iEx ICtbrtB SEYMOUR DURST When you leave, please leave this book Because it has been said "Ever'thing comes t' him who waits Except a loaned book." A\l KY ARCHITECT! RAL AND FINE ARTS LIBRARY Gift of Seymour B. Durst Old York Library Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/strugglestriumphOObarn_0 STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPHS: OR, FORTY YEARS' RECOLLECTIONS OP P. T. BARJSrUM. WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. " a map cf busy life, Its fluctuations, and its vast concerns." HARTFORD : J. 33. BURR & COMPANY. 1 869. le'.1 A3> Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by J. B. BURR & "COMPANY, In the Clerk's Office of the United States, for the District of Connecticut. Entered also at Stationers1 Hall, Londou, England, by P. T. BAKNUM. TO MY WIFE AND FAMILY I DEDICATE THIS STORY OF A LIFE WHICH HAS BEEN LARGELY DEVOTED TO THEIR INTERESTS AND SERVICE. ■ PREFACE. This book is my Recollections of Forty Busy Years, Few men in civil life have had a career more crowded with incident, enterprise, and various intercourse with the world than mine. With the alternations of success and defeat, extensive travel in this and foreign lands; a large acquaintance with the humble and honored ; having held the preeminent place among all who have sought to furnish healthful entertainment to the Amer- ican people, and, therefore, having had opportunities for garnering an ample storehouse of incident and an- ecdote, while, at the same time, needing a sagacity, energy, foresight and fortitude rarely required or ex- hibited in financial affairs, my struggles and experi- ences (it is not altogether vanity in me to think) can- not be without interest to my fellow countrymen. Various leading publishers have solicited me to place at their disposal my Recollections of what I have been, and seen, and done. These proposals, to- gether with the partiality of friends and kindred, have constrained me, now that I have retired from all active participation in business, to put in a permanent form what, it seems to me, may be instructive, entertaining and profitable. Fifteen years since, for the purpose, principally, of advancing my interests as proprietor of the American vi PREFACE. Museum, I gave to the press some personal reminis- cences and sketches. Having an extensive sale, they were, however, very hastily, and, therefore, imper- fectly, prepared. These are not only out of print, but the plates have been destroyed. Though includ- ing, necessarily, in common with them, some of the facts of my early life, in order to make this auto- biography a complete and continuous narrative, yet, as the latter part of my life has been the more event- ful, and my recollections so various and abundant, this book is new and independent of the former. It is the matured and leisurely review of almost half a century of work and struggle, and final success, in spite of fraud and fire — the story of which is blended with amusing anecdotes, funny passages, felicitous jokes, captivating narratives, novel experiences, and remarkable interviews — the sunny and sombre so in- termingled as not only to entertain, but convey useful lessons to all classes of readers. These Recollections are dedicated to those who are nearest and dearest 10 me, with the feeling that they are a record which I am willing to leave in their hands, as a legacy which they will value. And above and beyond this personal satisfaction, I have thought that the review of a life, with the wide contrasts of humble origin and high and honorable success ; of most formidable obstacles overcome by courage and constancy ; of affluence that had been patiently won, suddenly wrenched away, and triumph- antly regained — would be a help and incentive to the young man, struggling, it may be, with adverse for- tune, or, at the start, looking into the future with doubt or despair. All autobiographies are necessarily egotistical. If PREFACE. vii my pages are as plentifully sprinkled with "IV as was the chief ornament of Hood's peacock, kk who thought he had the eyes of Europe on his tail/1 I can only say, that the "I's" are essential to the story I have told. It has been my purpose to narrate, not the life of another, but that career in which I was the princi- pal actor. There is an almost universal, and not unworthy curiosity to learn the methods and measures, the ups and downs, the strifes and victories, the mental and moral personnel of those who have taken an active and prominent part in human affairs. But an auto- biography has attractions and merits superior to those of a u Life " written by another, who, however inti- mate with its subject, cannot know all that helps to give interest and accuracy to the narrative, or com- pleteness to the character. The story from the actor's own lips has always a charm it can never have when told by another. That my narrative is interspersed with amusing inci- dents, and even the recital of some very practical jokes, is simply because my natural disposition impels me to look upon the brighter side of life, and I hope my humorous experiences will entertain my readers as much as they were enjoyed by myself. And if this record of trials and triumphs, struggles and successes, shall stimulate any to the exercise of that energy, in- dustry, and courage in their callings, which will surelv lead to happiness and prosperity, one main object I have in yielding to the solicitations of my frieifds and my publishers will have been accomplished. P. T. BARNUM. Waldemere, Bridgeport, ) Connecticut, July 5, 1869. ^ PAGE. 1. PORTRAIT OF P. T. BARN DM, Frontispiece 2. MY PROPERTY AND MY TENANT, 32 3. MY DELIVERY FROM IMPRISONMENT, 65 4 BARNUM ON A RAIL, 84 6. THE COWARD AND THE " BRAVE, ;' 100 6. VICTORY OVER VESTRYMEN, 138 7. SQUALLS AND BREEZES, . 146 8. BATTLE OF THE GIANTS, . . . . . .162 9. THE GREAT D U 11 E AND THE LITTLE GENERAL, 184 10. ROYAL HONORS TO THE GENERAL, 192 11. MANURE CART EXPRESS, 21, 12. PUT ME IN IRONS, ' 243 13. IRANISTAN, 263 14. WELCOME TO JENNY LIND, ... . 288 15. J. G. BENNE1T AND IITS MONKEY, ......... 327 16. ELEPHANTINE AGRICULTURE, 358 17. MOUNTAIN GROVE CEMETERY, 3P.9 18. THE "CUSTOMS » OF THE COUNTRY, 432 19. '"THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT," 510 20. GRIZZLY ADAMS AND HIS FAMILY, 530 21. THE PRINCE IN THE MUSEUM, 543 22 EAST BRIDGEPORT, 519 23. CAPTURING WHITE WHALES, 5G2 24. TROUBLE IN A TURKISH HAREM, 580 25. MARRIAGE IN MINIATURE, • 603 26. ALARM AT LINDENCROFT, . 616 27. THE GREAT UNKNOWN, 0?0 28. AFTER iHE FiRE, . . . 702 'Id. BARNUM FIVE SECONDS AHEAD, . 705 30. A GROTESQUE FIRE COMPANY, . 720 31. HALF-SHAVED, 726 32. SEA SIDE PARK, ' . . . . . . . 758 33" WALDEMERE, . . . ... . . . . . . 763 CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. EARLY LIFE. MY BIRTH — FIRST PROPERTY — FARMER BOY LIFE — GOING TO SCHOOL — EARLY ACQUISITIVENESS A HOLIDAY PEDDLER — FIRST VISIT TO NEW YORK- LEARNING TO "SWAP" — MISERIES FROM MOLASSES CANDY — " IVY ISLAND'* ENTERING UPON MY ESTATE — CLERKSHIP IN A COUNTRY STORE TRAD- ING MORALS — THE BETHEL MEETING-HOUSE — STOVE QUESTION SUNDAY SCHOOL AND BIBLE CLASS — MY COMPOSITION — THE ONE THING NEEDTUL, 25 CHAPTER II. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. DEATH OF MY GRANDMOTHER — MY FATHER — HIS CHARACTER — HIS DEATH BEGINNING THE WORLD BAREFOOTED — GOING TO GRASSY PLAINS — THE TIN WARE AND GREEN BOTTLE LOTTERY " CHARITY " HALLETT — OUR FIRST MEETING — EVENING RIDE TO BETHEL A NOVEL FUR TRADE — OLD " RUSHIA" AND YOUNG "RUSHIA" — THE BUYER SOLD — COUNTRY STORE EXPERIENCES — OLD "UNCLE BIBBINS " A TERRIBLE DUEL BETWEEN BENTON AND BIB- BINS — FALL OF BENTON — FLIGHT OF BIBBINS, 33 CHAPTER III. IX BUSINESS FOR MYSELF. MY CLERKSHIP IN BROOKLYN — UNEASINESS AND DISSATISFACTION — THE SMALL POX — GOING HOME TO RECRUIT " CHARITY " HALLETT AGAIN BACK TO BROOKLYN — OPENING A PORTER-HOUSE SELLING OUT — MY CLERK- SHIP IN NEW YORK — MY HABITS OBSERVANCE OF SUNDAY — IN BETHEL ONCE MORE BEGINNING BUSINESS ON MY OWN ACCOUNT — OPENING DAY LARGE SALES AND GREAT PROFITS — THE LOTTERY BUSINESS — VIEWS THEREON ABOUT A POCKET-BOOK — WITS AND WAGS — SWEARING OUT A FINE — FIRST APPEARANCE AT THE BAR — SECURING "ARABIAN — A MODKL LOVE-LETTER, 48 CONTEXTS. CHAPTER IV. STRUGGLES FOR A LIVELIHOOD. PLEASURE VISIT TO PHILADELPHIA — LIVING IN GRAND STYLE — THE BOTTOM OF THE PILE — BORROWING MONEY — MY MARRIAGE — RETURN TO BETHEL EARLY MARRIAGES — MORE PRACTICAL JOKING — SECOND APPEARANCE AS COUNSEL— GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING — SELLING BOOKS AT AUCTION THE "YELLOW STORE" A NEW FIELD— " THE HERALD OF FREEDOM" MI- EDITORIAL CAREER — LIBEL SUITS — FINED AND IMPRISONED — LIFE IN THE DANBURY JAIL — CELEBRATION OF MY LIBERATION — POOR BUSINESS AND BAD DEBTS — REMOVAL TO NEW YORK — SEEKING MY FORTUNE " WANTS " IN THE " SUN " — WM. NIBLO — KEEPING A BOARDING-HOUSE A WHOLE SHIRT ON MY BACK, 59 CHAPTER V MY START AS A SHOWMAN. THE AMUSEMENT BUSINESS — DIFFERENT GRADES — CATERING FOR THE PUBLIC — MY CLAIMS, AIMS AND EFFORTS — JOICE HETH — APPARENT GENUINENESS OF HER VOUCHERS BEGINNING LIFE AS A SHOWMAN — SUCCESS OF MY FIRST EXHIBITION SECOND STEP IN THE SHOW LINE — SIGNOR VI VALLA MY FIRST APPEARANCE ON ANY STAGE AT WASHINGTON — ANNE ROYALL STIMULATING THE PUBLIC — CONTESTS BETWEEN VIVALLA AND ROBERTS- EXCITEMENT AT FEVER HEAT — CONNECTING MYSELF WITH A CIRCUS — BREAD AND BUTTER DINNER FOR THE WHOLE COMPANY — NARROW ESCAPE FROM SUFFOCATION— LECTURING AN ABUSIVE CLERGYMAN — AARON TURNER — A TERRIBLE PRACTICAL JOKE 1 AM REPRESENTED TO BE A MURDERER RAILS AND LYNCH LAW — NOVEL MEANS FOR SECURING NOTORIETY, . 71 CHAPTER VI. MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY. THREE MEALS AND LODGING IN ONE HOUR — TURNING THE TABLES ON TURNER A SON AS OLD AS HIS FATHER — LEAVING THE CIRCUS WITH TWELVE HUNDRED DOLLARS — MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY — PREACHING TO THE PEOPLE — APPEARING AS A NEGRO MINSTREL — THREATENED WITH ASSAS- SINATION ESCAPES FROM DANGER — TEMPERANCE — REPORT OF MY ARREST FOR MURDER RE-ENFORCING MY COMPANY — "BARNUM's GRAND SCIENTIFIC AND MUSICAL THEATRE" OUTWITTING A SHERIFF — " LADY HAYES'S " MANSION AND PLANTATION — A BRILLIANT AUDIENCE BASS DRUM SOLO- CROSSING THE INDIAN NATION JOE PENTLAND AS 'A SAVAGE — TERROR AND FLIGHT OF VIVALLA — A NONPLUSSED LEGERDEMAIN PERFORMER A MALE EGG-LAYER — DISBANDING MY COMPANY — A NEW PARTNERSHIP — PUBLIC LECTURING — DIFFICULTY" WITH A DROVER — THE STEAMBOAT " CERES " SUDDEN MARRIAGE ON BOARD — MOBBED IN LOUISIANA ARRIVAL AT NEW ORLEANS, 86 CONTENTS. XL CHAPTER VII. AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER. DISGUST AT THE TRAVELLING BUSINESS — ADVERTISING FOR AN ASSOCIATE — RUSH OF THE MILLION-MAKERS COUNTERFEITERS, CHEATS AND QUACKS A NEW BUSINESS — SWINDLED BY MY PARTNER DIAMOND THE DANCER A NEW COMPANY DESERTIONS — SUCCESSES AT NEW ORLEANS — TYRONE POWER AND FANNY ELLSLER — IN JAIL AGAIN — BACK TO NEW YORK ACT- ING AS A BOOK AGENT — LEASING VAUXHALL FROM HAND TO MOUTH DETERMINATION TO MAKE MONEY — FORTUNE OPENING HER DOOR THE AMERICAN MUSEUM FOR SALE — NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE PURCHASE HOPES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS — THE TRAIN LAID — SMASHING A RIVAL COMPANY, 104 CHAPTER Vm. THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. A TRAP SET FOR ME — I CATCH THE TRAPPERS — I BECOME PROPRIETOR OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM HISTORY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT HARD WORK AND COLD DINNERS ADDITIONS TO THE MUSEUM — EXTRAORDINARY" ADVER- TISING BARNUM'S BRICK-MAN EXCITING PUBLIC CURIOSITY — INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES A DRUNKEN ACTOR IMITATIONS OF THE ELDER BOOTH PLEASING MY PATRONS SECURING TRANSIENT NOVELTIES — LIVING CURI- OSITIES MAKING PEOPLE TALK A WILDERNESS OF WONDERS — NIAGARA FALLS WITH REAL WATER THE CLUB THAT KILLED COOK SELLING LOUIS GAYLORD CLARK THE FISH WITH LEGS THE FEJEE MERMAID HOW IT CAME INTO MY POSSESSION THE TRUE STORY OF THAT CURIOSITY JAPAN- ESE MANUFACTURE OF FABULOUS ANIMALS THE USE I MADE OF THE MER- MAID— WHOLESALE ADVERTISING AGAIN — THE BALCONY BAND DRUMMOND LIGHTS, 116 CHAPTER IX. THE ROAD TO RICHES. THE MOST POPULAR PLACE OF AMUSEMENT IN THE WORLD— THE MORAL DRAMA REFORMING THE ABUSES OF THE STAGE FAMOUS ACTORS AND ACTRESSES AT THE MUSEUM ADDING TO THE SALOONS AFTERNOON AND HOLIDAY PERFORMANCES FOURTH OF JULY FLAGS — THE MUSEUM CONNECT- ED with st. Paul's — victory over the vestrymen — the egress — st. Patrick's day in the morning — a wonderful animal, the "aigress" inpouring of money — zoological eruption — the city astounded baby shows, and their object flower, bird, dog and poultry shows — grand free buffalo hunt in hoboken n. p. willis — the woolly horse — where he came from colonel benton beaten — purpose of the exhibition — american indians — p. t. barnum exhib- ited— a curious spinster the touching story of charlotte tem- ple— services in the lecture room a financial view of the museum — an "awful rich man," 133 Xii CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. 1 PEALE'S MUSEUM — MYSTERIOUS MESMERISM — YANKEE HILL — HENRY BENNETT THE RIVAL MUSEUMS — THE ORPHEAN AND ORPHAN FAMILIES THE FUDGE E MERMAID — BUYING OUT MY RIVAL — RUNNING OPPOSITION TO MYSELF — ABOLISHING THEATRICAL NUISANCES — NO CHECKS AND NO BAR — THE MUSEUM — MY MANIA — MY FIRST INTERVIEW WITH CHARLES S. STRATTON GENERAL TOM THUMB IN NEW YORK — RE-ENGAGEMENT AN APT PUPIL FREE FROM DEBT THE PROFITS OF TWO YEARS IN SEARCH OF A NEW FIELD — STARTING FOR LIVERPOOL THE GOOD SHIP " YORKSHIRE " — Brf PARTY — ESCORT TO SANDY HOOK — THE VOYAGE — A TOBACCO TRICK — A BRAGGING JOHN BULL OUTWITTED — ARRIVAL AT LIVERPOOL — A GENTLE- MAN BEGGAR — MADAME. CELESTE CHEAP DWARFS — TWO-PENNY SHOWS — EXHIBITION OF GENERAL TOM THUMB IN LIVERPOOL — FIRST-CLASS EN- GAGEMENT FOR LONDON, 156 CHAPTER XL GENERAL TOM THUMB IN ENGLAND. ARRIVAL IN LONDON — THE GENERAL^ DEBUT IN THE PRINCESS'S THEATRE — ENORMOUS SUCCESS MY MANSION AT THE WEST END — DAILY LEVEES FOR THE NOBILITY AND GENTRY — HON. EDWARD EVERETT — HIS INTER- EST IN THE GENERAL — VISIT TO THE BARONESS ROTHSCHILD — OPENING IN EGYPTIAN HALL, PICCADILLY MR. CHARLES MURRAY, MASTER OF THE QUEEN'S HOUSEHOLD — AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE BY COMMAND OF HER MAJESTY — A ROYAL RECEPTION — THE FAVORABLE IMPRESSION MADE BY THE GENERAL — AMUSING INCIDENTS OF THE VISIT — BACKING OUT — FIGHT WITH A POODLE — COURT JOURNAL NOTICE — SECOND VISIT TO THE QUEEN THE PRINCE OF WALES AND PRINCESS ROYAL — THE QUEEN OF THE BELGIANS — THIRD VISIT TO BUCKINGHAM PALACE — KING LEOPOLD, OF BELGIUM ASSURED SUCCESS THE BRITISH PUBLIC EXCITED — EGYP- TIAN HALL CROWDED — QUEEN DOWAGER ADELAIDE THE GENERAL'S WATCH — NAPOLEON AND THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON — DISTINGUISHED FRIENDS, 1"3 CHAPTER XII IN FRANCE. GOING OVER TO ARRANGE PRELIMINARIES — PREVIOUS VISIT TO TARIS — ROB- ERT HOUDIN — WONDERFUL MECHANICAL TOYS — THE AUTOMATON LETTER- WRITER — DION BOUCICAULT TAX ON NATURAL CURIOSITIES — HOW I COM- PROMISED— THE GENERAL AND PARTY IN PARIS — FIRST VISIT TO KING LOUIS PHILIPPE A SPLENDID PRESENT — DIPLOMACY — I ASK A FAVOR AND GET IT — LONG CHAMPS — THE GENERAl/s EQUIPAGE — THE FINEST ADVER- TISEMENT EVER KNOWN — ALL PARIS IN A FUROR OPENING OF THE LEVtES — u TOM POUCE" EVERYWHERE — THE GENERAL AS AN ACTOR — PETIT POUCET" — SECOND AND THIRD VISITS AT THE TUILERIES — INVITATION TO ST. CLOUD — THE GENERAL PERSONATING NAPOLEON BONAPARTE — ST. DENIS THE IN VALID ES — REGNIER AN KC DOTE OF FRANKLIN — LEAVING PAHJS — TOUB THROUGH FRANCE — DEPARTURE FOR BRUSSELS, ISO CONTEXTS. xiii CHAPTER XIII. % IN BELGIUM. CROSSING THE FRONTIER — PROFESSOR PINTE — QUALIFICATIONS OF A GOOD SHOWMAN — "SOFT SUP " — GENEROUS DISTRIBUTION OF MEDALS — PRINCE CHARLES STRATTON AT BRUSSELS — PRESENTATION TO KING LEOPOLD AND HIS QUEEN — THE GENERAL'S JEWELS STOLEN — THE THIEF CAUGHT RE- COVERY OF THE PROPERTY — THE FIELD OF WATERLOO — MIRACULOUSLY MULTIPLIED RELICS — CAPTAIN TIPPITI WITCHET OF THE CONNECTICUT FUSILEERS — AN ACCIDENT — GETTING BACK TO BRUSSELS IN A CART STRATTON SWINDLED — LOSING AN EXHIBITION TWO HOURS IN TftE RAIN ON THE ROAD — THE CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRY A STRICT CONSTRUCTION- IST— STRATTON'S HEAD SHAVED "BRUMMAGEM" RELICS — HOW THEY ARE PLANTED AT WATERLOO WHAT LYONS SAUSAGES ARE MADE OF — FROM BRUSSELS TO LONDON, 208 CHAPTER XIY. IN ENGLAND AGAIN. LEVEES IN EGYPTIAN HALL — UNDIMINISHED SUCCESS — OTHER ENGAGEMENTS — "UP IN A BALLOON" — PROVINCIAL TOUR — TRAVELLING BY POST — GOI^G TO AMERICA A. T. STEWART — SAMUEL ROGERS — AN EXTRA TRAIN — AN ASTONISHED RAILWAY SUPERINTENDENT — LEFT BEHIND AND LOCKED UP SUNDAYS IN LONDON -BUSINESS AND PLEASURE — ALBERT SMITH A DA V WITH HIM AT WARWICK STRATFORD ON AVON A POETICAL BARBER — WARWICK CASTLE — OLD GUY'S TRAPS — OFFER TO BUY THE LOT THREAT TO BURST THE SHOW — ALBERT SMITH AS A SHOWMAN — LEARNING THE BUSINESS FROM BARNUM — THE WARWICK RACE'S RIVAL DWARFS — MANU- FACTURED GIANTESSES — THE HAPPY FAMILY — THE ROAD FROM WARWICK TO COVENTRY PEEPING TOM TILE YANKEE GO-AHEAD PRINCIPLE AL- BERT SMITH'S ACCOUNT OF A DAY WITH BARNUM, 223 CHAPTER XV. RETURN TO AMERICA. t THE WIZARD OF THE NORYEI — A JUGGLER BEATEN AT HIS OWN TRICKS — SECOND VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES — REVEREND DOCTOR ROBERT BAIRD CAPTAIN JUDKINS THREATENS TO PUT ME IN IRONS — VIEWS WITH RE- GARD TO SECTS — A WICKED WOMAN THE SIMPSONS IN EUROPE — REMIN- ISCENCES OF TRAVEL — SAUCE AND " SASS " — TEA TOO SWEET — A UMVI.R- SAL LANGUAGE — ROAST DUCK — SNOW IN AUGUST — TALES OF TRAVELLKRS — SIMPSON NOT TO BE TAKEN IN — HOLLANDERS IN BRUSSELS — WHERE ALL THE DUTCHMEN COME FROM — THREE YEARS IN EUROPE — WARM PERSONAL FRIENDS — DOCTOR C. S. BREWSTER — HENRY SUMNER — GEORGE S. AND LO- RENZO DRAPER GEORGE P. PUTNAM — OUR LAST PERFORMANCE IN DUBLIN DANIEL O'CONNELL — END OF OUR TOUR — DEPARTURE FOR AMERICA ARRIVAL IN NE»v' YORK, 239 xiv CONTENTS. CHAPTER XVI. AT HOME. • RENEWING THE LEASE OF THE MUSEUM BUILDING — TOM THUMB IN AMERICA — TOUR THROUGH THE COUNTRY — JOURNEY TO CUBA — BARNUM A CURIOSITY — RAISING TURKEYS — CEASING TO BE A TRAVELLING SHOW3IAN — RETURN TO BRIDGEPORT — ADVANTAGES AND CAPABILITIES OF THAT CITY — SEARCH FOR A HOME — THE FINDING — BUILDING AND COMPLETION OF I RANI STAN GRAND HOUSE-WARMING — BUYING THE BALTIMORE MUSEUM — OPENING THE PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM — CATERING FOR QUAKERS — THE TEMPERANCE PLEDGE AT THE THEATRE — PURCHASING PEALE'S PHILADELPHIA COLLEC- TION— MY AGRICULTURAL AND ARBORCULTURAL DOINGS "GERSY BLEW " CHICKENS — HOW I SOLD MY POTATOES — HOW I BOUGHT OTHER PEOPLES' POTATOES — CUTTING OFF GRAFTS — MY DEER PARK — MY GAME-KEEPER FRANK LESLIE — PLEASURES OF HOME, 255 CHAPTER XVn. THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. GRAND SCHEME — CONGRESS OF ALL NATIONS — A BOLD AND BRILLIANT ENTER- PRISE— THE JENNY LIND ENGAGEMENT MY AGENT IN EUROPE HIS IN- STRUCTIONS CORRESPONDENCE WITH MISS LIND — BENEDICT AND BELLETTI JOSHUA BATES — CHEVALIER WYCKOFF — THE CONTRACT SIGNED MY RE- CEPTION OF THE NEWS — THE ENTIRE SUM OF MONEY FOR THE ENGAGE- MENT SENT TO LONDON — MY FIRST LIND LETTER TO THE PUBLIC — A POOR PORTRAIT — MUSICAL NOTES IN WALL STREET — A FRIEND IN NEED, 270 CHAPTER XVIII. THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. FINAL CONCERTS IN LIVERPOOL — DEPARTURE FOR A3IERICA — ARRIVAL OFF STATEN ISLAND — MY FIRST INTERVIEW WITH JENNY LIND — THE TREMEN- DOUS THRONG AT THE WHARF TRIUMPHAL ARCH "WELCOME TO AMER- ICA"— EXCITEMENT IN THE CITY — SERENADE AT THE IRVING HOUSE — THE PRIZE ODE BAYARD TAYLOR THE PRIZEMAN — " BARNUM's PARNASSUS W — " BARNUMOPSIS " — FIRST CONCERT IN CASTLE GARDEN — A NEW AGREEMENT — RECEPTION OF JENNY LIND — UNBOUNDED ENTHUSIASM — BARNUM CALLED OUT — JULIUS BENEDICT THE SUCCESS OF THE ENTERPRISE ESTABLISHED — TWO GRAND CHARITY CONCERTS IN NEW YORK — DATE OF THE FIRST REGULAR CONCERT, CONTENTS. XV CHAPTER XIX. SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. HEAD-WORK ANT) HAND-WORK — MANAGING PUBLIC OPINION — CHEATING A FUROR THE NEW YORK HERALD — JENNY LIND'S EVIL ADVISERS — JOHN JAY — MISS LIND'S CHARITIES — A POOR GIRL IN BOSTON THE NIGHTINGALE AT IRANISTAN RUMOR OF HER MARRIAGE TO P. T. BARM M — THE STORY BASED ON OUR "ENGAGEMENT " WHAT IRANISTAN DID FOR ME — AVOIDING CROWDS — IN PHILADELPHIA AND BALTIMORE — A SUBSTITUTE FOR MISS LIND OUR ORCHESTRA PRESIDENT FILLMORE, CLAY, FOOTE, BENTON, SCOTT, CASS, AND WEBSTER VISIT TO MT. VERNON CHRISTMAS PRESENTS — NEW YEAR'S EVE WE GO TO HAVANA — PLAYING BALL FREDERIKA BREMER — A HAPPY MONTH IN CUBA, ,....,.».... 301 CHAPTER XX. INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. PROTEST AGAINST PRICES IN HAVANA — THE CUBANS SUCCUMB — JENNY LIND TAKES THE CITY BY STORM — A MAGNIFICENT TRIUMPH — COUNT PENALVER A SPLENDID OFFER MR. BRINCKERIIOFF BENEFIT FOR THE HOSPITALS REFUSING TO RECEIVE THANKS VI VALLA AND HIS DOG HENRY BEN- NETT HIS PARTIAL INSANITY OUR VOYAGE TO NEW ORLEANS THE EDITOR OF THE NEW YORK HERALD ON BOARD 1 SAVE THE LIFE OF JAMES GORDON BENNETT — ARRIVAL AT THE CRESCENT CITY CHEATING THE CROWD — A DUPLICATE MISS LIND A BOY IN RAPTURES A MAMMOTH HOG UP THE MISSISSIPPI AMUSEMENTS ON BOARD — IN LEAGUE WITH THE EVIL ONE AN AMAZED MULATTO, 319 CHAPTER XXI. JENNY LIND. ARRIVAL AT ST. LOUIS — SURPRISING PROPOSITION OF MISS LINd's SECRETARY HOW THE MANAGER MANAGED READINESS TO CANCEL THE CONTRACT — CONSULTATION WITH " UNCLE SOL." — BARNUM NOT TO BE HIKED — A "JOKE" TEMPERANCE LECTURE IN THE THEATRE SOL. SMITH — A COMEDIAN, AUTHOR, AND LAWYER UNIQUE DEDICATION JENNY LIND'S CHARACTER AND CHARITIES SHARP WORDS FROM THE WEST SELFISH ADVISER MISS LIND'S GENEROUS IMPULSES HER SIMPLE AND CHILDLIKE CHARACTER —CONFESSIONS OF A MANAGER PRIVATE REPUTATION AND PUBLIC RENOWN —CHARACTER AS A STOCK IN TRADE LE GRAND SMITH MR. DOLBY — THE ANGELIC SIDE KEPT OUTSIDE MY OWN SHAKE IN THE PUBLIC BENEFITS JUSTICE TO MISS LIND AND MYSELF, 334 xvi CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXII. CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. PENITENT TICKET PURCHASERS — VISIT TO THE " HERMITAGE " "APRIL-FOOL" FL'N — THE MAMMOTH CAVE SIGNOR SALVI GEORGE D. PRENTICE — PER- FORMANCE IN A PORK HOUSE — RUSE AT CINCINNATI — ANNOYANCES AT PITTSBURGH — LE GRAND SMITH'S GRAND JOKE — RETURN TO NEW YORK — THE FINAL CONCERTS IN CASTLE GARDEN AND METROPOLITAN HALL — TUB ADVISERS APPEAR — THE NINETY-THIRD CONCERT — MY OFFER TO CLOSB THE ENGAGEMENT — MISS LIND's LETTER ACCEPTING MY PROPOSITION STORY ABOUT AN u IMPROPER PLACE" JENNY'S CONCERTS ON HER OWN ACCOUNT — HER MARRIAGE TO SIR. OTTO GOLD SCHMIDT — CORDIAL RELATIONS BETWEEN MRS. LIND GOLDSCHMIDT AND MYSELF — AT HOME AGAIN — STATE- MENT OF THE TOTAL RECEIPTS OF THE CONCERTS, 344 CHAPTER XXIII. OTHER ENTERPRISES. ANOTHER VENTURE — " BARNUM's GREAT ASIATIC CARAVAN, MUSEUM, AND MENAGERIE" HUNTING ELEPHANTS — GENERAL TOM THUMB — ELEPHANT PLOWING IN CONNECTICUT — CURIOUS QUESTIONS FROM ALL QUARTERS THE PUBLIC INTEREST IN MY NOVEL FARMING — HOW MUCH AN ELEPHANT CAN REALLY " DRAW " — SIDE-SHOWS AND VARIOUS ENTERPRISES — OBSE- QUIES OF NAPOLEON THE CRYSTAL PALACE — CAMPANALOGIANS — AMERICAN INDIANS IN LONDON — AUTOMATON SPEAKER THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON ATTEMPT TO BUY SHAKESPEARE'S HOUSE DISSOLVING VIEWS — THE CHI- NESE COLLECTION — WONDERFUL SCOTCH BOYS SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF DOUBLE SIGHT — THE BATEMAN CHILDREN — CATHERINE HAYES — IRANI STAN ON FIRE — MY ELDEST DAUGHTER'S MARRIAGE — BENEFITS FOR THE BRIDGE- PORT LIBRARY AND THE MOUNTAIN GROVE CEMETERY, 358 CHAPTER XXIV. WORK AND PLAY. alfred bunn, of drury lane theatre — amusing interview — mr. levy, of the london daily telegraph — vacations at home — my presidency of the fairfield county agricultural society — exhibiting a pick- pocket philosophy of humbug — a chop-fallen ticket-seller — a prompt paymaster — barnum in boston — a deluded hack-driver — phillips's fikb annihilator — honorable elisiia whittlesey — trial of the an^iilator in new york — pequonnock' bank ok bridgeport — the illustrated news the world's fair in new york — my presi- dency of the association — attempt to excite public interest — monster julien concerts — resignation of the crystal palace presi- dency— failure of the concern, * 371 CONTEXTS. XV 11 CHAPTER XXV. THE JEROME CLOCK GOMPANY ENTANGLEMENT. THE EAST BRIDGEPORT ENTERPRISE — W. H. NOBLE — PLANS FOR A NEW CITY — DR. TIMOTHY DWIGHT'S TESTIMONY INVESTING A FORTUNE — SELLING CITY LOTS MONEY-MAKING A SECONDARY CONSIDERATION CLOCK COM- PANY IN LITCHFIELD THE "TERRY AND BARNCM MANUFACTURING COM- PANY " — THE JEROME CLOCK COMPANY — BAITING FOR BITES FALSE REP- RESENTATIONS— HOW I WAS DELUDED WHAT I AGREED TO DO — THE COUN- TER AGREEMENT — NOTES WITH BLANK DATES — THE LIMIT OF JIY RESPON- SIBILITY— HOW IT WAS EXCEEDED — STARTLING DISCOVERIES A RUINED MAN — PAYING MY OWN HONEST DEBTS BARNUM DUPED — MY FAILURE THE BARNUM AND JEROME CLOCK BUBBLE — MORALISTS MAKING USE OF MY MISFORTUNES — WHAT PREACHERS, PAPERS, AND PEOPLE SAID ABOUT ME — DOWN IN THE DEPTHS, 384 CHAPTER XXVI. CLOUDS AND SUNSHINE. FRIENDS TO THE RESCUE — MONEY OFFERS REFUSED — BENEFITS DECLINED MAGNIFICENT OFFER OF PROMINENT NEW YORK CITIZENS WILLIAM E. BURTON LAURA KEENE — WILLIAM NIBLO — GENERAL TOM THUMB — EDITO- RIAL SYMPATHY — "A WORD FOR BARNUM " IN BOSTON — LETTER FROM " MRS. PARTINGTON " — CITIZENS' MEETING IN BRIDGEPORT RESOLUTIONS OF RESPECT AND CONDOLENCE MY LETTER ON THE SITUATION — TENDER OF FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS MAGNITUDE OF THE DECEPTION PRACTICED UPON ME PROPOSITION OF COMPROMISE WITH MY CREDITORS — A TRAP LAID FOR ME IN PHILADELPHIA — THE SILVER LINING TO THE CLOUD — THE BLOW A BENEFIT TO MY FAMILY THE REV. DR. E. H. CHAPIN — MY DAUGHTER HELEN — A LETTER WORTH TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS — OUR NEW HOME IN NEW YORK, 395 CHAPTER XXVII. REST, BUT NOT RUST. SALE OF THE MUSEUM COLLECTION — SUPPLEMENTARY PROCEEDINGS OF MY CREDITOKS — EXAMINATIONS IN COURT — BARNUM AS A BAR TENDER — PER- SECUTION— THE SUMMER SEASON ON LONG ISLAND THE MUSEUM MAN ON SHOW — CHARLES HOWELL— A GREAT NATURAL CURIOSITY VALUE OF A HONK — PROPOSING TO BUY IT — A BLACK WHALE PAYS MY SUMMER'S BOARD — A TURN IN THE TIDE — THE WHEELER AND WILSON SEWING MA- CHINE COMPANY THEIR REMOVAL TO EAST BRIDGEPORT — THE TERRY AND BARNUM CLOCK FACTORY OCCUPIED — NEW CITY PROPERTY LOOKING UP — A LOAN OF S5,000 — THE CAUSE OF MY RUIN PROMISES TO BE MY RE- DEMPTION SETTING SAIL FOR ENGLAND GENERAL TOM THUMB — LITTLE CORDELIA HOWARD, 406 xviii CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXVIII ABROAD AGAIN. OLD FRIENDS IN OLD ENGLAND — ALBERT SMITH AS A SHOWMAN — HIS ASCENT OF MONT BLANC — POPULARITY OF THE ENTERTAINMENT — THE GARRICK CLUB — "PHINEAS CUTECRAFT " THE ELEVEN THOUSAND VIRGINS OF CO- LOGNE— UTILIZING INCIDENTS — SUBTERRANEAN TERRORS — A PANIC— EG VP- TIAN DARKNESS IN EGYPTIAN HALL — WILLIAM M. THACKERAY HIS TWO VISITS TO AMERICA — FRIENDLY RELATIONS WITH THE NOVELIST — I LOSE HIS SYMPATHY — HIS WARM REGARD FOR HIS AMERICAN FRIENDS OTTO GOLDSCHMIDT AND JENNY LIND GOLDSCHMIDT TENDER OF THEIR AID — THE FORGED LIND LETTER BENEDICT AND BELLETTI— -GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA — CHARLES KEAN EDMUND YATES — HORACE MAYHEW GEORGE PEA- BODY — MR. BUCKSTONE — MY EXHIBITIONS IN ENGLAND — S. M. PETTINGILL — MR. LUMLEY, 419 CHAPTER XXIX. IN GERMANY. FROM LONDON TO BADEN-BADEN — TROUBLE IN PARIS — STRASBOURG — SCENE IN A GERMAN CUSTOM-HOUSE— A TERRIBLE BILL SIX CENTS WORTH OF AGONY — GAMBLING AT BADEN-BADEN — SUICIDES GOLDEN PRICES FOR THE GENERAL — A CALL FROM THE KING OF HOLLAND THE GERMAN SPAS HAMBURG, EMS AND WEISBADEN — THE BLACK FOREST ORCHESTRION MAKER — AN OFFERED SACRIFICE THE SEAT OF THE ROTHSCHILDS DIF- FICULTIES IN FRANKFORT A POMPOUS COMMISSIONER OF POLICE RED- TAPE AN ALARM HENRY J. RAYMOND — CALL ON THE COMMISSIONER CONFIDENTIAL DISCLOSURES HALF OF AN ENTIRE FORTUNE IN AN AMERI- CAN RAILWAY — ASTOUNDING REVELATIONS— DOWN THE RHINE — DEPARTURE TOR HOLLAND, , 430 CHAPTER XXX. IN HOLLAND. THE FINEST AND FLATTEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD — SUPER-CLEANLINESS — HABITS AND CUSTOMS — " KREMIS " — THE ALBINO FAMILY THE HAGUE AUGUST BELMONT — JAPANESE MUSEUM — MANUFACTURED FABULOUS ANI- MALS— A GENEROUS OFFER — VALUABLE PICTURES — AN ASTONISHED SUPER- INTENDENT— BACK TO ENGLAND — EXHIBITIONS IN MANCHESTER — I RETURN AGAIN TO AMERICA — FUN ON THE VOYAGE — MOCK TRIALS — BAIiM M AS A PROSECUTOR AND AS A PRISONER COLD SHOULDERS IN NEW YORK — PRE- PARING TO MOVE INTO MY OLD HOME — CARELESS PAINTERS AND CARPEN- TERS— IRANISTAN BURNED TO THE GROUND — NEXT TO NO INSURANCE — SALE OF THE PROPERTY ELIAS HOWE, JR.,. . 441 CONTENTS. xjx CHAPTER XXXI THE ART OF MONEY GETTING. BACK ONCE MORE TO ENGLAND — TOUR THROUGH SCOTLAND AND WALES — HOW I CAME TO LECTURE ADVICE OF MY FRIENDS — MY LECTURE — HOW TO MAKE MONEY AND HOW TO KEEP IT — WHAT THE PAPERS SAID ABOUT ME — PRAISE OF THE LONDON PRESS — LECTURING IN THE PROVINCES — PERFORMANCES AT CAMBRIDGE — CALL FOR JOICE HETH EXTRAORDINARY FUN AT OXFORD — THE AUDIENCE AND LECTURER TAKING TURNS — A UNI- VERSITY BREAKFAST — MAGNIFICENT OFFER FOR A COPYRIGHT — SUCCESS OF MY ENTERPRISE — MORE MONEY FOR THE CLOCK CREDITORS, . . 456 CHAPTEE XXXn. AN ENTERPRISING ENGLISHMAN. | AN ENGLISH YANKEE — MY FIRST INTERVIEW AVITH HIM — HIS PLANS BASED ON BARNUM'S BOOK ADVERTISING FOR PARTNERS — HOW MY RULES MADE HIM RICH — METHOD IN MADNESS — THE " BARNUM " OF BURY — DINNER TO TOM THUMB AND COMMODORE NUTT — MY AGENT IN PARIS — MEASURING A MONSTER — HOW GIANTS AND DWARFS STRETCH AND CONTRACT AN UN- WILLING FRENCHMAN — A PERSISTENT MEASURER A GIGANTIC HUMBUG THE STEAM-ENGINES " BARNUM " AND " CHARITY " WHAT " CHARITY " DID FOR " BARNUM " SELLING THE SAME GOODS A THOUSAND TIMES THE GREAT CAKES — SIMNAL SUNDAY — THE SANITARY COMMISSION FAIR, 506 CHAPTER XXXIII. RICHARD'S HIMSELF AGAIN. AT HOME — EXTINGUISHMENT OF THE CLOCK DEBTS — A RASCALLY PROPOSI- TION— BARNUM ON HIS FEET AGAIN — RE-PURCHASE OF THE MUSEUM A GALA DAY — MY RECEPTION BY MY FRIENDS — THE STORY OF MY TROUBLES — HOW I WADED ASHORE — PROMISES TO THE PUBLIC — T HE PUB- LIC RESPONSE — MUSEUM VISITORS — THE RECEIPTS DOUBLED — HOW THE PRESS RECEIVED THE NEWS OF RESTORATION THE SYCOPHANTS — OLD AND FAST FRIENDS — ROBERT BONNER — CONSIDERATION AND COURTESY OF CREDITORS — THE BOSTON SATURDAY EVENING GAZETTE AGAIN — ANOTHER WORD FOR BARNUM, 516 XX CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXIV. MENAGERIE AND MUSEUM MEMORANDA. A REMARKABLE CHARACTER — OLD GRIZZLY ADAMS — THE CALIFORNIA MENAGE- RIE TERRIBLY WOUNDED BY BEARS MY UP-TOWN SHOW — EXTRAORDI- NARY WILL AND VIGOR — A LESSON FOR MUNCHAUSEN — THE CALIFORNIA GOLDEN PIGEONS — PIGEONS OF ALL COLORS PROCESS OF THEIR CREATION M. GUILLADEU — A NATURALIST DECEIVED — THE MOST WONDERFUL BIRDS IN THE WORLD — THE CURIOSITIES TRANSFERRED TO THE MENAGERIE — OLD ADAMS TAKEN IN — A CHANGE OF COLOR MOTLEY THE ONLY WEAR OLD GRIZZLY UNDECEIVED — TOUR OF THE BEAR-TAMER THROUGH THE COUNTRY A BEAUTIFUL HUNTING SUIT — A LIFE AND DEATH STRUGGLE FOR A WAGER — OLD ADAMS WINS — HIS DEATH THE LAST JOKE ON BARN UM THE PRINCE OF WALES VISITS THE MUSEUM 1 CALL ON THE PRINCE IN BOSTON — STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS "BEFORE AND AFTER " IN A BARBER SHOP — HOW TOM HIGGINSON " DID " BARNUM — THE MUSEUM FLOURISHING, 529 CHAPTER XXXV. EAST BRIDGEPORT. ANOTHER NEW HOME — LINDENCROFT — PROGRESS OF MY PET CITY — THE CHESTNUT WOOD FIRE — HOW IT BECAME OLD HICKORY — INDUCEMENTS TO SETTLERS MY OFFER — EVERY MAN HIS OWN HOUSE-OWNER — WHISKY AND TOBACCO — RISE IN REAL-ESTATE — PEMBROKE LAKE — WASHINGTON PARK — GREAT MANUFACTORIES — WHEELER AND WILSON — SCHUYLER, HART- LEY AND GRAHAM HOTCHKISS, SON AND COMPANY — STREET NAMES — MANY THOUSAND SHADE TREES BUSINESS IN THE NEW CITY— UNPARAL- LELED GROWTH AND PROSPERITY — PROBABILITIES IN THE FUTURE SITUA- TION OF BRIDGEPORT — ITS ADVANTAGES AND PROSPECTS — THE SECOND, IF NOT THE FOREMOST CIIY IN CONNECTICUT, ' . • 549 CHAPTER XXXVI MORE ABOUT THE MUSEUM. ANOTHER RE-OPENING— A CHERRY-COLORED CAT — THE CAT LET OUT OF THE BAG — MY FIRST WHALING EXPEDITION — PLANS FOR CAPTURE — SUCCESS OF THE SCHEME — TRANSPORTING LIVING WHALES BY LAND — PUBLIC EX- CITEMENT— THE GREAT TANK SALT WATER PUMPED FROM THE BAY TO THE MUSEUM — MORE WHALES— EXPEDITION TO LABRADOR — THE FIRST HIPPOPOTAMUS IN AMERICA — TROPICAL FISH — COMMODORE NUTT AND HIS FIRST "ENGAGEMENT" — THE TWO DROMIOS PRESIDENT LINCOLN 8EES COMMODORE XTJTT — WADING ASHORE — A QUESTION OF LEGS — SELF-DECEP- TION— THE GOLDEN ANGEL FISH — ANNA SWAN, THE NOVA SCOTIA GIANT- ESS— THE TALLEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD — INDIAN CHIEFS — EXPEDITION TO CYPRUS — MY AGENT IN A PASHA'S HAREM, 560 CONTENTS. xxi CHAPTER XXXVII. MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. MISS LAYINI A WARREN — A CHARMING LITTLE LADY — SUPPOSED TO BE THE $30,000 NCI T IN DISGUISE HER WARDROBE AND PRESENTS — STORY OF A RING — THE LITTLE COMMODORE IN LOYE — TOM THUMB SMITTEN — RIVALRY OF THE DWARFS — JEALOUSY OF THE GENERAL VISIT AT BRIDGEPORT THE GENERAL'S STYLISH TURN-OUT MISS WARREN IMPRESSED CALL OF THE GENERAL A LILLIPUTIAN LOVE SCENE — TOM THUMB'S INVENTORY OF HIS PROPERTY HE PROPOSES AND IS ACCEPTED ARRIVAL OF THE COM- MODORE HIS GRIEF EXCITEMENT OVER THE ENGAGEMENT THE WED- DING IN GRACE CHURCH REVEREND JUNIUS WILLEY — A SPICY LETTER BY DOCTOR TAYLOR GRAND RECEPTION OF MR. AND MRS. STRATTON THE COMMODORE IN SEARCH OF A GREEN COUNTRY GIRL, .... 