1 3th  day  of  July,  1865,  when  Barnum  was 
speaking  in  the  Legislature  at  Hartford,  against  the 
railroad  schemes,  a  telegram  was  handed  him  from 
his  son-in-law  and  assistant  manager  in  New  York, 
S.  H.  Hurd,  saying  that  the  American  Museum  was 
in  flames  and  its  total  destruction  certain. 

Barnum  glanced  at  the  dispatch,  folded  and  laid  it 
in  his  desk,  and  went  calmly  on  with  his  speech.  At 
the  conclusion  of  his  remarks,  the  bill  which  he  was 
advocating  was  voted  upon  and  carried,  and  the 
House  adjourned. 

Not  until  then  did  Barnum  hand  the  telegram  to 
his  friend,  William  G.  Coe,  of  Winsted,  who  imme- 
diately communicated  the  intelligence  to  several 
members. 

Warm  sympathizers  at  once  crowded  around  him, 
and  one  of  his  strongest  opponents  pushing  forward, 
seized  his  hand,  and  said:  "  Mr.  Barnum,  I  am  truly 
sorry  to  hear  of  your  great  misfortune." 

537 


54O  LIFE   OF  P.    T.   BARNUM. 

erecting  it  as  a  bulwark  before  the  window,  with 
only  enough  space  reserved  on  the  top  so  as  to  look 
out,  I  anxiously  observed  the  animals  in  the  opposite 
room.  Immediately  opposite  the  window  through 
which  I  gazed  was  a  large  cage  containing  a  lion 
and  lioness.  To  the  right  hand  was  the  three- 
storied  cage,  containing  monkeys  at  the  top,  two 
kangaroos  in  the  second  story,  and  a  happy  family 
of  cats,  rats,  adders,  rabbits,  etc.,  in  the  lower 
apartment.  To  the  left  of  the  lions'  cage  was  the 
tank  containing  the  two  vast  alligators,  and  still 
further  to  the  left,  partially  hidden  from  my  sight, 
was  the  grand  tank  containing  the  great  white 
whale,  which  has  created  such  a  furore  in  our  sight- 
seeing midst  for  the  past  few  weeks.  Upon  the 
floor  were  caged  the  boa-constrictor,  anacondas  and 
rattlesnakes,  whose  heads  would  now  and  then  rise 
menacingly  through  the  top  of  the  cage.  In  the 
extreme  right  was  the  cage,  entirely  shut  from  my . 
view  at  first,  containing  the  Bengal  tiger  and  the 
Polar  bear,  whose  terrific  growls  could  be  distinctly 
heard  from  behind  the  partition.  With  a  simul- 
taneous bound  the  lion  and  his  mate  sprang  against 
the  bars,  which  gave  way  and  came  down  with  a 
great  crash,  releasing  the  beasts,  which  for  a 
moment,  apparently  amazed  at  their  sudden  liberty, 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  lashing  their  sides 
with  their  tails  and  roaring  dolefully. 

"Almost  at  the  same  moment  the  upper  part  of 
the  three-storied  cage,  consumed  by  the  flames,  fell 


LAWRENCE  BARRETT. 


NEWSPAPER  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  FIRE.        543 

forward,  letting  the  rods  drop  to  the  floor,  and  many 
other  animals  were  set  free.  Just  at  this  time  the 
door  fell  through  and  the  flames  and  smoke  rolled 
in  like  a  whirlwind  from  the  Hadean  river  CocytuSo 
A  horrible  scene  in  the  right-hand  corner  of  the 
room,  a  yell  of  indescribable  agony,  and  a  crashing, 
grating  sound,  indicated  that  the  tiger  and  Polar 
bear  were  stirred  up  to  the  highest  pitch  of  excite- 
ment. Then  there  came  a  great  crash,  as  of  the 
giving  way  of  the  bars  of  their  cage.  The  flames 
and  smoke  momentarily  rolled  back,  and  for  a  few 
seconds  the  interior  of  the  room  was  visible  in  the 
lurid  light  of  the  flames,  which  revealed  the  tiger 
and  the  lion,  locked  together  in  close  combat. 

"  The  monkeys  were  perched  around  the  windows, 
shivering  with  dread,  and  afraid  to  jump  out.  The 
snakes  were  writhing  about,  crippled  and  blistered 
by  the  heat,  darting  out  their  forked  tongues,  and 
expressing  their  rage  and  fear  in  the  most  sibilant 
of  hisses.  The  '  Happy  Family '  were  experiencing 
an  amount  of  beatitude  which  was  evidently  too 
cordial  for  philosophical  enjoyment.  A  long  tongue 
of  flame  had  crept  under  the  cage,  completely  sing- 
ing every  hair  from  the  cat's  body.  The  felicitous 
adder  was  slowly  burning  in  two  and  busily  engaged 
in  impregnating  his  organic  system  with  his  own 
venom.  The  joyful  rat  had  lost  his  tail  by  a  falling- 
bar  of  iron ;  and  the  beatific  rabbit,  perforated  by  a 
red-hot  nail,  looked  as  if  nothing  would  be  more 
grateful  than  a  cool  corner  in  some  Esquimaux 

31 


544  LIFE   OF  P-    T-   BARNUM. 

farm-yard.  The  members  of  the  delectated  convo- 
cation were  all  huddled  together  in  the  bottom  of 
their  cage,  which  suddenly  gave  way,  precipitating 
them  out  of  view  in  the  depths  below,  which  by  this 
time  were  also  blazing  like  the  fabled  Tophet. 

"At  this  moment  the  flames  rolled  again  into  the 
room,  and  then  again  retired.  The  whale  and  alli- 
gators were  by  this  time  suffering  dreadful  torments. 
The  water  in  which  they  swam  was  literally  boiling. 
The  alligators  dashed  fiercely  about,  endeavoring  to 
escape,  and  opening  and  shutting  their  great  jaws 
in  ferocious  torture ;  but  the  poor  whale,  almost 
boiled,  with  great  ulcers  bursting  from  his  blubbery 
sides,  could  only  feebly  swim  about,  though  blowing 
excessively,  and  every  now  and  then  sending  up 
great  fountains  of  spray.  At  length,  crack  went 
the  glass  sides  of  the  great  cases,  and  whale  and 
alligators  rolled  out  on  the  floor  with  the  rushing 
and  steaming  water.  The  whale  died  easily,  having 
been  pretty  well  used  up  before.  A  few  great 
gasps  and  a  convulsive  flap  or  two  of  his  mighty 
flukes  were  his  expiring  spasm.  One  of  the  alli- 
gators was  killed  almost  immediately  by  falling 
across  a  great  fragment  of  shattered  glass,  which 
cut  open  his  stomach  and  let  out  the  greater  part 
of  his  entrails  to  the  light  of  day.  The  remaining 
alligator  became  involved  in  a  controversy  with  an 
anaconda,  and  joined  the  melee  in  the  centre  of  the 
flaming  apartment. 

"A  number  of  birds  which  were   caged   in  the 


NEWSPAPER  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  FIRE.        545 

upper  part  of  the  building  were  set  free  by  some 
charitably  inclined  person  at  the  first  alarm  of  fire, 
and  at  intervals  they  flew  out.  There  were  many 
valuable  tropical  birds,  parrots,  cockatoos,  mocking- 
birds, humming-birds,  etc.,  as  well  as  some  vultures 
and  eagles,  and  one  condor.  Great  excitement 
existed  among  the  swaying  crowds  in  the  streets 
below  as  they  took  wing.  There  were  confined  in 
the  same  room  a  few  serpents,  which  also  obtained 
their  liberty ;  and  soon  after  the  rising  and  devour- 
ing flames  began  to  enwrap  the  entire  building,  a 
splendid  and  emblematic  sight  was  presented  to  the 
wondering  and  upgazing  throngs.  Bursting  through 
the  central  casement,  with  flap  of  wings  and  lashing 
coils,  appeared  an  eagle  and  a  serpent  wreathed  in 
fight.  For  a  moment  they  hung  poised  in  mid-air, 
presenting  a  novel  and  terrible  conflict.  It  was  the 
earth  and  air  (or  their  respective  representatives)  at 
war  for  mastery;  the  base  and  the  lofty,  the  groveller 
and  the  soarer,  were  engaged  in  deadly  battle.  At 
length  the  flat  head  of  the  serpent  sank ;  his  writh- 
ing, sinuous  form  grew  still ;  and  wafted  upward  by 
the  cheers  of  the  gazing  multitude,  the  eagle,  with  a 
scream  of  triumph,  and  bearing  his  prey  in  his  iron 
talons,  soared  towards  the  sun.  Several  monkeys 
escaped  from  the  burning  building  to  the  neighboring 
roofs  and  streets  ;  and  considerable  excitement  was 
caused  by  the  attempts  to  secure  them.  One  of  the 
most  amusing  incidents  in  this  respect,  was  in  con- 
nection with  Mr.  James  Gordon  Bennett.  The 


546  LIFE   OF  P.   T.   BARNUM. 

veteran  editor  of  the  Herald  was  sitting  in  his 
private  office,  with  his  back  to  the  open  window, 
calmly  discussing  with  a  friend  the  chances  that  the 
Herald  establishment  would  escape  the  conflagration, 
which  at  that  time  was  threateningly  advancing  up 
Ann  street  towards  Nassau  street.  In  the  course 
of  his  conversation,  Mr.  Bennett  observed : 
'Although  I  have  usually  had  good  luck  in  cases  of 
fire,  they  say  that  the  devil  is  ever  at  one's  shoulder, 
and ' — here  an  exclamation  from  his  friend  inter- 
rupted him,  and  turning  quickly  he  was  considerably 
taken  aback  at  seeing  the  devil  himself,  or  some- 
thing like  him,  at  his  very  shoulder  as  he  spoke. 
Recovering  his  equanimity,  with  the  ease  and  suav- 
ity which  is  usual  with  him  in  all  company,  Mr. 
Bennett  was  about  to  address  the  intruder,  when  he 
perceived  that  what  he  had  taken  for  the  gentleman 
in  black  was  nothing  more  than  a  frightened  orang- 
outang. The  poor  creature,  but  recently  released 
from  captivity,  and  doubtless  thinking  that  he  might 
fill  some  vacancy  in  the  editoral  corps  of  the  paper 
in  question,  had  descended  by  the  water-pipe  and 
instinctively  taken  refuge  in  the  inner  sanctum  of 
the  establishment.  Although  the  editor — perhaps 
from  the  fact  that  he  saw  nothing  peculiarly  strange 
in  the  visitation — soon  regained  his  composure,  it 
was  far  otherwise  with  his  friend,  who  immediately 
gave  the  alarm.  Mr.  Hudson  rushed  in  and  boldly 
attacked  the  monkey,  grasping  him  by  the  throat. 
The  book-editor  next  came  in,  obtaining  a  clutch 


NEWSPAPER  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  FIRE.        547 

upon  the  brute  by  the  ears ;  the  musical  critic 
followed  and  seized  the  tail  with  both  hands,  and  a 
number  of  reporters,  armed  with  inkstands  and 
sharpened  pencils,  came  next,  followed  by  a  dozen 
policemen  with  brandished  clubs ;  at  the  same  time, 
the  engineer  in  the  basement  received  the  precon- 
certed signal  and  got  ready  his  hose,  wherewith  to 
pour  boiling  hot  water  upon  the  heads  of  those  in 
the  streets,  in  case  it  should  prove  a  regular  sys- 
tematized attack  by  gorillas,  Brazil  apes,  and  chim- 
panzees. Opposed  to  this  formidable  combination 
the  rash  intruder  fared  badly,  and  was  soon  in 
durance  vile.  Numerous  other  incidents  of  a  similar 
kind  occurred  ;  but  some  of  the  most  amusing  were 
in  connection  with  the  wax  figures. 

"  Upon  the  same  impulse  which  prompts  men  in 
time  of  fire  to  fling  valuable  looking-glasses  out  of 
three-story  windows,  and  at  the  same  time  tenderly 
to  lower  down  feather  beds — soon  after  the  Museum 
took  fire,  a  number  of  sturdy  firemen  rushed  into 
the  building  to  carry  out  the  wax  figures.  There 
were  thousands  of  valuable  articles  which  might 
have  been  saved  if  there  had  been  less  of  solicitude 
displayed  for  the  miserable  effigies  which  are  usually 
exhibited  under  the  appellation  of  '  wax  figures.' 
As  it  was,  a  dozen  firemen  rushed  into  the  apart- 
ment where  the  figures  were  kept,  amid  a  multitude 
of  crawling  snakes,  chattering  monkeys  and  escaped 
paroquets.  The  '  Dying  Brigand  '  was  unceremoni- 
ously throttled  and  dragged  towards  the  door; 


548  LIFE    OF  p-    T-  BARNUM. 

liberties  were  taken  with  the  tearful  '  Senorita '  who 
has  so  long  knelt  and  so  constantly  wagged  her 
doll's  head  at  his  side ;  the  mules  of  the  other 
bandits  were  upset,  and  they  themselves  roughly 
seized.  The  full-length  statue  of  P.  T.  Barnum 
fell  down  of  its  own  accord,  as  if  disgusted  with 
the  whole  affair.  A  red-shirted  fireman  seized  with 
either  hand  Franklin  Pierce  and  James  Buchanan 
by  their  coat-collars,  tucked  the  Prince  Imperial  of 
France  under  one  arm  and  the  Veiled  Murderess 
under  the  other,  and  coolly  departed  for  the  street. 
Two  ragged  boys  quarreled  over  the  Tom  Thumb, 
but  at  length  settled  the  controversy  by  one  of  them 
taking  the  head,  the  other  satisfying  himself  with 
the  legs  below  the  knees.  They  evidently  had 
Tom  under  their  thumbs,  and  intended  to  keep  him 
down.  While  the  curiosity-seeking  policeman  was 
garroting  Benjamin  Franklin,  with  the  idea  of  ab- 
ducting him,  a  small  monkey,  flung  from  the  window- 
sill  by  the  strong  hand  of  an  impatient  fireman, 
made  a  straight  dive,  hitting  Poor  Richard  just 
below  '  the  waistcoat,  and  passing  through  his 
stomach,  as  fairly  as  the  Harlequin  in  the  '  Green 
Monster '  pantomime  ever  pierced  the  picture  with 
the  slit  in  it,  which  always  hangs  so  conveniently  low 
and  near.  Patrick  Henry  had  his  teeth  knocked 
out  by  a  flying  missile,  and  in  carrying  Daniel 
Lambert  down  stairs,  he  was  found  to  be  so  large 
that  they  had  to  break  off  his  head  in  order  to  get 
him  through  the  door.  At  length  the  heat  became 


NEWSPAPER  DESCRIPTION  OF   THE  FIRE.        549 

intense,  the  '  figgers '  began  to  perspire  freely,  and 
the  swiftly  approaching  flames  compelled  all  hands 
to  desist  from  any  further  attempt  at  rescue. 
Throwing  a  parting  glance  behind  as  we  passed 
down  the  stairs,  we  saw  the  remaining  dignitaries  in 
a  strange  plight.  Some  one  had  stuck  a  cigar  in 
General  Washington's  mouth,  and  thus,  with  his 
chapeau  crushed  down  over  his  eyes  and  his  head 
leaning  upon  the  ample  lap  of  Moll  Pitcher,  the 
Father  of  his  Country  led  the  van  of  as  sorry  a 
band  of  patriots  as  not  often  comes  within  one's 
experience  to  see.  General  Marion  was  playing  a 
dummy  game  of  poker  with  General  Lafayette ; 
Governor  Morris  was  having  a  set-to  with  Nathan 
Lane,  and  James  Madison  was  executing  a  Dutch 
polka  with  Madam  Roland  on  one  arm  and  Lucretia 
Borgia  on  the  other.  The  next  moment  the  advanc- 
ing flames  compelled  us  to  retire. 

"  We  believe  that  all  the  living  curiosities  were 
saved ;  but  the  giant  girl,  Anna  Swan,  was  only  res- 
cued with  the  utmost  difficulty.  There  was  not  a 
door  through  which  her  bulky  frame  could  obtain  a 
passage.  It  was  likewise  feared  that  the  stairs  would 
break  down,  even  if  she  should  reach  them.  Her 
best  friend,  the  living  skeleton,  stood  by  her  as  long 
as  he  dared,  but  then  deserted  her,  while,  as  the 
heat  grew  in  intensity,  the  perspiration  rolled  from 
her  face  in  little  brooks  and  rivulets,  which  pattered 
musically  upon  the  floor.  At  length,  as  a  last  re- 
sort, the  employees  of  the  place  procured  a  lofty 


550  LIFE   OF  p-    T-   BARNUM. 

derrick  which  fortunately  happened  to  be  standing 
near,  and  erected  it  alongside  of  the  Museum.  A 
portion  of  the  wall  was  then  broken  off  on  each  side 
of  the  window,  the  strong  tackle  was  got  in  readi- 
ness, the  tall  woman  was  made  fast  to  one  end  and 
swung  over  the  heads  of  the  people  in  the  street, 
with  eighteen  men  grasping  the  other  extremity  of 
the  line,  and  lowered  down  from  the  third  story, 
amid  enthusiastic  applause.  A  carriage  of  extraor- 
dinary capacity  was  in  readiness,  and,  entering 
this,  the  young  lady  was  driven  away  to  a  hotel. 

"  When  the  surviving  serpents,  that  were  released 
by  the  partial  burning  of  the  box  in  which  they  were 
contained,  crept  along  on  the  floor  to  the  balcony  of 
the  Museum  and  dropped  on  the  sidewalk,  the 
crowd,  seized  with  St.  Patrick's  aversion  to  the  rep- 
tiles, fled  with  such  precipitate  haste  that  they 
knocked  each  other  down  and  trampled  on  one 
another  in  the  most  reckless  and  damaging  manner. 

"  Hats  were  lost,  coats  torn,  boots  burst  and 
pantaloons  dropped  with  magnificent  miscellaneous- 
ness,  and  dozens  of  those  who  rose  from  the  miry 
streets  into  which  they  had  been  thrown  looked  like 
the  disembodied  spirits  of  a  mud  bank.  The  snakes 
crawled  on  the  sidewalk  and  into  Broadway,  where 
some  of  them  died  from  injuries  received,  and  others 
were  dispatched  by  the  excited  populace.  Several  of 
the  serpents  of  the  copper-head  species  escaped  the 
fury  of  the  tumultuous  masses,  and,  true  to  their  in- 
stincts, sought  shelter  in  the  World  and  News  offices. 


