New Britain Herald Newspaper, January 16, 1925, Page 24

e LR T TP, 14 i Barnum lu.xnxs have repeated the moth-eaten phrase: “Barnu m was right But just one man 1 o come forward and disppute it. He says, and en phatically: “Barnum was WRONG Barnum believed the peo] o be bunked, fooled and 1 John Kodet, p r of Kode m of Freaks, New York City, says the ple do not like to be humbu, e rea be avers, whether i 11 pickles or side-show freaks. John conducts w wivor in America of the seum, In a mods in moving picture s re, he maj around here come back several times a wee P. T. WAS GREAT States in his w 0 and Jer s of f and wha g g of Kode \ dreds of st ar x of deers’ heads s spears P NO FAKE THERE! out. “Six legs, two tails and e it was in life. No fake about I once had the pleasure of g te epple with my own hand. He ate half with mouth and half with the o 2 s, 1 < t ¥ Muse g= were T 2 4 5 s G S O w ner v as /n/:er/or of Musey down on their luck repair to Kodet for odd jobs s American Museum all stuffed by used to he over on Glen Isl to earn their board and keep. a taxidermist and dressed » perform on the nt now divided up among the ind street carnivals, because of his preponderant genius as a showman and publ but there were many igement with pay . Kodet thinks, w This was merged he would pay Museum, opened LARGE COLLECTION of which the prize 1d's largest collection LIKED HIS TITLE round the walls of his place aseum on Gler most of them requiring only aliuring titles deck and fortune: MADE MONEY t want it bet we go up to 10,000 on the job out teners within visited Barnum's mu and horse-trader nan virtually es from his quite derous diamond ring adorns and across his black and white checked showman's appearance Kodeks Two headed Calf recalls. “We'd sell papers and gft two r three s worth of pennies. Then we'd give'a quar ter to the doorman to let us alone and go in to make change for the crowd. We'd give them 4 pennies for a nickel, or -cent piece instead of a dime. Lots of things were done then that you couldn't do now, that the law wouldn't let you do. You've got to be on the square now.” Museum freaks, heneath their unusual exterior, liave ‘hearts and ideas just like the people who gaze on them. his is Kodet's opinion after a quarter of a century's dealing with them, and the freaks themselves proclaim its correctn “If one stays in a good humor and eats and he'll get fat, too,” believes “Jolly sleeps pler Vi coy, and pissessor of an unbroken front of choice the museum’s current fat girl, 510 pounds, gold teeth JUST LIKE OTE “If 1 do say it, I'm one of the best proportioned S8 and get around on my feet the best of anybody my weight And when you're writing about me, don't say I'm married. It's better professionaily to he known as Miss. g public is aill right and come to be entertained. They aren’t just round-eved curiosity seckers. They need diver sion, and we like to provide it for them. How much do we earn? Well a fat lady is foolish to work for less than $60 4 week, hesides the graft of s souvenirs. That's as much as the salary." Team-mate. with “Jolly Viela" on Harlem Museum platform. is Joe, the ciastic man. He is double jointed, can bend his fingers backward as as forward, can turn his legs around end walk with his toes pointed te the rear, can stretch his skin an incredible stance, and is a journcyman magician and ven triloguist “Fat girls are all right to work with on the e, but I wouldn't wa ne to sit on my lap,” says Joe, repeating one of his surefire laughs. Most regular of Kodet's musedm visitors is Charles A. Wilson, 89 years old. He traveled for a time with Barnum's cir s and once man. aged Worth's museum, a rival of Barnum's, For Worth's he obtained what he believes the great est museum atfraction of all time—the grewsome head of Guiteau, slayer of President Garfield “I paid $200 for it, bid against Barnum and took jt away from hin.,” says Wilson. “It made the biggest sensation of anything. We made $300 a day on it for a while. But museum days are past new. John's here will be about the last one.” Barnum Cunning N uncanny quality of being equal to eny situation, and of meeting it with humor end cleverness, even though with hum. buggery, marked the career of America's greatest showman and freak promoter, P. T. Barnum. The “egress” story, told by Morris R. Werner in his book, “Barnum,"” illustrates that characteristic as well other. ay, saw himselt and as briefly as ar Rarnum, on a hol losing wmoney, his museum being packed to utmost capacity and a crowd on the street clamoring for admittance. Those inside remained, intending apparently to apend the day. The proprietor called in his sign painter on a rush order. Within a tew minutes he posted over a door the flaring invitation, “To' the [ ing {¢ see a new and unheard-of curi- ough the door te s meant exit and °88."" The crowd inside, think- rushed discover that egi that they were in an alley while new rongs flocked through the front doors, PR Tm: showman's career as an ex- hibitor was begun with a mem- orable fake, the slave woman, Joice Heth, “161 years old and the nurse of George Washington." With the old woman was exhibited a yellowed paper, purporting to be a bill of sale for the slave, given hy Augustine Washington, the father of George. Barnum had bought her withi asking any questions and advertised her at her reputed valua- tion She was as wrinkled as any per- son of 161 years would need to be. She was partly paralyzed, her nails were untrimmed claw , she was toothless and smoked a corncob pips continuously. She sang hymms for the crowd and, conversed fluently, telling how she had placed the first tiny garments on the father of his country after he was born into the world. After ner death physiclans exam- ined her and declared she could, not have been older than about 80. The Wasl ingtonian bill of sale was called a forgery. Sheity VENERAL TOM THUMB'S popu- ¥ larity was boundless. When Barnum took him to Europe the.mu- nicipal brass band paraded with him from the museum to the boat. The showman's genius arose to the new conditions in England when he made his first bid directly for the nobllity. Invitations were distributed to titled folk. Those who came without Invitations were refused admittance, although their names were taken and invitations were sent them the next day. After patient arranging, Queen Victoria was induced to command the little curiosity to appear before her. He so captivated her that he was Invited back repéatedly. After that the masses felt It s loyal and patriotic duty to pay thele money to see General Tom Thumhb,