582 CHAPTER XXXVIII. POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. MY POLITICAL PRINCIPLES REASONS FOR MY CHANGE OF PARTIES KANSAS AND SECESSION WIDE-AWAKES— GRAND ILLUMINATION OF LINDEN CROFT JOKE ON A DEMOCRATIC NEIGHBOR — PEACE MEETINGS THE STEPNEY EX- CITEMENT— TEARING DOWN A PEACE FLAG A LOYAL MEETING RECEP- TION IN BRIDGEPORT DESTRUCTION OF THE '* FAR3IER " OFFICE ELIAS HOWE, JR. SAINT PETER AND SALTPETRE DRAFT RIOTS BURGLARS AT L1NDENCROFT — MY ELECTION TO THE LEGISLATURE BEGINNING OF MY WAR ON RAILROAD MONOPOLIES WIRE-PULLING THE XIV. AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION — STRIKING THE WORD " WHITE " FROM THE CONNECTICUT CONSTITUTION — MY SPEECH, 609 CHAPTER XXXIX. THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IN RUINS. A TERRIBLE LOSS — HOW I RECEIVED THE NEWS BURNING OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM — DETAILS OF THE DISASTER — FAITH IN HERRING'S SAFES — BAKED AND BOILED WHALES — THE NEW YORK TRIBUNE ON THE DESTRUCTION OF THE MUSEUM — A PUBLIC CALAMITY SYMPATHY OF THE LEADING EDITORS — AMOUNT OF MY LOSS — SMALL INSURANCE MY PROPERTY — INTENTION TO RETIRE TO PRIVATE LIFE — HORACE GREELEY ADVISES ME TO GO A-FISHING BENEFIT TO THE MUSEUM EMPLOYEES AT THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC — 3IY SPEECH — WHAT THE NEW YORK SUN SAID ABOUT IT — THE NEW UP-TOWN MUSEUM — OPENING THE ESTABLISHMENT TO THE PUBLIC, . •. . • 638 f xxii CONTENTS. CHAPTEE XL. MY WAR ON THE RAILROADS. SCENES IN THE LEGISLATURE — SHARP-SHOOTING — PROPOSITIONS FOR A NEW CAPITAL OF CONNECTICUT THE RIVALRY OF CITIES — CULMINATION OF THE RAILROAD CONTROVERSY — EXCITEMENT AMONG THE LOBBYISTS — A BILL FOR THE BENEFIT OF COMMUTERS PEOPLE PROTECTED FROM THE PLUNDERERS HOW SETTLERS ARE DRAWN INTO A STATE AND THEN CHEATED BY THE RAILROAD COMPANIES — EQUAL RIGHTS FOR COMMUTERS AND TRANSIENT PASSENGERS — WHAT COMMODORE VANDERBILT DID WHAT THE NEW YORK AND NEW HAVEN RAILROAD COMPANY WANTED TO DO — EXPOSURE OF THEIR PLOT — CONSTERNATION OF THE CONSPIRATORS — MY VICTORY — AGAIN ELECTED TO THE LEGISLATURE — UNITED STATES SENATOR FERRY — EX-GOVERNOR W. A. BUCKINGHAM — THEODORE TILTON GOVERNOR HAWLEY — FRIENDS AT LINDENCROFT — NOMINATED FOR CONGRESS AND DEFEATED, 649 CHAPTEE XLI. BENNETT AND THE HERALD. THE AMERICAN MUSEUM LEASE — ITS VALUE — BENNETT OF THE HERALD BUYS IT FOR $200,000 — HE PURCHASES THE PROPERTY — OVERESTIMATE OF .IS WORTH — MAX MARETZEK — MISS CLARA LOUISE KELLOGG's ESTIMATE OF CERTAIN PEOPLE THE POWER BEHIND THE HERALD THRONE — THE HER- ALD'S INFLUENCE BENNETT KICKED AND COWHIDED — HIS LAWYER INSISTS UPON MY TAKING BACK THE MUSEUM LEASE 1 DECLINE — BENNETT RE- FUSES MY ADVERTISEMENTS — INTERVIEW WITH MR. HUDSON — WAR OF THE MANAGERS UPON THE HFRALD — BENNETT HUMBLED — LOSS OF THE HERALD'S PRESTIGE — MONEY DAMAGE TO BENNETT'S ESTABLISHMENT — THE EDITOR SUED — PEACE BETWEEN THE HERALD AND THE MANAGERS, .... 665 CHAPTEE XLII. PUBLIC LECTURING. MY TOUR AT THE WEST — THE CURIOSITY EXHIBITOR HIMSELF A CURIOSITT — BUYING A FARM IN WISCONSIN — HELPING THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES A RIDE ON A LOCOMOTIVE — PUNCTUALITY IN MY ENGAGEMENTS — TRICKS TO SECURE SEATS IN THE LADIES' CAR — I SUDDENLY BECAME FATHER TO A YOUNG MARRIED COUPLE — MY IDENTITY DENIED PITY AND CHARITY — REVEREND DOCTOR CHAPIN PULLS THE BELL — TEMPERANCE — HOW I BECAME A TEETOTALER MODERATE DRINKING AND ITS DANGERS — DOCTOR CHA- PIN'S LECTURE IN BRIDGEPORT — MY OWN EFFORTS IN THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE — LECTURING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY — NEWSPAPER ARTICLES — THE STORY OF VINELAND, IN NEW JERSEY, 676 CONTENTS. xxiii CHAPTER XLIII. THE NEW MUSEUM. A GIGANTIC AMUSEMENT COMPANY — IMMENSE ADDITIONS TO THE NEW COL- LECTION— CURIOSITIES FROM EVERYWHERE — THE GORDON CUMMINGS' COL- LECTION FROM AFRICA THE GORILLA — WHAT THE PAPERS SAID ABOUT THE MONSTER — MY PRIVATE VIEW OF THE ANIMAL — AMUSING INTERVIEW WITH PAUL DU CHAILLU — A SUPERB MENAGERIE THE NEW THEATRE PROJECT FOR A FREE NATIONAL INSTITUTION — MESSRS. E. D. MORGAN, WILLIAM C. BRYANT, HORACE GREELEY AND OTHERS FAVOR MY PLAN — PRESIDENT JOHNSON INDORSES IT DESTRUCTION OF MY SECOND MUSEUM BY FIRE — THE ICE-CLAD RUINS — A SAD, YET SPLENDID SPECTACLE — OUT OF THE BUSINESS — FOOT RACES AT THE WHITE MOUNTAINS — HOW I WAS NOT BEATEN — OPENING OF WOOD'S MUSEUM IN NEW YORK — MY ONLY INTEREST IN THE ENTERPRISE, 692 CHAPTER XLIV. CURIOUS COINCIDENCES.— NUMBER THIRTEEN. POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS — UNLUCKY FRIDAY — UNFORTUNATE SATURDAY — RAINY SUNDAYS TERRIBLE THIRTEEN — THE BRETTELLS OF LONDON IN- CIDENTS OF MY WESTERN TRIP SINGULAR FATALITY — NUMBER THIRTEEN IN EVERY HOTEL — NO ESCAPE FROM THE FRIGHTFUL FIGURE — ADVICE OF A CLERICAL FRIEND — THE THIRTEEN COLONIES — THE THIRTEENTH CHAP- TER OF CORINTHIANS — THIRTEEN AT MY CHRISTMAS DINNER PARTY — THIR- TEEN DOLLARS AT A FAIR — TWO DISASTROUS DAYS — THE THIRTEENTH DAY IN TWO MONTHS — THIRTEEN PAGES OF MANUSCRIPT, .... 708 CHAPTER XLV. A STORY CHAPTER. "EVERY MAN TO HIS VOCATION" AND "NATURE WILL ASSERT HERSELF M — REST BY THE WAYSIDE — A HALF-SHAVED PARTY — CONSTERNATION OF A CLERGYMAN NATIVES IN NEW YORK — DOCTORING A CORN-DOCTOR — RELI- GIOUS RAILWAYS THE BRIGHTON BUGLE BUSINESS — CASH AND CONSCIENCE CASTLES IN THE AIR A DELUDED ANTIQUARIAN — GAMBLING AND POLI- TICS— IRISH WIT — ABOUT CONDUCTORS — DR. CHAPIN AS A PUNSTER — FOWL ATTEMPTS — A PAIR O' DUCKS — CUTTING A SICK FRIEND — REV. RICHARD VARICK DEY HIS CRIME AND ITS CONSEQUENCES — FOREORDINATION PRACTICAL JOKING BY MY FATHER — A VALUABLE RACE-HORSE — HOW HE WAS LET AND THEN KILLED — AGONY OF THE HORSE-KILLER — THE FINAL " SELL " — FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC FRENCH COCKNEYISM WICKED WORDS IN EXETER HALL, 718 xxiv CONTENTS. CHAPTER XLVI. SEA-SIDE PARK. INTEREST IN PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS OLD PARK PROJECTS — OPPOSITION OF OLD FOGIES — THE SOUND SHORE AT BRIDGEPORT INACCESSIBLE PROP- ERTY THE EYE OF FAITH — TALKING TO THE FARMERS — REACHING THE PUBLIC THROUGH THE PAPERS — HOW THE LAND WAS SECURED FOR A GREAT PLEASURE-GROUND GIFTS TO THE PEOPLE — OPENING OF SEA-SIDE PARK — THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GROUND BETWEEN NEW YORK AND BOSTON MAGNIFICENT DRIVES — THE ADVANTAGES OF THE LOCATION — MUSIC FOR THE MILLION — BY THE SEA-SIDE — FUTURE OF THE PARK — A PERPETUAL BLESSING TO POSTERITY, 758 CHAPTEE XLVII. WALDEMERE. MY PRIVATE LIFE — PLANS FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT IN BRIDGEPORT — OPEN- ING AVENUES — PLANTING SHADE-TREES — OLD FOGIES — CONSERVATISM A CURSE TO CITIES — BENEFITING BARNUM'S PROPERTY — SALE OF LINDEN- CROFT — LIVING IN A FARM-HOUSE — BY THE SEA-SHORE — ANOTHER NEW HOME WALDEMERE — HOW IT CAME TO BE BUILT — MAGIC AND MONEY- — WAVEWOOD AND THE PETREL'S NEST— MY FARM — THE HOLLAND BLANKET CATTLE MY CITY RESIDENCE — COMFORTS OF CITY LIFE - BEGGING- LET- TERS MY FAMILY — RELIGIOUS REFLECTIONS MY FIFTY-NINTH BIRTHDAY — THE END OF THE RECORD, 768 CHAPTER L EARLY LIFE. MY BIRTH — FIRST PROPERTY — FARMER-BOY LIFE — GOESTG TO SCHOOL — EARLY ACQUISITIVENESS — A HOLIDAY PEDDLER — FIRST VISIT TO NEW YORK — LEARN- ING TO "SWAP" — MISERIES FROM MOLASSES CANDY — " IVY ISLAND" — ENTERING UPON MY ESTATE — CLERKSHIP IN A COUNTRY STORE — TRADING MORALS — THE BETHEL MEETLNG-HOUSE — STOVE QUESTION — SUNDAY SCHOOL AND BIBLE CLASS — MY COMPOSITION — THE ONE THING NEEDFUL. I was born in the town of Bethel, in the State of Connecticut, July 5, 1810. My name, Phineas Taylor, is derived from my maternal grandfather, who was a great wag in his way, and who, as I was his first grand- child, gravely handed over to my mother at my christen- ing a gift-deed, in my behalf, of five acres of land situated in that part of the parish of Bethel known as the " Plum Trees." I was thus a real estate owner almost at my very birth ; and of my property, " Ivy Island," something shall be said anon. My father, Philo Barnum, was the son of Ephraim Barnnm, of Bethel, who was a captain in the revolu- tionary war. My father was a tailor, a farmer, and sometimes a tavern-keeper, and my advantages and dis- advantages were such as fall to the general run of farmers' boys. I drove cows to and from the pasture, shelled corn, weeded the garden ; as I grew larger, I rode horse for ploughing, turned and raked hay ; in due time I handled the shovel and the hoe, and when I could do so I went to school. 26 EAELY LIFE. I was six years old when I began to go to school, and the first date I remember inscribing upon my writing- book was 1818. The ferule, in those days, was the assistant school-master ; but in spite of it, I was a willing, and, I think, a pretty apt scholar ; at least, I was so considered by my teachers and schoolmates, and as the years went on there were never more than two or three in the school who were deemed my superiors. In arithmetic I was unusually ready and accurate, and I remember, at the age of twelve years, being called out of bed one night b^ jny teacher who had wagered with a neighbor that I could calculate the correct number of feet in a load of wood in five minutes. The dimensions given, I figured out the result in less than two minutes, to the great delight of my teacher and to the equal astonishment of his neighbor. My organ of " acquisitiveness " was manifest at an early age. Before I was five years of age, I began to accumulate pennies and " four-pences," and when I was six years old my capital amounted to a sum sufficient to exchange for a silver dollar, the possession of which made me feel far richer and more independent than T have ever since felt in the world. Nor did my dollar long remain alone. As I grew older I earned ten cents a day for riding the horse which led the ox team in ploughing, and on holidays and " training days," instead of spending money, I earned it. I was a small peddler of molasses candy (of home make), ginger-bread, cookies and cherry rum, and I generally found myself a dollar or two richer at the end of a holiday than I was at the beginning. I was always ready for a trade, and by the time I was twelve years old, besides other property, I was the owner of EAELY LIFE. 27 a sheep and a calf, and should soon, no dcabt, have become a small Croesus, had not my father kindly permitted me to purchase my own clothing, which somewhat reduced my little store. When I was nearly twelve years old I made my first visit to the metropolis. It happened in this wise : Late one afternoon in January, 1822, Mr. Daniel Brown, of Southbury, Connecticut, arrived at my father's tavern, in Bethel, with some fat cattle he was driving to New York to sell. The cattle were put into our large barn- yard, the horses were stabled, and#Mr. Brown and his assistant were provided with a warm supper and lodging for the night. After supper I heard Mr. Brown say to my father that he intended to buy more cattle , and that he would be glad to hire a boy to assist in driving the cattle. I immediately besought my father to secure the situation for me, and he did' so. My mother's consent was also gained, and at daylight next morning, after a slight breakfast, I started on foot in the midst of a heavy snow storm to help drive the cattle. Before reaching 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. But he considerately permitted me to ride behind him on his horse ; and, indeed, did so most of the way to New York, where we arrived in three or four days. We put up at the Bull's Head Tavern, where we were to stay a week while the drover was disposing of his cat- tle, and we were then to return home in a sleigh. 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. My first out- £8 EARLY LIFE. lay was for oranges which I was told were four pence apiece, and as " four-pence " in Connecticut was six cents, T 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 happened to hit the barkeeper, who forthwith came from behind the counter and shook me and 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 pillow, 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 experimenting 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 fol- lows: two loud reports, — astonished guests, — irate landlord, — discovery of the culprit, and summary pun- ishment— 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 satisfactory. I deposited the balance of the torpedoes with my gun, EARLY LIFE. 29 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 fasci- nating 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. Have that knife I must, however, and so I proposed to the shop woman to take back the top and breastpin 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 direc- tion, and before night even my beloved knife was simi- larly exchanged. 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. I doubt not that in these first wanderings about the city I often passed the corner of Broadway and Ann Street — never dreaming of the stir I was destined at a future day to make in that locality as proprietor and manager of the American Museum. After wandering, gazing and wondering, for a week, Mr. Brown took me in his sleigh and on the evening of the following day we arrived in Bethel. I had a 30 EARLY LIFE. thousand questions to answer, and then and for a long time afterwards I was quite a lion among my mates because I had seen the great metropolis. My brothers and sisters, however, were much disappointed at my not bringing them something from my dollar, and when my mother examined my wardrobe and found two pocket handkerchiefs and one pair of stockings missing she whipped me and sent me to bed. Thus inglori- ously terminated my first visit to New York. Previous to my visit to New York, I think it was in 1820, when I was ten years of age, I made my first expedition to my landed property, " Ivy Island." This, it will be remembered, was the gift of my grandfather, from whom I derived my name. From the time when I was four years old I was continually hearing of this " property." My grandfather always spoke of me (in my presence) to the neighbors and to strangers as the richest child in town, since I owned the whole of " Ivy Island," one of the most valuable farms in the State. My father and mother frequently reminded me of my wealth and hoped I would do something for the family when I attained my majority. The neigh- bors professed to fear that I might refuse to play with their children because I had inherited so large a property. These constant allusions, for several years, to "Ivy Island" excited at once my pride and my curiosity and stimulated me to implore my father's permission to visit my property. At last, he promised I should do so in a few days, as we should be getting some hay near " Ivy Island." The wished for day at length arrived and my father told me that as we were to mow an adjoining meadow, I might visit my EARLY LIFE. 31 property in company with the hired man during the " nooning." My grandfather 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 proprietor of " Ivy Island." To this my mother added : " Now, Taylor, do n't become so excited when you see your property as to let your joy make you 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 Irishman, 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. To add to the dilemma a swarm of hornets attacked me. Attain- ing the altitude of another bog I was cheered by the assurance 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 32 EARLY LIFE. the morass, I found myself half-drowned, hornet-stung, mud-covered, and out of breath, on comparatively dry land. " 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 dis- covered the use of Edmund's axe, for he felled a small oak to form a temporary bridge to my " Island " prop- erty. Crossing over, I proceeded to the centre of my domain ; I saw nothing but a few stunted ivies and strag- gling 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 downfall, a huge black snake (one of my tenants) approached me with upraised head. I gave one shriek and rushed for the bridge. This was my first, and, I need not say, my last visit to 44 Ivy Island." My father asked me 44 how I liked my property ? " and I responded that I would sell it pretty cheap. My grandfather congratulated me upon my visit to my property as seriously as if it h&d been indeed a valuable domain. My mother hoped its richness had fully equalled my anticipations. The neighbors desired to know if I was not now glad I was named Phineas, and for five years forward I was frequently reminded of my wealth in 44 Ivy Island." As I grew older, my settled aversion to manual labor, farm or other kind, was manifest in various ways, which were set down to the general score of laziness. In despair of doing better with me, my father concluded to EARLY LIFE. 33 make a merchant of me. He erected a building in Bethel, and with Mr. Hiram Weed as a partner, purchased a stock of dry goods, hardware, groceries, and general notions and installed me as clerk in this country store. Of course I '; felt my oats." It was condescension on my part to talk with boys who did out-door work. I stood behind the counter with a pen over my ear, was polite to the ladies, and was wonderfully active in wait- ing upon customers. We kept a cash, credit and barter store, and I drove some sharp bargains with women who brought butter, eggs, beeswax and feathers to exchange for dry goods, and with men who wanted to trade oats, corn, buckwheat, axe-helves, hats, and other commodities for tenpenny nails, molasses, or New England rum. But it was a drawback upon my dignity that I was obliged to take down the shutters, sweep the store, and make the fire. I received a small salary for my services and the perquisite of what profit I could derive from purchasing candies on my own account to sell to our younger customers, and, as usual, my father stipulated that I should clothe myself. There is a great deal to be learned in a country store, and principally this — that sharp trades, tricks, dishonesty, and deception are by no means confined to the city. More than once, in cutting open bundles of rags, brought to be exchanged for goods, and warranted to be ail linen and cotton, I have discovered in the interior worthless woolen trash and sometimes stones, gravel or ashes. Sometimes, too, when measur- ing loads of oats, corn or rye, declared to contain a specified number of bushels, say sixty, I have found them four or five bushels short. In such cases, seme one else was always to blame, but these happenings 3 34 EARLY LIFE. were frequent enough to make us watchful of our customers. In the evenings and on wet days trade was always dull, and at such times the story-telling and joke-playing wits and wags of the village used to assemble in our store, and from them I derived con- siderable amusement, if not profit. After the store was closed at night, I frequently joined some of the village boys at the houses of their parents, where, with story- telling and play, a couple of hours would soon pass by, and then as late, perhaps, as eleven o'clock, I went home and slyly crept up stairs so as not to awaken my brother with whom I slept, and who would be sure to report my late hours. He made every attempt, and laid all sorts of plans to catch me on my return, but as sleep always overtook him, I managed easily to elude his efforts. Like most people in Connecticut in those days, I was brought up to attend church regularly on Sunday, and long before I could read I was a prominent scholar in the Sunday school. My good mother taught me my lessons in the New Testament and the Catechism, and my every effort was directed to win one of those " Rewards of Merit," which promised to pay the bearer one mill, so that ten of these prizes amounted to one cent, and one hundred of them, which might be won by faithful assiduity every Sunday for two years, would buy a Sunday school book worth ten cents. Such were the magnificent rewards held out to the religious ambition of youth. There was but one church or " meeting-house " in Bethel, which all attended, sinking all differences of creed in the Presbyterian faith. The old meeting- house had neither steeple nor bell and was a plain EARLY LIFE. edifice, comfortable enough in summer, but my teeth chatter even now when I think of the dreary, cold, freezing hours we passed in that place in winter. A stove in a meeting-house in those days would have been a sacrilegious innovation. The sermons were from an hour and one half to two hours long, and through these the congregation would sit and shiver till they really merited the title the profane gave them of " blue skins." Some of the women carried a " foot-stove " consisting of a small square tin box in a wooden frame, the sides perforated, and in the interior there was a small square iron dish, which contained a few live coals covered with ashes. These stoves were usually replen- ished 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 the church should be warmed with a stove. His impious proposition was voted down by an overwhelming majority. Another year came around, and in November the stove question was again brought up. The excite- ment 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 meeting," in December, the stove was carried by a majority of one and was introduced into the meet- ing-house. On the first Sunday thereafter, two ancient maiden ladies were so oppressed by the dry and heated atmosphere occasioned by the wicked innovation, that they fainted away and were carried out into the cool air where they speedily returned to consciousness, espe- cially when they were informed that owing to the lack of two lengths of pipe, no fire had yet been made in the 36 EAELY LIFE. 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. After the benediction, an old deacon rose and requested the congregation to remain, and called upon them to witness that he had from the first raised his voice against the introduction of a stove into the house of the Lord ; but the majority had been against him and he had submitted ; now, if they must have a stove, he insisted upon having a large one, since the present one did not heat the whole house, but drove the cold to the back outside pews, making them three times as cold as they were before ! In the course of the week, this deacon was made to comprehend that, unless on unusually severe days, the stove was sufficient to warm the house, and, at any rate, it did not drive all the cold in the house into one corner. During the Rev. Mr. Lowe's ministrations at Bethel, he formed a Bible class, of which I was a member. We used to draw promiscuously from a hat a text of scrip- ture and write a composition on the text, which compo- sitions were read after service in the afternoon, to such of the congregation as remained to hear the exercises of the class. Once, I remember, I drew the text, Luke x. 42 : " But one thing is needful ; and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her." Question, " What is the one thing need- ful ? " My answer was nearly as follows : " This question s what is the one thing needful ? 9 is capable of receiving various answers, depending much upon the persons to whom it is addressed. The mer- chant might answer that c the one thing needful ' is plenty of customers, who buy liberally, without beating EAELY LIFE. 37 down and pay cash for all their purchases.' The farmer might reply, that 6 the one thing needful is large har- vests and high prices.' The physician might answer that ' it is plenty of patients.' The lawyer might be of opinion that 4 it is an unruly community, always en- gaged in bickerings and litigations.' The clergyman might reply, ' It is a fat salary with multitudes of sin- ners seeking salvation and paying large pew rents.' The bachelor might exclaim, 'It is a pretty wife who loves her husband, and who knows how to sew on but- tons.' The maiden might answer, 4 It is a good hus- band, 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 com- mandments, love our fellow-man, and embrace every opportunity of administering 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 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 compo- sition ; but at the close of the reading I had the satisfac- tion of hearing Mr. Lowe say that it was a well written and truthful answer to the question, " What is the one thing needful ! " CHAPTEE IX. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. DEATH OF MY GRANDMOTHER — MY FATHER— HIS CHARACTER — HIS DEATH — BEGINNING THE WORLD BAREFOOTED — GOING TO GRASSY PLAINS — THE TIN WARE AND GREEN BOTTLE LOTTERY — " CHAIRY " HALLETT — OUR FIRST MEET- ING — EVENING RIDE TO BETHEL — A NOVEL FUR TRADE — OLD " RUSHIA " AND YOUNG " RUSHIA " — THE BUYER SOLD — COUNTRY STORE ^EXPERIENCES — OLD " UNCLE BIBBINS " — A TERIBLE DUEL BETWEEN BENTON AND BIBBINS — FALL OF BENTON — FLIGHT Off BIBBINS. In the month of August, 1825, my maternal grand- mother met with an accident in stepping on the point of a rusty nail, and, though the matter was at first con- sidered trivial, it resulted in her death. Alarming symptoms soon made her sensible that she was on her death-bed ; and while she was in full possession of her faculties, the day before she died she sent for her grand- children to take final leave of them. I shall never forget the sensations I experienced when she took me by the hand and besought me to lead a religious life, and especially to remember that I could in no way so effectually prove my love to God as by loving all my fellow-beings. The impressions of that death-bed scene have ever been among my most vivid recollections, and I trust they have proved in some degree salutary. A more exemplary woman, or a more sincere Christian than my grandmother, I have never known. My father, for his time and locality, was a man of much enterprise. He could, and actually did, " keep a hotel " ; he had a livery stable and ran, in a small way, INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 39 what in our day would be called a Norwalk Express ; and lie also kept a country store. With greater oppor- tunities and a larger field for his efforts and energies, he might have been a man of mark and means. Not that he was successful, for he never did a profitable busi- ness ; but I, who saw him in his various pursuits, and acted as his clerk, caught something of his enterpris- ing spirit, and, perhaps without egotism, I may say I inherited that characteristic. My business education was as good as the limited field afforded, and I soon put it to account and service. On the 7th of September, 1825, my father, who had been sick since the month of March, died at the age of forty-eight years. My mother was left with five children, of whom I, at fifteen years of age, was the eldest, while the youngest was but seven. It was soon apparent that my father had provided nothing for the support of his family ; his estate was insolvent, and it did not pay fifty cents on the dollar. My mother, by economy, industry, and perseverance, succeeded in a few years afterwards in redeeming the homestead and becoming its sole possessor ; but, at the date of the death of my father, the world looked gloomy indeed; the few dollars I had accumulated and loaned to my father, holding his note therefor, were decided to be the property of a minor, belonging to the father and so to the estate, and my small claim was ruled out. I was obliged to get trusted for the pair of shoes I wore to my father's funeral. I literally began the world with nothing, and was barefooted at that. Leaving Mr. Weed, I went to Grassy Plain, a mile northwest of Bethel, and secured a situation as clerk in the store of James S. Keeler & Lewis Whitlock at 40 INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. six dollars a month and my board. I lived with Mrs. Jerusha Wheeler and her daughters, Jerusha and Mary, and found an excellent home. I chose my uncle, Alanson Taylor, as my guardian. I did my best to please my employers and soon gained their confidence and esteem and was regarded by them as an active clerk and a 'cute trader. They afforded me many facilities for making money on my own account and I soon entered upon sundry speculations and succeeded in getting a small sum of money ahead. I made 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 wTas also desirable to get rid of a large quantity of tin ware which had been in the shop for years and was considerably i4 shop-worn," I con- ceived the idea of a lottery 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. As my mother continued to keep the village tavern at Bethel, I usually went home on Saturday night and stayed till Monday morning, going to church with my mother on Sunday. This habit was the occasion of an INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. experience of momentous consequence to me. One Saturday evening, during a violent thunder shower, Miss Mary Wheeler, a milliner, sent me word that there was a girl from Bethel at her house, who had come up on horseback to get a new bonnet ; that she was afraid to go back alone ; and if I was going to Bethel that even- ing she wished me to escort her customer. I assented, and went over to " Aunt RusMa's " where I was intro- duced to " Chairy " (Charity) Hallett, a fair, rosy- cheeked, buxom girl, with beautiful white teeth. I assisted her to her saddle, and mounting my own horse, we trotted towards Bethel. My first impressions of this girl as I saw her at the house were exceedingly favorable. As soon as we started I began a conversation with her and finding her very affable I regretted that the distance to Bethel was not five miles instead of one. A flash of lightning gave me a distinct view of the face of my fair companion and then I wished the distance was twenty miles. During our ride I learned that she was a tailoress, working with Mr. Zerah Benedict, of Bethel. We soon arrived at our destination and I bid her £Ood night and went home. The next day I saw her at church, and, indeed, many Sundays afterwards, but I had no opportunity to renew the acquaintance that season. Mrs. Jerusha Wheeler, with whom I boarded, and her daughter Jerusha were familiarly known, the one as " Aunt Eushia, and the other as " Eushia." Many of our store customers were hatters, and among the many kinds of furs we 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. I sold him several kinds, including " beaver" and "cony," and he then 42 INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. v asked for some "Russia." We had none, and, as I wanted to play a joke upon him, I told him that Mrs. Wheeler had several hundred pounds of " Russia." " What on earth is a woman doing with 4 Russia'? ' " said he. I could not answer, but I 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 I 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 64 Rushia." " What do you want of Rushia? " asked the old lady. " To make hats," was the reply. "To trim hats, I suppose you mean?" responded Mrs. Wheeler. 44 No, for the outside of hats," replied the latter. 44 Well, I do n't know much about hats," said the old lady, 44 but I will call my daughter." Passing into another room where 44 Rushia" the younger was at work, she informed her that a man wanted her to make hats. 44 Oh, he means sister Mary, probably. I suppose he wants some ladies' hats," replied Rushia, as she went into the parlor. 44 This is my daughter," said the old lady. 44 1 want to get your Russia," said he, addressing the young lady. 44 1 suppose you wish to see my sister Mary ; she is our milliner," said young Rushia. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES 43 " I wish to see whoever owns the property," said the hatter. Sister Mary was sent for, and as she wras introduced, the hatter informed her that he wished to buy her 44 Russia." " Buy Rushia ! " exclaimed Mary in surprise ; 44 I do n't understand you." 44 Your name is Miss Wheeler, I believe," said the hatter, who was annoyed by the difficulty he met with in being understood. 44 It is, sir." 44 Ah ! very well. Is there old and young Russia in the house ? " " I believe there is," said Mary, surprised at the familiar manner in which he spoke of her mother and sister, who were present. 44 What is the price of old Russia per pound? " asked the hatter. 44 1 believe, sir, that old Rushia is not for sale," replied Mary indignantly. 44 Weil, what do you ask for young Russia?" pur- sued the hatter. 44Sir," said Miss Rushia the younger, springing to her feet, 44 do you come here to insult defenceless females ? If you do, sir, wre will soon call our brother, who is in the garden, and he will punish you as you deserve." 44 Ladies ! " exclaimed the hatter, in astonishment, 44 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 44 INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 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, ap- proaching the door. "I am not a poor man, madam," replied the hatter. " My name is Walter Dibble ; I carry on hatting exten- sively in D anbury ; I came to Grassy Plains to buy fur, and have purchased some 6 beaver ' and 6 cony,' and now it seems I am to be called 6 crazy ' and a 6 poor man,' because I want to buy a little 1 Russia ' to make up my assortment." The ladies began to open their eyes ; they saw that Mr. Dibble was quite in earnest, and his explanation threw considerable light upon the subject. 41 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 1 " " My name is Jerusha, and so is my" daughter s," said Mrs. Wheeler, " and that, I suppose, is what he meant by telling you about old and young Rushia." Mr. Dibble bolted through the door without another word and made directly for our store. " You young INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 45 scamp ! " said he as he entered ; " what did you mean by sending me over there to buy Russia ] " " I did not send you to buy Eushia ; I supposed you were either a bachelor or widower and wanted to many Eushia," I replied, with a serious countenance. " You lie, you young dog, and you know it ; but never mind, I '11 pay you off some day"; and taking his furs, he departed with less ill-humor than could have been expected under the circumstances. Among our customers were three or four old Eevolu- tionary pensioners, who traded out the amounts of their pensions before they were due, leaving their papers as security. One of these pensioners was old Bevans, commonly known as " Uncle Bibbins," a man who loved his glass and was very prone to relate romantic Revolu- tionary anecdotes and adventures, in which he, of course, was conspicuous. At one time he was in our debt, and though we held his pension papers, it would be three months before the money could be drawn. It was desirable to get him away for that length of time, and we hinted to him that it would be pleasant to make a visit to Guilford, where he had rela- tions, but he would not go. Finally, I hit upon a plan which " moved" him. A journeyman hatter, named Benton, who was fond of a practical joke, was let into the secret, and was persuaded to call " Uncle Bibbins " a coward, to tell him that he had been wounded in the back, and thus to provoke a duel, which he did, and at my suggestion " Uncle Bibbins " challenged Benton to fight him with musket and ball at a distance of twenty yards. The challenge was accepted, I was chosen second by " Uncle Bibbins," and the duel was to come off immediately. 