NEWSPAPER   DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  FIRE. 

A  large  black  bear  escaped  from  the  burning 
Museum  into  Ann  street,  and  then  made  his  way 
into  Nassau,  and  down  that  thoroughfare  into  Wall, 
where  his  appearance  caused  a  sensation.  Some 
superstitious  persons  believed  him  the  spirit  of  a 
departed  Ursa  Major,  and  others  of  his  fraternity 
welcomed  the  animal  as  a  favorable  omen.  The 
bear  walked  quietly  along  to  the  Custom  House, 
ascended  the  steps  of  the  building,  and  became  be- 
wildered, as  many  a  biped  bear  has  done  before 
him.  He  seemed  to  lose  his  sense  of  vision,  and,  no 
doubt,  endeavoring  to  operate  for  a  fall,  walked  over 
the  side  of  the  steps  and  broke  his  neck.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  his  object,  but  it  cost  him  dearly.  The 
appearance  of  Bruin  in  the  street  sensibly  affected 
the  stock  market,  and  shares  fell  rapidly;  but  when 
he  lost  his  life  in  the  careless  manner  we  have  de- 
scribed, shares  advanced  again,  and  the  Bulls 
triumphed  once  more. 

"  Broadway  and  its  crossings  have  not  witnessed 
a  denser  throng  for  months  than  assembled  at  the 
fire  yesterday.  Barnum's  was  always  popular,  but 
it  never  drew  so  vast  a  crowd  before.  There  must 
have  been  forty  thousand  people  on  Broadway, 
between  Maiden  Lane  and  Chambers  street,  and  a 
great  portion  stayed  there  until  dusk.  So  great  was 
the  concourse  of  people  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
pedestrians  or  vehicles  could  pass. 

"After  the  fire  several  high-art  epicures,  groping 
among  the  ruins,  found  choice  morsels  of  boiled 


LIFE    OF  p-    T-   BARNUM. 

whale,  roasted  kangaroo  and  fricasseed  crocodile, 
which,  it  is  said,  they  relished ;  though  the  many 
would  have  failed  to  appreciate  such  rare  edibles. 
Probably  the  recherche  epicures  will  declare  the 
only  true  way  to  prepare  those  meats  is  to  cook 
them  in  a  Museum  wrapped  in  flames,  in  the  same 
manner  that  the  Chinese,  according  to  Charles 
Lamb,  first  discovered  roast  pig  in  a  burning 
house,  and  ever  afterward  set  a  house  on  fire  with 
a  pig  inside,  when  they  wanted  that  particular 
food." 

All  the  New  York  journals,  and  many  more  in 
other  cities,  editorially  expressed  their  sympathy 
with  the  misfortune,  and  their  sense  of  the  loss  the 
community  had  sustained  in  the  destruction  of  the 
American  Museum.  The  following  editorial  is 
from  the  New  York  Tribune  of  July  14,  1865  : 

"  The  destruction  of  no  building  in  this  city 
could  have  caused  so  much  excitement  and  so  much 
regret  as  that  of  Barnum's  Museum.  The  collec- 
tion of  curiosities  was  very  large,  and  though  many 
of  them  may  not  have  had  much  intrinsic  or 
memorial  value,  a  considerable  portion  was  certainly 
of  great  worth  for  any  Museum.  But  aside  from 
this,  pleasant  memories  clustered  about  the  place, 
which  for  so  many  years  has  been  the  chief  resort 
for  amusement  to  the  common  people  who  cannot 
often  afford  to  treat  themselves  to  a  night  at  the 
more  expensive  theatres,  while  to  the  children  of  the 
city,  Barnum's  has  been  a  fountain  of  delight,  ever 


EDITORIAL   SYMPATHY.  553 

offering  new  attractions  as  captivating  and  as  im- 
plicitly believed  in  as  the  Arabian  Nights  Entertain- 
ments :  Theatre,  Menagerie  and  Museum,  it  amused, 
instructed,  and  astonished.  If  its  thousands  and 
tens  of  thousands  of  annual  visitors  were  bewildered 
sometimes  with  a  Wooly  Horse,  a  What  is  It  ?  or  a 
Mermaid,  they  found  repose  and  certainty  in  a 
Giraffe,  a  Whale  or  a  Rhinoceros.  If  wax  effigies 

o 

of  pirates  and  murderers  made  them  shudder  lest 
those  dreadful  figures  should  start  out  of  their  glass 
cases  and  repeat  their  horrid  deeds,  they  were  re- 
assured by  the  presence  of  the  mildest  and  most 
amiable  of  giants,  and  the  fattest  of  mortal  women, 
whose  dead  weight  alone  could  crush  all  the  wax 
figures  into  their  original  cakes.  It  was  a  source 
of  unfailing  interest  to  all  country  viskors,  and  New 
York  to  many  of  them  was  only  the  place  that  held 
Barnum's  Museum.  It  was  the  first  thing — often 
the  only  thing — they  visited  when  they  came  among 
us,  and  nothing  that  could  have  been  contrived,  out 
of  our  present  resources,  could  have  offered  so  many 
attractions,  unless  some  more  ingenious  showman 
had  undertaken  to  add  to  Barnum's  collection  of 
waxen  criminals  by  putting  in  a  cage  the  live  Boards 
of  the  Common  Council.  We  mourn  its  loss,  but 
not  as  without  consolation.  Barnum's  Museum  is 
gone,  but  Barnum  himself,  happily,  did  not  share  the 
fate  of  his  rattlesnakes  and  his,  at  least,  most  "  un- 
Happy  Family."  There  are  fishes  in  the  seas  and 
beasts  in  the  forest ;  birds  still  fly  in  the  air, 


LIFE   OF  P.    T.  BARNUM. 

and  strange  creatures  still  roam  in  the  deserts; 
giants  and  pigmies  still  wander  up  and  down  the 
earth ;  the  oldest  man,  the  fattest  woman,  and  the 
smallest  baby  are  still  living,  and  Barnum  will  find 
them. 

"  Or  even  if  none  of  these  things  or  creatures 
existed,  we  could  trust  to  Barnum  to  make  them 
out  of  hand.  The  Museum,  then,  is  only  a  temporary 
loss,  and  much  as  we  sympathize  with  the  proprietor, 
the  public  may  trust  to  his  well-known  ability 
and  energy  to  soon  renew  a  place  of  amusement 
which  was  a  source  of  so  much  innocent  pleasure, 
and  had  in  it  so  many  elements  of  solid  excellence." 

As  already  stated,  Mr.  Barnum's  insurance  was 
but  forty  thousand  dollars  while  the  loss  was  fully 
four  hundred  thousand,  and  as  his  premium  was  five 
per  cent.,  he  had  already  paid  the  insurance  compa- 
nies more  than  they  returned  to  him. 

His  first  impulse,  on  reckoning  up  his  losses,  was 
to  retire  from  active  life  and  all  business  occupations, 
beyond  what  his  real  estate  interests  in  Bridgeport 
and  New  York  would  compel.  He  went  to  his  old 
friend,  Horace  Greeley,  and  asked  for  advice  on  the 
subject. 

"  Accept  this  fire  as  a  notice  to  quit,  and  go  a- 
fishing,"  said  Mr.  Greeley. 

"  What  ?  "  exclaimed  Barnum. 

"  Yes,  go  a-fishing,"  replied  Greeley.  "  Why,  I  have 
been  wanting  to  go  for  thirty  years,  and  have  never 
yet  found  time  to  do  so." 


MR.  GREELEY'S  ADVICE.  555 

And  but  for  two  considerations  Barnum  might 
have  taken  this  advice.  One  hundred  and  fifty  em- 
ployees were  thrown  out  of  work  at  a  season  when 
it  would  have  been  difficult  to  get  anything  else  to 
do.  That  was  the  most  important  consideration. 
Then,  too,  Barnum  felt  that  a  large  city  like  New 
York  needed  a  good  Museum,  and  that  his  experi- 
ence of  a  quarter  of  a  century  in  that  direction 
afforded  the  greatest  facilities  for  founding  another 
establishment  of  the  kind.  So  he  took  a  few  days 
for  reflection. 

The  Museum  employees  were  tendered  a  benefit 
at  the  Academy  of  Music,  at  which  most  of  the 
dramatic  artists  in  the  city  gave  their  services.  At 
the  conclusion  Barnum  was  called  for,  and  made  a 
brilliant  speech,  in  which  he  announced  that  he  had 
decided  to  establish  another  Museum,  and  that,  in 
order  to  give  present  occupation  to  his  employees, 
he  had  engaged  the  Winter  Garden  Theatre  for  a 
few  weeks,  his  new  establishment  promising  to  be 
ready  by  fall. 

The  New  York  Sun  commented  on  the  speech  as 
follows : 

"  One  of  the  happiest  impromptu  oratorical  efforts 
that  we  have  heard  for  some  time  was  that  made  by 
Barnum  at  the  benefit  performance  given  for  his 
employees  on  Friday  afternoon.  If  a  stranger 
wanted  to  satisfy  himself  how  the  great  showman 
had  managed  so  to  monopolize  the  ear  and  eye  of 
the  public  during  his  long  career,  he  could  not  have 


556  L&&  °F  p- 

had  a  better  opportunity  of  doing  so  than  by  listen- 
ing to  this  address.  Every  word,  though  delivered 
with  apparent  carelessness,  struck  a  key-note  in  the 
hearts  of  his  listeners.  Simple,  forcible  and  touch- 
ing, it  showed  how  thoroughly  this  extraordinary 
man  comprehends  the  character  of  his  countrymen, 
and  how  easily  he  can  play  upon  their  feelings. 

"Those  who  look  upon  Barnum  as  a  mere  charla- 
tan, have  really  no  knowledge  of  him.  It  would  be 
easy  to  demonstrate  that  the  qualities  that  have 
placed  him  in  his  present  position  of  notoriety  and 
affluence  would,  in  another  pursuit,  have  raised  him 
to  far  greater  eminence.  In  his  breadth  of  views, 
his  profound  knowledge  of  mankind,  his  courage 
under  reverses,  his  indomitable  perseverance,  his 
ready  eloquence  and  his  admirable  business  tact,  we 
recognize  the  elements  that  are  conducive  to  success 
in  most  other  pursuits.  More  than  almost  any  other 
living  man,  Barnum  may  be  said  to  be  a  representa- 
tive type  of  the  American  mind." 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

POLITICAL   LIFE. 

IN  THE  CONNECTICUT  LEGISLATURE — THE  GREAT  RAILROAD  FIGHT — 
BARNUM'S  EFFECTIVE  STROKE — CANVASSING  FOR  A  UNITED  STATES 
SENATOR — BARNUM'S  CONGRESSIONAL  CAMPAIGN — A  CHALLENGE  THAT 
WAS  NOT  ACCEPTED. 

During  his  legislative  career  Mr.  Barnum  made 
many  new  friends  and  pleasant  acquaintances,  and 
there  were  many  events  great  and  small  which 
tended  to  make  the  session  memorable.  Barnum 
was  by  no  means  an  idle  member.  On  several 
occasions,  indeed,  he  took  a  most  conspicuous  part 
in  debates  and  in  framing  legislation.  On  one 
occasion,  a  Representative,  who  was  a  lawyer,  intro- 
duced resolutions  to  reduce  the  number  of  Repre- 
sentatives, urging  that  the  "House"  was  too  large 
and  ponderous  a  body  to  work  smoothly;  that  a 
smaller  number  of  persons  could  accomplish  busi- 
ness more  rapidly  and  completely ;  and,  in  fact,  that 
the  Connecticut  Legislature  was  so  large  that  the 
members  did  not  have  time  to  get  acquainted  with 
each  other  before  the  body  adjourned  sine  die.  Bar- 
num replied,  that  the  larger  the  number  of  Repre- 
sentatives, the  more  difficult  it  would  be  to  tamper 

557 


558  LIFE   OF  P.    71  BARNVM. 

with  them ;  and  if  they  all  could  not  become  person- 
ally acquainted,  so  much  the  better,  for  there  would 
be  fewer  "  rings,"  and  less  facilities  for  forcing  im- 
proper legislation. 

"  As  the  House  seems  to  be  thin  now,  I  will  move 
to  lay  my  resolutions  on  the  table,"  remarked  the 
member ;  "  but  I  shall  call  them  up  when  there  is  a 
full  House." 

"  According  to  the  gentleman's  own  theory,"  Bar- 
num  replied,  "  the  smaller  the  number,  the  surer  are 
we  to  arrive  at  correct  conclusions.  Now,  therefore, 
is  just  the  time  to  decide ;  and  I  move  that  the 
gentleman's  resolutions  be  considered."  This  prop- 
osition was  seconded  amid  a  roar  of  laughter ;  and 
the  resolutions  were  almost  unanimously  voted 
down,  before  the  member  fairly  comprehended  what 
was  going  on.  He  afterwards  acknowledged  it  as 
a  pretty  fair  joke,  and  at  any  rate  as  an  effective 
one. 

At  this  time  Connecticut  had  two  capitals,  Hart- 
ford and  New  Haven.  The  State  House  at  Hartford 
was  a  wretched  old  building,  too  small  and  entirely 
unfit  for  the  purposes  to  which  it  was  devoted  ;  and 
that  at  New  Haven  was  scarcely  better.  Barnum 
made  a  strong  effort  to  secure  the  erection  of  new 
buildings  in  both  cities,  and  was  made  chairman  of 
the  committee  having  the  matter  in  charge.  During 
his  investigations  he  ascertained  that  Bridgeport, 
Middletown  and  Meriden  would  each  be  willing  to 
erect  a  fine  new  State  House  at  its  own  cost,  for  the 


MRS.  P.  T.  BARNUM. 


FIGHTING    THE  RAILROADS.  $£1 

sake  of  being  made  the  capital  of  the  State.  Thus 
the  jealousy  of  Hartford  and  New  Haven  was  greatly 
aroused,  and  committees  of  citizens  waited  upon  Mr. 
Barnum,  beseeching  him  not  to  press  the  matter  of 
removing  the  capital.  In  the  end  nothing  definite 
was  done,  but  years  afterward  Hartford  was  made 
the  sole  capital  and  one  of  the  finest  public  buildings 
in  the  world  was  erected  there. 

The  most  notable  event  of  the  whole  session 
however  occurred  near  its  close,  when  Barnum 
introduced  a  bill  to  amend  the  railroad  law  of  the 
State  by  inserting  in  it  the  following : 

"  Section  508.  No  railroad  company,  which  has 
had  a  system  of  commutation  fares  in  force  for  more 
than  four  years,  shall  abolish,  alter,  or  modify  the 
same,  except  for  the  regulation  of  the  price  charged 
for  such  commutation ;  and  such  price  shall,  in  no 
case,  be  raised  to  an  extent  that  shall  alter  the 
ratio  between  such  commutation  and  the  rates  then 
charged  for  way  fare,  on  the  railroad  of  such  com- 
pany." 

The  New  York  and  New  Haven  Railroad  Com- 
pany seemed  determined  to  move  heaven  and  earth 
to  prevent  the  passage  of  this  law.  The  halls  of 
legislation  were  thronged  with  railroad  lobbyists, 
who  button-holed  nearly  every  member.  Barnum's 
motives  were  attacked,  and  the  most  foolish  slanders 
were  circulated.  Not  only  every  legal  man  in  the 
House  was  arrayed  against  him,  but  occasionally  a 
"country  member,"  who  had  promised  to  stick  by 

32 


OF  p- 

and  aid  in  checking  the  cupidity  of  railroad  mana- 
gers, would  drop  off,  and  be  found  voting  on  the 
other  side.  "I  devoted,"  says  Barnum,  "many 
hours,  and  even  days,  to  explaining  the  true  state 
of  things  to  the  members  from  the  rural  regions, 
and,  although  the  prospect  of  carrying  this  great 
reform  looked  rather  dark,  I  felt  that  I  had  a  ma- 
jority of  the  honest  and  disinterested  members  of 
the  House  with  me.  Finally,  Senator  Ballard  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  canvassed  the  Senate,  and 
was  convinced  that  the  bill  could  be  carried  through 
that  body  if  I  could  be  equally  successful  with  the 
House." 

The  date  of  the  final  debate  and  vote  was  fixed 
for  the  morning  of  July  13.  At  that  time  the  ex- 
citement was  intense.  The  State  House  was 
crowded  with  railroad  lobbyists ;  for  nearly  every 
railroad  in  the  State  had  made  common  cause  with 
the  New  York  and  New  Haven  Company,  and 
every  Representative  was  in  his  seat,  excepting  the 
sick  man,  who  had  doctored  the  railroads  till  he 
needed  doctoring  himself.  The  debate  was  led  off 
by  skirmishers  on  each  side,  and  was  finally  closed 
on  the  part  of  the  railroads  by  Mr.  Harrison,  of 
New  Haven,  who  was  chairman  of  the  railroad  com- 
mittee. Mr.  Harrison  was  a  close  and  forcible 
debater  and  a  clear-headed  lawyer.  His  speech 
exhibited  considerable  thought,  and  his  earnestness 
and  high  character  as  a  gentleman  of  honor  carried 
much  weight.  Besides,  his  position  as  chairman  of 


FIGHTING    THE  RAILROADS.  563 

the  committee  naturally  influenced  some  votes.  He 
claimed  to  understand  thoroughly  the  merits  of  the 
question,  from  having,  in  his  capacity  as  chairman, 
heard  all  the  testimony  and  arguments  which  had 
come  before  that  committee ;  and  a  majority  of  the 
committee,  after  due  deliberation,  had  reported 
against  the  proposed  bill. 