46 INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. My principal, taking me aside, begged me to put noth- ing in the guns but blank cartridges. I assured him it should be so, and therefore that he might feel perfectly safe. This gave the old man extra courage ; he declared that he had not been so long in bloody battles " for nothing," and that he would put a bullet through Benton's heart at the first shot. The ground was measured in the lot at the rear of our store, and the principals and seconds took their places. At the word given both parties fired. " Uncle Bibbins," of course, escaped unhurt, but Benton leaped several feet into the air, and fell upon the ground with a dreadful yell, as if he had been really shot. " Uncle Bibbins " was frightened. As his second, I ran to him, told him I had neglected to extract the bullet from his gun (which was literally true, as there was no bullet in it to extract), and he supposed, of course, he had killed his adversary. I then whispered to him to go immediately to Guilford, to keep quiet, and he should hear from me as soon as it would be safe to do so. He started up the street on a run, and immediately quit the' town for Guilford, where he kept himself quiet until it was time for him to return and sign his papers. I then wrote him that " he could return in safety ; that his adversary had recovered from his wound, and now for- gave him all, as he felt himself much to blame for having insulted a man of his known courage." " Uncle Bibbins " returned, signed the papers, and we obtained the pension money. A few days thereafter he met Benton. " My brave old friend," said Benton, " I forgive you my terrible wound and long confinement on the brink of the grave, and I beg you to forgive me also. I insulted you without a cause." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 47 " I forgive you freely," said " Uncle Bibbins " : " but," he added, " you must be careful next time how you insult a dead shot." Benton promised to be more circumspect in future, and " Uncle Bibbins " supposed to the day of his death that the duel, wound, danger, and all, were matters of fact. CHAPTER III. IN BUSINESS FOR MYSELF. MY CLERKSHIP EST BROOKLYN — UNEASINESS AND DISSATISFACTION — THE SMALL POX— GOING HOME TO RECRUIT — "CHAIRY" HALLETT AGAIN — BACK TO BROOKLYN — OPENING A PORTER-HOUSE — SELLING OUT — MY CLERKSHIP IN NEW YORK — MY HABITS — OBSERVANCE OF SUNDAY — IN BETHEL ONCE MORE — BEGINNING BUSINESS ON MY OWN ACCOUNT — OPENING DAY — LARGE SALES AND GREAT PROFITS — THE LOTTERY BUSLNESS — VIEWS THEREON — ABOUT A POCKET-BOOK — WITS AND WAGS — SWEARING OUT A FINE — FIRST APPEARANCE AT THE BAR — SECURING "ARABIAN" — A MODEL LOVE-LETTER. Mr. Oliver Taylor removed from Danbury to Brooklyn, Long Island, where he kept a grocery store and also had a large comb factory and a comb store in New York. In the fall of 1826 he offered me a situa- tion as clerk in his Brooklyn store, and I accepted it. I soon became conversant with the routine of my em- ployer's business and before long he entrusted to me the purchasing of all goods for his store. I bought for cash entirely, going into the lower part of New York City in search of the cheapest market for groceries, often attending auctions of teas, sugars, molasses, etc., watch- ing the sales, noting prices and buyers, and frequently combining with other grocers to bid off large lots, which we subsequently divided, giving each of us the quantity wanted at a lower rate than if the goods had passed into other hands, compelling us to pay another profit. Situated as I was, and well treated as I was by my employer, who manifested great interest in me, still I was dissatisfied. A salary was not sufficient for me. My disposition was of that speculative character which IN BUSINESS FOR MYSELF. 49 refused to be satisfied unless I was engaged in some business where my profits might be enhanced, or, at least, made to depend upon my energy, perseverance, attention to business, tact, and " calculation." Accord- ingly, as I had no opportunity to speculate on my own account, I became uneasy, and, young as I was, I began to talk of setting up for myself ; for, although I had no capital, several men of means had offered to fur- nish the money and join me in business. I was in that uneasy, transitory state between boyhood and manhood when I had unbounded confidence in my own abilities, and yet needed a discreet counsellor, adviser and friend. In the following summer, 1827, I was taken down with the small-pox and was confined to the house for several months. This sickness made a sad inroad upon my means. When I was sufficiently recovered, I started for home to recruit, taking passage on board a sloop for Nor walk, but the remaining passengers were so fright- ened at the appearance of my face, which still bore the marks of the disease, that I was obliged to go ashore again, which I did, stopping at Holt's, in Fulton Street, going to Norwalk by steamboat next morning, and arriving at Bethel in the afternoon. During my convalescence at my mother's house, I visited my old friends aLd neighbors and had the oppor- tunity to slightly renew my acquaintance with the attractive tailoress, " Chairy" Hallett. A month after- wards, I returned to Brooklyn, where I gave Mr. Taylor notice of my desire to leave his employment ; and I then opened a porter-house on my own account. In a few months I sold out to good advantage and accepted a favorable offer to engage as clerk in a similar estab- lishment, kept by Mr. David Thorp, 29 Peck Slip, 4 50 IN BUSINESS FOR MYSELF. New York. It was a great resort for Danbury and Bethel comb makers and hatters and I thus had frequent opportunities of seeing and hearing from my fellow- townsmen. I lived in Mr. Thorp's family and was kindly treated. I was often permitted to visit the theatre with friends who came to New York, and, as I had considerable taste for the drama, I soon became, in my own opinion, a discriminating critic — nor did I fail to exhibit my powers to my Connecticut friends who accompanied me to the play. Let me gratefully add that my habits were not bad. Though I sold liquors to others, I do not think I ever drank a pint of liquor, wine, or cordials before I was twenty-two years of age. I always had a Bible, which I frequently read, and I attended church regularly. These habits, so far as they go, are in the right direction, and I am thankful to-day that they characterized my early youth. However worthy or unworthy may have been my later years, I know that I owe much of the better part of my nature to my youthful regard for Sunday and its institutions — a regard, I trust, still strong in my character. In February, 1828, I returned to Bethel and opened a retail fruit and confectionery store in a part of my grand- father's carriage-house, which was situated on the main street, and which was offered to me rent free if I would return to my native village and establish some sort oi business. This beginning of business on my own account was an eventful era in my life. My total capi- tal was one hundred and twenty dollars, fifty of which I had expended in fitting up the store, and the remain- ing seventy dollars purchased my stock in trade. I had arranged with fruit dealers whom I knew in New York, to receive my orders, and I decided to open my estab- IX BUSINESS FOR MYSELF. 51 lishment on the first Monday in May — our " general training " day. It was a "red letter" day for me. The village was crowded with people from the surrounding region and the novelty of my little shop attracted attention. Long before noon I was obliged to call in one of my old schoolmates to assist in waiting upon my numerous cus- tomers and when I closed at night I had the satisfaction of reckoning up sixty-three dollars as my day's receipts. Nor, although I had received the entire cost of my goods, less seven dollars, did the stock seem seriously diminished ; showing that my profits had been large. I need not say how much gratified I was with the result of this first day's experiment. The store was a fixed fact. I went to New York and expended all my money in a stock of fancy goods, such as pocket-books, combs, beads, rings, pocket-knives, and a few toys. These, with fruit, nuts, etc., made the business good through the summer, and in the fall I added stewed oysters to the inducements. My grandfather, who was much interested in my suc- cess, advised me to take an agency for the sale of lottery tickets, on commission. In those days, the lottery was not deemed objectionable on the score of morality. Very worthy people invested in such schemes without a thought of evil, and then, as now, churches even got up lotteries, with this difference — that then they were called lotteries, and now they go under some other name. While I am very glad that an improved public sentiment denounces the lottery in general as an illegit- imate means of getting money, and while I do not see how any one, especially in or near a New England State, can engage in a lottery without feeling a reproach 52 IN BUSINESS FOR MYSELF. which no pecuniary return can compensate ; yet I can- not now accuse myself for having been lured into a business which was then sanctioned by good Christian people, who now join with me in reprobating enter- prises they once encouraged. But as public senti- ment was forty years ago, I obtained an agency to sell lottery tickets on a commission of ten per cent, and this business, in connection with my little store, made my profits quite satisfactory. I used to have some curious customers. On one occa- sion a young man called on me and selected a pocket- book which pleased him, asking me to give him credit for a few weeks. I told him that if he wanted any article of necessity in my line, I should not object to trust him for a short time, but it struck me that a pocket-book was a decided superfluity for % man who had no money ; I therefore declined to trust him as I did not see the necessity for his possessing such an article till he had something to put into it. Later in life I have been credited with the utterance of some sagacious remarks, but this with regard to the pocket- book, trivial as the matter is in itself, seems to me quite as deserving of note as any of my ideas which have created more sensation. My store had much to do in giving shape to my future character as well as career, in that it became a favorite resort; the theatre of village talk, and the scene of many practical jokes. For any excess of the jocose element in my character, part of the blame must attach to my early surroundings as a village clerk and merchant. In that true resort of village wits and wags, the country store, fun, pure and simple, will be sure to find the surface. My Bethel store IN BUSINESS FOR MYSELF. 53 was the scene of many most amusing incidents, in some of which I was an immediate participant, though in many, of course, I was only a listener or spectator. The following scene 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 State, whom I will call Crofut, who was a frequent visitor at my store, was a man of property, and equally noted for his self-will and his really terrible profanity. One day he was in my little establishment engaged in conversation, 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 Connecticut 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 change. " Oh, keep it, keep it," said Crofut, " 1 do n't want any change, I '11 d — d soon swear out the balance." He did so, after which he was more circumspect in his 54 IN BUSINESS FOE MYSELF. conversation, remarking that twenty dollars a day for swearing was about as much as he could stand. On another occasion, a man arrested for assault and battery was to be tried before my grandfather, who was a justice of the peace. A young medical student named Newton, volunteered to defend the prisoner, and Mr. Couch, the grand-juryman, came to me and said that as the prisoner had engaged a pettifogger, the State ought to have some one to represent its interests and he would give me a dollar to present the case. I accepted the fee and proposition. The fame of the " eminent counsel " on both sides drew quite a crowd to hear the case. As for the case itself, it was useless to argue it, for the guilt of the prisoner was established by evidence of half a dozen witnesses. However, New: ton was bound to display himself, and so, rising with much dignity, he addressed my grandfather with, " May it please the honorable court," etc., proceeding with a mixture of poetry and invective against Couch, the grand-juryman whom he assumed to be the vindictive plaintiff in this case. After alluding to him as such for the twentieth time, my grandfather stopped Newton in the midst of his splendid peroration and informed him that Mr. Couch was not the plaintiff in the case. " Not the plaintiff! Then may it please your honor I should like to know who is the plaintiff ] " inquired Newton. He was quietly informed that the State of Connecti- cut was the plaintiff, whereupon Newton dropped into his seat as if he had been shot. Thereupon, I rose with great confidence, and speaking from my notes, proceeded to show the guilt of the prisoner from the evidence ; that there was no discrepancy in the testi- IN BUSINESS FOR MYSELF. 55 mony ; that none of the witnesses had been impeached ; that no defence had been offered ; that I was astonished at the audacity of both counsel and prisoner in not pleading guilty at once ; and then, soaring aloft on gen- eral principles, I began to look about for a safe place to alight, when my grandfather interrupted me with — " Young man, will you have the kindness to inform the court which side you are pleading for — the plaintiff or the defendant ] " It was my turn to drop, which I did amid a shout of laughter from every corner of the court-room. Newton, who had been very downcast, looked up with a broad grin and the two "eminent counsel" sneaked out of the room in company, while the prisoner was bound over to the next County Court for trial. While my business in Bethel continued to increase beyond my expectations, I was also happy in believing that my suit with the fair tailoress, Charity Hallett, was duly progressing. Of all the young people with whom I associated in our parties, picnics, and sleigh-rides, she stood highest in my estimation and continued to im- prove upon acquaintance. How I managed at one of our sleigh rides is worth narrating. My grandfather would, at any time, let me have a horse and sleigh, always excepting his new sleigh, the finest in the village, and a favorite horse called Arabian." I especially coveted this turnout for one of our parties, knowing that I could eclipse all my comrades, and so I asked grandfather if I could have " Arabian " and the new sleigh. " Yes, if you have twenty dollars in your pocket," was the reply. I immediately showed the money, and, putting it 56 IN BUSINESS FOR MYSELF. back in my pocket, said with a laugh : " you see I have the money. I am much obliged to you ; I suppose I can have 4 Arab ' and the new sleigh \ " Of course, he meant to deny me by making what he thought to be an impossible condition, to wit: that I should hire the team, at a good round price, if I had it at all, but I had caught him so suddenly that he was compelled to consent, and " Chairy " and I had the crack team of the party. There was a young apprentice to the tailoring trade in Bethel, whom I will call John Mallett, whose educa- tion had been much neglected, and who had been pay- ing his addresses to a certain " Lucre tia " for some six months, with a strong probability of being jilted at last. On a Sunday evening she had declined to take his arm, accepting instead the arm of the next man who offered, and Mallett determined to demand an explanation. He accordingly came to me the Saturday evening following, asking me, when I had closed my store, to write a strong and remonstratory " love-letter " for him. I asked Bill Shepard, who was present, to remain and assist, and, in due time, the joint efforts of Shepard, Mallett, and myself resulted in the following production. I give the letter as an illustrative chapter in real life. In novels such correspondence is usually presented in elaborate rhetoric, with studied elegance of phrase. But the true language of the heart is always nearly the same in all time and in all tongues, and when the blood is up the writer is far more intent upon the, matter than the manner, and aims to be forcible rather than elegant. The subjoined letter is certainly not after the manner of Chesterfield, but it is such a letter as a disappointed lover, spurred by The green-eyed monster, which doth mock The meat it feeds on, IN BUSINESS FOR MYSELF. 57 frequently indites. With a demand from Mallett that we should begin in strong terms, and Shepard acting as scribe, we concocted the following : Bethel, , 18 — . Miss Lccretia, — I write this to ask an explanation of your conduct in giving me the mitten on Sunday night last. If you think, madam, that you can trine 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 tar 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. Shepard and myself were not quite so sure of its aptitude, since the chap who succeeded in capturing Lucre tia, 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 do n'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 impudent 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 Lueretia, when I think of the many pleasant hours we have spent together — of the delightful walks which we have had on moonlight evenings to Fenner's Rocks, Chestnut Ridge, Grassy Plains, Wildcat, 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 rushing 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 my feelings 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. Shepard 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 :] Lueretia, 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 I 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 substituted without destroying both rhyme and reason, he consented that it should remain, provided we added two more stanzas of a softer nature ; something, he said, that would make the tears come, if possible. We then ground out the following :] Lueretia, dear, do write to Jack, And say with Be ers you are not smitten ; A.nd thus to me in love come back, And give all other boys the mitten. These were the euphonious names of localities in the vicinity of Bethel. ♦ 58 IN BUSINESS FOR MYSELF Do, this, Lucretia, and till death I '11 love you to intense distraction; 1 '11 spend for you my every breatb, 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 for ever, 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. 1 shall de.spise you for ever 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 explana- tion 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 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 Ijhan nothing without you, I am certain you would pity me. A homely cot and a crust of bread with my adorable Lucretia would he 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, dear- est, 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 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, I regret to say, was not as favorable as could have been desired or expected. She declined to remove her handkerchief from her right hand and she returned the " ring and bosom-pin " to her disconsolate admirer, while, not many months after, Mallett's rival led Lucretia to the altar. As for Mallett's agreement to pay Shepard and myself five pounds of carpet rags and twelve yards of broad- cloth " lists," for our services, owing to his ill success, we compromised for one-half the amouut. CHAPTER IV. STRUGGLES FOR A LIVELIHOOD. . PLEASURE VISIT TO PHILADELPHIA — LIVING IN GRAND STYLE — THE BOTTOM OF THE PILE — BORROWING MONEY — MY MARRIAGE — RETURN TO BETHEL — EARLY MARRIAGES — MORE PRACTICAL JOKING — SECOND APPEARANCE AS COUNSEL — GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING — SELLING BOOKS AT AUCTION — THE "YELLOW STORE" — A NEW FIELD — "THE HERALD OF FREEDOM" — MY EDITORIAL CAREER — LIBEL SUITS — FINED AND IMPRISONED — LIFE LN THE D ANBURY JAIL — CELEBRATION OF MY LIBERATION — POOR BUSINESS AND BAD DEBTS — REMOVAL TO NEW YORK — SEEKING MY FORTUNE — " WANTS \ LN THE "SUN" — WM. NEBLO — KEEPING A BOARDING-HOUSE — A WHOLE SHIRT ON MY BACK. During this season I made arrangements with Mr. Samuel Sherwood, of Bridgeport, to go on an exploring expedition to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where we under- stood there was a fine opening for a lottery office and where we meant to try our fortunes, provided the pros- pects should equal our expectations. We went to Xew York where I had an interview with Mr. Dudley S. Gregory, the principal business man of Messrs. Yates and Mclntyre, who dissuaded me from going to Pitts- burg, and offered me the entire lottery agency for the State of Tennessee, if I would go to Nashville and open an office. The offer was tempting, but the distance was too far from a certain tailoress in Bethel. As the Pittsburg trip was given up, Sherwood and I went to Philadelphia for a pleasure excursion and put up at Congress Hall in Chestnut Street where we lived in much grander style than we had been accustomed to. The array of waiters and display of dishes were far 60 STRUGGLES FOU A LIVELIHOOD. ahead of our former experiences and for a week we lived in clover. At the end of that time, however, when we concluded to start for home, the amount of our hotel bill astounded us. After paying it and securing tickets for New York, our combined purses showed a balance of but twenty-seven cents. Twenty-five cents of this sum went to the boot-black, and as our breakfast was included in our bill we secured from the table a few biscuits for our dinner on the way to New York. Arriving in New York we carried our own baggage to Holt's Hotel. The next morning Sherwood obtained a couple of dollars from a friend, and went to Newark and borrowed fifty dollars from his cousin, Dr. Sherwood, loaning me one-half the sum After a few days' sojourn in the city we returned home. During our stay in New York, I derived considerable information from the city managers with regard to the lottery business, and thereafter I bought my tickets directly from the Connecticut lottery managers at what was termed " the scheme price," and also established agencies throughout the country, selling considerable quantities of tickets at handsome profits. My uncle, Alanson Taylor, joined me in the business, and, as we sold several prizes, my office came to be considered " lucky," and I received orders from all parts of the country. During this time I kept a close eye upon the attract- ive tailoress. Charity Hallett, and in the summer of 1829 I asked her hand in marriage. My suit was accepted, and the wedding day was appointed ; I, mean- while, applying myself closely to business, and no one but the parties immediately interested suspecting that STRUGGLES FOE A LIVELIHOOD. 61 the event was so near at hand. Miss Hallett went to New York in October, ostensibly to visit her uncle, Nathan Beers, who resided at No. 3 Allen Street. I followed in November, pressed by the necessity of pur- chasing goods for my store ; and the evening after my arrival, November 8, 1829, the Kev. Dr. McAuley married us in the presence of sundry friends and rela- tives of my wife, and I became the husband of one of the best women in the world. In the course of the week we went back to Bethel and took board in the family where Charity Barnum as " Chairy" Hallett had previously resided. I do not approve or recommend early marriages. The minds of men and women taking so important a step in life should be somewhat matured, and hasty marriages, especially marriages of boys and girls, have been the cause of untold misery in many instances. But although I was only little more than nineteen years old when I was married, I have always felt assured that if I had waited twenty years longer I could not have found another woman so well suited to my disposition and so admirable and valuable in every character as a wife, a mother, and a friend. My business occupations amply employed nearly all my time, yet so strong was my love of fun that when the opporunity for a practical joke presented itself, I could not resist the temptation. On one occasion I engaged in the character of counsel to conduct a case for an Irish peddler whose complaint was that one of our neighbors had turned him out of his house and had otherwise abused him. The court was just as "real" as the attorney, — no more, — and consisted of three judges, one a mason, 62 STRUGGLES FOR A LIVELIHOOD. the second a butcher, and the third an old gentleman of leisure who was an ex-justice of the peace. The consta- ble was of my own appointment, and my "writ" arrested the culprit who had turned my client out of house and home. The court was convened, but as the culprit did not appear, and as it seemed necessary that my client should get testimonials as to his personal character, the court adjourned nominally for one week, the client consenting to "stand treat" to cover imme- diate expenses, I supposed that this was the end of it. But at the time named for the re-assembling of the " court," a real lawyer from Newtown put in an appearance. He had been engaged by the Irishman to assist me in conducting the case ! I saw at once that the joke was likely to prove a sorry one, and immediately notified the members of the " court," who were quite as much alarmed as I was at the serious turn the thing had taken. I need not say that while the danger threatened we all took precious good care to keep out of the way. However, the affair was explained to Mr. Belden, the lawyer, who in turn set forth the matter to the client, but not in such a manner as to soothe the anger so natural under the circumstances — in fact, he advised the Irishman to get out of the place as soon as possible. The Irishman threatened me and my " court " with prosecution — a threat I really feared he would carry into execution, but which, to the great peace of mind of myself and my companions, he concluded not to follow up. Considering the vexation and annoyance of this Irishman, it was a mitigation to know that he was the party in the wrong and that he really deserved a severer punishment than my practical joke had put upon him. STRUGGLES FOR A LIVELIHOOD. 63 In the winter of 1829-30, my lottery business had so extended that I had branch offices in Danbnry, Xor- walk, Stamford and Middletown, as well as agencies in the small villages for thirty miles aroimd Bethel. I had also purchased from my grandfather three acres of land on which I built a house and went to housekeeping. My lottery business, which was with a few large customers, was so arranged that I could safely entrust it to an agent, making it necessary for me to find some other field for my individual enterprise. So I tried my hand as an auctioneer in the book trade. I bought books at the auctions and from dealers and publishers in New York, and took them into the country, selling them at auction and doing tolerably well ; only at Litchfield, Connecticut, where there was then a law school. At Newburgh, New York, several of my best books were stolen, and I quit the business in disgust. In July, 1831, my uncle, Alanson Taylor, and myself opened a country store in a building, which I had put up in Bethel in the previous spring, and we stocked the " yellow store," as it was called, with a full assortment of groceries, hardware, crockery, and " notions " ; but we were not successful in the enterprise, and in October following, I bought out my uncle's interest and we dissolved partnership. About this time, circumstances partly religious and partly political in their character led me into still another field of enterprise which honorably opened to me that notoriety of which in later life I surely have had a surfeit. Considering my youth, this new enter- prise reflected credit upon my ability, as well as energy, 64 STRUGGLES FOR A LIVELIHOOD. and so I may be excused if I now recur to it with some- thing like pride. In a period of strong political excitement, I wrote several communications for the Danbury weekly paper, setting forth what I conceived to be the dangers of a sectarian interference which was then apparent in political affairs. The publication of these communica- tions was refused and I accordingly purchased a press and types, and October 19, 1831, I issued the first number of my own paper, The Herald of Freedom, I entered upon the editorship of this journal with all the vigor and vehemence of youth. The boldness with which the paper was conducted soon excited wide- spread 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 conse- quences, 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 and need not be mentioned further. The third was sufficiently important to warrant the follow- ing detail : A criminal prosecution was brought against me for stating in my paper that a man in Bethel, prominent in the 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 STRUGGLES FOR A LIVELIHOOD. 65 several witnesses and even by the prosecuting 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 imprisoned 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 subscription 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 celebration. An ode, written for the occasion, was sung ; an eloquent oration on the freedom of the press was delivered; and several hundred gentlemen afterwards 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, as follows : "P. T. Baenoi 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 throughout the day, and we are happy to add that no accident occurred to mar the festivities of the occasion." 5 66 STRUGGLES FOR A LIVELIHOOD. My editorial career was one of continual contest. I however published the 160th number of The Herald of Freedom in Danbury, November 5, 1834, after which my brother-in-law, John W. Amerman, issued the paper for me at Norwalk till the following year, when the Herald was sold to Mr. George Taylor. Meanwhile, I had taken Horace Fairchild into partner- ship in my mercantile business, in 1831, and I had sold out to him and to a Mr. Toucey, in 1833, they forming a partnership under the firm of Fairchild & Co. So far as I was concerned my store was not a success. Ordi- nary trade was too slow for me. I bought largely and in order to sell I was compelled to give extensive credits. Hence I had an accumulation of bad debts ; and my old ledger presents a long series of accounts balanced by " death," by " running away," by " failing," and by other similarly remunerative returns. I had expended money as freely as I had gained it, for I had already learned that I could make money rapidly and in large sums, when I set about it with a will, and hence I did not realize the worth of what I seemed to gain so readily. I looked forward to a future of saving when I should see the need of accumulation. There was nothing more for me to do in Bethel ; and in the winter of 1834-5, I removed my family to New York, where I hired a house in Hudson Street. I had no pecuniary resources, excepting such as might be derived from debts left for collection with my agent at Bethel, and I went to the metropolis literally to seek my for- tune. I hoped to secure a situation in some mercantile house, not at a fixed salary, but so as to derive such portion of the profits as might be due to my individual tact, energy, and perseverance in the interests of the STRUGGLES FOR A LIVELIHOOD. 67 business, But I could find no such position : my resources began to fail ; my family were in ill health ; I must do something for a living ; and so I acted as " drummer " to several concerns which allowed me a small commission on sales to customers of my introduc- tion. Every morning I used to look at the " wants " in the Sun for something that would suit me ; and I had many a wildgoose chase in following up those " wants." In some instances success depended upon my advancing from three hundred to five hundred dollars ; in other cases a new patent life-pill, or a self-acting mouse trap was to make my fortune. An advertisement announc- ing 4; An immense speculation on a small capital ! $1 0.000 easily made in one year! " turned out to be an offer of Professor Somebody at Scudder's American Museum to sell a hydro-oxygen microscope, offered to me at two thousand dollars — one thousand in cash and the balance in sixty and ninety days, on good security, — and warranted to secure an independence after a short public exhibition through the country. If I had the desire to undertake this exhibition and experiment, I had not the capital. Other and many similar tempta- tions were extended, but none of them seemed to open the door of fortune to me. The advertisement in the Sim, of Mr. "William Niblo, of Xiblo's Garden, for a barkeeper first brought me in contact with that gentlemanly and justly-popular pro- prietor. He wanted a well-recommended, well-behaved, trustworthy man to fill a vacant situation, but as he wished him to bind himself to remain three years, I, who was only seeking the means of temporary support, was precluded from accepting the position. 68 STRUGGLES FOR A LIVELIHOOD. Nor did all my efforts secure a situation for me during the whole winter ; but, in the spring, I received several hundred dollars from my agent in Bethel, and finding no better business, May 1, 1835, I opened a small private boarding-house at No. 52 Frankfort Street. We soon had a very good run of custom from our Connecticut acquaintances who had occasion to visit New York, and as this business did not sufficiently occupy my time, I bought an interest with Mr. John Moody in a grocery store, No. 156 South Street. Although the years of manhood brought cares, anxieties, and struggles for a livelihood, they did not change my nature and the jocose element was still an essential ingredient of my being. I loved fun, practical fun, for itself and for the enjoyment which it brought. During the year, I occasionally visited Bridgeport where I almost always found at the hotel a noted joker, named D arrow, 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 attempts upon me, and at last, one evening, D arrow, who stuttered, made a final trial as follows : " Come, Barnum, I '11 make you another proposition ; 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 I had anticipated the proposition — in fact I had induced a friend, Mr. Hough, to put Darrow up to the trick, — and had folded a shirt nicely upon my back, securing it there with my suspenders. The barroom was crowded with customers who thought that if I made the bet I should be nicely caught, and I STRUGGLES FOR A LIVELIHOOD. 69 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 do n'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 ! " * " 111 bet my shirt is cleaner than yours," I 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," I replied, with pretended anger, which caused the crowd to laugh heartily. " You poor ragged f-f-fellow, come down here from D-D-Danbury, I'm sorry for you," said Darrow tantaliz- ingly. '; You would not pay if you lost," I remarked. " Here's f-f-five dollars I'll put in Captain Hinman's (the landlord's) hands. Xow b-b-bet if you dare, you ragged c-c-creature, you." I put five dollars in Captain Hinman's hands, and told him to treat the company from it if I 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 I, taking off my coat and com- mencing to unbutton my vest. The whole company, feeling sure that I was caught, began to laugh heartily. Old Darrow fairly danced with delight, and as I laid my coat on a chair he came running up in front of me, and slapping his hands together, exclaimed : " You need n't t-t-take off any more c-c-c-clothes, for if it ain't all on your b-b-back, you 've lost it." 70 STRUGGLES FOR A LIVELIHOOD. " If it is, I suppose you have ! " I replied, pulling the whole shirt from off my back ! Such a shriek of laughter as burst forth from the crowd I scarcely ever heard, and certainly such a blank countenance as old D arrow 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 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 n-n-neighbor in favor of a D-D-Danbury man. I'll pay you for that some time, you see if I d-d-do n'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. MY START AS A SHOWMAN". THE AMUSEMENT BUSINESS — DIFFERENT GRADES — CATERING FOR THE PUBLIC — MY CLAIMS, AIMS AND EFFORTS — JOICE HETH — APPARENT GENUINENESS OF HER VOUCHERS — BEGINNING LIFE AS A SHOWMAN — SUCCESS OF MY FIRST EX- HIBITION— SECOND STEP IN THE SHOW LINE — SIGNOR VTVALLA — MY FIRST APPEARANCE ON ANY STAGE — AT WASHINGTON — ANNE ROYALL — STIMU LAT- ING THE PUBLIC — CONTESTS BETWEEN VIVALLA AND ROBERTS — EXCITEMENT AT FEVER HEAT — CONNECTING MYSELF WITH A CIRCUS — BREAD AND BUTTER DINNER FOR THE WHOLE COMPANY — NARROW ESCAPE FROM SUFFOCATION — LECTURING AN ABUSIVE CLERGYMAN — AARON TURNER — A TERRIBLE PRACTI- CAL JOKE — I AM REPRESENTED TO BE A MURDERER — RAILS AND LYNCH LAW — NOVEL MEANS FOR SECURING NOTORIETY. By this time it was clear to my mind that my proper position in this bnsy world was not yet reached. I had displayed the faculty of getting money, as well as get- ting rid of it ; but the business for which I was des- tined, and, I believe, made, had not yet come to me ; or rather, I had not found that I was to cater for that insa- tiate want of human nature — the love of amusement ; that I was to make a sensation on two continents ; and that fame and fortune awaited me so soon as I should appear before the public in the character of a showman. These things I had not foreseen. I did not seek the position or the character. The business finally came in my way ; I fell into the occupation, and far beyond any of my predecessors on this continent, I have succeeded. The show business has all phases and grades of dig- nity, from the exhibition of a monkey to the exposition of that highest art in music or the drama, which en- trances empires and secures for the gifted artist a 72 MY STAUT AS A SHOWMAN. world-wide fame which princes well might envy. Such art is merchantable, and so with the whole range of amusements, from the highest to the lowest. The old word " trade " as it applies to buying cheap and selling at a profit, is as manifest here as it is in the dealings at a street-corner stand or in Stewart's store covering a whole square. This is a trading world, and men, women and children, 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 busi- ness established by the Author of our nature. If he worthily fulfils his mission, and amuses without corrupt- ing, he need never feel that he has lived in vain. Whether I may claim a pre-eminence of grandeur in my career as a dispenser of entertainment for mankind, I may not say. I have sometimes been weak enough to think so, but let others judge ; and whether I may assume that on the whole, I have sought to make amusement harmless, and have succeeded to a very great degree, in eliminating from public entertainments certain corruptions which have made so many theatrical " sensations " positively shameful, may safely be left, I think, to the thousands upon thousands who have known me and the character of my amusement so long -and so well. But I shall by no means claim entire faultlessness in my history as a showman. I confess that I have not always been strong enough to rise out of the exceptional ways which characterize the art of amusing — not more, however, than any other art of trade. When, in begin- ning business under my own name in Bethel, in 1831, I advertised that I would sell goods " 25 per cent cheaper" than any of my neighbors, I was guilty of a MY START AS A SHOWMAN. 73 trick of trade, but so common a trick, that very few who saw my promise were struck with a sense of any particular enormity therein, while, doubtless, a good many, who claim to be specially exemplary, thought they were reading one of their own advertisements. And in the show business I was never guilty of a greater sin than this against truthfulness and fair dealing. The least deserving of all my efforts in the show line was the one which introduced me to the business ; a scheme in no sense of my own devising ; one which had been sometime before the public and which had so many vouchers for its genuineness that at the time of taking possession of it I honestly believed it to be genuine ; something, too, which, as I have said, I did not seek, but which by accident came in my way and seemed almost to compel my agency — such was the " Joice Heth " exhibition which first brought me for- ward as a showman. In the summer of 1835, Mr. Coley Bartram, of Read- ing, Connecticut, informed me that he had owned an interest in a remarkable negro woman whom he believed to be one hundred and sixty-one years old, and whom he also believed to have been the nurse of General Wash- ington. He then showed me a copy of the following advertisement in the Pennsylvania Inquirer, of July 15, 1835: Ci'biosity. — The citizens of Philadelphia and its vicinity have an opportunity or witnessing at the Masonic Hall, one of the greatest natural curiosities ever wit- nessed, viz: Joice Heth, a negress, aged 101 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 according 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 aecuunt of her age. The evidence of the Bowling family, which is respectable, is 74 MY START AS A SHOWMAN. strong, but the original bill of sale of Augustine Washington, in his own hand- writing, 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 afternoon and evening for the accom- modation of those ladies who may call. Mr. Bartram further stated that he had sold out his interest to his partner, R. W. Lindsay, of Jefferson County, Kentucky, who was then exhibiting Joice Heth in Philadelphia, but was anxious to sell out and go home — the alleged reason being that he had very little tact as a showman. As the New York papers had also contained some account of Joice Heth, I went on to Philadelphia to see Mr. Lindsay and his exhibition. Joice Heth 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 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 MY START AS A SHOWMAN. 75 half-sister of Augustine Washington, 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 pretensions, Mr. Lindsay exhibited a bill of sale, dated February 5, 1727, from Augustine Washington, County of West- moreland, Virginia, to Elizabeth Atwood, 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 as she had long been a nurse in the Washington family she was called in at the birth of George and clothed the new-born infant. The evi- dence 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 plantation of John S. Bowling so long that no one knew or cared how old she was, and only recently the accidental 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 so straightforward that I was anxious to become proprietor of this novel exhibition, which was offered to me at one thousand dollars, though the price first demanded was three thousand. I had five hundred dollars, borrowed five hundred dollars more, sold out my interest in the grocery business to my 76 MY START AS A SHOWMAN. partner, and began life as a showman. At the outset of my career I saw that everything depended upon getting people to think, and talk, and become curious and excited over and about the " rare spectacle." Accordingly, posters, transparencies, advertisements, newspaper paragraphs — all calculated to extort atten- tion— were employed, regardless of expense. My exhibition rooms in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Albany and in other large and small cities, were continually thronged and much money was made. In the following February, Joice Heth died, literally of old age, and her remains received a respectable burial in the town of Bethel. At a post-mortem examination of Joice Heth by Dr. David L. Rogers, in the presence of some medical students, it was thought that the absence of ossification indicated considerably less age than had been assumed for her; but the doctors disagreed, and this "dark subject" will probably always continue to be shrouded in mystery. I had at last found my true vocation. Indeed, soon after I began to exhibit Joice Heth, I had entrusted her to an agent and had entered upon my second step in the show line. The next venture, whatever it may have been in other respects, had the merit of being, in every essential, unmistakably genuine. I engaged from the Albany Museum an Italian who called himself " Signor Antonio " and who performed ceitain remarkable feats of balancing, stilt- walking, plate-spinning, etc. He had gone from England to Canada, and thence to Albany, and had performed in other American cities. I made terms with him for one year to exhibit anywhere in the MY START AS A SHOWMAN. 77 United States at twelve dollars a week and expenses, and induced him to change his stage name to 44 Signor Vivalla." I then wrote a notice of his wonderful qualities and performances, printed it in one of the Albany papers as news, sent copies to the theatrical managers in New York and in other cities, and went with Vivalla to the metropolis. Manager William Dinneford, of the Franklin Theatre, had seen so many performances of the kind that he declined to engage my " eminent Italian artist" ; but I persuaded him to try Vivalla one night for nothing and by the potent aid of printer's ink the house was crammed. I appeared as a supernumerary to assist Vivalla in arrang- ing his plates and other " properties " ; and to hand him his gun to fire while he was hopping on one stilt ten feet high. This was " my first appearance on any stage." The applause which followed Vivalla's feats was tremen- dous, and Manager Dinneford was so delighted that he engaged him for the remainder of the week at fifty dollars. At the close of the performance, in response to a call from the house, I made a speech for Vivalla, thanking the audience for their appreciation and an- nouncing a repetition of the exhibition every evening during the week. Vivalla remained a second week at the Franklin Theatre, for which I received $150. I realized the same sum for a week in Boston. We then went to Washington to fulfil an engagement which was far from successful, since my remuneration depended upon the receipts, and it snowed continually during the week. I was a loser to such an extent that I had not funds enough to return to Philadelphia. I pawned my watch and chain for thirty-five dollars, when fortunately 78 MY START AS A SHOWMAN. Manager Wemyss arrived on Saturday morning and loaned me the money to redeem my property. As this was my first visit to Washington I was much interested in visiting the capitol and other public build- ings. I also satisfied my curiosity in seeing Clay, Cal- houn, Benton, John Quincy Adams, Richard M. Johnson, Polk, and other leading statesmen of the time. I was also greatly gratified in calling upon Anne Roy all, 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 with her. Before leaving her, I manifested my showman propen- sity by trying to hire her to give a dozen or more lec- tures 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 1, 1854, at her residence in Washington. I went with Vivalla to Philadelphia and opened at the Walnut Street Theatre. Though his performances were very meritorious and were well received, theatri- cals were dull and houses were slim. It was evident that something must be done to stimulate the public. And now that instinct — I think it must be — which can arouse a community and make it patronize, pro- vided the article offered is worthy of patronage — an instinct which served me strangely in later years, aston- ishing the public and surprising me, came to my relief, MY START AS A SHOWMAN. 79 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 cir- cus 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 $ 1000 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 con- tracted with Mr. Warren, treasurer of the Walnut St. Theatre, for one-third of the proceeds, if I should bring the receipts up to $400 a night — an agree- ment he could well afford to make as his receipts the night before had been but seventv-fTve dollars. From him I went to Roberts, who seemed disposed to " back down," but I told him I should not insist upon the terms of his published card, and asked him if he was under any engagement \ Learning that he was not, I offered him thirty dollars to perform 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 per- form, 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 ; indeed sales of tickets to these localities were soon stopped, for there were no seats to sell. The " contest " between the performers, 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 80 MY START AS A SHOWMAN". and his subsequent " contests " with Vivalla amused the public and put money in my purse. Vivalla continued to perform for me in various places, including Peale's Museum, in New York, and I took him to different towns in Connecticut and in New Jersey, with poor success sometimes, as frequently the expenses exceeded the receipts. In April, 1836, I connected myself with Aaron Turner's travelling circus company as ticket-seller, secretary and treasurer, at thirty dollars a month and one-fifth of the entire profits, while Vivalla was to receive a salary of fifty dollars. As I was already pay- ing him eighty dollars a month, our joint salaries reimbursed me and left me the chance of twenty per cent of the net receipts. We started from Danbury for West Springfield, Massachusetts, April 26th, and on the first day, instead of halting to dine, as I expected, Mr. Turner regaled the whole company with three loaves of rye bread and a pound of butter, bought at a farm house at a cost of fifty cents, and, after watering the horses, we went on our way. We began our performances at West Springfield, April 28th, and as our expected band of music had not arrived from Providence, I made a prefatory speech announcing our disappointment, and our intention to please our patrons, nevertheless. The two Turner boys, sons of the proprietor, rode finely. Joe Pent- land, one of the, wittiest, best, and most original of clowns, with Vi valla's tricks and other performances in the ring, more than made up for the lack of music. In a day or two our band arrived and our " houses" improved. My diary is full of incidents of our sum- mer tour through numerous villages, towns, and cities MY START AS A SHOWMAN. 81 in New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsyl- vania, Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, and North Carolina. While we were at Cabotville, Massachusetts, on going to bed one night one of my room-mates threw a lighted stump of a cigar into a spit-box filled with sawdust and the result was that about one o'clock T. V. Turner, who slept in the room, awoke in the midst of a dense smoke and barely managed to crawl to the window to open it, and to awaken us in time to save us from suf- focation. At Lenox, Massachusetts, one Sunday I attended church as usual, and the preacher denounced our circus and all connected with it as immoral, and was very abusive; whereupon when he 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 benedic- tion 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 afterwards at Port Deposit, on the lower Sus- quehanna, 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 pretence of religion, but we 6 82 MY START AS A SHOPMAN. were not the worst people in the world, and we thought ourselves entitled to at least decent treatment when we went to hear the preaching of the gospel. The proprietor of the circus, Aaron Turner, was a self-made man, who had acquired a large fortune by his industry. He believed that any man with health and common sense could become rich if he only resolved to be so, and he was very proud of the fact that he began the world with no advantages, no education, and with- out a shilling. Withal, he was a practical joker, as I more than once discovered to my cost. While we were at Annapolis, Maryland, he played a trick upon me which was fun to him, but was very nearly death to me. We arrived on Saturday night and as I felt cpiite " flush " I bought a fine suit of black clothes. On Sun- day morning I dressed myself in my new suit and started out for a stroll. WThile passing through the bar-room Turner called the attention of the company present to me and said : " I think it very singular you permit that rascal to march your streets in open day. It would n't be allowed in Rhode Island, and I suppose that is the rea- son the black-coated scoundrel has come down this way." " Why, who is he % " asked half a dozen at once. " Do n't you know ? Why that is the Rev. E. K. Avery, the murderer of Miss Cornell ! " " Is it possible ! " they exclaimed, all starting for the door, eager to get a look at me, and swearing vengeance. It was only recently that the Rev. Ephraim K. Avery had been tried in Rhode Island for the murder of Miss Cornell, whose body was discovered in a stack- yard, and though Avery was acquitted in court, the gen- MY START AS A SHOWMAN. 83 eral sentiment of the country condemned him. It was this Avery whom Turner made me represent. I had not walked far in my fine clothes, before I was over- taken by a mob of a dozen, which rapidly increased to at least a hundred, and my ears were suddenly saluted with such observations as, " the lecherous old hypo- crite," " the sanctified murderer," " the black-coated villain," " lynch the scoundrel," " let's tar and feather him," and like remarks which I had no idea applied to me till one man seized me by the collar, while five or six more appeared on the scene with a rail. "Come," said the man who collared me, "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 ! " My surprise may be imagined. " Good heavens ! " I exclaimed, as they all pressed around me, " gentlemen, what have I done ] " " Oh, we know you," exclaimed half a dozen voices ; 4C you need n't roll your sanctimonious eyes ; that game do n't take in this country. Come, straddle the rail, and remember the stack-yard ! " I grew more and more bewildered ; I could not imagine what possible offence I was to suffer for, and I continued to exclaim, " Gentlemen, w^hat 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 me by the collar then remarked, " Come, Mr. Avery, it's no use, you see, we know yon, and we'll give you a touch of Lynch law, and start you for home again." 84 MY STAET AS A SHOWMAN". " My name is not Avery, gentlemen ; you are mis- taken in your man," I exclaimed. " Come, come, none of your gammon ; straddle the rail, Ephraim." The rail was brought and I was about to be placed on it, when the truth flashed upon me. " Gentlemen," I exclaimed, " I am not Avery ; I des- pise that villain as much as you can ; my name is Bar- num ; I belong to the circus which arrived here last night, and I am sure Old Turner, my partner, has hoaxed you with this ridiculous story." 44 If he has we'll lynch him," said one of the mob. 44 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, however, a close hand upon me. As we walked up the main street, the mob received a re-enforcement of some fifty or sixty, and I was marched like a malefactor up to ihe hotel. Old Turner stood on the piazza ready to explode with laughter. I appealed to him for heaven's sake to explain this matter, that I might be liberated. He con- tinued to laugh, but finally told them 44 he believed there was some mistake about it. The fact is," said he, 44 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." The crowd saw the joke and seemed satisfied. My new coat had been half torn from my back and I 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 me to 44 get even with him." I was very much offended, and when the mob dispersed I asked Turner what could have induced him to play such a trick upon me. MY START AS A SHOWMAN. 85 " 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. We had fine audiences while we remained at Annapolis, but it was a long time before I forgave Turner for his rascally "joke."' CHAPTER VI. MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY. THREE MEALS AND LODGING EN ONE HOUR — TURNING THE TABLES ON TURNER — A SON AS OLD AS HIS FATHER — LEAVING THE CIRCUS WITH TWELVE HUN- DRED DOLLARS — MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY — PREACHING TO THE PEOPLE — APPEARING AS A NEGRO MINSTREL — THREATENED WITH ASSAS- SINATION— ESCAPES FROM DANGER — TEMPERANCE — REPORT OF MY ARREST FOR MURDER — RE-ENFORCING MY COMPANY — ' ' BARNUM'S GRAND SCIENTIFIC AND MUSICAL THEATRE" — OUTWITTING A SHERIFF — " LADY HAYES'S" MAN- SION AND PLANTATION — A BRILLIANT AUDIENCE — BASS DRUM SOLO — CROSS- ING THE INDIAN NATION — JOE PENTLAND AS A SAVAGE — TERROR AND FLIGHT OF VIVALLA — A NONPLUSSED LEGERDEMAIN PERFORMER — A MALE EGG -LAYER — DISBANDING MY COMPANY — A NEW PARTNERSHIP — PUBLIC LECTURING — DIFFICULTY WITH A DROVER— THE STEAMBOAT " CERES " — SUDDEN MARRIAGE ON BOARD — MOBBED IN LOUISIANA — ARRIVAL AT NEW ORLEANS. An amusing incident occurred when we were at Hanover Court House, in Virginia. It rained so heavily that we could not perform there and Turner decided to start for Richmond immediately after dinner, when he was informed by the landlord that as our agent had engaged three meals and lodging for the whole company, the entire bill must be paid whether we went then, or next morning. No compromise could be effected with the stubborn landlord and so Turner proceeded to get the worth of his money as follows : He ordered dinner at twelve o'clock, which was duly prepared and eaten. The table was cleared and re-set for supper at half-past twelve. At one o'clock we all went to bed, every man carrying a lighted candle to his room. There were thirty-six of us and we all undressed and tumbled into bed as if we were going to MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY. 87 stay all night. In half an hour we rose and went down to the hot breakfast which Turner had demanded and which we found smoking on the table. Turner was very grave, the landlord was exceedingly angry, and the rest of us were convulsed with laughter at the absurdity of the whole proceeding. We disposed of our break- fast as if we had eaten nothing for ten hours and then started for Eichmond with the satisfaction that we fairly settled with our unreasonable landlord. At Richmond, after performances were over one night, I managed to partially pay Turner for his Avery trick. A dozen or more of us were enjoying ourselves in the sitting room of the hotel, telling stories and singing songs, when some of the company proposed sundry amusing arithmetical questions, followed by one from Turner, which was readily solved. Hoping to catch Turner I then proposed the following problem : " 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 there- fore only one-third older than the child. When the child is ninety the father is one hundred 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, suppose it was possible for them to live long enough, how old would the father be when the child overtook him and became of the same age ? " The company generally saw the catch ; but Turner was very much interested in the problem, and although 88 MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY. he admitted he knew nothing about arithmetic 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 be- coming as old as his father while both were living was simply nonsense, and he offered to bet a dozen of cham- pagne that the thing was impossible, even w 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 my arith- metic, though at last he acknowledged that it was a fair offset to the Avery trick. We went from Richmond to Petersburg, and from that place to Warrenton, North Carolina, where, Octo- ber 30th, my engagement expired with a profit to myself of $1,200. I now separated from the circus company, taking Vivalla, James Sanford, (a negro singer and dancer,) several musicians, horses, wagons, and a small canvas tent with which I intended to begin a travelling exhibition of my own. My company started and Tur- ner took me on the way in his own carriage some twenty miles. We parted reluctantly and my friend wished me every success in my new venture. On Saturday, November 12, 1836, we halted at .Rocky Mount Falls, North Carolina, and on my way to the Baptist Church, Sunday morning, I noticed a stand and benches in a grove near by, and determined to speak to the people if I was permitted. The landlord who was with me said that the congregation, coming from a dis- MY FIEST TRAVELLING COMPANY. 89 tance to attend a single service, would be very glad to hear a stranger and I accordingly asked the venerable clergyman to announce that after service I would speak for half an hour in the grove. Learning that I was not a clergyman, he declined to give the notice, but said that he had no objection to my making the announce- ment, 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 privi- leges of man. I appealed to every man's experience, observation and reason, to confirm the Bible doctrine of WTetchedness in vice and happiness in virtue. We can- not violate the 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 sunshine 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 hardened by sin is the most sorrowful possession we can think of. I went on in this way, with some scriptural quotations and familiar illustrations, for three-quarters of an hour. At the close of my address several persons took me by the hand, expressing themselves as greatly pleased and desiring to know my name ; and I went away with the feeling that possibly I might have done some good in the beautiful grove on that charming Sunday morning. When we were at Camden, South Carolina, Sanford suddenly left me, and as I had advertised negro songs 90 MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY. and none of my company was competent to fill Sanford's place, not to disappoint my audience, I blacked myself and sung the advertised songs, 44 Zip Coon," etc., and to my surprise was much applauded, while two of the songs were encored. One evening after singing my songs I heard a disturbance outside the tent and going to the spot found a person disputing with my men. I took part on the side of the men, when the person who was quarrelling with them drew a pistol and exclaiming, " you black scoundrel ! how dare you use such language to a white man," he proceeded to cock it. I saw that he thought I was a negro and meant to blow my brains out. Quick as thought I rolled my sleeve up, showed my skin, and said, 44 1 am as white as you are, sir." He dropped his pistol in positive fright and begged my pardon. My presence of mind saved me. On four different occasions in my life I have had a loaded pistol pointed at my head and each time I ha ve 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 preserva- tion 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 beverages, and for more than twenty years past, I am glad to say, I have been a strict 44 tee- totaller." MY FIEST TRAVELLING- COMPANY. 91 At Camden I lost one of my musicians, a Scotchman named Cochran, who was arrested for advising the negro barber who was shaving him to run away to the Free States or to Canada. I made every effort to effect Cochran's release, but he was imprisoned more than six months. While I was away from home I generally wrote twice a week to my family and received letters nearly as often from my wife. One of her letters, which I received in Columbia, South Carolina, informed me it was currently reported in Connecticut that I was under sentence of death in Canada for murder ! The storv grew out of a rumor about a difficulty in Canada between some row- dies and a circus company — not Turner's, — for we met his troupe at Columbia, December 5, 1836. That com- pany was then to be disbanded and I bought four horses and two wagons and hired Joe Pentland and Robert White to join my company. White, as a negro singer, would relieve me from that roll, and Pentland, besides being a capital clown, was celebrated as a ventriloquist, comic singer, balancer, and legerdemain performer. My re-enforced exhibition was called " Barnum's Grand Scientific and Musical Theatre." Some time previously, in Raleigh, Xorth Carolina, I had sold one-half of my establishment to a man, whom I will call Henry, who now acted as treasurer and ticket-taker. At Augusta, Georgia, the sheriff served a writ upon this Henry for a debt of §500. As Henry had §600 of the company's money in his possession, I immediately procured a bill of sale of all his property in the exhibition and returned to the theatre where Henry's creditor and the creditor's lawyer were waiting for me. They demanded the keys of the stable so as to levy on 92 MY FIHST TRAVELLING COMPANY. the horses and wagons. I begged delay till I could see Henry, and they consented. Henry was anxious to cheat his creditor and he at once signed the bill of sale. I returned and informed the creditor that Henry refused to pay or compromise the claim. The sheriff then de- manded the keys of the stable door to attach Henry's interest in the property. " Not yet," said I, showing a bill of sale, " you see I am in full possession of the property as entire owner. You confess that you have not yet levied on it, and if you touch my property, you do it at your peril." They were very much taken aback and the sheriff immediately conveyed Henry to prison. The next day I learned that Henry owed his creditors thirteen hun- dred dollars and that he had agreed when the Saturday evening performance was ended to hand over five hundred dollars ( company money ) and a bill of sale of his interest, in consideration of which one of the horses was to be ready for him to run away with, leaving me in the lurch! Learning this, I had very little sympathy for Henry and my next step was to secure the five hundred dollars he had secreted. Vivalla had obtained it from him to keep it from the sheriff ; I received it from Vivalla, on Henry's order, as a supposed means of procuring bail for him on Monday morning. I then paid the creditor the full amount obtained from Henry as the price of his half interest in the exhibition and received in return an assignment of five hundred dollars of the creditor's claims and a guaranty that I should not be troubled by my late partner on that score. Thus, promptness of action and good luck relieved me from one of the most unpleasant positions in which I had ever been placed. MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY. 93 While travelling with our teams and show through a desolate part of Georgia, our advertiser, who was in advance of the party, finding the route, on one occasion, too long for us to reach a town at night, arranged with a poor widow woman named Hayes to furnish us with meals and let us lodge in her hut and out-houses. It was a beggarly place, belonging to one of the poorest of " poor whites." Our horses were to stand out all night, and a farmer, six miles distant, was to bring a load of provender on the day of our arrival. Bills were then posted announcing a performance under a canvas tent near Widow Hayes's, for, as a show was a rarity in that region, it was conjectured that a hundred or more small farmers and 44 poor whites " might be assembled and that the receipts would cover the expenses. Meanwhile, our advertiser, who was quite a wag, wrote back informing us of the difficulties 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 performance to a fair audience. Anticipating a fine time on this noble " plantation," 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 discovered to be down-east Yankees, from Maine, were repairing a bridge. Every flooring plank had been taken up and it wTas impossible for our teams to cross. " Could the bridge be fixed so that we could go over'? " I inquired ; " No ; it would take half a day, and meantime if we must 94 MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY. 