Mr.  Barnum  arose  to  close  the  debate.  He  en- 
deavored to  state  briefly  the  gist  of  the  whole  case. 
"Only  a  few  years  before,"  he  said,  "the  New  York 
and  New  Haven  Company  had  fixed  their  own 
price  for  commuters'  tickets  along  the  whole  line 
of  the  road,  and  had  thus  induced  hundreds  of 
New  York  citizens  to  remove  to  Connecticut  with 
their  families,  and  build  their  houses  on  heretofore 
unimproved  property,  thus  vastly  increasing  the 
value  of  the  lands,  and  correspondingly  helping  our 
receipts  for  taxes.  He  urged  that  there  was  a  tacit 
understanding  between  the  railroad  and  these  com- 
muters and  the  public  generally,  that  such  persons 
as  chose  thus  to  remove  from  a  neighboring  State, 
and  bring  their  families  and  capital  within  Con- 
necticut's borders,  should  have  the  right  to  pass 
over  the  railroad  on  the  terms  fixed  at  the  time  by 
the  president  and  directors ;  '  that  any  claim  that 
the  railroad  could  not  afford  to  commute  at  the 
prices  they  had  themselves  established  was  absurd, 
from  the  fact  that,  even  now,  if  one  thousand 
families  who  reside  in  New  York,  and  had  never 
been  in  our  own  State,  should  propose  to  the  rail- 


564  LIFE   OF  p-   T-  BARNUM. 

road  to  remove  these  families  (embracing  in  the 
aggregate  five  thousand  persons)  to  Connecticut, 
and  build  one  thousand  new  houses  on  the  line  of 
the  New  York  and  New  Haven  Railroad,  provided 
the  railroad  would  carry  the  male  head  of  the 
family  at  all  times  for  nothing,  the  company  could 
well  afford  to  accept  the  proposition,  because  they 
would  receive  full  prices  for  transporting  all  other 
members  of  these  families,  at  all  times,  as  well  as 
full  prices  for  all  their  visitors  and  servants.' 

"And  now,"  he  said,  "what  are  the  facts?  Do 
we  desire  the  railroad  to  carry  even  one-fifth  of 
these  new-comers  for  nothing  ?  Do  we,  indeed, 
desire  to  compel  them  to  transport  them  for  any 
definitely  fixed  price  at  all  ?  On  the  contrary,  we 
find  that  during  the  late  rebellion,  when  gold  was 
selling  for  two  dollars  and  eighty  cents  per  dollar, 
this  company  doubled  its  prices  of  commutation,  and 
retains  the  same  prices  now,  although  gold  is  but 
one-half  that  amount  ($1.40).  We  don't  ask  them 
to  go  back  to  their  former  prices ;  we  don't  compel 
them  to  rest  even  here ;  we  simply  say,  increase 
your  rates,  pile  up  your  demands  just  as  high  as 
you  desire,  only  you  shall  not  make  fish  of  one  and 
fowl  of  another.  You  have  fixed  and  increased 
your  prices  to  passengers  of  all  classes  just  as  you 
liked,  and  established  your  own  ratio  between  those 
who  pay  by  the  year  and  those  who  pay  by  the 
single  trip ;  and  now,  all  we  ask  is,  that  you  shall 
not  change  the  ratio.  Charge  ten  dollars  per 


FIGHTING    THE   RAILROADS.  565 

passenger  from  New  York  to  New  Haven,  if  you 
have  the  courage  to  risk  the  competition  of  the 
steamboats ;  and  whatever  percentage  you  choose 
to  increase  the  fare  of  transient  passengers,  we 
permit  you  to  increase  the  rates  of  commuters  in  the 
same  ratio. 

"The  interests  of  the  State,  as  well  as  com- 
munities, demand  this  law ;  for  if  it  is  once  fixed 
by  statute  that  the  prices  of  commutation  are  not  to 
be  increased,  many  persons  will  leave  the  localities 
where  extortion  is  permitted  on  the  railroads,  and 
will  settle  in  our  State.  But  these  railroad  gentle- 
men say  they  have  no  intention  to  increase  their 
rates  of  commutation,  and  they  deprecate  what  they 
term  'premature  legislation,'  and  an  uncalled-for 
meddling  with  their  affairs.  Mr.  Speaker, '  an  ounce 
of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of  cure.'  Men  en- 
gaged in  plots  against  public  interests  always  ask  to 
be  'let  alone.'  Jeff  Davis  only  asked  to  be  'let 
alone,'  when  the  North  was  raising  great  armies  to 
prevent  the  dissolution  of  the  Union.  The  people 
cannot  afford  to  let  these  railroads  alone.  This  hall, 
crowded  with  railroad  lobbyists,  as  the  frogs 
thronged  Egypt,  is  an  admonition  to  all  honest 
legislators  that  it  is  unsafe  to  allow  the  monopolies 
the  chance  to  rivet  the  chains  which  already  fetter 
the  limbs  of  those  whom  circumstances  place  in  th< 
power  of  these  companies." 

At  this  point  in  his  speech  he  was  interrupted  by 
a  messenger,  who  placed  in  his  hands  a  dispatnfi 


566  LIFE   OF  p-    T-   BARNUM, 

from  his  son-in-law  in  New  York,  marked  "Urgent." 
He  opened  and  read  it.  It  announced  that  his 
Museum  had  been  totally  destroyed  by  fire.  He 
laid  it  upon  his  desk,  and  without  the  slightest  change 
of  manner  continued  his  argument,  as  follows  : 

"These  railroad  gentlemen  absolutely  deny  any 
intention  of  raising  the  fares  of  commuters,  and 
profess  to  think  it  very  hard  that  disinterested  and 
conscientious  gentlemen  like  them  should  be  judged 
by  the  doings  of  the  Hudson  River  and  Harlem 
Railroads.  But  now,  Mr.  Speaker,  I  am  going  to 
expose  the  duplicity  of  these  men.  I  have  had 
detectives  on  their  track,  for  men  who  plot  against 
public  interest  deserve  to  be  watched.  I  have  in 
my  pocket  positive  proofs  that  they  did,  and  do, 
intend  to  spring  their  trap  upon  the  unprotected 
commuters  on  the  New  York  and  New  Haven 
Railroad." 

He  then  drew  from  his  pocket  and  read  two 
telegrams  received  that  morning,  one  from  New 
York  and  the  other  from  Bridgeport,  announcing 
that  the  New  York  and  New  Haven  Railroad  Direct- 
ory had  held  a  secret  meeting  in  New  York  the  day 
before,  for  the  purpose  of  immediately  raising  the 
fares  of  commuters  twenty  per  cent,  so  that  in  case 
his  bill  became  a  law  they  could  get  ahead  of  him. 
He  continued: 

"  Now,  Mr.  Speaker,  I  know  that  these  dispatches 
are  true ;  my  information  is  from  the  inside  of  the 
camp.  I  see  a  director  of  the  New  York  and  New 


IN  NATIONAL   POLITICS.  567 

Haven  Railroad  sitting  in  this  hall ;  I  know  that  he 
knows  these  dispatches  are  true ;  and  if  he  will  go 
before  the  railroad  committee  and  make  oath  that 
he  don't  know  that  such  a  meeting  took  place  yes- 
terday, for  exactly  this  purpose,  I  will  forfeit  and 
pay  one  thousand  dollars  to  the  families  of  poor 
soldiers  in  this  city.  In  consideration  of  this  attempt 
to  forestall  the  action  of  this  Legislature,  I  offer  an 
amendment  to  the  bill  now  under  consideration,  by 
adding  after  the  word  '  ratio '  the  words  '  as  it  existed 
on  the  ist  day  of  July,  1865.'  In  this  way  we  shall 
cut  off  any  action  which  these  sleek  gentlemen  may 
have  taken  yesterday.  It  is  now  evident  that  these 
railroad  gentlemen  have  set  a  trap  for  this  Legisla- 
ture ;  and  I  propose  that  we  now  spring  the  trap, 
and  see  if  we  cannot  catch  these  wily  railroad 
directors  in  it.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  move  the  previous 
question." 

This  revelation  astounded  the  opposition,  and  the 
"  previous  question "  was  ordered.  On  the  final 
vote  the  bill  was  carried  through  triumphantly,  and 
has  ever  since  remained  an  important  item  in  the 
statute-book  of  the  State. 

In  the  spring  of  1866  Barnum  was  re-elected  to 
represent  the  town  of  Fairfield  in  the  Legislature. 
He  had  not  intended  to  serve  again.  But  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  railroad,  who  had  led  the  op- 
position to  Barnum's  new  railroad  law,  had  openly 
boasted  about  the  town  that  Barnum  should  not  be 
allowed  to  hold  the  office  again.  It  was  in  response 


566  LIFE   OF  P,    T.   BARNUM. 

from  his  son-in-law  in  New  York,  marked  "Urgent." 
He  opened  and  read  it.  It  announced  that  his 
Museum  had  been  totally  destroyed  by  fire.  He 
laid  it  upon  his  desk,  and  without  the  slightest  change 
of  manner  continued  his  argument,  as  follows : 

"These  railroad  gentlemen  absolutely  deny  any 
intention  of  raising  the  fares  of  commuters,  and 
profess  to  think  it  very  hard  that  disinterested  and 
conscientious  gentlemen  like  them  should  be  judged 
by  the  doings  of  the  Hudson  River  and  Harlem 
Railroads.  But  now,  Mr.  Speaker,  I  am  going  to 
expose  the  duplicity  of  these  men.  I  have  had 
detectives  on  their  track,  for  rnen  who  plot  against 
public  interest  deserve  to  be  watched.  I  have  in 
my  pocket  positive  proofs  that  they  did,  and  do, 
intend  to  spring  their  trap  upon  the  unprotected 
commuters  on  the  New  York  and  New  Haven 
Railroad." 

He  then  drew  from  his  pocket  and  read  two 
telegrams  received  that  morning,  one  from  New 
York  and  the  other  from  Bridgeport,  announcing 
that  the  New  York  and  New  Haven  Railroad  Direct- 
ory had  held  a  secret  meeting  in  New  York  the  day 
before,  for  the  purpose  of  immediately  raising  the 
fares  of  commuters  twenty  per  cent,  so  that  in  case 
his  bill  became  a  law  they  could  get  ahead  of  him. 
He  continued: 

"  Now,  Mr.  Speaker,  I  know  that  these  dispatches 
are  true ;  my  information  is  from  the  inside  of  the 
camp.  I  see  a  director  of  the  New  York  and  New 


IN  NATIONAL   POLITICS.  567 

Haven  Railroad  sitting  in  this  hall ;  I  know  that  he 
knows  these  dispatches  are  true ;  and  if  he  will  go 
before  the  railroad  committee  and  make  oath  that 
he  don't  know  that  such  a  meeting  took  place  yes- 
terday, for  exactly  this  purpose,  I  will  forfeit  and 
pay  one  thousand  dollars  to  the  families  of  poor 
soldiers  in  this  city.  In  consideration  of  this  attempt 
to  forestall  the  action  of  this  Legislature,  I  offer  an 
amendment  to  the  bill  now  under  consideration,  by 
adding  after  the  word  '  ratio '  the  words  '  as  it  existed 
on  the  ist  day  of  July,  1865.'  In  this  way  we  shall 
cut  off  any  action  which  these  sleek  gentlemen  may 
have  taken  yesterday.  It  is  now  evident  that  these 
railroad  gentlemen  have  set  a  trap  for  this  Legisla- 
ture ;  and  I  propose  that  we  now  spring  the  trap, 
and  see  if  we  cannot  catch  these  wily  railroad 
directors  in  it.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  move  the  previous 
question." 

This  revelation  astounded  the  opposition,  and  the 
"  previous  question "  was  ordered.  On  the  final 
vote  the  bill  was  carried  through  triumphantly,  and 
has  ever  since  remained  an  important  item  in  the 
statute-book  of  the  State. 

In  the  spring  of  1866  Barnum  was  re-elected  to 
represent  the  town  of  Fairfield  in  the  Legislature. 
He  had  not  intended  to  serve  again.  But  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  railroad,  who  had  led  the  op- 
position to  Barnum's  new  railroad  law,  had  openly 
boasted  about  the  town  that  Barnum  should  not  be 
allowed  to  hold  the  office  again.  It  was  in  response 


568  LIFE  OF  p-   T-  BARNUM. 

to  these  boasts  that  Barnum  decided  to  accept  the 
nomination,  and  he  was  handsomely  elected. 

The  leading  issue  before  that  Legislature  was  the 
election  of  a  United  States  Senator.  Andrew  John- 
son was  then  President  of  the  United  States,  and 
had  begun  to  break  away  from  the  Republican 
party.  One  of  the  Connecticut  Senators  was  follow- 
ing him  in  this  action.  The  other  Senator  was  now 
a  candidate  for  re-election.  Barnum  had  been  an 
earnest  admirer  of  him,  but  now  ascertained  that  he 
too  was  siding  with  Johnson.  This  caused  Barnum 
to  take  an  active  part  in  opposing  him,  and  the 
showman-legislator  spent  many  days  and  nights 
endeavoring  to  impress  upon  his  colleagues  the  im- 
portance of  defeating  this  candidate  and  electing  the 
Hon.  O.  S.  Ferry  to  the  Senatorship. 

Excitement  ran  high.  At  first  Mr.  Ferry  had 
only  a  few  votes.  But  under  Barnum's  skilful 
leadership  he  at  last  obtained  a  majority  in  the  party 
caucus  and  was  accordingly  elected. 

During  that  summer  Barnum  entertained  many 
eminent  politicians  and  other  public  men  at  his 
beautiful  residence,  Lindencroft.  Governor  Hawley 
wanted  him  to  serve  as  a  Commissioner  to  the  Paris 
Exposition  of  1867,  but  he  was  unable  to  do  so. 

In  the  spring  of  1867  he  was  nominated  for  Con- 
gress by  the  Republicans  of  the  Fourth  District.  In 
referring  to  this  episode,  he  afterward  remarked : 
"  Politics  were  always  distasteful  to  me.  I  possessed, 
naturally,  too  much  independence  of  mind,  and  too 


IN  NATIONAL   POLITICS. 

strong  a  determination  to  do  what  I  believe  to  be 
right,  regardless  of  party  expediency,  to  make  a  lithe 
and  oily  politician.  To  be  called  on  to  favor  appli- 
cations from  office-seekers,  without  regard  to  their 
merits,  and  to  do  the  dirty  work  too  often  demanded 
by  political  parties ;  to  be  '  all  things  to  all  men," 
though  not  in  the  apostolic  sense ;  to  shake  hands 
with  those  whom  I  despised,  and  to  kiss  the  dirty 
babies  of  those  whose  votes  were  courted,  were 
political  requirements  which  I  felt  I  could  never 
acceptably  fulfil.  Nevertheless,  I  had  become,  so 
far  as  business  was  concerned,  almost  a  man  of 
leisure ;  and  some  of  my  warmest  personal  friends 
insisted  that  a  nomination  to  so  high  and  honorable 
a  position  as  a  member  of  Congress  was  not  to  be 
lightly  rejected,  and  so  I  consented  to  run.  Fairfield 
and  Litchfield  counties  composed  the  district,  which, 
in  the  preceding  Congressional  election,  in  1865,  anc^ 
just  after  the  close  of  the  war,  was  Republican.  In 
the  year  following,  however,  the  district  in  the  State 
election  went  Democratic.  I  had  this  Democratic 
majority  to  contend  against  in  1867,  and  as  the  whole 
State  turned  over  and  elected  the  Democratic  ticket, 
I  lost  my  election.  In  the  next  succeeding  Congres- 
sional election,  in  1869,  the  Fourth  District  also 
elected  the  only  Democratic  Congressman  chosen 
from  Connecticut  that  year. 

"  I  was  neither  disappointed  nor  cast  down  by  my 
defeat.  The  political  canvass  served  the  purpose  of 
giving  me  a  new  sensation,  and  introducing  me  to 


LIFE    OF  p-    T-   BARNUM. 

new  phases  of  human  nature — a  subject  which  I  had 
always  great  delight  in  studying.  The  filth  and 
scandal,  the  slanders  and  vindictiveness,  the  plottings 
and  fawnings,  the  fidelity,  meanness  and  manliness, 
which  oy  turns  exhibited  themselves  in  the  exciting 
scenes  preceding  the  election,  were  novel  to  me,  and 
were  so  far  interesting. 

"  Shortly  after  my  opponent  was  nominated  I  sent 
him  the  following  letter,  which  was  also  published  in 
the  Bridgeport  Standard: 

"'BRIDGEPORT,  Conn.,  February  21,  1867. 
"'W.  H.  BARNUM,  Esq.,  Salisbury,  Conn.: 

" '  Dear  Sir:  Observing  that  the  Democratic  party 
has  nominated  you  for  Congress  from  this  district,  I 
desire  to  make  you  a  proposition. 

" '  The  citizens  of  this  portion  of  our  State  will  be 
compelled,  on  the  first  Monday  in  April  next,  to  de- 
cide whether  you  or  myself  shall  represent  their 
interests  and  their  principles  in  the  Fortieth  Congress 
of  the  United  States. 

'"The  theory  of  our  government  is,  that  the  will 
of  the  people  shall  be  the  law  of  the  land.  It  is  im- 
portant, therefore,  that  the  people  shall  vote  under- 
standingly,  and  especially  at  this  important  crisis  in 
our  national  existence.  In  order  that  the  voters  of 
this  district  shall  fully  comprehend  the  principles  by 
which  each  of  their  Congressional  candidates  is 
guided,  I  respectfully  invite  you  to  meet  me  in  a 
serious  and  candid  discussion  of  the  important 


IN  NATIONAL   POLITICS.  57! 

political  issues  of  the  day  at  various  towns  in  the 
Fourth  Congressional  District  of  Connecticut,  on 
each  week-day  evening,  from  the  fourth  day  of 
March  until  the  thirtieth  day  of  the  same  month, 
both  inclusive. 

" '  If  you  will  consent  to  thus  meet  me  in  a  friendly 
discussion  of  those  subjects,  now  so  near  and  dear 
to  every  American  heart,  and,  I  may  add,  possessing 
at  this  time  such  momentous  interest  to  all  civilized 
nations  in  the  world  who  are  suffering  from  misrule, 
I  pledge  myself  to  conduct  my  portion  of  the  debate 
with  perfect  fairness,  and  with  all  due  respect  for  my 
opponent,  and  doubt  not  you  will  do  the  same. 

"  '  Never,  in  my  judgment,  in  our  past  history  as  a 
nation,  have  interests  and  questions  more  important 
appealed  to  the  people  for  their  wise  and  careful 
consideration.  It  is  due  to  the  voters  of  the  Fourth 
Congressional  District  that  they  have  an  early  and 
full  opportunity  to  examine  their  candidates  in  re- 
gard to  these  important  problems,  and  I  shall  esteem 
it  a  great  privilege  if  you  will  accept  this  proposition. 

"  '  Please  favor  me  with  an  early  answer,  and  oblige 
" '  Truly  vours, 

"'P.  T.  BARNUM.'" 