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. We laughed heartily at the trick and were very glad to cross so cheaply. Towards dinner time, we began to look out for the grand mansion of 44 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, barefooted old woman, with her sleeves rolled up to her shoulders, who was washing clothes in front of the door, I in- quired — 44 Hallo ! can you tell me where Lady Hayes lives 1 " The old woman raised her head, which was covered with tangled locks and matted hair, and exclaimed — 44 Hey r 44 No, Hayes, Lady Hayes ; where is her plantation ? " 44 This is the place," she answered; 44 I'm Widder Hayes and you are all to stay here to-night." We could not believe our ears or eyes ; but after put- ting the dirty old woman through a severe cross-exami- MY FIEST TRAVELLING COMPANY. 95 nation she finally produced a contract, signed by our advertiser, agreeing for board and lodging for the com- pany and we found ourselves booked for the night. It appeared that our advertiser could find no better quar- ters in that forlorn section and he had indulged in a joke at our expense by exciting our appetites and ima- ginations in anticipation 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 remarking that we must make the best of it and compensate our- selves when we reached a town next day. When the old woman called us to dinner we crept into her hut and found that she had improvised benches at her table by placing boards upon the only four chairs in her possession, and at that, some of us were obliged to stand. The dinner consisted of a piece of boiled smoked bacon, a large dish of " greens," and corn bread. Three plates, two knives, and three forks made up the entire table furniture and compelled a resort to our jack- knives. " A short horse is soon curried," and dinner was speedily despatched. It did not seem possible for an audience to assemble in that forsaken quarter, and we concluded not to take the canvas tent out of the wagon. By three o'clock, however, at least fifty persons had arrived on the ground to attend the night show and they reported " more a coming." Accordingly we put up the tent and arranged our small stage and curtains, preparing seats for two hundred people. Those who had already arrived were mostly women, many of them 96 MY FIEST TRAVELLING COMPANY. from sixteen to twenty years old — poor, thin, sallow- faced creatures, wretchedly clad, some of them engaged in smoking pipes, while the rest were chewing snuff. This latter process was new to me ; each chewer was provided with a short stick, softened at one end, by chewing it, and this stick was occasionally dipped into a snuff box and then stuck into the mouth, from whence it protruded like a cigar. The technical term for the proceeding is " snuff-dipping." Before night, stragglers had brought the number of people on Lady Hayes' plantation up to one hundred, and soon after dark, we opened our exhibition to an audience of about two hundred. The men were a pale, haggard set of uncombed, uncouth creatures, whose constantly-moving jaws and the streams of colored saliva exuding from the corners of their mouths indicated that they were confirmed tobacco chewers. I never saw a more stupid and brutish assemblage of human beings. The performance delighted them ; Pentland's sleight-of-hand tricks astonished them and led them to declare that he must be in league with the evil one ; Signor Vivalla's ball-tossing and plate spinning elicited their loudest applause ; and Bob White's negro songs and break-downs made them fairly scream with laughter. At last, the performance terminated and Pentland stepped forward and delivered the closing address, which he had repeated, word for word, a hundred times, and which was precisely as follows : 44 Ladies and Gentlemen : The entertainments of the evening have now come to a conclusion, and, we hope, to your general satisfaction." But now came a dilemma; the meaning of this MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY. 97 announcement was quite above the comprehension of the audience ; they had not the remotest idea that the performance was finished, and they sat like statues. With a hearty laugh at Pentland I told him that his language was not understood in this locality and that he must try again. He was chagrined, and declared that he would not say another word. Little Vivalla laughed, danced around like a monkey, and said, in his broken English : " Ah, ha ! Signor Pentland ; you no speak good Eeng- lish, hah ! These educated peoples no understand you, eh? By gar what d d fools. Ah, Signor Barnum, let me speaks to them ; I will make them jump double queek." I quite enjoyed the fun and said, " Well, Signor, go ahead." The little Italian jumped upon the stage and with a broad grimace and tremendous gesture exclaimed — " Eet'is feenish !" He then retired behind the curtain, but, of course, the audience did not understand that he had told them the performance was finished. No one would have understood him. Hence, the spectators sat still, won- dering what would come next. " By gar," said Vivalla, losing his temper, " I will give them a hint," and he loosened the cord and down fell the curtain on one side of the stage. " Good, good," cried out an enthusiastic " poor white," giving his quid a fresh roll to the other side ot his mouth, " now we are going to have something new." 64 1 reckon they's totin' that plunder off to get ready for a dance," said a delicate " dipper," making a lunge into her box for another mouthful of the dust. 98 MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY. Things were becoming serious, and I saw that in order to get rid of these people they must be addressed in plain language ; so, walking upon the stage, I simply said, making at the same time a motion for them to go — "It is all over ; no more performance ; the show is out.;' This was understood, but they still stood upon the order of their going and were loth to leave, especially as the, to them, extraordinary announcements of Pent- land and Vivalla had prepared them for something fresh. Several days before, our band of musicians had left us, reducing our orchestra to an organ and pipes, ground and blown by an Italian whom we had picked up on the road. We had, in addition, a large bass drum, with no one to beat it, and this drum was espied by some of the audience in going out. Very soon I was waited upon by a masculine committee of three, who informed me that " the young ladies were very anxious to hear a tune on the big drum." Pentland heard the request and replied, " I will accommodate the young ladies," and strapping on the drum he took a stick in each hand and began to pound tremendously. Occasionally he would rap the sticks together, toss one of them into the air, catching it as it came down, and then pound away again like mad. In fact, he cut up all sorts of pranks with that big drum and when he was tired out and stopped, he was gratified at being told by the " young ladies " that they "had never heard a big drum before, but he " played it splendid," and they thought it was altogether the best part of the entire performance ! The next forenoon we arrived at Macon, and congra- MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY. 99 tulated ourselves that we had again reached the regions of civilization. In going from Columbus, Georgia, to Montgomery, Alabama, 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 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 fear- less 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 Montgomery, and were beyond the reach of danger, Joe Pentland determined to test Vivalla's bravery. He had secretly purchased at Mount Megs, on the way, an old Indian dress with a fringed hunting shirt and moccasins 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" levelled his gun at his victim, but soon seemed to relent and signified that Vivalla should turn 100 MY FIRST T RAVELLING COMPANY. 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 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 compan- ions left him the Indian had been re-enforced by six more to whom, in default of a gun or other means to defend himself, Vivalla had been compelled to surren- der. 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. We arrived at Montgomery, February 28th, 1837. Here I met Henry Hawley a legerdemain performer, about forty-five years of age, -.but as he was prematurely gray he looked at least seventy, and I sold him one-half of my exhibition. He had a ready wit, a happy way of localizing his tricks, was very popular in that part of the country, where he had been performing for several years, and I never saw him nonplussed but once. This was when lie was performing on one occasion the well- known egg and bag trick, which he did with his usual success, producing egg after egg from the bag and MY FIBST TRAVELLING COMPANY. 101 finally breaking one to show that they were genuine. "Now," said Hawley, u I will show you the old hen that laid them." It happened, however, that the negro boy to whom had been intrusted the duty of supplying the bag had made a slight mistake which was manifest when Hawley triumphantly produced, not " the old hen that laid the eggs," but a rooster ! The whole audience was convulsed with laughter and the abashed Hawley retreated to the dressing room cursing the stupidity of the black boy who had been paid to put a hen in the bag. After performing in different places in Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee, we disbanded at Nashville in May, 1837, Vivalla going to New York, where he per- formed on his own account for a while previous to sail- ing for Cuba, Hawley staying in Tennessee to look after our horses which had been turned out to grass, and I returning home to spend a few weeks with my family. Early in July, returning west with a new company of performers, I rejoined Hawley and we began our cam- paign in Kentucky. We were not successful ; one of our small company was incompetent ; another was in- temperate— both were dismissed ; and our negro-singer was drowned in the river at Frankfort. Funds were low and I was obliged to leave pledges here and there, in payment for bills, which I afterwards redeemed. Hawley and I dissolved in August and making a new partnership with Z. Graves, I left him in charge of the establishment and went to Tiffin, Ohio, where I re-en- gaged Joe Pentland, buying his horses and wagons and taking him, with several musicians, to Kentucky. During my short stay at Tiffin, a religious conversa- tion at the hotel introduced me to several gentlemen 102 MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY. who requested me to lecture on the subjects we had dis- cussed, and I did so to a crowded audience in the school- house Sunday afternoon and evening. At the solicitation of a gentleman from Republic, I also delivered two lectures in that town on the evenings of September 4th and 5 th. On our way to Kentucky, just before we reached Cincinnati, we met a drove of hogs and one of the drivers making an insolent remark because our wagons interfered with his swine, I replied in the same vein, when he dismounted and pointing a pistol at my breast swore he would shoot me if I did not apologize. I begged him to permit me to consult with a friend in the next wagon, and the misunderstanding should be satisfac- torily settled. My friend was a loaded double-barreled gun which I pointed at him and said : " Now, sir, you must apologize, for your brains are in danger. You drew a weapon upon me for a trivial remark. You seem to hold human life at a cheap price ; and now, sir, you have the choice between a load of shot and an apology." This led to an apology and a friendly conversation in which we both agreed that many a life is sacrificed in sudden anger because one or both of the contending parties carry deadly weapons. In our subsequent southern tour we exhibited at Nashville ( where I visited General Jackson, at the Hermitage), Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Vicksburg and intermediate places, doing tolerably well. At Vicks- burg we sold all our land conveyances, excepting the band wagon and four horses, bought the steamboat " Ceres " for six thousand dollars, hired the captain and crew, and started down the river to exhibit at places on MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY. 103 the way. At Natchez our cook left us and in the search for another I found a white widow who would go, only she expected to marry a painter. I called on the painter who had not made up his mind whether to marry the widow or not, hut I told him if he would marry her the next morning I would hire her at twenty- five dollars a month as cook, employ him at the same wages as painter, with hoard for both, and a cash bonus of fifty dollars. There was a wedding on boaid the next day and we had a good cook and a good dinner. During oue of our evening performances at Fran- cisville, Louisiana, a man tried to pass me at the door of the tent, claiming that he had paid for admittance. I refused him entrance ; and as he was slightly intoxicated he struck me with a slung shot, mashing my 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 us to pack up our " traps and plunder " and to get on board our steamboat within an hour. The big tent speedily came down. No one was permitted to help us, but the company worked with a will and within five minutes of the expiration of the hour we were on board and ready to leave. The scamps who had caused our departure escorted us and our last load, waving pine torches, and saluted us writh a hurrah as we swung into the stream. The New Orleans papers of March 19, 1838, announced the arrival of the " Steamer Ceres, Captain Barnum, with a theatrical company." After a week's performances, we started for the Attakapas country. At Opelousas we exchanged the steamer for sugar and molasses ; our company was disbanded, and I started for home, arriving in New York, June 4, 1838. CHAPTER VII. AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER. DISGUST AT THE TRAVELLFNG BUSINESS — ADVERTISING FOR AN ASSOCIATE — RUSH OF THE MILLION-MAKERS — COUNTERFEITERS, CHEATS AND QUACKS — A NEW BUSINESS — SWINDLED BY MY PARTNER — DIAMOND THE DANCER — A NEW COM- PANY— DESERTIONS — SUCCESSES AT NEW ORLEANS — TYRONE POWER AND FANNY ELLSLER— LN JAIL AGAIN — BACK TO NEW YORK — ACTING AS A BOOK AGENT — LEASING VAUXH ALL — FROM HAND TO MOUTH — DETERMINATION TO MAKE MONEY — FORTUNE OPENING HER DOOR — THE AMERICAN MUSEUM FOR SALE — NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE PURCHASE — HOPES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS — THE TRAIN LAID — SMASHING A RIVAL COMPANY. I have said that the show business has as many grades of dignity as trade, which ranges all the way from the mammoth wholesale establishment down to the corner stand. The itinerant amusement business is at the bottom of the ladder. I had begun there, but I had no wish to stay there ; in fact, I was thoroughly disgusted with the trade of a travelling showman, and although I felt that I could succeed in that line, yet I always regarded it, not as an end, but as a means to something better. Longing now for some permanent respectable busi- ness, I advertised for a partner, stating that I had $2,500 to invest and would add my unremitting personal attention to the capital and the business. This adver- tisement gave me an altogether new insight into human nature. Whoever wishes to know how some people live, or want to live, let him advertise for a partner, at the same time stating that he has a large or small capital to invest. I was flooded with answers to my advertisements and received no less than ninety-three AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER 105 different propositions for the use of my capital. Of these, at least one-third were from porter-house keep- ers. Brokers, pawnbrokers, lottery-policy dealers, patent medicine men, inventors, and others also made applica- tion. Some of my correspondents declined to specifi- cally state the nature of their business, but they promised to open the door to untold wealth. I had interviews with some of these mysterious mil- lion-makers. One of them was a counterfeiter, who, after much hesitation and pledges of secrecy showed me some counterfeit coin and bank notes ; he wanted §2,500 to purchase paper and ink and to prepare new dies, and he actually proposed that I should join him in the business which promised, he declared, a safe and rich harvest. Another sedate individual, dressed in Quaker costume, wanted me to join him in an oat specu- lation. By buying a horse and wagon and by selling oats, bought at wholesale, in bags, he thought a good business could be done, especially as people would not be particular to measure after a Quaker. " Do you mean to cheat in measuring your oats ?" I asked. u O, I should probably make them hold out," he an- swered, with a leer. One application came from a Pearl street wool mer- chant, who failed a month afterwards. Then came a "perpetual motion" man who had a fortune-making machine, in which I discovered a main-spring slyly hid in a hollow post, the spring making perpetual motion — till it ran down. Finally, I went into partnership with a German, named Proler, who was a manufacturer of paste-blacking, w7ater-proof paste for leather, Cologne water and bear's grease. We took the store No. 101% 106 AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER. Bowery, at a rent (including the dwelling) of $600 per annum, and opened a large manufactory of the above articles. Proler manufactured and sold the goods at wholesale in Boston, Charleston, Cleveland, and various other parts of the country. I kept the accounts, and attended to sales in the store, wholesale and retail. For a while the business seemed to prosper — at least till my capital was absorbed and notes for stock began to fall due, with nothing to meet them, since we had sold our goods on long credits. In January, 1840, I dis- solved partnership with Proler3 he buying the entire in- terest for $2,600 on credit, and then running away to Rotterdam without paying his note, and leaving me nothing but a few recipes. Proler wras a good-looking, plausible, promising — scamp. During my connection with Proler, I became ac- quainted with a remarkable young dancer named Jonn Diamond. He was one of the first and best of the numerous negro and " break-down " dancers who have since surprised and amused the public, and I entered into an engagement with his father for his services, put- ting Diamond in the hands of an agent, as I did not wish to appear in the transaction. In the spring of 18-kO, I hired and opened the Vauxhall Garden saloon, in New York, and gave a variety of performances, in- cluding singing, dancing, Yankee stories, etc. In this saloon Miss Mary Taylor, afterwards so celebrated as an actress and singer, made her first appearance on the stage. The enterprise, however, did not meet my ex- pectation and I relinquished it in August. What was to be done next? I dreaded resuming the life of an itinerant showman, but funds were low, I had a family to care for, and as nothing better presented I AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER. 107 made up my mind to endure the vexations and uncertain- ties of a tour in the West and South. I collected a company, consisting of Mr. C. I). Jenkins, an excellent singer and delineator of Yankee and other characters : Master John Diamond, the dancer; Francis Lynch, an orphan vagabond, fourteen years old, whom I picked up at Troy, and a tiddler. My brother-in-law, Mr. John Iiallett, preceded us as agent and advertiser, and our route passed through Buffalo, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Ottawa, Springfield, the intermediate places, and St. Louis, where I took the steamboat for New Orleans with a company reduced by desertions to Master Diamond and the fiddler. Arriving in New Orleans, January 2, 1841, I had but $100 in my purse, and I had started from New York four months before with quite as much in my pocket. Excepting some small remittances to my family I had made nothing more than current expenses ; and, when I had been in New Orleans a fortnight, funds were so low that I was obliged to pledge my watch as security for my board bill. But on the 16th, I received from the St. Charles Theatre $500 as my half share of Diamond's benefit; the next night I had $50; and the third night $479 was my share of the proceeds of a grand dancing match at the theatre between Diamond and a negro dancer from Kentucky. Subsequent engagements at Vicksburg and Jackson were not so successful, but returning to New Orleans we again succeeded admira- bly and afterwards at Mobile. Diamond, however, after extorting considerable sums of money from me, finally ran away, and, March 12th, I started homeward by way of the Mississippi and the Ohio. While I wTas in New Orleans I made the acquaint- 108 AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER. ance of that genial man, Tyrone Power, who was just concluding an engagement at the St. Charles Theatre. In bidding me farewell, he wished me every success and hoped we should meet again. Alas, poor Power ! All the world knows how he set sail from our shores, and he and his ship were never seen again. Fanny Ellsler was also in New Orleans, and when I saw seats in the dress circle sold at an average of four dollars and one- half, I gave her agent, Chevalier Henry Wyckoff, great credit for exciting public enthusiasm to the highest pitch and I thought the prices enormous. I did not dream then that, within twelve years, I should be selling tickets in the same city for full five times that sum. At Pittsburg, where I arrived March 30th, I learned that Jenkins, who had enticed Francis Lynch away from me at St. Louis, was exhibiting him at the Museum under the name of " Master Diamond," and visiting the performance, the next day I wrote Jenkins an ironical review for which he threatened suit and he actually instigated H. W. Lindsay, from whom I hired Joice Heth in Philadelphia in 1835, and whom I had not seen since, though he was then residing in Pittsburg, to sue me for a pipe of brandy which, it was pretended, was promised in addition to the money paid him. I was required to give bonds of $500, which, as I was among strangers, I could not immediately procure, and I was accordingly thrown into jail till four o'clock in the afternoon, when I was liberated. The next day I caused the arrest of Jenkins for trespass in assuming Master Diamond's name and reputation for Master Lynch, and he was sent to jail till four o'clock in the afternoon. Each having had his turn at this amuse- ment, we adjourn'ed our controversy to New York where AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER. 109 I beat him. As for Lindsay, I heard nothing more of his claim or him till twelve years afterwards when he called on me in Boston with an apology. He w7as very poor and I was highly prosperous, and I may add that Lindsay did not lack a friend. I arrived in New York, April 23rd, 1841, after an absence of eight months ; finding my family in good health, I resolved once more that I would never again be an itinerant showman. Three days afterwards I contracted with Eobert Sears, the publisher, for five hundred copies of " Sears' Pictorial Illustrations of the Bible," at $500, and accepting the United States agency, I opened an office, May 10th, at the corner of Beekman and Nassau Streets, the site of the present Nassau Bank. I had had a limited experience with that book in this way : When I was in Pittsburg, an acquaintance, Mr. C. D. Harker, was complaining that he had nothing to do, when I picked up a New York paper and saw the advertisement of " Sears's Pictorial Illustrations of the Bible, price $2 a copy." Mr. Harker thought he could get subscribers, and I bought him a specimen copy, agreeing to furnish him with as many as he wanted at $1.37^ a copy, though I had never before seen the work and did not know the wholesale price. The result was that he obtained eighty subscribers in two days, and made $50. My own venture in the work was not so successful ; I advertised largely, had plenty of agents, and, in six months, sold thousands of copies ; but irresponsible agents used up all my profits and my capital. While engaged in this business I once more leased Yauxhall saloon, opening it June 14th, 1841, employing Mr. John Hallett, my brother-in-law, as 110 AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER. manager under my direction, and at the close of the season, September 25th, we had cleared about two hundred dollars. This sum was soon exhausted, and with my family on my hands and no employment I was glad to do anything that would keep the wolf from the door. I wrote advertisements and notices for the Bowery Amphitheatre, receiving for the service four dollars a week, which I was very glad to get, and I also wrote articles for the Sunday papers, deriving a fair remuneration and managing to get a living. But I was at the bottom round of fortune's ladder, and it was necessary to make an effort which would raise me above want. I was specially stimulated to this effort by a letter which I received, about this time, from my esteemed friend, Hon. Thomas T. Whittlesey, of Danbury. He held a mortgage of five hundred dollars on a piece of property I owned in that place, and, as he was convinced that I would never lay up anything, he wTrote me that I might as wTell pay him then as ever. This letter made me resolve to live no longer from hand to mouth, but to concentrate my energies upon laying up something for the future. While I was forming this practical determination I was much nearer to its realization than my most sanguine hopes could have predicted. The road to fortune was close by. Without suspecting it, I was about to enter upon an enterprise, which, while giving full scope for whatever tact, industry and pluck I might possess, wras to take me from the foot of the ladder and place me many rounds above. As outside clerk for the Bowery Amphitheatre I had casually learned that the collection of curiosities AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER. Ill comprising Scudder's American Museum, at the corner of Broadway and Ann Street, was for sale. It belonged to the daughters of Mr. Scudder, and was conducted for their benefit by John Furzman, under the authority of Mr. John Heath, administrator. The price asked for the entire collection was fifteen thousand dollars. It had cost its founder, Mr. Scudder, probably fifty thousand dollars, and from the profits of the establish- ment he had been able to leave a large competency to his children. The Museum, however, had been for several years a losing concern, and the heirs were anxious to sell it. Looking at this property, I thought I saw that energy, tact and liberality, were only needed to make it a paying institution, and I determined to purchase it if possible. " You buy the American Museum ! " said a friend, who knew the state of my funds, " what do you intend buying it with ? " " Brass," I replied, " for silver and gold have I none." The Museum building belonged to Mr. Francis W. Olmsted, a retired merchant, to whom I wrote stating my desire to buy the collection, and that although I had no means, if it could be purchased upon reasonable credit, I was confident that my tact and experience, added to a determined devotion to business, would en- able me to make the payments when due. I therefore asked him to purchase the collection in his own name ; to give me a writing securing it to me provided I made the payments punctually, including the rent of his build- ing ; to allow me twelve dollars and a half a week on which to support my family ; and if at any time I failed to meet the instalment due, I would vacate the premises and forfeit all that might have been paid to that date. 112 AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER. " In fact, Mr. Olmsted," I continued in my earnestness, 64 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 incurred." In reply to this letter, which I took to his house my- self, he named an hour when I could call on him, and as I was there at the exact moment, he expressed him- self pleased with my punctuality. He inquired closely as to my habits and antecedents, and I frankly narrated my experiences as a caterer for the public, mentioning my amusement ventures in Vauxhall Garden, the circus, and in the exhibitions I had managed at the South and West. " Who are your references'?" he inquired. " Any man in my line," I replied, " from Edmund Simpson, manager of the Park Theatre, or William Niblo, to Messrs. Welch, June, Titus, Turner, Angevine, or other circus or menagerie proprietors ; also Moses Y. •Beach, of the New York Sun. 44 Can you get any of them to call on me?" he con- tinued. I told him that I could, and the next day my friend Niblo rode down and had an interview with Mr. Olm- sted, while Mr. Beach and several other gentlemen also called, and the following morning I waited upon him for his decision. I don't like your references, Mr. Barnum," said Mr. Olmsted, abruptly, as soon as I entered the room. I was confused, 'and said " I regretted to hear it." 44 They all speak too well of you," he added, laugh- ing; 44 in fact they all talk as if they were partners of yours, and intended to share the profits." AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER. 113 Nothing could have pleased me better. 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 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 ren- der him a weekly statement. I was further to take an apartment hitherto used as a billiard room in an adjoin- ing building, allowing therefor, $500 a year, making a total rent 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, payable in seven annual instalments, with good security. After several interviews, it was finally agreed that I should have it for $12,000, payable as above — possession to be given on the 15th November. Mr. Olmsted assented* to this, and a morning was appointed to draw and sign the wTritings. Mr. Heath appeared, but said he must decline proceeding any farther in my case, as he had sold the collection to the directors of Peale's Museum (an incorporated institution), for $15,000, and had re- ceived $1,000 in advance. 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 re- quire him to incur any risk, and my matter was at an end. Of course, I immediately informed myself as to the 8 114 AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDEE. character of Peale's Museum company. It proved to be a band of speculators who had bought Peale's col- lection for a few thousand dollars, expecting to join 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, including 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, " if you will grant me the use of your columns, I'll blow that specu- lation sky-high." They all consented, and I wrote a large number of squibs, cautioning the public against buying the Museum stock, ridiculing the idea of a board of broken-down bank directors engaging in the exhibi- tion of stuffed monkey 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 Crumpet-baking and Punctual Delivery Company." The stock was as "dead as a herring!" I then went to Mr. Heath and asked him when the directors were to pay the other $14,000. " On the 26th day of Decem- ber, or forfeit the $1,000 already paid," was the reply. I assured him that they would never pay it, that they could not raise it, and that he would ultimately find him- self with the Museum collection on his hands, and if once I started off with an exhibition for the South, I would 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 AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER. 115 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, pre- pared to sign the writings, provided this incorporated 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 documents if the other parties did not meet their engagement. This was about November 15th, and I continued 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. CHAPTER VIII. THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. A TRAP SET FOR ME — I CATCH THE TRAPPERS — I BECOME PROPRIETOR OF THE AMERICAN" MUSEUM — HISTORY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT — HARD "WORK AND COLD DINNERS — ADDITIONS TO THE MUSEUM — EXTRAORDINARY ADVER- TISING — BARNUM'S BRICK-MAN — EXCITING PUBLIC CURIOSITY — INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES — A DRUNKEN ACTOR — IMITATIONS OF THE ELDER BOOTH — PLEASING MY PATRONS — SECURING TRANSIENT NOVELTIES — LIVING CURIOSI- TIES— MAKING PEOPLE TALK — A WILDERNESS OF WONDERS — NIAGARA FALLS WITH REAL WATER — THE CLUB THAT KILLED COOK — SELLING LOUIS GAY- LORD CLARK — THE FISH WITH LEGS — THE FEJEE MERMAID — HOW IT CAME INTO MY POSSESSION — THE TRUE TTORY OF THAT CURIOSITY — JAPANESE MANUFACTURE OF FABULOUS ANIMALS — THE USE I MADE OF THE MERMAID — WHOLESALE ADVERTISING AGALN — THE BALCONY BAND — DRUMMOND LIGHTS. My newspaper squib war against the Peale combina- tion was vigorously kept up ; when one morning, about the first of December, I received a letter from the Sec- retary of that company (now calling itself the " New York Museum Company,") requesting me to meet the directors at the Museum on the following Monday morn- ing. I went, and found the directors in session. The venerable 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 1, 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 AMERICAN MUSEUM. 