To  this  letter  Mr.  William  H.  Barnum  replied, 
positively  declining  to  accept  his  rival's  proposition. 

When  Congress  met  P.  T.  Barnum  was  surprised 
to  see  in  the  newspapers  an  announcement  that  the 
seat  of  his  successful  rival  was  to  be  contested  on 


LIFE    OF  p-    T-    SARNUM. 

the  ground  of  bribery  and  fraud.  "  This,"  he  said, 
"  was  the  first  intimation  that  I  had  ever  received  of 
such  an  intention,  and  I  was  never,  at  any  time  before 
or  afterwards,  consulted  upon  the  subject.  The 
movement  proved  to  have  originated  with  neighbors 
and  townsmen  of  the  successful  candidate,  who 
claimed  to  be  able  to  prove  that  he  had  paid  large 
sums  of  money  to  purchase  votes.  They  also 
claimed  that  they  had  proof  that  men  were  brought 
from  an  adjoining  State  to  vote,  and  that  in  the  office 
of  the  successful  candidate  naturalization  papers  were 
forged  to  enable  foreigners  to  vote  upon  them.  But, 
I  repeat,  I  took  no  part  nor  lot  in  the  matter,  but 
concluded  that  if  I  had  been  defeated  by  fraud,  mine 
was  the  real  success." 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

FIGHTING  A  NEWSPAPER. 

DISPOSING  or  THE  LEASE  OF  THE  MUSEUM  SITE — THE  BARGAIN  WITH  M*. 
BENNETT — BARNUM'S  REFUSAL  TO  BACK  OUT — A  LONG  AND  BITTER 
WAR  WITH  "  THE  HERALD  " — ACTION  OF  THE  OTHER  MANAGERS — 
THK  RETURN  OF  PEACE. 

After  the  destruction  of  his  museum  by  fire,  Bar- 
num  determined  to  open  another  and  still  finer 
establishment.  It  would  not  be  on  the  old  site, 
however,  but  further  up  town.  The  unexpired  lease 
of  the  two  lots  at  Ann  Street  and  Broadway  he  pro- 
posed to  sell ;  and  he  quickly  had  numerous  offers 
for  it.  This  lease  still  had  about  eleven  years  to 
run,  and  the  annual  rental  was  only  $10,000;  and 
there  was  a  provision  that,  in  case  of  the  burning  of 
the  building,  the  owner  was  to  spend  $24,000  in 
aiding  Barnum  to  rebuild,  and  then,  at  the  expiration 
of  the  lease,  was  to  pay  Barnum  the  appraised 
value  of  the  building,  not  exceeding  $100,000.  This 
lease  had  seemed  extravagant  when  Barnum  had 
made  it,  but  the  great  growth  of  the  city  had  so  in- 
creased the  value  of  property  in  that  vicinity,  that 
now  the  rental  of  $10,000  seemed  ridiculously 
small.  An  experienced  real  estate  broker,  whom 
Barnum  engaged  for  the  purpose,  estimated  the 
573 


574  LIFE  OF  P- 

value  of  the  lease  at  $275,000.  Barnum  was  so 
anxious,  however,  to  get  the  matter  settled  at  once 
that  he  decided  to  offer  the  lease  for  sale  at  $225,000. 
The  next  day  he  met  James  Gordon  Bennett,  the 
elder,  the  owner  of  the  New  York  Herald.  Mr. 
Bennett  told  him  that  he  thought  of  buying  both  the 
lease  and  the  fee  simple  of  the  property  itself,  and 
erecting  there  a  fine  building  for  his  great  news- 
paper. Barnum  therefore,  offered  him  the  lease  for 
$200,000,  and  after  a  few  day's  consideration  Mr. 
Bennett  accepted  the  offer.  His  attorney  thereupon 
handed  to  Mr.  Barnum  a  check  on  the  Chemical 
Bank  for  $200,000,  which  Barnum  immediately  used 
in  the  purchase  of  Government  Bonds.  Mr.  Ben- 
nett had  agreed  to  purchase  the  fee  of  the  property 
for  $500,000.  He  had  been  informed  that  the  prop- 
erty was  worth  some  $350,000  to  $400,000,  and  he 
did  not  mind  paying  $100,000  extra  for  the  purpose 
of  carrying  out  his  plans.  But  the  parties  who  esti- 
mated for  him  the  value  of  the  land  knew  nothing 
of  the  fact  that  there  was  a  lease  upon  the  property, 
else  of  course  they  would  in  their  estimate  have 
deducted  the  $200,000,  which  the  lease  would  cost. 

7r  *  * 

When,  therefore,  Mr.  Bennett  saw  it  stated  in  the 
newspapers  that  the  sum  which  he  had  paid  for  a 
piece  of  land  measuring  only  fifty-six  by  one  hun- 
dred feet  was  more  than  was  ever  paid  before  in  any 
city  in  the  world  for  a  tract  of  that  size,  he  discov- 
ered the  serious  oversight  which  he  had  made  ;  and 
the  owner  of  the  property  was  immediately  in- 


THE  FIGHT  WITH  THE  HERALD. 

formed  that  Bennett  would  not  take  it.  But  Ben- 
nett had  already  signed  a  bond  to  the  owner,  agree- 
ing to  pay  $100,000  cash,  and  to  mortgage  the  prem- 
ises for  the  remaining  $400,000. 

Supposing  that  by  this  step  he  had  shaken  off  the 
owner  of  the  fee,  Bennett  was  not  long  in  seeing 
that,  as  he  was  not  to  own  the  land,  he  would  have 
no  possible  use  for  the  lease,  for  which  he  had  paid 
the  $200,000 ;  and  accordingly  his  next  step  was  to 
shake  Barnum  off  also,  and  get  back  the  money  he 
had  paid  him. 

In  speaking  of  what  followed,  Mr.  Barnum  after- 
wards said :  "  My  business  for  many  years,  as 
manager  of  the  Museum  and  other  public  entertain- 
ments, compelled  me  to  court  notoriety ;  and  I 
always  found  Bennett's  abuse  far  more  remunerative 
than  his  praise,  even  if  I  could  have  had  the  praise 
at  the  same  price,  that  is  for  nothing.  Especially  was 
it  profitable  to  me  when  I  could  be  the  subject  of 
scores  of  lines  of  his  scolding  editorials  free  of 
charge,  instead  of  paying  him  forty  cents  a  line  for 
advertisements,  which  would  not  attract  a  tenth  part 
so  much  attention.  Bennett  had  tried  abusing  me, 
off  and  on,  for  twenty  years,  on  one  occasion 
refusing  my  advertisement  altogether  for  the  space 
of  about  a  year ;  but  I  always  managed  to  be  the 
gainer  by  his  course.  Now,  however,  when  new 
difficulties  threatened,  all  the  leading  managers  in 
New  York  were  members  of  the  '  Managers'  Asso- 
ciation,' and  as  we  all  submitted  to  the  arbitrary 


5  }6  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BARNUM. 

and  extortionate  demands  of  the  Herald,  Bennett 
thought  he  had  but  to  crack  his  whip,  in  .order  to 
keep  all  and  any  of  us  within  the  traces.  Accord- 
ingly one  day  Bennett's  attorney  wrote  me  a  letter, 
saying  that  he  would  like  to  have  me  call  on  him  at 
his  office  the  following  morning.  Not  dreaming  of 
the  object,  I  called  as  desired,  and  after  a  few  pleas- 
ant commonplace  remarks  about  the  weather,  and 
other  trifles,  the  attorney  said : 

" '  Mr.  Barnum,  I  have  sent  for  you  to  say  that 
Mr.  Bennett  has  concluded  not  to  purchase  the 
museum  lots,  and  therefore  that  you  had  better  take 
back  the  lease,  and  return  the  $200,000  paid  for  it.' 

"  'Are  you  in  earnest?  '  I  asked  with  surprise. 

"  '  Certainly,  quite  so,'  he  answered. 

"  'Really,'  I  said,  smiling,  'I  am  sorry  I  can't  ac- 
commodate Mr.  Bennett ;  I  have  not  got  the  little 
sum  about  me  ;  in  fact,  I  have  spent  the  money.' 

'"It  will  be  better  for  you  to  take  back  the  lease,' 
said  the  attorney,  seriously. 

"  '  Nonsense/  I  replied,  '  I  shall  do  nothing  of  the 
sort;  I  don't  make  child's  bargains.  The  lease  was 
cheap  enough,  but  I  have  other  business  to  attend 
to,  and  shall  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.' 

"The  attorney  said  very  little  in  reply;  but  I 
could  see,  by  the  almost  benignant  sorrow  ex- 
pressed upon  his  countenance,  that  he  evidently 
pitied  me  for  the  temerity  that  would  doubtless  lead 
me  into  the  jaws  of  the  insatiable  monster  of  the 
Herald.  The  next  morning  I  observed  that  the 


BARNUATS  AD  VER  TISEMENT  REFUSED.  577 

advertisement  of  my  entertainments  with  my  museum 
company  at  Winter  Garden  was  left  out  of  the 
Herald  columns.  I  went  directly  to  the  editorial 
rooms  of  the  Herald ;  and  learning  that  Bennett 
was  not  in,  I  said  to  Mr.  Hudson,  then  managing 
editor: 

"  '  My  advertisement  is  left  out  of  the  Herald; 
is  there  a  screw  loose  ? ' 

"  'I  believe  there  is,'  was  the  reply. 

"  '  What  is  the  matter  ?  '  I  asked. 

"  'You  must  ask  the  Emperor,'  said  Mr.  Hudson, 
meaning  of  course  Bennett. 

"  'When  will  the  "Emperor"  be  in?'  I  inquired. 
1  Next  Monday,'  was  the  answer. 

'"Well,  I  shall  not  see  him,'  I  replied;  'but  I 
wish  to  have  this  thing  settled  at  once.  Mr.  Hudson, 
I  now  tender  you  the  money  for  the  insertion  of  my 
museum  advertisement  on  the  same  terms  as  are 
paid  by  other  places  of  amusement ;  will  you  pub- 
lish it?' 

"'I  will  not,'  Mr.   Hudson  peremptorily  replied. 

"  '  That  is  all,'  I  said.  Mr.  Hudson  then  smilingly 
and  blandly  remarked,  '  I  have  formally  answered 
your  formal  demand,  because  I  suppose  you  require 
it ;  but  you  know,  Mr.  Barnum,  I  can  only  obey 
orders.'  I  assured  him  that  I  understood  the  matter 
perfectly,  and  attached  no  blame  to  him  in  the  prem- 
ises. I  then  proceeded  to  notify  the  secretary  of 
the  '  Managers'  Association  '  to  call  the  managers 
together  at  twelve  o'clock  the  following  day ;  and 

32 


578  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  BAPNUM. 

there  was  a  full  meeting  at  the  appointed  time.  I 
stated  the  facts  in  the  case  in  the  Herald  affair,  and 
simply  remarked,  that  if  we  did  not  make  common 
cause  against  any  newspaper  publisher  who  ex- 
cluded an  advertisement  from  his  columns  simply  to 
gratify  a  private  pique,  it  was  evident  that  either 
and  all  of  us  were  liable  to  imposition  at  any  time. 

"  One  of  the  managers  immediately  made  a  mo- 
tion that  the  entire  Association  should  stop  their 
advertising  and  bill  printing  at  the  Herald  office, 
and  have  no  furthur  connection  with  that  establish- 
ment. Mr.  Lester  Wallack  advised  that  this  motion 
should  not  be  adopted  until  a  committee  had  waited 
upon  Bennett,  and  had  reported  the  result  of  the 
interview  to  the  Association.  Accordingly,  Messrs. 
Wallack,  Wheatley  and  Stuart  were  delegated  to  go 
down  to  the  Herald  office  to  call  on  Mr.  Bennett. 

"The  moment  Bennett  saw  them,  he  evidently 
suspected  the  object  of  their  mission,  for  he  at  once 
commenced  to  speak  to  Mr.  Wallack  in  a  patroniz- 
ing manner  ;  told  him  how  long  he  had  known,  and 
how  much  he  respected  his  late  father,  who  was  a 
true  English  gentleman  of  the  old  school,'  with 
much  more  in  the  same  strain.  Mr.  Wallack  replied 
to  Bennett  that  the  three  managers  were  appointed 
a  committee  to  wait  upon  him  to  ascertain  if  he  in- 
sisted upon  excluding  from  his  columns  the  museum 
advertisements — not  on  account  of  any  objection  to 
the  contents  of  the  advertisements,  or  to  the  museum 
itself,  but  simply  because  he  had  a  private  business 


BOYCOTTING  THE  HERALD.  579 

disagreement  with  the  proprietor ;  intimating  that 
such  a  proceeding,  for  such  a  reason,  and  no  other, 
might  lead  to  a  rupture  of  business  relations  with 
other  managers.  In  reply,  Mr.  Bennett  had  some- 
thing to  say  about  the  fox  that  had  suffered  tailwise 
from  a  trap,  and  thereupon  advised  all  other  foxes 
to  cut  their  tails  off ;  and  he  pointed  the  fable  by 
setting  forth  the  impolicy  of  drawing  down  upon  the 
Association  the  vengeance  of  the  Herald.  The 
committee,  however,  coolly  insisted  upon  a  direct 
answer  to  their  question. 

"  Bennett  then  answered :  '  I  will  not  publish 
Barnum's  advertisement ;  I  do  my  business  as  I 
please,  and  in  my  own  way.' 

"  'So  do  we,'  replied  one  of  the  managers,  and 
the  committee  withdrew. 

"The  next  day  the  Managers'  Association  met, 
heard  the  report,  and  unanimously  resolved  to  with- 
draw their  advertisements  from  the  Herald,  and 
their  patronage  from  the  Herald  job  establishment, 
and  it  was  done.  Nevertheless,  the  Herald  for 
several  days  continued  to  print  gratutitously  the 
advertisements  of  Wallack's  Theatre  and  Niblo's 
Garden,  and  inordinately  puffed  these  establish- 
ments, evidently  in  order  to  ease*  the  fall,  and  to 
convey  the  idea  that  some  of  the  theatres  patronized 
the  Herald,  and  perhaps  hoping  by  praising  these 
managers  to  draw  them  back  again,  and  so  to  nul- 
lify the  agreement  of  the  Association  in  regard  to 
the  Herald.  Thereupon,  the  mangers  headed  their 


580  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  RARNUM. 

advertisements  in  all  the  other  New  York  papers 
with  the  line,  'This  establishment  does  not  adver- 
tise in  the  New  York  Herald'  and  for  many 
months  this  announcement  was  kept  at  the  top  of 
every  theatrical  advertisement  and  on  the  posters 
and  playbills. 

"  The  Herald  then  began  to  abuse  and  villify  the 
theatrical  and  opera  managers,  their  artists  and 
their  performances,  which,  of  course,  was  well  un- 
derstood by  the  public,  and  relished  accordingly. 
Meanwhile  the  theatres  prospered  amazingly.  Their 
receipts  were  never  larger,  and  their  houses  never 
more  thronged.  The  public  took  sides  in  the  mat- 
ter with  the  managers  and  against  the  Herald,  and 
thousands  of  people  went  to  the  theatres  merely  to 
show  their  willingness  to  support  the  managers  and 
to  spite  '  Old  Bennett/  The  editor  was  fairly  caught 
in  his  own  trap.  Other  journals  began  to  estimate 
the  loss  the  Herald  sustained  by  the  action  of  the 
managers,  and  it  was  generally  believed  that  this 
loss  in  advertising  and  job  printing  was  not  less 
than  from  $75,000  to  $100,000  a  year.  The 
Herald's  circulation  also  suffered  terribly,  since 
hundreds  of  people,  at  the  hotels  and  elsewhere, 
who  were  accustomed  to  buy  the  paper  solely  for 
the  sake  of  seeing  what  amusements  were  an- 
nounced for  the  evening,  now  bought  other  papers. 
This  was  the  hardest  blow  of  all,  and  it  fully  ac- 
counted for  the  abuse  which  the  Herald  daily 
poured  out  upon  the  theatres. 


BENNE  TTS  DEFEA  T.  581 

"Bennett  evidently  felt  ashamed  of  the  whole 
transaction.  He  would  never  publish  the  facts  in 
his  columns,  though  he  once  stated  in  an  editorial 
that  it  had  been  reported  that  he  had  been  cheated 
in  purchasing  the  Broadway  property ;  that  the 
case  had  gone  to  court,  and  the  public  would  soon 
know  all  the  particulars.  Some  persons  supposed 
by  this  that  Bennett  had  sued  me  ;  but  this  was  far 
from  being  the  case.  The  owner  of  the  lots  sued 
Bennett,  to  compel  him  to  take  the  title  and  pay 
for  the  property  as  per  agreement ;  and  that  was 
all  the  'law'  there  was  about  it.  He  held  James 
Gordon  Bennett's  bond,  that  he  would  pay  him  half 
a  million  of  dollars  for  the  land,  as  follows:  $100,- 

000  cash,  and  a  bond  and  mortgage  upon  the  prem- 
ises for  the   remaining   $400,000.     The  day  before 
the  suit  was  to  come  to  trial,  Bennett  came  forward, 
took  the  deed,  and  paid  $100,000  cash,  and  gave  a 
bond   and   mortgage   of    the    entire    premises  for 
$400,000. 

"  Had  I  really  taken  back  the  lease,  as  Bennett 
desired,  he  would  have  been  in  a  worse  scrape  than 
ever ;  for  having  been  compelled  to  take  the  prop- 
erty, he  would  have  been  obliged,  as  my  landlord, 
to  go  on  and  assist  in  building  a  Museum  for  me, 
according  to  the  terms  of  my  lease,  and  a  Museum 

1  should  certainly  have  built  on  Bennett's  property, 
even  if  I  had  owned  a  dozen  Museums  up  town. 

"In  the  autumn  of  1868,  the  associated  managers 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  punishment  of  Ben- 


582  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM, 

nett  for  two  years  was  sufficient,  and  they  consented 
to  restore  their  advertisements  to  the  Herald.  I 
was  then  carrying  on  my  new  Museum,  and  although 
I  did  not  immediately  resume  advertising  in  the 
Herald,  I  have  since  done  so." 