117 the newspapers " — 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 buying my silence so as to appreciate their stock, these direct- ors 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 postponed the advertisement of their stock to give people time to forget the attacks I had made on it, and they also took their own time for paying the money promised to Mr. Heath, December 26th — indeed, 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. Olmstead's apartments 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 possession of the American Museum. My first managerial act was to write and despatch the following complimentary note : American Museum, New York, Dec. 27, 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 further notice. P. T. Barnum, Proprietor. It is unnecessary to say that the 6 4 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 American Museum, he was indignant. He talked of prosecution, and 118 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. demanded the $1,000 paid on his agreement, but he did not prosecute, and he justly forfeited his deposit money. And now that I was proprietor and manager of the American Museum I had reached a new epoch in my career which I felt was the beginning of better days, though the full significance of this important step I did not see. I was still in the show business, but in a settled, substantial phase of it, that invited industry and enter- prise, and called for ever earnest and ever heroic endeavor. Whether I should sink or swim depended wholly upon my own energy. I must pay for the establishment within a stipulated time, or forfeit it with whatever I had paid on account. I meant to make it my own, and brains, hands and every effort were devoted to the interests of the Museum. The nucleus of this establishment, Scudder's Museum, was formed in 1810, the year in which I was born. It was begun in Chatham Street, and was afterwards transferred to the old City Hall, and from small begin- nings, by purchases, and to a considerable degree by presents, it had grown to be a large and valuable collection. 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 foreign lands ; and besides all these gifts, I have no doubt that the previous proprietor had actually expended, as was stated, $50,000 in making the collection. Xo one could go through the halls, as they were when they came under my proprietorship, and see one-half there was worth seeing in a single day ; and then, as I always justly boasted afterwards, no one could visit my Museum and go away without feeling that he had received the full worth of his money. In looking over the immense THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. 119 collection, the accumulation of so many years. I saw that it was only necessary to properly present its merits to the public, to make it the most attractive and popular place of resort and entertainment in the United States. Valuable as the collection was when I bought it, it was only the beginning of the American Museum as I made it. In my long proprietorship I considerably more than doubled the permanent attractions and curiosities of the establishment. In 1842, 1 bought and added to my collection the entire contents of Peale's Museum ; in 1850, I purchased the large Peale collec- tion in Philadelphia ; and year after year, I bought genuine curiosities, regardless of cost, wherever I could find them, in Europe or America. At the very outset* I was determined to deserve success. My plan of economy included the intention to support my family in New York on $600 a year, and my treasure of a wife not only gladly assented, but was willing to reduce the sum to $400, if necessary. Some six months after I had bought the Museum, Mr. Olmsted happened in at my ticket-office at noon and found me eating a frugal dinner of cold corned beef and bread, which I had brought from home. " Is this the way you eat your dinner] " he asked. " I have not eaten a warm dinner, except on Sun- days," I replied, "since I bought the Museum, and I never intend to, on a week day, till I am out of debt." " Ah ! " said he, clapping me on the shoulder, " you are safe, and will pay for the Museum before the year is out." And he was right, for within twelve months I was in 120 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. full possession of the property as my own and it was entirely paid for from the profits of the business. In 1865, the space occupied for my Museum pur- poses was more than double what it was in 1842. The Lecture Room, originally narrow, ill-contrived and incon- venient, 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, my attractions and inducements were merely the collection of curiosi- ties by day, and an evening entertainment, consisting of such variety performances as were current in ordinary shows. Then Saturday afternoons, and, soon after- wards, Wednesday afternoons were devoted to entertain- ments and the popularity of the Museum grew so rap- idly that I presently found it 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 direction, more than justified my expectations, for the day exhibitions were always more thronged than those of the evening. Of course I made the most of the holidays, advertising extensively and presenting extra inducements ; nor did attractions elsewhere seem to keep the crowd from coming to the Museum. On great holidays, I gave as many as twelve performances to as many different audiences. By degrees the character of the stage performances was changed. The transient attractions of the Museum were constantly diversified, and educated dogs, industri- ous fleas, automatons, jugglers, ventriloquists, living statuary, tableaux, gipsies, Albinoes, fat boys, giants, dwarfs, rope-dancers, live " Yankees," pantomime, instrumental music, singing and dancing in great variety, dioramas, panoramas, models of Niagara, Dub- THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. 121 lin, 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 ceremonies on the stage, — these, among others, were all exceedingly successful. I thoroughly understood the art of advertising, not merely by means of printer's ink, which I have always used freely, and to which I confess myself so much indebted for my success, but by turning every possible circumstance to my account. It was my mono- mania to make the Museum the town wonder and town talk. I often seized upon an opportunity by instinct, even before I had a very definite conception as to how it should be used, and it seemed, somehow, to mature itself and serve my purpose. As an illustration, one morning a stout, hearty-looking man, came into my ticket-office and begged some money. I asked him why lie 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 sidewalk 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, opposite; then, with 122 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. 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 resume 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 afterwards, at least five hundred people were watching his mysterious movements. He had assumed a military step and bear- ing, and looking as sober as a judge, he made no response whatever to the constant inquiries as to the object of his singular conduct. 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 afterwards returning to his round. This was repeated every hour till sundown and whenever the man went into the 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 policeman, to whom 1 had THE AMEKICAN MUSEUM. 123 imparted my object, complained that the obstruction of the sidewalk by crowds had become so serious that I must call in my " brick man." This trivial incident excited considerable talk and amusement ; it adver- tised me ; and it materially advanced my purpose of making a lively corner near the Museum. I am tempted to relate some of the incidents and anecdotes which attended my career as owner and man- ager of the Museum. The stories illustrating merely my introduction of novelties would more than fill this book, but I must make room for a few of them. An actor, named La Rue, presented himself as an imitator of celebrated histrionic personages, including Macready, Forrest, Kemble, the elder Booth, Kean, Hamblin, and others. Taking him into the green-room for a private rehearsal, and finding his imitations excel- lent, I 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 ! Calling an assistant, we took La Rue between us, 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 we 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 me that he should be able to give his imitations u to a charm." " You drunken brute," said I, " if you fail, and disap- point my audience, I will throw you out of the win low." He declared that he was " all right," and I led him behind the scenes, where I waited with considerable trepidation to watch his movements on the stage. He began by saying : 124 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. " Ladies and gentlemen: I will now give you an imi- tation of Mr. Booth, the eminent tragedian." His tongue was thick, his language somewhat incohe- rent, and I had great misgivings as he proceeded ; but as no token of disapprobation came from the audience, I 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 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. I lost all patience, and going on the stage and taking the drunken fellow by the collar, I apologized to the audience, as- suring them that he should* not appear before them again. I was about to march him off, when he stepped to the front, and said : " Ladies and gentlemen : Mr. Booth often appeared 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, Shylock, or Sir Giles Overreach, he received a hearty round of applause. I was quite delighted with his success ; but when he came to imitate Forrest and Hamblin, necessarily repre- senting them as drunk also, the audience could be no longer deluded ; the hissing was almost deafening, and I was forced to lead the actor off. It was his last ap- pearance on my stage. THE AMERICAN MUSEUM, 125 From the first, it was my study to give my patrons a superfluity of novelties, and for this I make no special claim to generosity, for it was strictly a business trans- action. To send away my visitors more than doubly satisfied, was to induce them to come again and to bring their friends. I meant to make people talk about my Museum ; to exclaim over its wonders ; to have men and women all over the country say : " There is not another place in the United States where so much can be seen for twenty-five cents as in Baruum's American Museum." It was the best advertisement I could possibly have, and one for which I could afford to pay. I knew, too, that it was an honorable advertisement, because it was as deserved as it was spontaneous. And so, in addition to the permanent collection and the ordinary attractions of the stage, I labored to keep the Museum well supplied with transient novelties ; I exhibited such living curiosities as a rhinoceros, giraffes, grizzly bears, ourang-outangs, great serpents, and whatever else of the kind money would buy or enterprise secure. Knowing that a visit to my varied attractions and gen- uine curiosities was well worth to any one three times the amount asked as an entrance fee, I confess that I was not so scrupulous, as possibly I should have been, about the methods used to call public attention to my establishment. The one end aimed at was to make men and women think and talk and wonder, and, as a practi- cal result, go to the Museum. This was my constant study and occupation. It was the world's way then, as it is now, to excite the community with flaming posters, promising almost everything for next to nothing. I confess that I took no pains to set my enterprising fellow-citizens a better ex- 126 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. ample. I fell in with the world's way ; and if my " purl- ing " was more persistent, my advertising more audacious, my posters more glaring, my pictures more exaggerated, my flags more patriotic and my transparencies more brilliant than they would have been under the manage- ment of my neighbors, it was not because I had less scruple than they, but more energy, far more ingenuity, and a better foundation for such promises. In all this, if I cannot be justified, I at least find palliation in the fact that I presented a wilderness of wonderful, instruct- ive and amusing realities of such evident and marked merit that 1 have yet to learn of a single instance where a visitor went away from the Museum complaining that he had been defrauded of his money. Surely this is an offset to any eccentricities to which I may have resorted to make my establishment widely known. Very soon after introducing my extra exhibitions, I purchased for $200, a curiosity which had much merit and some absurdity. It was a model of Niagara Falls, in which the merit was that the proportions of the great cataract, the trees, rocks, and buildings in the vicinity were mathematically given, wbile the absurdity was in introducing "real water" to represent the falls. Yet the model served a purpose in making " a good line in the bill " — an end in view which was never neglected — and it helped to give the Museum notoriety. One day I was summoned to appear before the Board of Cro- ton Water Commissioners, and was informed that as I paid only $25 per annum for water at the Museum, I must pay a large extra compensation for the supply for my Niagara Falls. I begged the board not to be- lieve all that appeared in the papers, nor to interpret my show-bills too literally, and assured them that a LTHE AMERICAN MUSEUM. 127 single barrel of water, if my pump was in good order, would furnish my falls for a month. It was even so, for the water flowed into a reservoir behind the scenes, and was forced back with a pump over the falls. On one occasion, Mr. Louis Gaylord Clark, the editor of the Knickerbocker, came to view my museum, and introduced himself to me. As I was quite anxious that my establishment should receive a first-rate notice at his hands, I took pains to show him everything of interest, except the Niagara Falls, which I feared would prejudice him against my entire show. But as we passed the room the pump was at work, warning me that the great cataract was in full operation, and Clark, to my dismay, insisted upon seeing it. u Well, Barnum, I declare, this is quite a new idea ; I never saw the like before." " No % " I faintly inquired, with something like re- viving hope. " No," said Clark, " and I hope, with all my heart, I never shall again." But the Knickerbocker spoke kindly of me, and refrained from all allusions to " the Cataract of Niagara, with real water." Some months after, Clark came in breathless one day, and asked me if I had the club with which Captain Cook was killed] As I had a lot of Indian war clubs in the collection of aboriginal curiosi- ties, and owing Clark something on the old Niagara Falls account, I told him I had the veritable club with documents which placed its identity beyond question, and I showed him the warlike weapon. " Poor Cook ! poor Cook ! " said Clark, musingly. " Well, Mr. Barnum," he continued, with great gravity, 128 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. at the same time extending his hand and giving mine a hearty shake, " 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 con- fident 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 with- out it." A few weeks afterwards, I wrote to Clark that if he would come to my office I was anxious to consult him on a matter of great importance. He came, and I said : " Now, I do n't want any of your nonsense, but I want your sober advice." He assured me that he would serve me in any way in his power, and I proceeded to tell him about a wonder- ful fish from the Nile, offered to me for exhibition 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. I assured him that there was no doubt of it. Thereupon he advised me to engage the wonder at any price ; that it wTould startle the naturalists, wake up the whole scientific world, draw in the masses, and make $20,000 for the Museum. I told him that I thought well of the speculation, only I did not like the name of the fish. " That makes no difference whatever," said Clark ; "what is the name of the fish?" " Tadpole," I replied with becoming gravity, " but it is vulgarly called ' polly wog. ' " THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. 129 44 Sold, by thunder ! " exclaimed Clark, and he left. A curiosity, which in an extraordinary degree served my ever-present object of extending the notoriety of the Museum was the so-called 44 Fejee Mermaid." It has been supposed that this mermaid was manufactured by my order, but such is not the fact. I was known as a successful showman, and strange things of every sort were brought to me from all quarters for sale or exhibi- tion. In the summer of 1842, Mr. Moses Kimball, of the Boston Museum, came to New York and showed me what purported to be a mermaid. He had bought it from a, sailor whose father, a sea captain, had pur- chased it in Calcutta, in lb22, from some Japanese sailors. I may mention here that this identical pre- served specimen was exhibited in London in 1822, as I fully verified in my visit to that city in 1858, for I found an advertisement of it in an old file of the London Times, and a friend gave me a copy of the Mirror, pub- lished by J. Limbird, 335 Strand, November 9, 1822, containing a cut of this same creature and two pages of letter-press describing it, together with an account of other mermaids said to have been captured in different parts of the world. The Mirror stated that this specimen was 44 the great source of attraction in the British metropolis, and three to four hundred people every day pay their shilling to see it." This was the curiosity which had fallen into Mr. Kimball's hands. I requested my naturalist's opinion of the genuineness of the animal and he said he could not conceive how it could have been manufactured, for he never saw a monkey with such peculiar teeth, arms, hands, etc., and he never saw a fish with such peculiar fins ; but he did not believe in mermaids. Neverthe- 9 * 130 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. less, I concluded to hire this curiosity and to modify the general incredulity as to the possibility of the existence of mermaids, and to awaken curiosity to see and examine the specimen, I invoked the potent power of printer's ink. Since Japan has been opened to the outer world it has been discovered that certain. " artists " in that country manufacture a great variety of fabulous animals, with an ingenuity and mechanical perfection well calculated to deceive. No doubt my mermaid was a specimen of this curious manufacture. I used it mainly to advertise the regular business of the "Museum, and this effective indirect advertising is the only feature I can commend, in a special show of which, I confess, I am not proud. I might have published columns in the newspapers, presenting and praising the great collection of genuine specimens of natural history in my exhi- bition, and they would not have attracted nearly so much attention as did a few paragraphs about the mer- maid which was only a small part of my show. News- papers throughout the country copied the mermaid notices, for they were novel and caught the attention of readers. Thus was the fame of the Museum, as well as the mermaid, wafted from one end of the land to the other. I was careful to keep up the excitement, for I knew that every dollar sown in advertising would return in tens, and perhaps hundreds, in a future harvest, and after obtaining all the notoriety possible by advertising and by exhibiting the mermaid at the Museum, I sent the curiosity throughout the country, directing my agent to everywhere advertise it as "From Barnum's Great American Museum, New York." The effect was immediately felt ; money flowed THE AMERICAN MUSEUM; 131 in rapidly and was readily expended in more, adver- tising. While I expended money liberally for attractions for the inside of my Museum, and bought or hired every- thing curious or rare which was offered or could be found, I was prodigal in my outlays to arrest or arouse public attention. When I became proprietor of the establishment, there were only the words : " American Museum," to indicate the character of the concern ; there was no bustle or activity about the place ; no posters to announce what was to be seen ; — the whole exterior was as dead as the skeletons and stuffed skins within. My experiences had taught me the advantages of advertising. I printed whole columns in the papers, setting forth the wonders of my establishment. Old " fogies" opened their eyes in amazement at a man who could expend hundreds of dollars in announcing a show of " stuffed monkey skins " ; but these same old fogies paid their quarters, nevertheless, and when they saw the curiosities and novelties in the Museum halls, they, like all other visitors, were astonished as well as pleased, and went home and told their friends and neighbors and thus assisted in advertising my business. For other and not less effective advertising, — flags and banners, began to adorn the exterior of the build- ing. I kept a band of music on the front balcony and announced " Free Music for the Million." People said, "Well, that Barnum is a liberal fellow to give us music for nothing," and they flocked down to hear my out- door free concerts. But I took pains to select and maintain the poorest band I could find — one whose discordant notes would drive the crowd into the Museum, out of earshot of my outside orchestra. Of course, 132 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. the music was poor. When people expect to get " something for nothing" they are sure to be cheated, and generally deserve to be, and so, no doubt, some of my out-door patrons were sorely disappointed ; but when they came inside and paid to be amused and instructed, I took care to see that they not only received the full worth of their money, but were more than sat- isfied. Powerful Drummond lights were placed at the top of the Museum, which, in the darkest night, threw a flood of light up and down Broadway, from the Battery to Niblo's, that would enable one to read a newspaper in the street. These were the first Drummond lights ever seen in New York, and they made people talk, and so advertise my Museum. CHAPTER IX. THE EOAD TO KICHES. THE MOST POPULAR PLACE OF AMUSEMENT IN THE WORLD — THE MORAL DRAMA — REFORMING THE ABUSES OF THE STAGE — FAMOUS ACTORS AND ACTRESSES AT THE MUSEUM — ADDING TO THE SALOONS — AFTERNOON AND HOLIDAY PERFORMANCES — FOURTH OF JULY FLAGS — THE MUSEUM CONNECT- ED with st. Paul's — victory over the vestrymen — the egress — st. Patrick's day in the morning — a wonderful animal, the " aigress " — lnpourlng of money — zoological eruption — the city astounded — baby shows, and their object — flower, bird, dog and poultry shows — grand free buffalo hunt in hoboken — n. p. willis — the woolly horse — where he came from — colonel benton beaten — purpose of the exhibition — americax indians — p. t. barnum exhibited — a curious spinster — the touching story of charlotte temple — services in the lecture room— a financial view of the 21useum — an "awful rich man." The American Museum was the ladder by which I rose to fortune. Whenever I cross Broadway at the head of Vesey Street, and see the Herald building and that gorgeous pile, the Park Bank, my mind's eye recalls that less solid, more showy edifice which once occupied the site and was covered with pictures of all manner of beasts, birds and creeping things, and in which were treasures that brought treasures and notoriety and pleasant hours to me. The Jenny Lind enterprise was more audacious, more immediately remunerative, and I remember it with a pride which I do not attempt to conceal ; but instinctively I often go back and live over again the old days of my struggles and triumphs in the American Museum. The Museum was always open at sunrise, and this was so well known throughout the country that stran- 134 THE ROAD TO RICHES. gers coming to the city would often take a tour through my halls before going to breakfast or to their hotels. I do not believe there was ever a more truly popular place of amusement. I frequently compared the annual number of visitors with the number officially reported as visiting (free of charge), the British Museum in London, and my list was invariably the larger. Nor do I believe that any man or manager ever labored more industriously to please his patrons. I furnished the most attractive exhibitions which money could procure ; I abolished all vulgarity and profanity from the stage, and I prided myself upon the fact that parents and children could attend the dramatic perform- ances in the so-called Lecture Room, and not be shocked or offended by anything they might see or hear ; I introduced the " Moral Drama," producing such plays as "The Drunkard," "Uncle Tom's Cabin," " Moses in Egypt," " Joseph and His Brethren," and occasional spectacular melodramas produced with great care and at considerable outlay. Mr. Sothern, who has since attained such wide-spread celebrity at home and abroad as a character actor, was a member of my dramatic company for one or two sea- sons. Mr. Barney Williams also began his theatrical career at the Museum, occupying, at first, quite a sub- ordinate position, at a salary of ten dollars a week. During the past twelve or fifteen years, I presume his weekly receipts, when he has acted, have been nearly $3,000. The late Miss Mary Gannon also commenced at the Museum, and many more actors and actresses of celebrity have been, from time to time, engaged there. What was once the small Lecture Room was converted into a spacious and beautiful theatre, extending over THE ROAD TO RICHES. 135 the lots adjoining the Museum, and capable of holding about three thousand persons. The saloons were greatly multiplied and enlarged, and the " egress " having been made to work to perfection, on holidays I advertised Lecture Room performances every hour through the afternoon and evening, and consequently the actors and actresses were dressed for the stage as early as eleven o'clock in the morning, and did not resume their ordi- nary clothes till ten o'clock at night. In these busy days the meals for the company were brought in and served in the dressing-rooms and green-rooms, and the com- pany always received extra pay. Leaving nothing undone that would bring Barnum and his Museum before the public, I often engaged some exhibition, knowing that it would directly bring no extra dollars to the treasury, but hoping that it would incite a newspaper paragraph which would float through the columns of the American press and be copied, per- haps, abroad, and my hopes in this respect were often gratified. I confess that I liked the Museum mainly for the opportunities it afforded for rapidly making money. Before I bought it, I weighed the matter well in my mind, and was convinced that I could present to the American public such a variety, quantity and quality of amusement, blended with instruction, " all for twenty- five cents, children half price," that my attractions would be irresistible, and my fortune certain. I myself relished a higher grade of amusement, and I was a fre- quent attendant at the opera, first-class concerts, lectures, and the like ; but I worked for the million, and I knew the only way to make a million from my patrons was to give them abundant and wholesome attractions for a small sum of money. 136 THE EOAD TO RICHES. About the first of July, 1842, I began to make arrangements for extra novelties, additional perform- ances, a large amount of extra advertising, and an out- door display for the " Glorious Fourth." Large parti- colored bills were ordered, transparencies were prepared, the free band of music was augmented by a trumpeter, and columns of advertisements, headed with large capi- tals, were written and put on file. I wanted to run out a string of American flags across the street on that day, for I knew there would be thou- sands of people passing the Museum with leisure and pocket-money, and I felt confident that an unusual display of national flags would arrest their patriotic attention, and bring many of them within my walls. Unfortunately for my purpose, St. Paul's Church stood directly opposite, and there was nothing to which I could attach my flag-rope, unless it might be one of the trees in the church-yard. I went to the vestrymen for permission to so attach my flag rope on the Fourth of July, and they were indignant at what they called my " insulting proposition " ; such a concession would be " sacrilege." I plied them with arguments, and ap- pealed to their patriotism, but in vain. Returning to the Museum I gave orders to have the string of flags made ready, with directions at daylight on the Fourth of July to attach one end of the rope to one of the third story windows of the Museum, and the other end to a tree in St. Paul's churchyard. The great day arrived, and my orders were strictly followed. The flags attracted great attention, and before nine o'clock I have no doubt that hundreds of additional visitors were drawn by this display into the Museum. By half-past nine Broadway was thronged, and about that time two THE ROAD TO RICHES. 187 gentlemen in a high state of excitement rushed into my office, announcing themselves as injured and insulted vestrymen of St. Paul's Church. 44 Keep cool, gentlemen," said I; 44 1 guess it is all right." 44 Right!" indignantly exclaimed one of them, 44 do you think it is right to attach your Museum to our Church ? We will show you what is 4 right ' and what is law, if we live till to-morrow ; those flags must come down instantly." 44 Thank you," I said, 44 but let us not be in a hurry. I will go out with you and look at them, and I guess we can make it all right." Going into the street I remarked : 44 Really, gentle- men, these flags look very beautiful ; they do not injure your tree ; I always stop my balcony music for your ac- commodation whenever you hold week-day services, and it is but fair that you should return the favor." 44 We could indict your 4 music,' as you call it, as a nuisance, if we chose," answered one vestryman, 44 and now I tell you that if these flags are not taken down in ten minutes, I will cut them down." His indignation was at the boiling point. The crowd in the street was dense, and the angry gesticulation of the vestryman attracted their attention. I saw there was no use in trying to parley with him or coax him, and so, assuming an angry air, I rolled up my sleeves, and exclaimed, in a loud tone, — 44 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 4 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 138 THE ROAD TO RICHES. down the stars and stripes on this great birth-day of American freedom ! " " What's that John Bull a-saying," asked a brawny fellow, placing himself in front of the irate 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 my ruse, smiled faintly and said, " Oh, of course it is all right," and he and his companion quietly edged out of the crowd. The flags remained up all day and all night. The next morning I sought the vanquished vestrymen and obtained formal permission to make this use of the tree on following holidays, in consideration of my willingness to arrest the doleful strains of my discord- ant balcony band whenever services were held on week days in the church. On that Fourth of July, at one o'clock, P. M., my Museum was so densely crowded that we could admit no more visitors, and we were compelled to stop the sale of tickets. I pushed through the throng until I reached the roof of the building, hoping to find room for a few more, but it was in vain. Looking down into the street it was a sad sight to see the thousands of people who stood ready with their money to enter the Museum, but who were actually turned away. It was exceed- ingly harrowing to my feelings. Eushing down stairs, I told my carpenter and his assistants to cut through the partition and floor in the rear - and to put in a temporary flight of stairs so as to let out people by that egress into Ann Street. By three o'clock the egress THE ROAD TO RICHES. 139 was opened and a few people were passed down the new stairs, while a corresponding number came in at the front. But I lost a large amount of money that day by not having sufficiently estimated the value of my own advertising, and consequently not having pro- vided for the thousands who had read my announce- ments and seen my outside show, and had taken the first leisure day to visit the Museum. I had learned one lesson, however, and that was to have the egress ready on future holidays. 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 morn- ing," " All right," said I to my carpenter, " get your egress ready for March 17 "; 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 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 sentinel how many hundreds had passed out 1 " Hundreds," he replied, " why only three persons have gone out by this way and they came back, saying that it was a mistake and begging to be let in again." " What does this mean? " I inquired ; " surely thou- sands of people have been all over the Museum since thev 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." 140 THE ROAD TO RICHES. 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 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." Further investigation showed that pretty much all of my 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 building was overcrowded, and meanwhile 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 happened 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 — H^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 establish- ment, 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 animal we have n't seen," and the throng began to pour down THE ROAD TO HICHES. 