Such  is  the  account  Barnum  gave,  in  his  own 
words,  of  this  extraordinary  quarrel.  He  was,  it 
will  be  seen,  unsparing  of  criticism  and  denunciation. 
Kindly  as  was  his  nature,  he  was  "a  good  hater," 
and  never  was  there  a  more  relentless  fighter.  In 
denouncing  Mr.  Bennett  he  was  perfectly  sin- 
cere, and  believed  himself  to  be  entirely  in  the 
right.  At  the  same  time  he  never  hesitated  to  give 
a  full  meed  of  appreciative  praise  to  the  great  jour- 
nalist, for  his  extraordinary  enterprise  and  com- 
manding talents.  Bjoth  the  men  are  now  dead,  after 
careers  of  marvellous  success,  and  the  animosity  that 
raged  between  them  is  also  long  dead ;  it  perished 
years  before  they  did.  It  is  here  rehearsed  merely 
as  an  integral  and  essential-  part  of  this  biography, 
to  be  regarded  in  a  spirit  of  philosophic  contempla- 
tion, entirely  devoid  of  bitterness  or  acrimony. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

BRIDGEPORT. 

THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  SEASIDE  PARK — LAYING  OUT 
CITY  STREETS — IMPATIENCE  WITH  "  OLD  FOGIES" — BUILDING  A  SEASIDE 
HOME — WALDEMERE— A  HOME  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  Mr.  Barnum's  life  was 
his  loyalty  to  the  place  he  had  chosen  as  his  home, 
and  his  devotion  to  its  interests.  He  had  great 
faith  in  Bridgeport,  and  worked  unceasingly  to  jus- 
tify it.  He  looked  far  ahead,  saw  the  prospective 
growth  of  the  place,  and  laid  broad  plans  of  pre- 
paration for  the  future. 

Apart  from  his  great  services  in  laying  out  East 
Bridgeport,  he  was  the  author  of  the  improvements 
on  the  water-front  known  as  Seaside  Park.  The  idea 
of  such  a  thing  occurred  to  him  first  in  1863,  when 
he  rode  over  the  ground  and  observed  its  fitness  for 
the  purpose.  He  then  began  agitating  the  matter, 
and  urging  the  immediate  acquirement  by  the  city 
of  land  for  a  park  and  public  drive-way  along  the 
margin  of  the  Sound.  It  was  necessary,  he  repre- 
sented, to  do  it  at  once,  before  the  natural  increase 
in  the  value  of  the  land  made  such  an  undertaking 
too  expensive.  That  it  would  be  a  profitable  venture 
he  felt  certain  ;  for  such  an  improvement  would 

583 


LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BAR  NUM. 

make  every  bit  of  real  estate  in  the  city  more  valu- 
able, and  would  attract  many  new  residents  to  the 
place. 

There  were,  however,  many  conservatives,  "  old 
fogies "  he  called  them,  who  opposed  him.  He 
then  approached  the  farmers  who  owned  the 
land  lying  immediately  upon  the  shore,  and  tried 
to  convince  them  that,  if  they  would  give  the  city, 
free,  a  deep  slip  next  to  the  water,  to  be  used  as  a 
public  park,  it  would  increase  in  value  the  rest  of 
their  land  so  much  as  to  make  it  a  profitable  opera- 
tion for  them.  But  it  was  like  beating  against  the 
wind.  They  were  "  not  so  stupid  as  to  think  that 
they  could  become  gainers  by  giving  away  their 
property." 

He  succeeded,  however,  in  getting  the  active  aid 
and  co-operation  of  Messrs.  Nathaniel  Wheeler, 
James  Loomis,  Francis  Ives,  Frederick  Wood,  and 
some  others,  who  went  with  him  to  the  land- 
owners and  added  their  persuasions  to  his.  After 
much  urging,  they  finally  got  the  terms  upon  which 
the  proprietors  would  give  a  portion  and  sell  another 
portion  of  their  land,  which  fronted  on  the  water, 
provided  the  land  thus  disposed  of  should  forever 
be  appropriated  to  the  purposes  of  a  public  park. 
But,  unfortunately,  a  part  of  the  land  it  was  desir- 
able to  include  was  a  farm,  of  some  thirty  acres, 
then  beloncrinor  to  an  unsettled  estate,  and  neither 

o       o 

the  administrator  nor  the  heirs  could  or  would  give 
away  a  rod  of  it.  But  the  whole  farm  was  for  sale— 


LAYING  OUT  A  CITY.  585 

and,  to  overcome  the  difficulty  in  the  way  of  its 
transfer  ior  the  public  benefit,  Barnum  bought  it  for 
about  $12,000,  and  then  presented  the  required 
front  to  the  park.  He  did  not  want  this  land  or  any 
portion  of  it,  for  his  own  purposes  or  profit,  and  he 
offered  a  thousand  dollars  to  any  one  who  would 
take  his  place  in  the  transaction ;  but  no  one  ac- 
cepted, and  he  was  quite  willing  to  contribute  so 
much  of  the  land  as  was  needed  for  so  noble  an 
object.  Besides  this,  he  gave  $1,400  toward  pur- 
chasing other  land  and  improving  the  park ,  and, 
after  months  of  persistent  personal  effort,  he  sue* 
ceeded  in  raising,  by  private  subscription,  the  sum 
necessary  to  secure  the  land  needed.  This  was 
duly  paid  for,  deeded  to,  and  accepted  by  the  city, 
and  Barnum  had  the  pleasure  of  naming  this  new 
and  great  public  improvement,  "  Seaside  Park." 

When  Mr.  Barnum  first  selected  Bridgeport  as  his 
home,  as  already  stated  in  a  preceding  chapter,  the 
place  was  commended  to  him  by  its  nearness  to 
New  York,  its  convenience  of  access,  and  the 
beauty  of  its  situation.  "Nowhere,"  said  he,  "in 
all  my  travels  in  America  and  abroad  had  I  seen  a 
city  whose  very  position  presented  so  many  and 
varied  attractions.  Situated  on  Long  Island  Sound, 
with  that  vast  water-view  in  front,  and  on  every 
other  side  a  beautiful  and  fertile  country  with  every 
variety  of  inland  scenery,  and  charming  drives  which 
led  through  valleys  rich  with  well-cultivated  farms, 
and  over  hills  thick-wooded  with  far-stretching  for- 


586  LIFE  OF  p>  T.  BAR  NUM. 

ests  of  primeval  growth — all  these  natural  attractions 
appeared  to  me  only  so  many  aids  to  the  advance- 
ment the  beautiful  and  busy  city  might  attain,  if 
public  spirit,  enterprise,  and  money  grasped  and 
improved  the  opportunities  the  locality  itself  ex- 
tended. I  saw  that  what  Nature  had  so  freely  lav- 
ished must  be  supplemented  by  yet  more  liberal 
Art." 

It  was  in  pursuance  of  this  object  that  he  built 
the  famous  Iranistan ;  and  when  he  did  so  he  felt 
confident  that  this  superb  place  would  so  increase 
the  value  of  surrounding  property  that  none 
but  first-class  residences  would  be  erected  in  the 
vicinity.  He,  however,  went  on  to  improve  the 
surrounding  property  as  much  as  possible.  He 
opened  numerous  fine  avenues  through  land  pur- 
chased by  himself,  and  freely  gave  them  to  the  city. 
In  this  way  he  opened  miles  of  new  streets  and 
planted  them  with  thousands  of  shade  trees.  The 
planting  of  trees  was  almost  a  mania  with  him,  in 
pursuit  of  the  doctrine  laid  down  in  Scott's  "  Heart 
of  Mkl-Lothian  " :  "  When  ye  hae  naething  else  to 
do,  ye  may  be  aye  sticking  in  a  tree ;  it  will  be 
growing  when  ye're  sleeping." 

Barnum  was  always  for  enterprise  and  progress. 
"  Conservatism,"  he  said,  "  may  be  a  good  thing  in 
the  State, or  in  the  Church,  but  it  is  fatal  to  the  growth 
of  cities,  and  the  conservative  notions  of  old  fogies 
make  them  indifferent  to  the  requirements  which  a 
very  few  years  in  the  future  will  compel,  and  blind  to 


A  SEASIDE  HOME.  587 

their  own  best  interests.  Such  men  never  look  be- 
yond the  length  of  their  noses,  and  consider  every  in- 
vestment a  dead  loss  unless  they  can  get  the  sixpence 
profit  into  their  pockets  before  they  go  to  bed.  My 
own  long  training  and  experience  as  a  manager  im- 
pelled me  to  carry  into  such  private  enterprises  as 
the  purchase  of  real  estate  that  best  and  most  es- 
sential managerial  quality  of  instantly  deciding,  not 
only  whether  a  venture  was  worth  undertaking,  but 
what,  all  things  considered,  that  venture  would  re- 
sult in.  Almost  any  man  can  see  how  a  thing  will 
begin,  but  not  every  man  is  gifted  with  the  foresight 
to  see  how  it  will  end,  or  how,  with  the  proper  effort, 
it  may  be  madje  to  end.  In  East  Bridgeport  where 
we  had  no  'conservatives'  to  contend  with,  we 
were  only  a  few  years  in  turning  almost  tenantless 
farms  into  a  populous  and  prosperous  city.  On  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  while  the  opening  of  new 
avenues,  the  planting  of  shade  trees,  and  the  build- 
ing of  many  houses,  have  afforded  me  the  highest 
pleasures  of  my  life,  I  confess  that  not  a  few  of  my 
greatest  annoyances  have  been  occasioned  by  the 
opposition  of  those  who  seem  to  be  content  to  simply 
vegetate  through  their  existence,  and  who  looked 
upon  me  as  a  restless,  reckless  innovator,  because 
I  was  trying  to  remove  the  moss  from  everything 
around  them,  and  even  from  their  own  eyes." 

Mrs.  Barnum's  health  continued  to  decline,  and  in 
the  summer  of  1867  her  doctor  commanded  her  to 
live  on  the  seashore.  Accordingly  her  husband  sold 


5 88  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

Lindencroft,  and  they  removed  for  the  summer  to  a 
small  farm- house  adjoining  Seaside  Park.  So  de- 
lighted were  they  with  life  by  the  water  during  the 
hot  days  of  the  summer  that  they  determined  there- 
after to  spend  every  summer  on  the  very  shore  of 
Long  Island  Sound.  Finding  it  impossible  to  pre- 
pare a  house  of  their  own  in  time  for  the  next  sea- 
son, they  spent  the  summer  of  1868  in  a  new  and 
handsome  house  which  Mr.  Barnum  owned  but  which 
he  had  built  for  sale.  In  the  fall  of  1868,  however, 
he  purchased  a  large  and  beautiful  grove  of  hickory 
trees  adjoining  Seaside  Park,  and  decided  to  build 
a  permanent  residence  there. 

But  there  was  a  vast  deal  to  do  in  grading  and 
preparing  the  ground,  in  opening  new  streets  and 
avenues  as  approaches  to  the  property,  and  in  set- 
ting out  trees  near  the  proposed  site  of  the  house  ; 
so  that  ground  was  not  broken  for  the  foundation 
till  October.  He  planned  a  house  which  should  com- 
bine the  greatest  convenience  with  the  highest  com- 
fort, keeping  in  mind  always  that  houses  were  made 
to  live  in  as  well  as  to  look  at,  and  to  be  "  homes  " 
rather  than  mere  residences.  So  the  house  was 
made  to  include  abundant  room  for  guests,  with 
dressing-rooms  and  baths  to  every  chamber ;  water 
from  the  city  throughout  the  premises  ;  gas  manu- 
factured on  the  ground  ;  and  that  greatest  of  all 
comforts,  a  semi-detached  kitchen,  so  that  the  smell 
as  well  as  the  secrets  of  the  cuisine  might  be  con- 
fined to  its  own  locality.  The  stables  and  gardens 


A  SEASIDE  NOME.  589 

were  located  far  from  the  mansion,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  one  of  the  newly-opened  avenues,  so  that  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  house,  on  either  side 
and  before  both  fronts,  stretched  large  lawns,  broken 
only  by  the  grove,  single  shade-trees,  rock-work, 
walks,  flower-beds,  and  drives.  The  whole  scheme 
as  planned  was  faithfully  carried  out  in  less  than 
eight  months  The  first  foundation  stone  was  laid  in 

o 

October,  1868  ;  and  they  moved  into  the  completed 
house  in  June  following,  in  1869. 

On  .taking  possession  of  this  new  residence,  Bar- 
num  formally  named  it  "  Waldemere."  Literally 
this  name  was  "  Wald  am-Meer,"  or  "  Woods-by-the 
Sea,"  but  Barnum  preferred  the  more  euphonious 
form.  On  the  same  estate  he  built  at  the  same  time 
two  beautiful  cottages,  called  "  Petrel's  Nest,"  and 
"Wave wood,"  the  homes  of  his  two  daughters,  Mrs. 
Thompson  and  Mrs.  Seeley — the  latter  his  youngest. 
Here  Barnum  decided  to  spend  five  months  of  every 
year,  and  for  his  home  during  the  other  seven 
months  he  purchased  a  splendid  mansion  on  Mur- 
ray Hill,  in  New  York  City,  at  the  corner  of  Fifth 
Avenue  and  39th  Street. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

HONORS    AND    ADULATIONS. 

SECOND  MARRIAGE — THE  KING  OF  HAWAII — ELECTED  MAYOR  OF  BRIDGE- 
TORT— SUCCESSFUL  TOUR  OF  THE  HIPPODROME — BARNUM'S  RETIREMENT 
FKOM  OFFICE. 

In  the  autumn  of  1874  Mr.  Barnum  married  the 
daughter  of  his  old  English  friend,  John  Fish.  The 
wedding  took  place  in  the  Church  of  the  Divine 
Paternity,  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  and  after  a 
brief  bridal  tour,  they  returned  to  Waldemere. 

In  December,  1874,  David  Kalakau,  King  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  visited  New  York,  and  with  his 
suite  was  invited  to  attend  the  Hippodrome. 

During  the  performance  Barnum  sat  beside  the 
King,  who  kept  up  a  pleasant  conversation  with  him 
for  two  hours.  The  King  expressed  himself  as 
highly  delighted  with  the  entertainment,  and  said  he 
was  always  fond  of  horses  and  racing. 

Some  twelve  thousand  spectators  were  present, 
and  before  the  exhibition  was  finished  they  began  to 
call  loudly  •«  The  King !  The  King !  " 

Turning  to  his  host,  Kalakau  inquired  the  mean- 
ing of  their  excitement.  "  Your  Majesty,"  replied 
(590) 


THE  XING  OF  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS.  59! 

Barnum,  "  this  vast  audience  wishes  to  give  you  an 
ovation.  The  building  is  so  large  that  they  cannot 
distinguish  your  Majesty  from  every  part  of  the 
house,  and  are  anxious  that  you  should  ride  around 
the  circle  in  order  that  they  may  greet  you." 

At  the  moment,  Barnum's  open  barouche  was 
driven  into  the  circle  and  approached  the  royal  box. 

"  No  doubt  your  Majesty  would  greatly  gratify 
my  countrymen,  if  you  would  kindly  step  into  this 
carriage  and  ride  around  the  circle." 

The  King  immediately  arose,  and  amidst  tremen- 
dous cheering,  stepped  into  the  carriage.  Barnum 
took  a  seat  by  his  side,  and  the  King  smilingly  re- 
marked, "  We  are  all  actors." 

The  audience  rose  to  their  feet,  cheered  and 
waved  their  handkerchiefs,  as  the  Kincr  rode  around 

O 

the  circle,  raising  his  hat  and  bowing.  The  excite- 
ment was  simply  tremendous. 

In  March,  1875,  tne  nomination  for  Mayor  of 
Bridgeport  was  offered  Barnum,  but  he  refused  it, 
until  assured  that  the  nomination  was  intended  as  a 
compliment,  and  that  both  parties  would  sustain  it. 
Politically  the  city  is  largely  Democratic,  but  Barnum 
led  the  Republican  ticket,  and  was  easily  elected. 

His  Inaugural  address  before  the  new  Common 
Council,  April  1 2,  is  given  below. 

GENTLEMEN  OF  THE  COMMON  COUNCIL: — 

Intrusted  as  we  are,  by  the  votes  of  our  fellow-citizens,  with 
ihe  care  and  management  of  their  interests,  it  behooves  us  to  en- 
deavor to  merit  the  confidence  reposed  in  us.  We  are  sometimes 


59* 


LIFE  OF  P.  T.   BARNUM. 


called  the  "fathers  of  the  city."  Certainly  our  duty  is,  and 
our  pleasure  should  be,  to  admininister  the  municipal  govern- 
ment as  a  good  and  wise  father  conducts  his  household,  caring 
for  all,  partial  to  none.  No  personal  feelings  should  dictate  our 
official  acts.  We  are  not  placed  here  to  gratify  personal  or  party 
resentment,  nor  to  extend  personal  or  party  favor  in  any  manner 
that  may  in  the  remotest  degree  conflict  with  the  best  interests 
of  our  city.  As  citizens  we  enjoy  a  great  common  interest. 
Each  individual  is  a  member  of  the  body  corporate,  and  no  mem- 
ber can  be  unduly  favored  or  unjustly  oppressed  without  injury 
to  the  entire  community.  No  person  or  party  can  afford  to  be 
dishonest.  Honesty  is  always  the  best  policy,  for  "with  what 
measure  ye  mete  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again." 

A  large  portion  of  this  honorable  body  are  now  serving  offi- 
cially for  the  first  time,  and  therefore  may  not  be  fully  acquainted 
with  the  details  of  its  workings;  but  we  are  all  acquainted  with 
the  great  principles  of  Justice  and  Right.  If  we  fail  to  work 
according  to  these  eternal  principles,  we  betray  the  confidence 
placed  in  us,  and  this  our  year  of  administration  will  be  remem- 
bered with  disapprobation  and  contempt. 

Let  us  bring  to  our  duties  careful  judgment  and  comprehensive 
views  with  regard  to  expenditure,  so  that  we  may  be  neither  par- 
simonious nor  extravagant,  but,  like  a  prudent  householder,  ever 
careful  that  expenses  shall  be  less  than  the  income. 

Our  city  is  peculiarly  adapted  for  commercial  purposes;  it 
should  be  our  care,  therefore,  to  adopt  such  measures  as  tend  to 
promote  trade,  manufactures  and  commerce.  Its  delightful  and 
healthy  locality  makes  it  also  a  desirable  place  of  residence.  We 
should  strive  to  enhance  its  natural  beauty,  to  improve  our  streets 
and,  with  moderate  expenditure,  to  embellish  our  parks,  by  which 
means  we  shall  attract  refined  and  wealthy  residents. 