141 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 Aim Street. Meanwhile, I began to accommodate those who had long been waiting with their money at the Broadway entrance. Notwithstanding my continual outlays for additional novelties and attractions, or rather I might say, because of these outlays, money poured in upon me so rapidly that I was sometimes actually embarrassed to devise means to carry out my original plan for laying out the entire profits of the first year in advertising. I meant to sow first and reap afterwards. I finally hit upon a plan which cost a large sum, and that was to prepare large oval oil paintings to be placed between the windows of the entire building, representing nearly every impor- tant animal known in zoology. These paintings were put on the building in a single night, and so complete a transformation in the appearance of an edifice is seldom witnessed. When the living stream rolled down Broadway the next morning and reached the Astor House corner, opposite the Museum, it seemed to meet with a sudden check. I never before saw so many open mouths and astonished eyes. Some people were puzzled to know what it all meant ; some looked as if they thought it was an enchanted palace that had suddenly sprung up ; others exclaimed, " Well, the animals all seem to have 4 broken out ' last night," and hundreds came in to see how the establish- ment survived the sudden eruption. At all events, from that morning the Museum receipts took a jump forward of nearly a hundred dollars a day, and they never fell back again. Strangers would look at this great pictorial magazine and argue that an establish- 142 THE ROAD TO EICHES. ment with so many animals on the outside must have something on the inside, and in they would go to see. Inside, I took particular pains to please and astonish these strangers, and when they went back to the country, they carried plenty of pictorial bills and lithographs, which I always lavishly furnished, and thus the fame of Barnum's Museum became so widespread, that people scarcely thought of visiting the city without going to my establishment. In fact, the Museum had become an established insti- tution in the land. Now and then some one would cry out " humbug " and " charlatan," but so much the bet- ter for me. It helped to advertise me, and I was willing to bear the reputation — and I engaged queer curiosities, and even monstrosities, simply to add to the notoriety of the Museum. Dr. Valentine will be remembered by many as a man who gave imitations and delineations of eccentric charac- ters. He was quite a card at the Museum when I first purchased that establishment, 4 and before I introduced dramatic representations into the " Lecture Room." His representations were usually given as follows : A small table was placed in about the centre of the stage ; a curtain reaching to the floor covered the front and two ends of the table ; under this table, on little shelves and hooks, were placed caps, hats, coats, wigs, moustaches, curls, cravats, and shirt collars, and all sorts of gear for changing the appearance of the upper portion of the person. Dr. Valentine would seat himself in a chair behind the table, and addressing his audience, would state his intention to represent different peculiar char- acters, male and female, including the Yankee tin peddler ; 44 Tabitha Twist," a maiden lady ; 44 Sam Slick, THE ROAD TO RICHES. 143 Jr.," the precocious author ; " Solomou Jenkins," a crusty old bachelor, with a song ; the down-east school-teacher with his refractory pupils, with many other characters ; and he simply asked the indulgence of the audience for a few seconds between each imitation, to enable him to stoop down behind the table and 44 dress " each character appropriately. The Doctor himself was a most eccentric character. He was very nervous, and was always fretting lest his audience should be composed of persons who would not appreciate his " imitations." During one of his engagements the Lecture Room performances con- sisted of negro minstrelsy and Dr. Valentine's imita- tions. As the minstrels gave the entire first half of the entertainment, the Doctor would post himself at the entrance to the Museum to study the character of the visitors from their appearance. He fancied that he was a great reader of character in this way, and as most of my visitors were from the country, the Doctor, after closely perusing their faces, would decide that they were not the kind of persons who would appreciate his efforts, and this made him extremely nervous. "When this idea was once in his head, it took complete possession of the poor Doctor, and worked him up into a nervous excitement which it was often painful to behold. Every country-looking face was a dagger to the Doctor, for he had a perfect horror of exhibiting to an unappreciative audience. When so much excited that he could stand at the door no longer, the disgusted Doctor would come into my office and pour out his lamentations in this wise : 4i There, Barnum, I never saw such a stupid lot of country bumpkins in my life. I shan't be able to get a 144 THE ROAD TO RICHES. smile out of them. I had rather be horse-whipped than attempt to satisfy an audience who have not got the brains to appreciate me. Sir, mine is a highly intellectual entertainment, and none but refined and educated persons can comprehend it." "Oh, I think you will make them laugh some, Doctor," I replied. " Laugh, sir, laugh ! why, sir, they have no laugh in them, sir ; and if they had, your devilish nigger min- strels would get it all out of them before I com- menced." " Do n't get excited, Doctor," I said ; " you will please the people." " Impossible, sir ! I was a fool to ever permit my entertainment to be mixed up with that of nigger sing- ers." " But you could not give an entire entertainment sat- isfactorily to the public ; they want more variety." " Then you should have got something more refined, sir. Why, one of those cursed nigger breakdowns excites your audience so they do n't want to hear a word from me. At all events, I ought to commence the enter- tainment and let the niggers finish up. I tell you, Mr. Barnum, I won't stand it ! I would rather go to the poor-house. I won't stay here over a fortnight longer ! It is killing me ! " In this excited state the Doctor would go upon the stage, dressed very neatly in a suit of black. Address- ing a few pleasant words to the audience, he would then take a seat behind his little table, and with abroad smile covering his countenance would ask the audience to excuse him a few seconds, and he would appear as " Tabitha Twist," a literary spinster of fifty-five. On THE ROAD TO RICHES. 145 these occasions I was usually behind the scenes, stand- ing at one of the wings opposite the Doctor's table, where I could see and hear all that occurred 4; behind the curtain."' The moment the Doctor was down behind the table, a wonderful change came over that smiling countenance. " Blast this infernal, stupid audience ! they would not laugh to save the city of New York ! " said the Doctor, while he rapidly slipped on a lady's cap and a pair of long curls. Then, while arranging a lace handkerchief around his shoulders, he would grate his teeth and curse the Museum, its manager, the audience and everybody else. The instant the hand- kerchief was pinned, the broad smile would come upon his face, and up would go his head and shoulders show- ing to the audience a rollicking specimen of a good- natured old maid. c; How do you do, ladies and gentlemen ] You all know me, Tabitha Twist, the happiest maiden in the village ; always laughing. Now, I'll sing you one of my pret- tiest songs." The mock maiden would then sing a lively, funny ditty, followed by faint applause, and down would bob the head behind the table to prepare for a presentation of "Sam Slick, junior." "Curse such a set of fools" (off goes the cap, fol- lowed by the curls). " They think it's a country Sunday school " (taking off the lace handkerchief). " I expect they will hiss me next, the donkeys " (on goes a light wig of long, flowing hair). " I wish the old Museum was sunk in the Atlantic " (puts on a Yankee round- jacket, and broadbrimmed hat). " I never will be caught in this infernal place, curse it ; " up jump head and 10 U6 THE ROAD TO RICHES. shoulders of the Yankee, and Sam Slick, junior, sings out a merry — " Ha ! ha ! why, folks, how de dew. Darn glad to see you, by hokey ; I came down here to have lots of fun, for you know I always believe we must laugh and grow fat." After five minutes of similar rollicking nonsense, down would bob the head again, and the cursing, swearing, tearing, and teeth-grating would commence, and continue till the next character appeared to the audience, bedecked with smiles and good-humor. On several occasions I got up " Baby shows," at which I paid liberal prizes for the finest baby, the fattest baby, the handsomest twins, for triplets, and so on. I always gave several months' notice of these intended shows and limited the number of babies at each exhibition to one hundred. Long before the appointed time, the list would be full and I have known many a fond mother to weep bitterly because the time for application was closed and she could not have the opportunity to exhibit her beautiful baby. These shows were as popular as they were unique, and while they paid in a financial point of view, my chief object in getting them up was to set the newspapers to talking about me, thus giving another blast on the trumpet which I always tried to keep blowing for the Museum. Flower shows, dog shows, poultry shows and bird shows, were held at intervals in my establishment and in each instance the same end was attained as by the baby shows. I gave prizes in the shape of medals, money and diplomas and the whole came back to me four-fold in the shape of advertising. There was great difficulty, however, in awarding the THE ROAD TO RICHES. 147 principal prize of $100 at the baby shows. Every mother thought her own baby the brightest and best, and confidently expected the capital prize. For where was ever seen the mother Would give her bahy for another? Not foreseeing this when I first stepped into the expectant circle and announced in a matter of fact way that a committee of ladies had decided upon the baby of Mrs. So and So as entitled to the leading prize, I was ill-prepared for the storm of indignation that arose on every side. Ninety-nine disappointed, and as they thought, deeply injured, mothers made common cause and pronounced the successful little one the meanest, homeliest baby in the lot, and roundly abused me and my committee for our stupidity and partiality. " Very well, ladies," said I in the first instance, 44 select a com- mittee of your own and I will give another $100 prize to the baby you shall pronounce to be the best specimen." This was only throwing oil upon flame ; the ninety-nine confederates were deadly enemies from the moment and no new babies were presented in competition for the second prize. Thereafter, I took good care to send in a written report and did not attempt to announce the prize in person. At the first exhibition of the kind, there was a vague, yet very current rumor, that in the haste of departure from the Museum several young mothers had exchanged babies (for the babies were nearly all of the same age and were generally dressed alike) and did not discover the mistake till they arrived home and some such con- versation as this occurred between husband and wife : 44 Did our baby take the prize ? " 44 No ! the darling was cheated out of it." 148 THE ROAD TO RICHES. " Well, why did n't you bring home the same baby you carried to the Museum % " I am glad to say that I could not trace this cruel rumor to an authentic source. In June 1843, a herd of yearling buffaloes was on exhibition in Boston. I bought the lot, brought them to New Jersey, hired the race course at Hoboken, char- tered the ferry-boats for one day, and advertised that a hunter had arrived with a herd of buffaloes — I was careful not to state their age — and that August 31st there would be a 44 Grand Buffalo Hunt" on the Hobo- ken 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 44 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 lasso, but unfortunately the yearlings would not run till the crowd gave a great shout, expressive at once of derision and delight 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 my balcony band, which I also furnished 44 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 Journal, 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 ROAD TO RICHES. 149 the foot of Barclay Street, and it was so densely crowded that many persons were obliged to stand on the railings and hold on to the awning posts. When they reached the Hoboken 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 a laugh for several days over the Hoboken " Free Grand Buffalo Hunt," I per- mitted it to be announced that the proprietor of the American Museum was responsible for the joke, thus using the buffalo hunt as a sky-rocket to attract public attention to my Museum. The object was accomplished and although some people cried out " humbug," I had added to the notoriety which I so much wanted and I was satisfied. As for the cry of " humbug," it never harmed me, and I was in the position of the actor who had much rather be roundly abused than not to be noticed at all. I ought to add, that the forty-eight thousand sixpences — the usual fare — received for ferry fares, less what I paid for the charter of the boats on that one day, more than remunerated me for the cost of the buffaloes and the expenses of the " hunt," and the enormous gratuitous advertising of the Museum must also be placed to my credit. With the same object — that is, advertising my Mu- seum,— I purchased, for $500, in Cincinnati, Ohio, a '; Woolly Horse " I found on exhibition in that city. It was a well formed, small sized horse, with no mane, 150 THE ROAD TO RICHES. and not a particle of hair on his tail, while his entire body and legs were covered with thick, fine hair or wool, which curled tight to his skin. This horse was foaled in Indiana, and was a remarkable freak of nature, and certainly a very curious looking animal. I had not the remotest idea, when I bought this horse, what I should do with him ; but when the news came that Colonel John C. Fremont (who was supposed to have been lost in the snows of the Rocky Mountains) was in safety, the " Woolly Horse " was exhibited in New York, and was widely advertised as a most re- markable animal that had been captured by the great explorer's party in the passes of the Rocky Mountains. The exhibition met with only moderate success in New York, and in several Northern provincial towns, and the show would have fallen flat in Washington, had it not been for the over -zeal of Colonel Thomas H. Ben- ton, then a United States Senator from Missouri. He went to the show, and then caused the arrest of my agent for obtaining twenty-five cents from him under " false pretences." No mention had been made of this curious animal in any letter he had received from his son-in-law, Colonel John C. Fremont, and therefore the Woolly Horse had not been captured by any of Fre- mont's party. The reasoning was hardly as sound as were most of the arguments of " Old Bullion," and the case was dismissed. After a few days of merriment, public curiosity no longer turned in that direction, and the old horse was permitted to retire to private life. My object in the exhibition, however, was fully attained. When it was generally known that the proprietor of the American Museum was also the owner of the famous " Woolly Horse," it caused yet more talk about me THE ROAD TO RICHES. 151 and my establishment, and visitors began to say that they wonld give more to see the proprietor of the Mu- seum than to view the entire collection of curiosities. As for my ruse in advertising the " Woolly Horse " as having been captured by Fremont's exploring party, of course the announcement neither added to nor took from the interest of the exhibition ; but it arrested pub- lic attention, and it was the only feature of the show that I now care to forget. • It will be seen that very much of the success which attended my many years proprietorship of the Amer- ican Museum was due to advertising, and especially to my odd methods of advertising. Always claiming that I had curiosities worth showing and worth seeing, and exhibited " dog cheap" at " twenty-five cents admis- sion, children half price " — I studied ways to arrest public attention ; to startle, to make people talk and wonder ; in short, to let the world know that I had a Museum. About this time, I engaged a band of Indians from Iowa. They had never seen a railroad or steamboat until they saw them on the route from Iowa to Jsew York. Of course they were wild and had but faint ideas of civilization. The party comprised large and noble specimens of the untutored savage, as well as several very beautiful squaws, with two or three inter- esting 44 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 satisfaction of the audiences. But these wild Indians seemed to consider their dances as realities. Hence when they gave a real 152 THE ROAD TO RICHES. War Dance, it was dangerous 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, we had a high rope barrier placed between them and the savages on the front of the stage. After they had been a week in the Museum, I pro- posed 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 what- ever was announced for Monday, was repeated every day and evening during that week. Before the Wedding Dance came off on Monday afternoon, I was informed that I was to provide a large new red woollen 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 with the Wedding Dance unless he had his blanket present. I undertook to explain to the chief, through the inter- preter, that this was only a " make believe" wedding; but the old savage shrugged his shoulders, and gave such a terrific tc Ugh ! " that I was glad to make my peace by ordering another blanket. As we gave two perform- ances per day, I was out of pocket $120 for twelve " wedding blankets," that week. THE HO AD TO MCIIES. 153 One of the beautiful squaws named Do-humme died in the Museum. She had been a great favorite with many ladies, — among whom I can especially name Mrs. C. M. Sawyer, wife of the Rev. Dr. T. J. Sawyer. 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. It was sometimes very amusing to hear the remarks of strangers who came to visit my Museum. One after- noon a prim maiden lady from Portland, Maine, walked -into my private office, where I was busily engaged in writing, and taking a seat on the sofa she asked : " Is this Mr. Barnum % " " It is," I replied. " Is this Mr. P. T. Barnum, the proprietor of the Museum?" she asked. " The same," was my answer. " Why, really, Mr. Barnum," she continued, " you look much like other common folks, after all." I remarked that I presumed I did ; but I could not help it, and I hoped she was not disappointed at my appear- ance. " Oh, no," she said ; " I suppose I have no right to be disappointed, but I have read and heard so much about you and your Museum that I was quite prepared to be astonished." 154 THE E0AD TO RICHES. I asked her if she had been through the establish- ment. " I have," she replied ; " I came in immediately after breakfast ; I have been here ever since, and, I can say I think with the Queen of Sheba, that 6 the half had not been told me.' But, Mr. Barnum," she continued, " I have long felt a desire to see you ; I wanted to attend when you lectured on temperance in Portland, but I had a severe cold and could not go out." " Do you like my collection as well as you do the one in the Boston Museum V' I asked. " Dear me ! Mr. Barnum," said she, " I never went to any Museum before, nor to any place of amusement or public entertainment, excepting our school exhibi- tions ; and I have sometimes felt that they even may be wicked, for some parts of the dialogues seemed frivo- lous ; but I have heard so much of your ' moral drama' and the great good you are doing for the rising genera- tion that I thought I must come here and see for myself." " We represent the pathetic story of ' Charlotte Tem- ple ' in the Lecture Room to-day," I remarked, with an inward chuckle at the peculiarities of my singular visi- tor, who, although she was nearly fifty years of age, had probably never been in an audience of a hundred persons, unless it might be at a school exhibition, or in Sunday school, or in church. " Indeed ! I am quite familiar with the sad history of Miss Temple, and I think I can derive great consolation from witnessing the representation of the touching story." At this moment the gong sounded to announce the opening of the Lecture Room, and the crowd passed on THE E0AD TO EICHES. 155 in haste to secure seats. My spinster visitor sprang to her feet and anxiously inquired : t; Are the services about to commence? " " Yes," I replied, " the congregation is now going up." She marched along with the crowd as demurely as if she was going to a funeral. After she was seated, I watched her, and in the course of the play I noticed that she was several times so much overcome as to be moved to tears. She was very much affected, and when the "services" were over, without seeking another in- terview with me, she went silently and tearfully away. One day, two city boys who had thoroughly explored the wonders of the Museum, on their way out passed the open door of my private office, and seeing me sitting there, one of them exclaimed to his companion : " There ! That's Mr. Barnum." " Xo ! is it ? " asked the other, and then with his mind full of the glories of the stuffed gander-skins, and other wealth which had been displayed to his wondering eyes in the establishment, he summed up his views of the vastness and value of the whole collection, and its fortu- nate proprietor in a single sentence : " Well, he's an awful rich old cuss, ain't he ! " Those boys evidently took a strictly financial view of the establishment. CHAPTER X. ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. PEALE' S MUSEUM — M YSTERIOUS MESMERISM — YANKEE HILL — HENRY BENNETT — THE RIVAL MUSEUMS — THE ORPHEAN AND ORPHAN FAMILIES — THE FUDG- ES MERMAID — BUYING OUT MY RIVAL — RUNNING OPPOSITION TO MYSELF — ABOLISHING THEATRICAL NUISANCES — NO CHECKS AND NO BAR — THE MUSEUM MY MANIA — MY FIRST INTERVIEW WITH CHARLES S. STRATTON — GENERAL TOM THUMB IN NEW YORK — RE-ENGAGEMENT — AN APT PUPIL — FREE FROM DEBT — THE PROFITS OF TWO YEARS — EN SEARCH OF A NEW FIELD — STARTING FOR LIVERPOOL — THE GOOD SHIP "YORKSHIRE" — MY PARTY — ESCORT TO SANDY HOOK — THE VOYAGE — A TOBACCO TRICK — A BRAGGING JOHN BULL OUTWITTED — ARRIVAL AT LIVERPOOL — 1 A GENTLEMAN BEGGAR — MADAME CELESTE — CHEAP DWARFS — TWO-PENNY SHOWS — EXHI- BITION OF GENERAL TOM THUMB IN LIVERPOOL — FIRST-CLASS ENGAGEMENT FOR LONDON. The president and directors of the " New York Museum Company " not only failed to buy the American Museum as they confidently expected to do, but, after my newspaper squib war and my purchase of the Museum, they found it utterly impossible to sell their stock. By some arrangement, the particulars of which I do not remember, if, indeed, I ever cared to know them, Mr. Peale was conducting Peale's Museum which he claimed was a more " scientific " establishment than mine, and he pretended to appeal to a higher class of patrons. Mesmerism was one of his scientific attrac- tions, and he had a subject upon whom he operated at times with the greatest seeming success, and fairly astonished his audiences. But there were times when the subject was wholly unimpressible and then those who had paid their money to see the woman put into the mesmeric state cried out " humbug," and the reputa- tion of the establishment seriously suffered. ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. 157 It devolved upon me to open a rival mesmeric per- formance, and accordingly I engaged a bright little girl who was exceedingly susceptible to such mesmeric influ- ences as I could induce. That is, she learned her lesson thoroughly, and when I had apparently put her to sleep with a few passes and stood behind her, she seemed to be duly " impressed " as I desired ; raised her hands as I willed ; fell from her chair to the floor ; and if I put candy or tobacco into my mouth, she was duly delighted or disgusted. She never failed in these routine performances. 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 applauded tremendously — up to a certain point. That point was reached, when leaving the girl " asleep," I called up some one in the audience, promis- ing to put him " in the same state " within five minutes, or forfeit fifty dollars. Of course, all my " passes " would not put my man in the mesmeric state ; at the end of three minutes he was as wide awake as ever. " Never mind," I would say, looking at my watch ; " I have two minutes more, and meantime, to show that a person in this state is utterly insensible to pain, I pro- pose to cut off one of the fingers of the little girl who is still asleep." I would then take out my knife and feel of the edge, and when I turned around to the girl whom I 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. " Why ! where's my little girl ? " I asked with feigned astonishment. 158 ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. "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 4 in the same state ' at the end of five min- utes, and as I believe you are so, I do not forfeit fifty dollars." I kept up this performance for several weeks, till I quite killed Peale's " genuine " mesmerism in the rival establishment. After Peale, " Yankee " Hill undertook the management of that Museum, but in a little while he failed. It was then let to Henry Bennett, who reduced the entrance price to one shilling, — a half price which led me to characterize his concern as " cheap and nasty," — and he began a serious rivalry with my Museum. His main reliances were burlesques and caricatures of whatever novelties I was exhibiting ; thus, when I advertised an able company of vocalists, well-known as the Orphean Family, Bennett announced the " Orphan Family ; " my Fejee Mermaid he offset with a figure made of a monkey and codfish joined together and called the " Fudg-ee Mermaid." These things created some laughter at my expense, but they also served to advertise my Museum. When the novelty of this opposition died away, Bennett did a decidedly losing business. I used to send a man with a shilling to his place every night and I knew exactly how much he was doing and what were his receipts. The holidays were coming and might tide him over a day or two, but he was at the very bottom and I said to him, one day : " Bennett, if you can keep open one week after New Year's I will give you a hundred dollars." I ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. 159 He made every effort to win the money, and even went to the landlord and offered hirn the entire receipts for a week if he would only let him stay there ; but he would not do it, and the day after New Years, January 2, 1813, Bennett shut up shop, hav- ing lost his last dollar and even failing to secure the handsome premium I offered him. The entire collection fell into the hands of the land- lord for arrearages of rent, and I privately purchased it for $7,000 cash, hired the building, and secretly engaged Bennett as my agent. We ran a very spirited opposition for a long time and abused each other ter- ribly in public. It was very amusing when actors and performers failed to make terms with one of us and went to the other, carrying from one to the other the price each was willing to pay for an engagement. We thus used to hear extraordinary stories about each other's " liberal terms," but between the two we man- aged to secure such persons as we wanted at about the rates at which their services were really worth. While these people were thus running from one man- ager to the other, supposing we were rivals, Bennett said to me one day : " You and I are like a pair of shears ; we seem to cut each other, but we only cut what comes between." I ran my opposition long enough to beat myself. It answered every purpose, however, in awakening pub- lic attention to my Museum, and was an advantage in preventing others from starting a genuine opposition. At the end of six months, the whole establishment, including the splendid gallery of American portraits, was removed to the American Museum and I immediately advertised the great card of a " Double attraction" and " Two Museums in One," without extra charge. 160 ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. A Museum proper obviously depends for patronage largely upon country people who visit the city with a worthy curiosity to see the novelties of the town. As I had opened a dramatic entertainment in connection with my curiosities, it was clear that I must adapt my stage to the wants of my country customers. While I was disposed to amuse my provincial patrons, I was determined that there should be nothing in my estab- lishment, where many of my visitors would derive their first impressions of city life, that could contaminate or corrupt them. At this period, it was customary to tolerate very considerable license on the stage. Things were said and done and permitted in theatres that elsewhere would have been pronounced highly improper. The public seemed to demand these things, and it is an axiom in political economy, that the demand must regulate the supply. But I determined, at the start, that, let the demand be what it might, the Museum dramatic entertainments should be unexceptionable on the score of morality. I have already mentioned some of the immediate reforms I made in the abuses of the stage. I went farther, and, at the risk of some pecuniary sacrifice, I abolished what was common enough in other theatres, even the most " respectable," and was generally known as the " third tier." Nor was a bar permitted on my premises. To be sure, I had no power to prevent my patrons from going out between the acts and getting liquor if they chose to do so, and I gave checks, as is done in other theatres, and some of my city customers availed themselves of the opportunity .to go out for drinks and return again. Practically,' then, it was much the same as if I had kept a bar in the Museum, and so ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. 161 I abolished the check business. There was great reason to apprehend that such a course would rob me of the patronage of a considerable class of play-goers, but I rigidly adhered to the new rule, and what I may have lost in money, I more than gained in the greater decorum which characterized my audiences. The Museum became a mania with me and I made everything possible subservient to it. On the eve of elections, rival politicians would ask me for whom I was going to vote, and my answer invariably was, 44 1 vote for the American Museum." In fact, at that time, I cared very little about politics, and a great deal about my business. Meanwhile the Museum prospered wonderfully, and everything I attempted or engaged in seemed at the outset aif assured suc- cess. The giants whom I exhibited from time to time were always literally great features in my establish- ment, and they oftentimes afforded me, as well as my patrons, food for much amusement as well as wonder. The Quaker giant, Hales, was quite a wag in his way. He went once to see the new house of an acquaint- ance who had suddenly become rich, but who was a very ignorant man. When he came back he described the wonders of the mansion and said that the proud proprietor showed him everything from basement to attic ; parlors, bed-rooms, dining room, and," said Hales, 44 what he called his 4 study' — meaning, I suppose, the place where he intends to study his spelling-book ! " I 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 li 162 ANOTfTER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION, other, and of the attention the rival received, or the notice he attracted. One day they quarrelled, and a lively interchange of compliments ensned, the Ara- bian calling the Frenchman a " Shanghai," and receiving in return the epithet of " Nigger." From words both were eager to proceed to blows, and both ran to my collection of arms, one seizing the club with which Captain Cook or any other man might have been killed, if it were judiciously 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 combatants. Hearing the disturbance, I ran from my private office to the duelling ground, and said : " Look here ! This is all right ; if you want to fight each other, maiming and perhaps killing one or both of you, that is your affair; but my interest lies here — }ou 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 attraction, and if you kill each other, our engagement can end with your duel." This proposition, made in apparent earnest, so de- lighted the giants that they at once burst into a laugh, shook hands, and quarrelled no more. I now come to the details of one of the most interest- ing, as well as successful, of all the show enterprises in which I have engaged — one which not only taxed all my ingenuity and industry, but which gave unqualified S^TTZJS OF THE GIjI.YTS. / ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. 