As  conservators  of  the  public  peace  and  morals  it  is  our  duty 
to  prevent,  so  far  as  possible,  acts  which  disturb  one  or  the  other, 
and  to  enforce  the  laws  in  an  impartial  and  parental  spirit. 

The  last  report  of  our  Chief  of  Police  says :  "  'Tis  a  sad  and 
painful  duty,  yet  candor  compels  us  to  state  that  at  least  ninety 


BARNUM  ELECTED  MAYOR  OF  BRIDGEPORT.     593 

per  cent,  of  the  causes  of  all  the  arrests  during  the  year  are 
directly  traceable  to  the  immoderate  use  of  intoxicating  liquors, 
not  to  speak  of  the  poverty  and  misery  it  has  caused  families 
which  almost  daily  come  under  our  observation." 

In  the  town  of  Vineland,  N.  J.,  where  no  intoxicating  drinks 
are  sold,  the  overseer  of  the  poor  stated  in  his  annual  report  that 
in  a  population  of  10,000  there  was  but  one  indictmc-nt  in  six 
months,  and  that  the  entire  police  expenses  were  but  seventy-five 
dollars  per  year — the  sum  paid  to  him — and  the  poor  expenses  a 
mere  trifle.  He  further  says:  "We  practically  have  no  debt, 
and  our  taxes  are  only  one  per  cent,  on  the  valuation."  Similar 
results  are  reported  in  the  town  of  Greeley,  Colorado,  where  no 
liquors  are  sold. 

Our  laws  license  the  sale  of  intoxicating  drinks  under  certain 
restrictions  on  week  days,  but  no  man  can  claim  the  right  under 
such  license  to  cause  mobs,  riots,  bloodshed  or  murder.  Hence 
no  man  has,  or  can  have,  any  right  by  license  or  otherwise  to  dis- 
pense liquors  to  intoxicated  persons,  nor  to  furnish  sufficient 
liquor  to  cause  intoxication.  Our  duty  is  therefore  to  see  that 
the  police  aid  in  regulating  to  the  extent  of  their  legal  power  a 
traffic  which  our  laws  do  not  wholly  prohibit.  Spirituous  liquors 
of  the  present  day  are  so  much  adulterated  and  doubly  poisoned 
that  their  use  fires  the  brain  and  drives  their  victims  to  madness, 
violence  and  murder.  The  money  annually  expended  for  intoxi- 
cating drinks,  and  the  cost  of  their  evil  results  in  Bridgeport,  or 
any  other  American  city  where  liquor  selling  is  licensed,  would 
pay  the  entire  expenses  of  the  city  (if  liquors  were  not  drank), 
including  the  public  schools,  give  a  good  suit  of  clothes  to  every 
poor  person  of  both  sexes,  a  barrel  of  flour  to  every  poor  family 
living  within  its  municipal  boundaries,  and  leave  a  handsome 
surplus  on  hand.  Our  enormous  expenses  for  the  trial  and  pun- 
ishment of  criminals,  as  well  as  for  the  support  of  the  .poor,  are 
mainly  caused  by  this  traffic.  Surely,  then,  it  is  our  duty  to  do 
all  we  can,  legally,  to  limit  and  mitigate  its  evil.  As  no  person 
ever  became  a  drunkard  who  did  not  sincerely  regret  that  he  or 
she  ever  tasted  intoxicating  drinks,  it  is  a  work  of  mercy,  as  weU 
33 


594 


LIFE  OF 


as  justice,  to  do  all  in  our  power  to  lessen  this  leprous  hindrance- 
to  happiness.  We  should  strive  to  exterminate  gambling,  prosti- 
tution and  other  crimes  which  have  not  yet  attained  to  the  dignity 
of  a  "license." 

The  public  health  demands  that  we  should  pay  attention  to 
necessary  drainage,  and  prevent  the  sale  of  adulterated  food. 
The  invigorating  breezes  from  Long  Inland  Sound,  and  the 
absence  of  miasmatic  marshes  serve  to  make  ours  one  of  the 
most  healthy  cities  in  America.  Scientific  experiments  made 
'daily  during  the  whole  of  last  year  have  established  the  fact  that 
our  atmosphere  is  impregnated  with  OZONE,  or  concentrated 
oxygen,  to  an  extent  not  hitherto  discovered  on  this  continent. 
No  city  of  the  same  size  in  America  is  so  extensively  known 
throughout  our  own  land  and  in  Europe  as  Bridgeport.  It 
should  be  our  pleasure  to  strengthen  all  natural  advantages 
which  we  possess  as  a  city  by  maintaining  a  government  of  cor- 
responding excellence. 

It  is  painful  to  the  industrious  and  moral  portions  of  our  people 
to  see  so  many  loungers  about  the  streets,  and  such  a  multitude 
whose  highest  aspirations  seem  to  be  to  waste  their  time  in  idle- 
ness, or  at  base  ball,  billiards,  etc. 

No  person  needs  to  be  unemployed  who  is  not  over  fastidious 
about  the  kind  of  occupation.  There  are  too  many  soft  hands 
(and  heads)  waiting  for  light  work  and  heavy  pay.  Better  work 
for  half  a  loaf  than  beg  or  steal  a  whole  one.  Mother  earth  is 
always  near  by,  and  ready  to  respond  to  reasonable  drafts  on 
her  njver-failing  treasury.  A  patch  of  potatoes  raised  "on 
shares  "  is  preferable  to  a  poulticed  pate  earned  in  a  whisky  scrim- 
mage. Some  modern  Micawbers  stand  with  folded  hands  wait- 
ing for  the  panic  to  pass,  as  the  foolish  man  waited  for  the  river 
to  run  dry  and  allow  him  to  walk  over. 

The  soil  is  the  foundation  of  American  prosperity.  When 
multitudes  of  our  consumers  become  producers;  when  fashion 
teaches  economy,  instead  of  expending  for  a  gaudy  dress  what 
would  <  omfortably  clothe  the  family  ;  when  people  iearn  to 
walk,  until  they  can  afford  to  ride  j  when  the  poor  man  ceases  to 


A  DESERVED  COMPLIMENT.  595 

spend  more  for  tobacco  than  for  bread ;  when  those  who  com- 
plain of  panics  learn  that  "  we  cannot  eat  our  cake  and  keep  it," 
that  a  sieve  will  not  hold  water,  that  we  must  rely  on  our  own 
exertions  and  earn  before  we  expend,  then  will  panics  cease  and 
prosperity  return.  While  we  should  by  no  means  unreasonably 
restrict  healthy  recreation,  we  should  remember  that  "time  is 
money,"  that  idleness  leads  to  immoral  habits,  and  that  the 
peace,  prosperity  and  character  of  a  city  depend  on  the  intelli- 
gence, integrity,  industry  and  frugality  of  its  inhabitants. 

Frank  Leslie  s  Illustrated  Newspaper  of  July  24th, 
contained  a  picture  entitled  "  His  Honor,  P.  T. 
Barnum,  Mayor  of  Bridgeport,  Presiding  at  a 
Meeting  of  the  Common  Council  of  that  City. " 
The  editor's  remarks  are  as  follows : — 

"  Mayor  Barnum's  message  was  a  model  of 
brevity  and  practical  thought.  Having  at  the 
beginning  of  his  official  career  declared  war  against 
the  whisky  dealers,  he  next  proceeded  to  open  the 
struggle.  For  twenty  years  the  saloons  had  been 
kept  open  on  Sundays,  and  it  was  declared  impossi- 
ble to  close  them.  Mr.  Barnum  has  all  his  life  acted 
upon  the  quaint  French  aphorism  that  '  nothing  is 
so  possible  as  the  impossible. '  He  gave  notice 
that  the  saloons  must  be  closed.  A  select  committee 
of  citizens  volunteered  to  aid  in  collecting  testimony 
in  case  the  sellers  should  disregard  the  proclamation, 
and  leave  the  latch-string  to  their  back  doors 
displayed  on  the  outside.  Although  the  doors  were 
open,  the  keepers  refused  to  sell  except  to  personal 
friends.  The  committee-men  stood  opposite  the 
saloons,  and  took  the  names  of  a  dozen  or  so  who 


596  LIFE  OF  r>   T.   BARNUM. 

were  admitted.  The  next  morning  the  saloon- 
keepers were  arrested,  and  when  they  found  their 
'  friends '  had  been  subpoenaed  to  appear  as 
witnesses,  they  pleaded  guilty  and  immediately 
brought  out  their  pocket-books  to  pay  the  judicial 
'shot.'  This  plan  effectually  broke  up  Sunday 
traffic  in  liquor,  thus  insuring  a  quiet  day  for  the 
citizens,  and  greatly  accommodating  the  saloon- 
keepers, the  best  portion  of  whom  really  favor  a 
general  closing  on  Sunday. 

"  By  nature  an  organizer  of  men  and  systems,  he 
is  his  own  best  executive  officer.  No  one  knows  so 
well  as  he  how  men  may  be  best  governed,  and  no 
one  can  so  pleasantly  polish  off  the  rough  sides  of 
mankind.  Successful  beyond  the  usual  measure  as 
an  intelligent,  courteous  and  considerate  showman, 
he  has  already  proved  himself  the  most  acceptable 
of  Mayors." 

In  1875,  the  Hippodrome  was  transported  by  rail 
throughout  the  United  States,  going  as  far  east  as 
Portland,  Maine,  and  west  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri. 
Notwithstanding  the  depressed  state  of  finances 
generally  that  year,  the  season  was  a  fairly  profit- 
able one. 

A  very  painful  event  in  connection  with  the  show, 
occurred  in  July.  The  aeronaut,  Donaldson,  made 
his  customary  daily  ascension  from  the  Hippodrome 
grounds  at  Chicago,  and  was  never  heard  from  after- 
ward. He  took  with  him  Mr.  N.  S.  Grimwood,  a 
reporter  of  the  Chicago  Journal,  whose  body  was 


SUCCESS  OF  THE  HIPPODROME.  CQjT 

found  a  few  weeks  later  in  Lake  Michigan.  There 
was  a  terrible  storm  the  night  of  the  ascension  and 
it  was  doubtless  then  that  the  men  perished. 

About  the  middle  of  June  Barnum  visited  Niagara 
Falls  with  Mrs.  Barnum  and  a  party  of  English 
friends.  Leaving  the  party  at  Niagara,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Barnum  went  to  Akron,  Ohio,  where  the 
"Travelling  World's  Fair"  was  to  exhibit.  The 
Mayor  of  Akron  called  upon  them  and  invited  them 
to  a  concert,  where,  in  response  to  loud  calls,  Bar- 
num gave  a  short  speech ;  they  were  afterward 
tendered  a  reception  and  a  serenade  at  the  hotel. 
The  next  day  they  were  escorted  to  Buchtel  College 
by  the  founder  of  the  institution,  Mr.  J.  R.  Buchtel, 
and  the  Reverend  D.  C.  Tomlinson.  The  students 
received  Barnum  enthusiastically,  and  he  gave  them 
one  of  his  delightful  speeches. 

Returning  to  Buffalo,  they  rejoined  their  friends, 
and  also  met  the  Hippodrome.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing of  the  second  day  of  the  exhibition  Barnum 
despatched  a  special  train  to  Niagara  Falls,  with 
some  hundreds  of  the  Hippodrome  Company,  to 
whom  he  wished  to  give  the  pleasure  of  viewing  the 
cataract.  The  band  which  accompanied  them  crossed 
Suspension  Bridge  playing  "  God  Save  the  Queen," 
and  "Yankee  Doodle,"  and  returned  to  Buffalo  in 
time  for  the  afternoon  performance.  In  July,  Barnum 
visited  the  Hippodrome  at  St.  Louis  and  Chicago, 
and  then  returned  to  Waldemere  for  the  rest  of  the 
summer. 


598  LIFE  OF  P.   T.  SARNUM. 

During  the  autumn  of  1875,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Redpath  Lyceum  Bureau,  in  Boston,  Mr. 
Barnum  found  time  to  deliver  some  thirty  times,  a 
lecture  on  "The  World  and  How  to  Live  in  It," 
going  as  far  east  as  Thomaston,  Maine,  and  west  to 
,Leavenworth,  Kansas.  When  the  tour  was  finished 
the  Bureau  wrote  him  that  "  In  parting  for  the  season 
please  allow  us  to  say  that  none  of  our  best  lecturers 
have  succeeded  in  delighting  our  audiences  and 
lecture  committees  so  well  as  yourself." 

The  National  Jubilee  year  was  celebrated  by  the 
Hippodrome  Company  in  a  very  patriotic  manner. 
It  was  said,  that  they  gave  the  people,  a  Fourth  of 
July  celebration  every  day.  The  establishment 
traveled  in  three  trains  of  railroad  cars ;  they  took 
along  a  battery  of  cannon,  and  every  morning  fired 
a  salute  of  thirteen  guns.  Groups  of  persons  cos- 
tumed in  the  style  of  Continental  troops,  and  sup- 
plemented with  the  Goddess  of  Liberty,  a  live  eagle 
and  some  good  singers,  sang  patriotic  songs,  accom- 
panied with  bands  of  music,  and  also  with  cannon 
placed  outside  the  tents  and  fired  by  means  of 
electricity.  The  performance  was  closed  by  singing 
"America,"  the  entire  audience  rising  and  joining  in 
the  chorus.  At  night  there  were  fireworks  in  which 
Revolutionary  scenes  were  brilliantly  depicted.  The 
street  parade  was  a  gorgeous  feature.  It  began  to 
move  when  the  salute  was  fired,  and  the  town  bells 
were  always  rung  to  aid  the  effect  of  the  National 
Jubilee. 


MR.  BARNUM  RETIRES  FROM  OFFICE,  599 

Barnum's  official  term  as  Mayor  of  Bridgeport, 
expired  April  3,  1876.  Preferring  to  travel  part  of 
the  time  with  his  Centennial  show,  he  refused  a  re- 
nomination.  The  last  meeting  of  the  Common 
Council  under  his  administration,  met  March  29. 

The  New  York  Daily  Graphic,  of  March  30, 
read : — 

"  Mr.  P.  T.  Barnum,  Mayor  of  Bridgeport,  has 
uttered  his  valedictory  message.  The  document  is 
very  much  like  the  man.  He  disapproves  of  the 
reports  of  the  Chief  of  Police  and  Clerk  of  the  Police 
Commissioners,  because  they  declare  that  liquor 
saloons  and  broihels  cannot  be  closed,  and  he.  even 
reproves  the  latter  for  his  'flippant  manner'  of 
dealing  with  the  subject.  Barnum  must  have  his 
joke  or  two,  withal,  and  he  can  no  more  subsist 
without  his  fun  than  could  a  former  Mayor  of 
this  city.  He  ventures  to  allude  in  this  solemn 
document  to  the  management  of  the  New  York 
and  New  Haven  Railroad  Company,  as  '  the 
good  bishop  and  his  directors;'  makes  a  first 
rate  pun  on  the  names  of  two  citizens  ;  and  says 
to  the  Aldermen,  '  And  now  we  have,  like  the 
Arabs,  only  to  '  fold  our  tents  and  silently  steal 
away/  congratulating  ourselves  that  this  is  the  only 
stealing  which  has  been  performed  by  this  honorable 
body.'  Mr.  Barnum's  administration  in  Bridgeport 
has  been  mild,  but  characterized  by  firmness  and 
independence.  His  trouble  with  die  Jews  was  of 


6OO  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

short  duration,  for  he  is  most  respectful  toward  all 
theologies.  •  He  has  not  been  able  to  carry  out  his 
extreme  temperance  views  ;  but  he  has  made  a  very 
good  Mayor  of  a  city,  for  whose  prosperity  he  has 
labored  for  half  a  lifetime." 

It  can  safely  be  said  that  Barnum  amused  and  in- 
structed more  persons  than  any  man  who  ever  lived. 
In  the  course  of  his  career  as  manager  of  public  en- 
tertainments, the  number  of  his  patrons  was  enor- 
mous. Here  is  his  own  estimate,  in  1889: — 

"  During  the  forty  years  that  I  have  been  a  man- 
ager of  public  amusements,  the  number  of  my  patrons 
has  been  almost  incredible.  From  a  careful  exami- 
nation of  my  account  books  for  the  different  exhibi- 
tions which  I  have  owned  and  controlled,  I  find  that 
more  than  eighty-two  millions  of  tickets,  in  the  ag- 
gregate, were  disposed  of,  and  numerous  exhibitions 
which  I  have  had  at  various  times  are  not  included 
in  this  statement." 

The  traveling  exhibitions  which  I  managed  during  the 

six  years  preceding  my  purchase  of  the  New  York 

American  Museum,  in  1841,  were  attended  by   .    .     1,500,000  persons. 
The  American  Museum  which  I  managed  from  184! 

to  1865,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire,  sold    .    .    .  37,560,000  tickets. 
My  Broadway  Museum,  in  1865-6-7  and  8,  sold   .    .    3,640,000      " 
My  Philadelphia  Museum,  1849,  1&S°  and  1 851,  sold    1,800,000      " 

My  Baltimore  Museum,  sold 900,000      " 

My  traveling  Asiatic  Caravan,  Museum  and  Menagerie, 

in  1 85 1-2-3  and  4,  sold 5,824,000      " 

My  great  traveling  World's  Fair  and  Hippodrome,  in 

1871-2-3-4-5  and  6,  sold 7,920,000      " 


Carried  forward,         59,144,000 


FROM  MR.  BARNUM'S  ACCOUNT  BOOKS.  60 1 

Brought  forward,         59,144,000 
My  other  traveling  exhibitions  in  America  and  Europe, 

sold 2,200,000  tickets. 

General  Tom  Thumb  has  exhibited  for  me  34  years, 

and  sold 20400,000      " 

Jenny  Lind's  Concerts,  under  my  management,  were 

attended  by 600,000  persons. 

Catharine  Hayes's  60  Concerts  in  California,  under  my 

contract,  sold 120,000  tickets. 


Thus,  my  patrons  amount  to  the  enormous  number  of  82464,000 

In  addition  to  that,  he  delivered  over  seven  hun- 
dred public  lectures  which  were  attended  in  the 
aggregate  by  1,300,000  persons,  and  wrote  three 
books  of  reminiscences.  Is  it  to  be  wondered  at, 
that  such  a  well-known  character  should  receive  a 
letter  from  New  Zealand  addressed  simply,  "  Mr. 
Barnum,  America  "  ? 


SOME  REMINISCENCES  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

My  first  recollection  of  Mr.  Barnum  goes  back  to 
the  period  of  my  small-boyhood,  when  he  came  to 
the  country  village  near  my  home  to  lecture  upon 
temperance.  I  still  remember  the  animation  of  his 
discourse  on  that  occasion  ;  its  humor  and  its  anec- 
dote; and,  with  what  absorbing  interest  the  large 
audience  sat  out  the  hour  and  a  half  or  more  which 
the  speaker  so  well  filled.  In  describing  the  drunk- 
ard and  the  illusions  which  master  him,  he  showed 
a  keen  perception  of  human  nature ;  and,  in  every 
part  of  his  address  there  was  no  end  of  spirited  ap- 
peal and  analysis,  mingled  with  unbounded  mirth 
and  pathos,  as  the  fluctuating  argument  Went  on. 

A  few  years  later,  when  I  had  grown  old  enough 
to  visit  the  metropolis,  I  made  it  one  of  the  chief 
items  of  my  concern  to  visit  the  old  museum  on  the 
corner  of  Ann  Street  and  Broadway,  where  the 
Herald  Building  now  stands.  There  was^  even  then, 
no  curiosity  there  more  impressive  than  its  propri- 
etor, who  was  the  very  embodiment  of  life,  kindly 
feeling,  and  wholesome  joy.  I  noticed  that  he  was 
in  all  parts  of  the  museum  in  very  rapid  succession, 
and  that  nothing  escaped  his  attention.  Something 
in  his  manner  caught  every  eye.  It  was  said  of 
tea 


SOME  REMINISCENCES  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM.          603 

Daniel  Webster  that  when  he  walked  through  the 
streets  of  London,  strangers  who  met  him  turned 
around  for  another  look  after  he  passed  by.  And, 
I  confess  I  yielded  in  Mr.  Barnum's  presence,  as 
others  did,  to  this  same  sight-seeing  inclination.  It 
was  not  merely  that  he  was  so  well  known,  and  that 
his  name  had  gone  about  the  world  with  the  circuit 
of  the  sun;  it  was  because  the  force  that  made  this 
thing  possible  worked  also  in  other  ways,  and  com- 
pelled you  to  give  its  owner  attention. 

He  had  a  kind  word  or  an  entertaining  one  for 

o 

everybody  who  came  near  him,  as  occasion  offered, 
whether  he  was  an  old  acquaintance  or  a  stranger. 
The  occasion  did  not  come  to  me,  though  I  remem- 
ber wishing  it  had,  when  I  left  the  museum.  Proba- 

O 

bly  I  should  have  deliberately  sought  it  if  I  had  had 
more  assurance  and  experience  at  that  time ;  and  if 
I  had  known,  too,  that  we  were  afterward  to  meet 
intimately,  and  that  for  more  than  twenty  years  the 
latch-string  of  his  different  homes,  in  Bridgeport 
and  New  York,  was  to  respond  so  many  dozens  of 
times  to  my  touch,  for  days  and  weeks  of  remarka- 
ble hospitality. 

My  opportunity  for  knowing  Mr.  Barnum  person- 
ally came  about  when  I  was,  as  a  young  man,  con- 
ducting, almost  single-handed,  a  lecture  course  in  a 
very  small  country  town  in  the  later  sixties,  soon 
after  the  close  of  the  war.  The  night  for  Mr.  Bar- 
num to  come  to  us  was  a  very  cold  and  forbidding 
one  in  February.  A  snow-storm,  the  most  formida- 


LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

ble  one  of  the  winter,  sprang  up  to  apparently  thwart 
the  success  of  th^e  performance ;  and  so  certain  was 
Mr.  Barnum  that  nobody  would  appear  to  hear  him, 
he  offered  not  only  to  release  me  from  the  contract 
between  us,  but,  in  addition  to  that,  would  pay  me 
the  price  I  was  to  pay  him,  or  more,  to  be  permitted 
to  return  to  New  York.  "There  is  nothing  on  earth 
I  hate  to  do  so  much,"  said  he,  "as  to  lecture  to 
empty  benches." 

I  said  to  him  :  "  Please  trust  me  for  the  avoidance 
of  that.  If  it  had  been  a  pleasant  night,  instead  of 
this  howling  storm,  I  would  have  filled  the  hall  and 
the  yard  in  front  to  the  front  gate.  But,  as  it  now 
is,  I  will  still  guarantee  to  fill  the  hall."  And  filled 
it  was,  to  our  equal  delight. 

Before  entering  and  discovering  this  fact,  I  ven- 
tured to  say  to  Mr.  Barnum  that,  owing  to  the  gen- 
eral untovvardness  and  inclemency  of  the  night,  I 
would  introduce  him  in  my  own  way,  and  not  in  the 
conventional  one,  if  he  did  not  object.  "  By  all 
means,"  said  he  ;  "  if  you  can  awaken  any  warmth 
or  hilarity  on  as  sorrowful  an  outlook  as  this,  do 
not  spare  me,  or  hesitate  for  a  moment." 

On  arriving  at  our  seats  on  the  platform,  I  arose 
and  said,  in  some  such  words  as  these : 

"  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN  : — You  will  bear  me  out 
in  saying  it  has  been  my  usual  custom  to  introduce 
the  speaker  of  the  evening  in  the  briefest  way  pos- 
sible, and  not  to  trouble  you  with  any  talk  of  my 


SOME  REMINISCENCES  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

own.  To-night,  in  view  of  the  storm,  and  while  Mr. 
Barnum  is  resting  for  a  moment,  I  will  break  my 
rule  and  tell  you  a  story.  Some  years  ago  a  queer 
fellow  from  the  country  went  to  New  York,  and, 
among  the  sights  and  experiences  he  had  planned 
for,  he  went  to  Barnum's  Museum.  Mr.  Green- 
wood was  then  its  manager,  and  noticed  with  some 
interest  his  patron's  rusticity  when  he  called  for  a 
ticket  He  asked  Mr.  Greenwood,  after  having  paid 
for  the  card  of  admittance,  '  Where  is  Barnum  ?' 
As  Mr.  Barnum  happened  to  be  in  sight  on  the  en- 
trance floor,  Mr.  Greenwood,  pointing  to  him  said, 
'  There  he  is.' 

"At  once  the  querist  started  in  the  direction 
named.  He  got  very  near  Mr.  Barnum  and  stood 
looking  intently  at  him.  Then  he  moved  a  little 
segment  in  the  circle  he  was  describing,  and  looked 
again.  Several  times  he  repeated  these  inspections, 
until  he  had  from  all  points  viewed  the  object  of 
his  curiosity  and  had  completed  the  circle,  when  he 
started  for  the  door,  Mr.  Greenwood  watching  him 
all  the  time.  When  he  came  near  enough  Mr. 
Greenwood  said  to  him :  '  My  friend,  you  have  not 
seen  the  Museum  yet.  There  is  a  whale  down- 
stairs and  any  number  of  things  up-stairs,  a  moral 
play  soon  to  come  off,  etc.'  '  I  know  it,'  said  the 
rustic,  '  and  I  don't  care.  I've  seen  Barnum,  and 
I've  got  my  money's  worth.' 

"  Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  have  not  been 
able  to  bring  to  you  the  American  Museum  to- 


606  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

night,   but   I  have   done   what    is  better — I   have 
brought  to  you  Mr.  Barnum." 

Mr.  Barnum  then  arose,  not  in  the  least  non- 
plussed, but  greatly  pleased  with  the  packed  house 
and  the  hearty  cheers  which  greeted  him  : 

"  MR.  PRESIDENT,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN  : — I 
cannot,  for  the  life  of  me,  see  why  you  should  have 
sent  so  far  as  New  York  for  me  to  come  and  ad- 
dress you.  I  am  not  really  a  lyceum  lecturer  at  all. 
I  am  only  a.  showman,  and  it  seems  you  have  a  man 
here  who  can  show  up  the  showman." 

The  whole  story  may  read  very  weakly  in  print ; 
for  Mr.  Barnum's  tones  of  voice,  and  gestures  and 
mobility  of  feature  are  not  communicable  to  cold 
type.  But  the  playfulness  of  this  unusual  preface 
not  only  stirred  the  audience  on  a  dismal  night,  but 
put  the  lecturer  at  his  very  best.  Mr.  Barnum's 
lecture  was  elastic.  It  might  be  shaped  for  an  hour, 
as  it  was  not  fully  written,  or  it  might  consume  more 
time.  On  this  occasion  it  was  two  hours  and  over. 
While  the  snow  was  still  falling  in  open  sleighs,  that 
could  find  no  shelter,  their  owners,  not  minding  this, 
were  enjoying  one  of  the  most  delightful  evenings 
of  a  whole  winter — of  many  winters,  perhaps. 

And  all  this  leads  me  to  say  that  Mr.  Barnum, 
while  claiming  no  part  of  a  professional  lecturer's 
endowment,  and  only  made  oratory  a  casual — if  it 
was  .sometimes  a  frequent — matter,  was,  neverthe- 


SOME  REMINISCENCES  OF  P.  T.  BARNVM. 

less,  admirably  equipped  to  entertain  an  audience. 
He  could  tell  a  story  inimitably.  His  mimetic  fac- 
ulty, like  Cough's,  gave  him  something  of  the  qual- 
ity of  an  actor,  so  that  he  illustrated  well  what  he 
had  to  say.  No  lectures  have  proved  much  more  in- 
structive and  entertaining  than  Mr.  Barnum's  on  The 
Art  of  Money  Getting;  and,  wherever  he  went  to 
address  an  audience,  he  was  sure  to  be  called  again. 

When  I  met  him  in  Bridgeport  for  the  first  time, 
I  found  he  was  easily  the  chief  man  of  the  place. 
He  was  living  then  at  Lindencroft,  on  Fairfield 
Avenue.  His  Oriental  palace,  Iranistan,  had  burned 
down  some  years  before.  But,  wherever  he  lived, 
his  house  gave  open  welcome  to  many  guests,  illus- 
trious and  other;  and  no  one  who  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  enter  it,  ever  went  away  without  connecting 
with  his  visit  the  happiest  of  memories.  At  the 
table  he  especially  shone.  Wit,  repartee,  and  even 
puns,  when  occasion  offered,  coruscated  over  the 
meal,  and  diffused  universal  good  humor.  He  had 
always  at  hand  innumerable  anecdotes,  which  he 
made  peculiarly  his  own,  and  which  he  told  with  in- 
imitable grace  and  unction.  I  am  sure  nobody  will 
ever  tell  them  again  as  he  told  them ;  for,  contrary 
to  the  proverb,  the  prosperity  of  the  jest  in  his  case 
lay,  nine-tenths,  in  his  way  of  relating  it — though  it 
was  never  a  dull  one. 

It  mattered  not  what  the  business  of  the  day 
might  be,  or  what  obstacles  or  discouragements  had 
been  encountered,  his  cheerfulness  was  perennial 


LIFE  OF  P-  T-  BARNUM. 

and  unfailing.  Mirth  and  good  cheer  were  appar- 
ently inborn  and  organic  with  him.  He  could  no 
more  suppress  them  than  a  fountain  could  cease 
bubbling  up,  or  a  river  turn  backward  in  its  course. 
And  what  men  and  women  he  has  had,  first  and  last, 
at  his  table ;  it  is  impossible  to  exhaust  the  list  or 
exaggerate  its  quality.  Horace  Greeley,  Henry 
Ward  Beecher,  E.  H.  Chapin,  Bayard  Taylor,  Mark 
Twain,  and  the  Gary  sisters,  were  a  few  among  Amer- 
icans; and  Thackeray,  Matthew  Arnold,  George 
Augustus  Sala,  and  I  know  not  how  many  others, 
from  abroad.  No  catalogue  of  them,  but  only  types 
can  be  given  here.  He  was  almost  never  without 
people  who  made  no  claim  to  distinction ;  and  to 
them,  too,  he  was  the  genial,  urbane,  and  entertain- 
ing host 

There  was  a  depth  of  warm  humanity  in  Mr.  Bar- 
num's  inmost  texture  that  his  public  fame  does  not 
fully  disclose.  That  children  liked  him  has  been 
already  often  said ;  but  those  in  maturer  youth — 
young  gentlemen  and  ladies — felt,  somehow,  that  he 
never  ceased,  at  any  age,  to  be  their  cotemporary. 
No  younger  and  more  hopeful  thoughts  were  offered 
than  his.  If,  as  sometimes  happened,  when  he  or- 
ganized, as  he  persistently  did,  the  summer  picnic, 
inland  or  on  the  coast,  there  was  a  party  made  for 
each  direction,  the  struggle  was  to  see  which  could 
capture  Mr.  Barnum.  Which  way  the  rest  of  us 
might  go  was  not  of  so  much  consequence ;  but  the 
party  which  lost  him  in  behalf  of  the  other,  felt  like 


SOME  REMINISCENCES  OF  P.  T.  BARNVM. 

one  trying  to  enjoy  Hamlet  with  the  chief  character 
missing. 

At  one  time  he  actually  kept  a  seaside  caterer 
at  a  distant  beach  to  ceceive  his  guests  of  twenty  or 
more  on  a  place  of  his  own,  whenever,  on  summer 
days,  he  could  collect  guests  enough  and  give  them 
attention.  It  was  only  necessary  to  send  word  in 
the  morning,  and  the  tables  were  ready,  and  the 
party  was  conveyed  to  the  shady  grounds  from  Mr. 
Barnum's  door.  Swings  were  not  forgotten  for  the 
children,  nor  was  anything  forgotten  that  conduced 
to  rational  joy.  If  some  poor  sick  person  was  heard 
of  in  the  city,  one  carriage,  Mr.  Barnum's  own, 
would  go  somewhat  out  of  the  way  to  stop  and 
leave  delicacies  and  presents,  not  without  a  few 
words  of  sympathy  and  comfort.  When,  on  one  oc- 
casion that  I  remember,  he  took  two  or  three  hun- 
dred people  from  several  towns  in  the  State,  and 
from  New  York,  to  Charles  Island,  a  summer  place 
midway  between  Bridgeport  and  New  Haven,  the 
hospitality  was  royal,  and  even  the  steamboat  tickets 
were  mysteriously  provided  for  all. 

I  have  never  noticed,  in  the  multitude  of  printed 
sketches  of  Mr.  Barnum's  doings,  any  general  men- 
tion of  his  lavish  hospitality  poured  out  for  years, 
but  there  will  be  hundreds  who  can  testify  to  and 
will  remember  it.  It  was  as  if  he  had  said  :  "As  we 
go  along  through  life  let  us  make  others  happy." 
And  he  did  this  with  no  niggardliness  or  stint,  in  his 
private  life  as  well  as  in  his  public  career. 

35 


6IO  LIFE  OF  P.  T.  B AR NUM. 

There  is  a  series  of  stories  of  Mr.  Barnum's  hu- 
mane endeavors  longer  than  ^Esop's  or  Pilpays' 
fables  combined,  and  it  is  impossible  to  relate  them 
all.  But  I  have  heard  one  tecently  that  will  very 
well  illustrate  the  beneficial  manner  of  his  charity, 
and  which  shows  that,  by  native  sagacity,  he  had 
early  learned  the  scientific  way  of  giving — to  give 
so  that  the  gift  may  be  more  than  its  surface  ex- 
pression, and  so  as  not  to  produce  chronic  pauper- 
ism. 

It  seems  that  a  poor  widow,  some  years  ago,  went 
to  Mr.  Barnum's  house  and  told  him  she  was  very 
poor,  and  had  a  large  family  to  support ;  she  could 
not,  in  fact,  decently  support  them.  But  if  Mr. 
Barnum  would  only  loan  her  $75  with  which  to  buy 
a  sewing-machine,  she  assured  him  she  could  do 
enough  better  to  be  able  to  save  a  little,  and  to  pay 
the  money  back.  Mr.  Barnum,  thinking  her  honest 
and  truthful,  said  she  might  have  the  money  on  the 
terms  suggested,  but  told  her  when  she  had  saved 
the  requisite  amount  to  bring  it  to  him.  After  some 
struggle  and  privation,  in  due  time  she  did  this,  and 
laid  it  before  him.  "Well,"  said  he,  "my  good 
woman,  you  have  now  fairly  earned  your  sewing- 
machine,  and  you  have  done  one  thing  more,  you 
have  learned  how  to  save!'  And  thereupon  he 
handed  back  the  money,  and  told  her  to  put  it  in 
safe  keeping. 

Mr.  Barnum's  deep  attachment  for  Bridgeport 
grew  year  by  year,  and  was  most  strikingly  mani- 


SOME  REMINISCENCES  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM,         6t  r 

fested.  The  thousands  of  trees  he  had  set  out 
there,  the  new  streets  he  opened,  and  the  Seaside 
Park,  which  was  his  creation  mainly,  are  but  a  few 
of  the  evidences  of  his  public  enterprise.  The  Bar- 
num  Historical  and  Scientific  Institute,  and  the  Bar- 
num  Gymnasium  were  among  his  latest  endow- 
ments. East  Bridgeport  he  practically  gave  exist- 
ence to,  and  both  that  and  the  city  proper  are  so 
essentially  his  monument  that  you  cannot  now  di- 
vorce the  name  of  Bridgeport  from  that  of  Barnum. 

Some  years  ago,  when  certain  experiments  were 
made  to  test  the  presence  of  ozone  in  the  air,  and 
much  was  said  of  its  value  to  health,  Mr.  Barnum 
had  the  air  at  Bridgeport  put  on  trial,  and  proved 
exultingly  that  no  climate  in  this  country  was  so 
salubrious  as  that  of  Bridgeport,  especially  in  the 
region  of  the  Seaside  Park.  He  was  very  enthu- 
siastic on  the  subject,  and  wrote  to  the  local  papers, 
to  myself,  and  to  others  about  it  to  give  the  fact 
publicity  and  proper  emphasis. 

It  may  be  said  by  some  that  Mr.  Barnum,  in  many 
of  his  real  estate  enterprises,  made  money ;  and  so 
he  did,  by  his  foresight,  faith,  and  sagacity  concern- 
ing his  adopted  town.  He  partly  foresaw  the  fu- 
ture of  Bridgeport,  and  then  largely  made  it.  But 
if  he  had  not  made  money — and  his  example  was 
open  for  others  to  follow — he  could  have  had  no 
money  to  give.  He  used  to  say  himself,  half  jok- 
ingly :  "  I  believe  in  a  profitable  philanthropy,"  which 
illustrates  one  of  his  characteristic  traits — his  abso- 


LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

lute  frankness.  In  fact,  he  was  so  open-hearted 
about  himself  that  no  account  he  ever  gave  of  his 
private  doings  was  ever  flattering  or  exalted.  He 
wore  no  phylacteries,  and  was  as  far  away  as  possi- 
ble from  Pecksniffian  pretensions. 

In  early  life  he  suffered  hardship  and  deprivations, 
and  no  Mark  Tapley  ever  met  them  with  more  com- 
posure and,  on  occasions,  with  more  hilarity.  But 
he  knew  well  what  comfort  and  convenience  are, 
and  when  they  were  at  his  command  he  enjoyed 
their  best  gifts.  He  once  told  me  that  it  pained  him 
to  see  Mr.  Greeley  omit  those  little  cares  for  him- 
self in  later  life  to  which  he  was  surely  entitled,  and 
so,  when  he  was  his  guest  for  many  days  together, 
he  took  care  to  provide  him  with  a  loose  morning 
coat  and  comfortable  slippers,  and  would  not  have 
him  drop  in  an  ordinary  chair  by  accident,  but  se- 
cured for  him  the  easiest  one. 

Busy  as  Mr.  Barnum  was,  he  found  many  hours 
for  social  and  other  pleasures.  He  did  this  by  his 
systematic  allotment  of  his  time.  All  the  machinery 
of  his  household  and  his  business  ran  with  a  smooth- 
ness and  punctuality  that  would  have  delighted 
George  Washington.  Everything  was  on  time  ;  his 
meals  were  regular — not  movable  feasts.  It  was 
a  wonder  how  he  wrote  so  many  letters,  foreign  and 
domestic;  dispatched  so  promptly  his  household  and 
his  city  affairs,  and  his  out-of-town  business ;  met 
all  sorts  of  callers  on  all  sorts  of  errands  ;  and  yet 
spared  time  for  rides,  a  social  game  or  talk,  and  an 


SOME  REMINISCENCES  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

evening  out  with  so  much  frequency.  Absolute  idle- 
ness was  positively  painful  to  him ;  occupation  of 
some  sort  he  must  have,  and  to  the  very  end  he  had 
and  enjoyed  it. 

I  can  scarcely  realize,  even  now,  that  he  is  really 
gone — so  clear  of  mind  and  active  was  he  to  the 
very  last.  Nor  can  it  be  easily  imagined  how 
Bridgeport  in  this  generation  can  accustom  itself  to 
so  great  a  loss.  To  hear  that  the  average  man — of 
distinction  even — has  died,  seems  common  and  cred- 
ible. But  the  message  which  announced  Mr.  Bar- 
num's  death  came  like  a  troubled  dream  from  which 
we  somehow  expect  to  awaken.  That  one  so  full  of 
life  as  to  be  its  very  embodiment,  should  leave  us, 
it  will  take  time  to  fully  comprehend.  If,  in  the 
world,  his  demise  leaves  a  striking  and  peculiarvoid, 
to  a  multitude  of  friends  it  comes  with  a  tender 
sorrow  that  shall  tincture  indelibly  many  flowing 
years.  J.  B. 


Among  letters  that  have  come  to  hand  we  select 
the  following  as  the  tribute  of  a  representative 
American  divine : 

BROOKLYN,  April  i6th,  1891. 
Dear  Mr.  Benton : 

There  was  a  Mr.  Barnum  whom  all  the  world 
knew,  and  whose  name  is  familiar  in  every  civilized 
land  ;  but  there  was  another  Mr.  Barnum  whom  we, 
his  intimate  friends  knew,  and  regarded  with  a 
hearty  affection.  That  he  was  a  most  courteous 
gentleman  and  the  entertaining  companion  at  his 


LIFE  OF  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

table  and  hospitable  fireside,  is  but  a  part  of  the 
truth.  He  had  a  big  warm  heart  that  bound  all  his 
friends  to  him  with  hooks  of  steel. 

I  first  met  him  on  the  platform  of  a  grand  temper- 
ance banquet,  in  Tripler  Hall,  New  York,  thirty-nine 
years  ago — where  he  and  Mr.  Beecher,  and  Dr. 
Chapin,  Hon.  Horace  Mann,  Gen.  Houston,  of 
Texas,  and  myself  were  the  speakers. 

A  gold  medal  was  presented  that  evening  to  the 
Hon.  Neal  Dow,  of  Maine,  the  father  of  the  "  Pro- 
hibitory Law."  Mr.  Barnum  made  a  very  vivacious 
and  vigorous  address.  In  after  years  he  delivered 
several  addresses  in  behalf  of  Total  Abstinence 
in  my  church,  and  they  were  admirable  speci- 
mens of  close  argument,  most  pungently  pre- 
sented. He  indulged  in  but  few  witticisms  or  amus- 
ing stories ;  for,  as  he  well  said,  "  The  Temperance 
Reform  was  too  serious  a  matter  for  trifling  jokes 
and  buffooneries." 

During  the  first  year  of  my  married  life,  1853, 
Mr.  Barnum  visited  me  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  and  he 
often  spoke  of  the  happy  hour  he  spent  at  our  table, 
and  the  cozy  dinner  my  young  wife  prepared  for 
him.  In  after  years  he  often  sat  at  my  table,  and  on 
two  occasions  he  entertained  me  with  princely  hos- 
pitality at  his  Bridgeport  mansion.  On  one  occasion 
he  invited  the  leading  clergymen  of  the  town  to 
meet  me. 

We  differed  very  decidedly  in  our  religious  creeds, 
and  never  fell  into  arguments  about  them.  I 
honored  his  conscientious  convictions,  and  his 
staunch  adherence  to  what  he  believed  to  be  the 
right  interpretation  of  God's  Word.  With  the 
scoffing  scepticism  of  the  day  he  had  no  sympathy, 
and  utterly  abhorred  it.  His  kind  heart  made  him  a 


SOME  REMINISCENCES  Of  P.  T.  BARNUM.          <)I$ 

philanthropist,  and  in  his  own  peculiar  way  he 
loved  to  do  good  to  his  fellow-men.  Surrounded 
by  innumerable  temptations,  he  maintained  a  clean, 
chaste,  and  honest  life,  and  found  his  happiest  hours 
in  the  society  of  wife  and  children,  under  his  own 
roof-tree.  Had  Mr.  Barnum  devoted  himself  to  po- 
litical life  he  would  have  made  an  excellent  figure  ; 
for  he  had  keen  sagacity,  vast  and  varied  obser- 
vations of  human  nature,  and  sturdy  common  sense. 
In  conversation  with  intellectual  men  he  always  held 
his  own  with  admirable  acumen  and  vigor  of  ex- 
pression. He  was  altogether  one  of  the  most  unique 
characters  that  his  native  State  has  produced,  and 
when  his  name  ceases  to  be  connected  with  shows 
and  zoological  exhibitions,  he  will  be  lovingly  re- 
membered as  the  genial  friend,  the  sturdy  patriot, 
the  public-spirited  and  philanthropic  neighbor,  and 
the  honest,  true-hearted  man. 

Yours  respectfully, 

THEODORE  L.  CUYLER. 


THE  FUNERAL. 

April  loth,  1891,  was  the  day  set  for  Mr.  Barnum's 
funeral.  The  morning  was  cold,  gray,  and  dismal. 
Nature's  heart,  with  the  spring  joy  put  back  and 
deadened,  symboled  the  melancholy  that  had  fallen 
upon  Bridgeport.  No  town  was  ever  more  trans- 
formed than  was  this  city  by  one  earthly  event.  On 
the  public  and  private  buildings  were  hung  the  habil- 
iments of  woe ;  flags  were  at  half  mast,  and,  in  the 
store  windows  were  to  be  seen  innumerable  por- 
traits and  likenesses  of  the  dead  citizen,  surrounded 
by  dark  drapery,  or  embedded  in  flowers. 

Nor  was  this  all.  The  people  on  the  street  and 
in  the  windows  of  their  houses  seemed  to  be  think- 
ing of  but  one  thing — their  common  loss.  The  pe- 
destrian walked  slower ;  the  voices  of  talkers,  even 
among  the  rougher  classes,  were  more  subdued, 
and  in  their  looks  was  imprinted  the  unmistakable 
signal  of  no  common  or  ordinary  bereavement. 

The  large  church  was  not  only  filled,  with  its  lec- 
ture-room, a  considerable  time  before  the  hour  set 
for  the  services ;  but  thousands  of  people  crowded 
the  sidewalks  near-by  for  hours,  knowing  they  could 
only  see  the  arrival  and  departure  of  the  funeral 
cortege.  The  private  services  at  the  house,  "Ma- 
nna," near  the  Seaside  Park,  which  preceded  the 

616 


DR.  COLLYER' S  TRIBUTE.  6 1/ 

public  services  in  the  church,  were  simple  and  were 
only  witnessed  and  participated  in  by  the  relatives 
and  immediate  friends.1 


DR.  COLLYER'S  TRIBUTE. 

The  immense  congregation  that  filled  to  repletion 
the  South  Congregational  Church,  while  the  last 
services  were  being  held  over  the  remains  of  Hon. 
P.  T.  Barnum,  were  deeply  impressed  with  the 
touching  tribute  which  was  paid  the  great  showman 
and  public  benefactor  by  his  old  friend,  Rev.  Robert 
Collyer,  D.  D. 

It  was  a  pathetic  picture  which  met  the  eyes  of 
the  vast  throng.  The  aged  preacher,  with  long 
white  hair  hanging  loosely  on  his  shoulders,  and  an 
expression  of  keen  sorrow  on  his  kindly  face,  stand- 
ing in  a  small  pulpit  looking  down  on  the  remains 
of  his  old  and  cherished  friend.  The  speaker's 
voice  was  strong  and  steady  throughout  his  sermon. 
Each  word  of  that  sad  panegyric  could  be  distinctly 
heard  in  all  parts  of  the  edifice,  but  in  offering  up 
the  last  prayer,  he  broke  down.  The  aged  preacher 
made  a  strong  effort  to  control  himself,  but  his  voice 
finally  became  husky,  and  tears  streamed  down  his 
wrinkled  cheeks.  The  audience  was  deeply  touched 
by  this  display  of  feeling,  and  many  ladies  among 
the  congregation  joined  with  the  preacher  and  wept 
freely. 

The  immense  gathering  were  unusually  quiet 
when  the  aged  minister  took  his  place  in  the  pulpit, 
and  his  words  were  strangely  clear,  and  distinct  in 
all  portions  of  the  church.  In  his  feeling  tribute, 
Dr.  Collyer  said : 


6l8  LIFE  OF  P,  T.  BARNUM. 

"  P.  T.  Barnum  was  a  born  fighter  for  the  weak 
against  the  strong,  for  the  oppressed  against  the  op- 
pressor. The  good  heart,  tender  as  it  was  brave, 
would  always  spring  up  at  the  ery  for  help  and  rush 
on  with  the  sword  of  assistance.  This  was  not  all 
that  made  him  loved,  for  the  good  cheer  of  his  na- 
ture was  like  a  halo  about  him.  He  had  always 
time  to  right  a  wrong  and  always  time  to  be  a  good 
citizen  and  patriot  of  the  town,  State,  or  republic  in 
which  he  lived.  His  good,  strong  face,  was  known 
almost  as  well  on  the  other  side.  You  may  be  proud 
of  him  as  he  was  proud  of  his  town.  He  helped  to 
strengthen  and  beautify  it,  and  he  did  beautify  it  in 
many  places.  '  It  is  said  that  the  hand  that  grasps 
takes  away  the  strength  from  the  hand  that  ought 
to  give,'  and  thatsuchaman  must  die  without  friends 
or  blessings.  He  was  not  that  man.  He  was  al- 
ways the  open  and  generous  man,  who  could  not  do 
too  much  for  Bridgeport.  He  often  told  me  of  his 
desire  to  help  this  place,  and  he  was  not  content  to 
wait  until  after  death.  What  he  has  done  for  Bridge- 
port is  the  same  as  he  has  done  for  other  noble 
works.  As  my  brother,  Rev.  Mr.  Fisher,  said  to- 
day, there  was  never  anything  proposed  in  this  city 
that  had  any  promise  of  goodness  but  that  he  was 
ready  to  pour  out  money  and  assistance  for  it. 

"  Faith  in  one's  self  fails  in  the  spring  if  one  has 
not  faith  in  God  also.  He  had  that  faith  I  know. 
He  had  worship,  reverence,  and  love  in  his  heart, 
and  as  he  rests  from  his  labors  we  meet  and  linger 
here  for  a  few  minutes  and  pay  respect  and  honor 
to  the  memory  of  a  great  and  good  man.  We  can 
forget  that  we  belong  to  divers  churches,  and  stand 
here  as  children  of  one  faith  and  one  baptism,  hon- 
oring for  the  last  time  one  who  has  finished  his 


NOTABLE  OBITUARY  EXPRESSIONS. 

labors  here  and  with  a  crown  of  glory  for  his  re- 
ward, has  joined  in  his  eternal  home  the  Father  he 
served  so  well." 

When  the  church  services  were  over,  the  proces- 
sion moved  to  Mountain  Cemetery,  a  mile  or  more 
distant,  where,  in  a  beautiful  plat,  long  ago  ar- 
ranged, with  a  modest  monument  above  it,  rest  the 
remains  of  Mr.  Barnum's  first  wife.  Here,  in  a 
place  made  beautiful  by  nature  and  improved  by 
art,  was  consigned  the  mortal  part  of  him  whose 
story  we  have  tried,  weakly,  perhaps,  to  tell.  Great 
masses  of  flowers,  similar  to  those  displayed  in  the 
house  and  church,  were  upon  the  grave  and  about 
it,  and  the  people,  who  came  there  in  large  numbers, 
did  not  leave  for  hours  after  the  religious  service 
had  been  read. 


A  book  of  good  size  might  be  made  of  the  notable 
expressions  called  forth  by  Mr.  Barnum's  death 
from  leading  journals  and  men  known  to  fame.  It 
is  impossible  to  give  any  fair  sample  of  them  here, 
but  the  London  Times'  leader  of  April  8th  may 
serve,  perhaps,  as  a  good  specimen : 

"  Barnum  is  gone.  That  fine  flower  of  Western 
civilization,  that  arbiter  elegantiarum  to  Demos,  has 
lived.  At  the  age  of  eighty,  after  a  life  of  restless 
energy  and  incessant  publicity,  thegreat  showman  has 
lain  down  to  rest.  He  gave,  in  the  eyes  of  the  seekers 
after  amusement,  a  lustre  to  America.  *  *  *  He 


62O  Ln'E  OF  p-  T-  BARNUM. 

created  the  metier  of  showman  on  a  grandiose  scale, 
worthy  to  be  professed  by  a  man  of  genius.  He 
early  realized  that  essential  feature  of  a  modern 
democracy,  its  readiness  to  be  led  to  what  will  amuse 
and  instruct  it.  He  knew  that  'the  people'  means 
crowds,  paying  crowds ;  that  crowds  love  the  fashion 
and  will  follow  it;  and  that  the  business  of  the  great 
man  is  to  make  and  control  the  fashion.  To  live 
on,  by,  and  before  the  public  was  his  ideal.  For 
their  sake  and  his  own,  he  loved  to  bring  the  public 
to  see,  to  applaud,  and  to  pay.  His  immense  activity, 
covering  all  those  years,  marked  him  out  as  one 
of  the  most  typical  and  conspicuous  of  Yankees. 
From  Jenny  Lind  to  Jumbo,  no  occasion  of  a  public 
'sensation  '  came  amiss  to  him. 

"  Phineas  Taylor  Barnum,  born  in  1810,  at  Bethel, 
Connecticut — how  serious  and  puritanical  it  sounds! 
— would  have  died  with  a  merely  local  reputation  un- 
less chance  had  favored  him  by  putting  in  his  way 
something  to  make  a  hit  with.  He  stumbled  across 
Charles  H.  Stratton,  the  famous,  the  immortal 
'General  Tom  Thumb'  of  our  childhood.  Together 

o 

they  came  to  Europe  and  held  'receptions'  every- 
where. It  was  the  moment  when  the  Queen's  eld- 
est children  were  in  the  nursery,  and  Barnum  saw 
that  a  fortune  depended  on  his  bringing  them  into 
friendly  relations  with  Tom  Thumb.  He  succeeded; 
and  the  British  public  flocked  to  see  the  amusing 
little  person  who  had  shown  off  his  mature  yet  min- 
iature dimensions  by  the  side  of  the  baby  Heir  Ap- 
parent. Then  came  the  Jenny  Lind  furore.  Then 
came  a  publicity  of  a  different  sort.  Mr.  Barnum 
became  a  legislator  for  his  State,  and  even,  in  1875, 
Mayor  of  Bridgeport.  Why  not?  The  man  who 
can  organize  the  amusements  of  the  people  may 


NOTABLE  OBITUARY  EXPRESSIONS.  621 

• 

very  well  be  trusted  to  organize  a  few  of  their  laws 
for  them. 

"When,  in  1889,  the  veteran  brought  over  his  ship- 
load of  giants  and  dwarfs,  chariots  and  waxworks, 
spangles  and  circus-riders,  to  entertain  the  people 
of  London,  one  wanted  a  Carlyle  to  come  forward 
with  a  discourse  upon  '  the  Hero  as  Showman.'  It 
was  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  publicity.  *  *  *  There  was 
a  three-fold  show — the  things  in  the  stalls  and  cages, 
the  showman,  and  the  world  itself.  And  of  the  three 
perhaps  Barnum  himself  was  the  most  interesting. 
The  chariot  races  and  the  monstrosities  we  can 
get  elsewhere,  but  the  octogenarian  showman  was 
unique.  His  name  is  a  proverb  already,  and  a  pro- 
verb it  will  continue." 


«M* 


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GV     Benton,  Joel 

1811      Life  of  Hon.  Phineas  T. 

B3B4    Barnum