163 delight to thousands of people on two continents and put enormous sums of money y^to many pockets besides my own. In November, 1842, 1 was in Albany on business, and as the Hudson River was frozen over, I returned to Xew York by the Housatonic Railroad, stopping one night at Bridgeport, Connecticut, with my brother, Philo F. Barnum, who at that time kept the Franklin Hotel. I had heard of a remarkably small child in Bridgeport, and, at my request, my brother brought him to the hotel. He was not two feet high ; he weighed less than sixteen pounds, and was the smallest child I ever saw that could walk alone ; but 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 induced to talk with me, and he told me that he 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. But as he was only five years of age, to exhibit him as a "dwarf" might provoke the inquiry " How do you know he is a dwarf?" Some liberty might be taken wdth the facts, but even with this license, I felt that the venture was only an experiment, and I engaged him for four weeks at three dollars a week, with all travelling and boarding charges for himself and his mother at my expense. They came to New York, Thanks- giving day, December 8, 1842, and Mrs. Stratton was greatly surprised to see her son announced on my Museum bills as " General Tom Thumb." I took the greatest pains to educate and train my 164 ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. diminutive prodigy, devoting many hours to the task by day and by night, and ^ was very successful, for he was an apt pupil with a great deal of native talent, and a keen sense of the ludicrous. He made rapid progress in preparing himself for such performances as I wished him to undertake and he became very much attached to his teacher. When the four weeks expired, I 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 accompany him and I was to pay all travelling expenses. He speedily became a public favorite, and, long before the year was out, I voluntarily increased his weekly salary to twenty- five dollars, and he fairly earned it. Sometimes I exhibited him for several weeks in succession at the Museum, and when I wished to introduce other novelties I sent him to different towns and cities, accompanied by my friend, Mr. Fordyce Hitchcock, and the fame of General Tom Thumb soon spread throughout the country. Two years had now elapsed since I bought the Museum and I had long since paid for the entire establishment from the profits ; I had bought out my only rival ; I was free from debt, and had a handsome surplus in the treasury. The business had long ceased to be an experiment ; it was an established success and was in such perfect running order, that it could safely be committed to the management of trustworthy and tried agents. Accordingly, looking for a new field for my individ- ual efforts, I entered into an agreement for General ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. 165 Tom Thumb's services for another year, at fifty dollars a week and all expenses, with the privilege of exhibiting him in Europe. I proposed to test the curiosity of men and women on the other side of the Atlantic. Much as I hoped for success, in my most sanguine moods, I could not anticipate the half of what was in store for me ; I did not foresee nor dream that I was shortly to be brought in close contact with kings, queens, lords and illustrious commoners, and that such association, by fneans of my exhibition, would afterwards introduce me to the great public and the public's money, which was to fill my coffers. Or, if I saw some such future, it was dreamily, dimly, and with half-opened eyes, as the man saw the " trees walking." After arranging my business affairs for a long absence, and making every preparation for an extended foreign tour, on Thursday, January 18, 1844, I went on board the new and fine sailing ship " Yorkshire," Captain D. G. Bailey, bound for Liverpool. Our party included General Tom Thumb, his parents, his tutor, and Profes- sor Guillaudeu, the French naturalist. We were accom- panied by several personal friends, and the City Brass Band kindly volunteered to escort us to Sandy Hook. My name has been so long associated with mirthful incidents that I presume many persons do not suppose I am susceptible of sorrowful, or even sentimental emo- tions ; but when the bell of the steamer that towed our ship down the bay announced the hour of separation, and then followed the hastily-spoken words of farewell, and the parting grasp of friendly hands, I confess that I was very much in the " melting mood," and when the band played " Home, Sweet Home," I was moved to tears. 166 , ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. A voyage to Liverpool is now an old, familiar story, and I abstain from entering into details, though I have abundant material respecting my own experiences of my first sea-voyage in the first two of a series of one hundred letters which I wrote in Europe as correspon- dent of the New York Atlas. But some of the incidents and adventures of my voyage on the " Yorkshire " are worth transcribing in these pages of my personal his- tory. Occasional calms and adverse winds protracted Tmr passage to nineteen days, but a better ship and a more competent captain never sailed. I was entirely exempt from sea-sickness, and enjoyed the voyage very much. Good fellowship prevailed among the passengers, the time passed rapidly, and we had a good deal of fun on board. Several of the passengers were English merchants from Canada and one of the number, who reckoned himself "A, No. l,"and often hinted that he was too 'cute for any Yankee, boasted so much of his shrewd- ness that a Yankee friend of mine confederated with me to test it. I thought of an old trick and arranged with my friend to try it on the boastful John Bull. Coming out of my state-room, with my hand to my face, and apparently in great pain, I asked my fellow passen- gers what was good for the tooth-ache My friend and confederate recommended heating tobacco, and holding it to my face. I therefore borrowed a little tobacco, and putting it in a paper of a peculiar color, placed it on the stove to warm. I then retired for a few minutes, during which time the Yankee proposed play- ing a trick on me by emptying the tobacco, and filling the paper with ashes, which our smart Englishman ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. 167 thought would bo a very fine joke, and he himself made the substitution, putting ashes into the paper and throwing the tobacco into the fire. I soon reappeared and gravely placed the paper to my face to the great amusement of the passengers and walked up and down the cabin as if I was suffering terribly. At the further end of the cabin I slyly ex- changed the paper for another in my pocket of the same color and containing tobacco and then walked back again a picture of misery. Whereupon, the Merry Englishman cried out : 44 Mr. Barnum, what have you got in that paper? " 44 Tobacco," I replied. 44 What will you bet it is tobacco I " said the English- man. 44 Oh, do n't bother me," said I ; 44 my tooth pains me sadly ; I know it is tobacco, for I put it there myself." 44 I'll bet you a dozen of champagne that it is not tobacco," said the Englishman. 44 Nonsense," I replied, 44 1 will not bet, for it would not be fair ; I know it is tobacco." 44 I'll bet you fifty dollars it is not," said John Bull, and he counted ten sovereigns upon the table. 44 I'll not bet the money," I replied, for I tell you I hioiv it is tobacco ; I placed it there myself." 44 You dare not bet ! " he rejoined. At last, merely to accommodate him, I bet a dozen of champagne. The Englishman fairly jumped with delight, and roared out : 44 Open the paper ! open the paper ! " The passengers crowded round the table in great glee to see me open the paper, for all but the Yankee thought I was taken in. I quietly opened the paper, and remarked: 168 ■ ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. " There, I told you it was tobacco — how foolish you were to suppose it was not — for, as I told you, I put it there myself." The passengers, my confederate excepted, were amazed and the Englishman was absolutely astounded. It was the biter bitten. But he told the steward to bring the champagne, and turning to my confederate who had so effectually assisted in " selling " him, he pronounced the affair " a contemptible Yankee trick" It was several days before he recovered his good humor, but he joined at last with the rest of us in laughing at the joke, and we heard no more about his extraordinary shrewdness. On our arrival at Liverpool, quite a crowd had assem- bled at the dock to see Tom Thumb, for it had been previously announced that he would arrive in the " Yorkshire," but his mother managed to smuggle him ashore unnoticed, for she carried him, as if he was an infant, in her arms. We went to the Waterloo Hotel, and, after an excellent dinner, walked out to take a look at the town. While I was viewing the Nelson monument a venerable looking, well-dressed old gentle- man volunteered to explain to me the different devices and inscriptions. I looked upon him as a disinterested and attentive man of means who was anxious to assist a stranger and to show his courtesy ; but when I gave him a parting bow of thanks, half ashamed that I had so tres- passed on his kindness, he put out the hand of a beg- gar and said that he would be thankful for any remu- neration I saw fit to bestow upon him for his trouble. I was certainly astonished, and I thrust a shilling into his hand and walked rapidly away. In the evening of the same day, a tall, raw-boned ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. 16? man came to the hotel and introduced himself to me as a brother Yankee, who would be happy in pointing out the many wonders in Liverpool that a stranger would be pleased to see. I asked him how long he had been in Liverpool, and he replied, " Nearly a week." I declined his proffered services abruptly, remarking that if he had been there only a week, 1 probably knew as much about England as he did. " Oh," said he, " you are mistaken. I have been in England before, thougb never till recently in Liver- pool." " What part of England ? " I inquired. " Opposite Niagara Falls," he replied ; " I spent several days there with the British soldiers." I laughed in his face, and reminded him that England did not lie opposite Niagara Falls. The impudent fellow was confused for a moment, and then triumph- antly exclaimed: "I didn't mean England. I know wdiat country it is as well as you do." " Well, what country is it ? " I asked, quite assured that he did not know. " Great Britain, of course," he replied. It is needless to add that the honor of his company as a guide in Liverpool was declined, and he went off apparently in a huff because his abilities were not appreciated. Later in the evening, the proprietor of a cheap wax- works show, at three ha' pence admission, called upon me. He had heard of the arrival of the great American curiosity, and he seized the earliest opportunity to make the General and myself the magnificent offer of 170 ' ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. ten dollars a week if we would join ourselves to his already remarkable and attractive exhibition. I could not but think, that dwarfs must be literally at a " low figure " in England, and my prospects were gloomy indeed. I was a stranger in the land ; my letters of introduction had not been delivered ; beyond my own little circle, I had not seen a friendly face, nor heard a familiar voice. I was "blue," homesick, almost in despair. Next morning, there came a ray of sunshine in the following note : " Madame Celeste presents her compliments to Mr. Barnnm, and begs to say that her private box is quite at his service, any night, for himself and friends. "Theatre Royal, Williamson Square." This polite invitation was thankfully accepted, and we went to the theatre that evening. Our party, in- cluding the General, who was partly concealed by his tutor's cloak, occupied Celeste's box, and in the box adjoining sat an English lady and gentleman whose appearance indicated respectability, intelligence and wealth. The General's interest in the performance attracted their attention, and the lady remarked to me : " What an intelligent-looking child you have ! He appears to take quite an interest in the stage." " Pardon me, madam," said I, " this is not a child. This is General Tom Thumb." " Indeed ! " they exclaimed. They had seen the announcements of our visit and were greatly gratified at an interview with the pigmy prodigy. They at once advised me in the most complimentary and urgent man- ner to take the General to Manchester, where they resided, assuring me that an exhibition in that place would be highly remunerative. I thanked my new ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. 171 friends for their counsel and encouragement, and ventured to ask them what price they would recommend me to charge for admission. " The General is so decidedly a curiosity," said the lady, " that I think you might put it as high as tup- pence ! " (two-pence.) She was, however, promptly interrupted by her hus- band, who was evidently the economist of the family : " I am sure you would not succeed at that price," said he ; " you should put admission at one penny, for that is the usual price for seeing giants and dwarfs in England." This was worse than the ten dollars a week offer of the wax-works proprietor, but I promptly answered " Never shall the price be less than one shilling ster- ling and some of the nobility and gentry of England will yet pay gold to see General Tom Thumb." My letters of introduction speedily brought me into friendly relations with 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 proceed directly to London and begin operations at " head-quarters," 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, wras 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 172 ' ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION. I stepped up to him, and called him by name, he was 44 taken all aback," and avowed his purpose in visiting 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 lib- eral terms, was acceded to only as a means of adver- tisement. So soon, therefore, as I could bring my short, but highly successful season in Liverpool to a close, we went to London. CHAPTEE XL GENEKAL TOM THUMB IN ENGLAND. ARRIVAL IN LONDON — THE GENERAL'S DEBUT EST THE PRINCESS'S THEATRE — ENORMOUS SUCCESS — MY MANSION AT THE WEST END — DALLY LEVEES FOR THE NOBILITY AND GENTRY — HON. EDWARD EVERETT — HIS INTER- EST IN THE GENERAL — VISIT TO THE BARONESS ROTHSCHILD — OPENING IN EGYPTIAN HALL, PICCADILLY — MR. CHARLES MURRAY, MASTER OF THE QUEEN'S HOUSEHOLD — AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE BY COMMAND OF HER MAJESTY — A ROYAL RECEPTION — THE FAVORABLE IMPRESSION MADE BY THE GENERAL — AMUSING INCIDENTS OF THE VISIT — BACKING OUT — FIGHT WITH A POODLE — COURT JOURNAL NOTICE — SECOND VISIT TO THE QUEEN — THE PRINCE OF WALES AND PRINCESS ROYAL — THE QUEEN OF THE BELGIANS — THLRD VISIT TO BUCKINGHAM PALACE — KING LEOPOLD, OF BELGIUM — ASSURED SUCCESS — THE BRITISH PUBLIC EXCITED — EGYPTIAN HALL CROWDED — QUEEN DOWAGER ADELAIDE — THE GENERAL'S WATCH — NAPOLEON AND THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON — DISTINGUISHED FRIENDS. Immediately after our arrival in London, the General came out at the Princess's Theatre, and made so decided a "hit " that it was difficult to decide who was best pleased, the spectators, the manager, or myself. The pleased because I now had a visible guaranty of success in London. I was offered far higher terms for a re-en- gagement, but my purpose had been already answered ; the news was spread everywhere that General Tom Thumb, an unparalleled curiosity, was in the city ; and it only remained for me to bring him before the public, on my own account and in my own time and way. I took a furnished mansion in Grafton Street, Bond Street, West End, in the very centre of the most fash- 174 GENERAL TOM THUMB IN ENGLAND. ionable locality. The house had previously been occu- pied for several years by Lord Talbot, and Lord Brougham and half a dozen families of the aristocracy and many of the gentry were my neighbors. From this magnificent mansion, I sent letters of invitation to the editors and several of the nobility, to visit the General. Most of them called, and were highly gratified. The word of approval was indeed so passed around in high circles, that uninvited parties drove to my door in crested carriages, and were not admitted. This procedure, though in some measure a stroke of policy, was neither singular nor hazardous, under the circumstances. I had not yet announced a public exhi- bition, and as a private American gentleman, it became me to maintain the dignity of my position. I therefore instructed my liveried servant to deny admission to see my " ward," excepting to persons who brought cards of invitation. He did it in a proper manner, and no offence could be taken, though I was always particular to send an invitation immediately to such as had not been admitted. During our first week in London, the Hon. Edward Everett, the American Minister, to whom I had letters of introduction, called and was highly pleased with his diminutive though renowned countryman. We dined with him the next day, by invitation, and his family loaded the young American with presents. Mr. Everett kindly promised to use influence at the Palace in person, with a view to having Tom Thumb introduced to Her Majesty Queen Victoria. A few evenings afterwards the Baroness Rothschild sent her carriage for us. Her mansion is a noble struc- ture in Piccadilly, surrounded by a high wall, through GENERAL TOM THUMB IX ENGLAND. 175 the gate of which our carriage was driven, and brought up in front of the main entrance. Here we were received by half a dozen servants, and were ushered up the broad flight of marble stairs to the drawing-room, where we met the Baroness and a party of twenty or more ladies and gentlemen. In this sumptuous mansion of the richest banker in the world, we spent about two hours, and when we took our leave a well-filled purse was quietly slipped into my hand. The golden shower had begun to fall, and that it was no dream was mani- fest from the fact that, very shortly afterwards, a visit to the mansion of Mr. Drummond, another eminent banker, came to the same golden conclusion. I now engaged the " Egyptian Hall," in Piccadilly, and the announcement of my unique exhibition was promptly answered by a rush of visitors, in which the wealth and fashion of London were liberally repre- sented. I made these arrangements because I had little hope of being soon brought to the Queen's presence, (for the reason before mentioned,) but Mr. Everett's generous influence secured my object. I breakfasted at his house one morning, by invitation, in company with Mr. Charles Murray, an author of creditable repute, who held the office of Master of the Queen's Household. In the course of conversation, Mr. Murray inquired as to^my plans, and I informed him that I intended going to the Continent shortly, though I should be glad to remain if the General could have an inter- view with the Queen — adding that such an event would be of great consequence to me. Mr. Murray kindly offered his good offices in the dase, and the next day one of the Life Guards, a tall, noble-looking fellow, bedecked as became his sta- 176 , GENERAL TOM THUMB IN ENGLAND. tion, brought me a note, conveying the Queen's invita- tion to General Tom Thumb and his guardian, Mr. Bar- num, to appear at Buckingham Palace on an evening specified. Special instructions were the same day orally given me by Mr. Murray, by Her Majesty's command, to suffer the General to appear before her, as he would appear anywhere else, without any training in the use of the titles of royalty, as the Queen desired to see him act naturally and without restraint. Determined to make the most of the occasion, I put a placard on the door of the Egyptian Hall : " Closed this evening, General Tom Thumb being at Bucking- ham Palace by command of Her Majesty." On arriving at the Palace, the Lord in Waiting put me " under drill " as to the manner and form in which I should conduct myself in the presence of royalty. I was to answer all questions by Her Majesty through him, and in no event to speak directly to the Quaen. In leaving the royal presence I was to " back out," keeping my face always towards Her Majesty, and the illustrious lord kindly gave me a specimen of that sort of backward locomotion. How far I profited by his instructions arid example, will presently appear. We were conducted through a long corridor to a broad flight of marble steps, which led to the Queen's magnificent picture gallery, w^here Her Majesty and Prince Albert, the Duchess of Kent, and twenty or thirty of the nobility were awaiting our arrival. They were standing at the farther 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 GENERAL TOM THUMB IN ENGLAND. 177 remarkable specimen of humanity so much smaller than they had evidently expected to find him. 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 Gentle- men ! " 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 retired to rest, but that he should see him on some future occasion. The General then gave his songs, dances, and imita- tions, and after a conversation with Prince Albert and all present, which continued for more than an hour, we were permitted to depart. Before describing the process and incidents of " back- ing out," I must acknowledge how sadly I broke through the counsel of the Lord in Waiting. While Prince Albert and others were engaged with the General, the Queen was gathering information from me in regard to his history, etc. Two or three questions were put and answered through the process indicated in my drill. It was a round-about way of doing business not at all to my liking, and I suppose the Lord in Waiting was seriously shocked, if not outraged, when I entered directly into conversation with Her Majesty. She, however, seemed not disposed to check my boldness, for she immediately spoke directly to me in obtaining the information which she sought. I felt entirely at 12 178 GENERAL TOM THUMB IN ENGLAND. ease in her presence, and could not avoid contrasting her sensible and amiable manners with the stiffness 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 magnificence, their dresses sparkling with diamonds, she was the last per- son whom a stranger would have pointed out in that circle as the Queen of England. The Lord in Waiting was perhaps mollified toward 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 considerable 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 the position of " backing out," then turned around and ran, and so continued 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 ; run- ning, under the circumstances, was an offence sufficiently heinous to excite the indignation of the Queen's favorite poodle-dog, and he vented his displeasure by barking so sharply as to startle the General 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 merri- ment 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 GENERAL TOM THUMB IN ENGLAND. 179 attendants came to us with the expressed hope of Her Majesty that the General had sustained no damage — to which the Lord in Waiting playfully added, that in case of injury to so renowned a person-age, he should fear a declaration of war bv the United States ! The courtesies of the Palace were not yet exhausted, for we were escorted to an apartment in which refresh- ments had been provided for us. We did ample justice to the viands, though my mind was rather looking into the future than enjoying the present. I was anxious that the " Court Journal " of the ensuing day should contain more than a mere line in relation to the Gener- al's interview with the Queen, and, on inquiry, I learned that the gentleman who had charge of that fea- ture in the daily papers was then in the Palace. He was sent for by my solicitation, and promptly acceded to my request for such a notice as would attract atten- tion. He even generously desired me to give him an outline of what I sought, and I was pleased to see after- wards, that he had inserted my notice verbatim. This notice of my visit to the Queen wonderfully increased the attraction of my exhibition and compelled me to obtain a more commodious hall for my exhibition. I accordingly removed to the larger room in the same building, for some time previously occupied by our coun- tryman, Mr. Catlin, for his great Gallery of Portraits of American Indians and Indian Curiosities, all of which remained as an adornment. On our second visit to the Queen, we were received in what is called the 44 Yellow Drawing-Room," a mag- nificent apartment, surpassing in splendor and gorgeous- ness anything of the kind I had ever seen. It is on the north side of the gallery, and is entered from that 180 GENERAL TOM THUMB LN ENGLAND. apartment. It was hung with drapery of rich yellow satin damask, the couches, sofas and chairs being cov- ered with the same material. The vases, urns and ornaments were all of modem patterns, and 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. We 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 44 that he had seen her before," adding, " 1 think this is a prettier room than the picture gallery ; that chandelier is very fine." The Queen smilingly took him by the hand, and said she hoped he was very well 44 Yes, ma'am," he replied, " I am first rate." 44 General," continued the Queen, 44 this is the Prince of Wales." 44 How are you, Prince ? " said the General, shaking him by the hand ; and then standing beside the Prince, he remarked, 44 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 we took with us, and with nuach politeness sat himself down beside her. Then, rising from his scat, he went through his various performances, and the Quern handed him an elegant and- costly souvenir, which had been expressly made for him by her order — - GENERAL TOM THUMB IN ENGLAND. 181 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 General where he was going when he left London? 44 To Paris," he replied. 44 Whom do you expect to see there ? " she continued. Of course all expected he would answer, 44 the King of the French," but the little fellow replied : 44 1 shall see Monsieur Guillaudeu in Paris." The two Queens looked inquiringly to me, and when I informed them that M. Guillaudeu was my French naturalist, who had preceded me to Paris, they laughed most heartily. On our third visit to Buckingham Palace, Leopold, King of the Belgians, was also present. He was highly pleased, and asked a multitude of questions. Queen Victoria desired the General to sing a song, and asked him what song he preferred to sing. 44 Yankee Doodle," was the prompt reply. This answer was as unexpected to me as it was to the royal party. When the merriment it occasioned somewhat subsided, the Queen good-humoredly re- marked, 44 That is a very pretty song, General. Sing it if you please." The General complied, and soon after- wards we retired. I ought to add, that after each oi our three visits to Buckingham Palace, a very handsome sum was sent to me, of course by the Queen's com- mand. This, however, was the smallest part of the advantage derived from these interviews, as will be at once apparent to all who consider the force of Court example in England. The British public were now fairly excited. Not 182 GENERAL TOM THUMB IX ENGLAND. to have seen General Tom Thumb was decidedly unfashionable, and from March 20th until July 20th, the levees of the little General at Egyptian Hall were con- tinually crowded, the receipts averaging during the whole period about frve hundred dollars per day, and sometimes going considerably beyond that sum. At the fashionable hour, between fifty and sixty carriages of the nobility have been counted at one time standing in front of our exhibition rooms in Piccadilly. Portraits of the little General were published in all the pictorial papers of the time. Polkas and quadrilles were named after him, and songs were sung in his praise. He was an almost constant theme for the London Punch, which served up the General and myself so daintily that it no doubt added vastly to our receipts. Besides his three public performances per day, the little General attended from three to four private parties per week, for which we were paid eight to ten guineas each. Frequently we would visit two parties in the same evening, and the demand in that line was much greater than the supply. The Queen Dowager Adelaide requested the General's attendance at Marlborough House one afternoon. He went in his court dress, con- sisting of a richly embroidered brown silk-velvet coat and short breeches, white satin vest with fancy-colored embroidery, white silk stockings and pumps, wig, bag- wig, cocked hat, and a 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 GENERAL TOM THUMB IN ENGLAND. 183 snuff, which lie 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. 6< Dear little General," said the kind-hearted Queen, taking him upon her lap, " I see you have got no watch. Will you permit me to present you with a> watch and chain ] " " I would like them very much," replied the General, his eyes glistening with joy as he spoke. " I will have them made expressly for you," responded the Queen Dowager ; and at the same moment she called a friend and desired him to see that the proper order was executed. A few weeks thereafter we were called again to Marlborough House. A number of the children of the nobility were present, as well as some of their parents. After passing a few compliments with the General, Queen Adelaide presented him with a beautiful little gold watch, placing the chain around his neck with her own hands. The little fellow was delighted, and scarcely knew how sufficiently to express his thanks. The good Queen gave him some excellent advice in regard to his morals, which he strictly prom- ised to obey. After giving his performances, we withdrew from the royal presence, and the elegant little watch presented by the hands of Her Majesty the Queen Dowager was not only duly heralded, but was also 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 elegant gold snuff-box mounted with turquoise, pre- sented by his Grace the Duke of Devonshire, and many 184 GENERAL TOM THUMB IX EXGLAXD. other costly gifts of the nobility and gentry, added greatly to the attractions 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 Napoleon Bonaparte, marching up and down the platform, and apparently taking snujf in deep meditation, lie was dressed in the well-known uniform of the Emperor. I introduced him to the " Iron Duke," who inquired the subject of his meditations. " I was thinking of the loss of the battle of Waterloo," was the little General's immediate reply. This display of wit was chronicled throughout the country, and was of itself worth thousands of pounds to the exhibition. While we were in London the Emperor Nicholas, of Russia, visited Queen Victoria, and I saw him on sev- eral public occasions. I was present at the grand review of troops in Windsor Park in honor of and before the Emperor of Hussia and the King of Saxony. General Tom Thumb had visited the King of Saxony and also Ibrahim Pacha who was then in London. At the different parties we attended, we met, in the course of the season, nearly all of the nobility. I do not believe that a single 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 per- sonages in the land, among whom may be mentioned Sir Robert and Lady Peel, the Duke and Duchess of Buckingham, Duke of Bedford, Duke of Devonshire, Count d'Orsay, Lady Blessington, Daniel O'Connell, Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence, Lord Chesterfield, Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Bates, of the firm of Baring Brothers & GENERAL TOM THUMB IX ENGLAND. 185 Co., and many other persons of distinction. We had the free entree to all the theatres, public gardens, and places of entertainment, and frequently met the princi- pal artists, editors, poets, and authors of the country. Albert Smith was a particular friend of mine. He 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. Our visit in London and tour through the provinces were enormously successful, and after a brilliant season in Great Britain I made preparations to take the General to Paris. CHAPTEE XII. IN FRANCE. GOING OVER TO ARRANGE PRELIMINARIES — PREVIOUS VISIT TO PARIS — ROBERT HOUDIK — WONDERFUL MECHANICAL TOYS — THE AUTOMATON LETTER- WRITER —DION BOUCICAULT — TAX ON NATURAL CURIOSITIES — HOW I COMPROMISED — THE GENERAL AND PARTY IN PARIS — FIRST VISIT TO KING LOUIS PHILIPPE — A SPLENDID PRESENT — DIPLOMACY — I ASK A FAVOR AND GET IT — LONG CHAMPS — THE GENERAL'S EQUIPAGE — THE FINEST ADVERTISEMENT EVER KNOWN — ALL PARIS IN A FUROR — OPENING OF THE LEVEES — " TOM POUCE " EVERYWHERE — THE GENERAL AS AN ACTOR — " PETIT POUCET" — SECOND AND THIRD VISITS AT THE TUILERIES — INVITATION TO ST. CLOUD — THE GENERAL PERSONATING NAPOLEON BONAPARTE — ST. DENIS — THE INVALIDES — REGNIER — ANECDOTE OF FRANKLIN — LEAVING PARIS — TOUR THROUGH FRANCE — DEPARTURE FOR BRUSSELS. Before taking the little General and party to Paris , I went over alone to arrange the preliminaries for our campaign in that city. Paris was not altogether a strange place to me. Months before, when I had suc- cessfully established my exhibition in London, I ran over to Paris to see what I could pick up in the way of curiosities for my Museum in New York, for during my whole sojourn abroad, and amid all the excitements of my new career, I never forgot the interests of my many and generous patrons at home. The occasion which first called me to France wTas the " quinquennial exposi- tion " in Paris. At that time, there was an assemblage, every five years, of inventors and manufacturers who exhibited specimens of their skill, especially in articles of curious and ingenious mechanism, and I went from London mainly to attend this exposition. IN FRANCE. 187 There I met and became well acquainted with Robert Houdin, the celebrated conjurer. He was a watch- maker by trade, but very soon displayed a wonderful ability and ingenuity which he devoted with so much assiduity to the construction of a complicated machine, that he lost all mental power for a considerable period. When he recovered, he employed himself with great success in the manufacture of mechanical toys and automata which attracted much attention, and afterwards he visited Great Britain and other countries, giving a series of juggling exhibitions which were famous throughout Europe. At this quinquennial exposition which I attended, he received a gold medal for his automata, and the best figure which he had on exhibition I purchased at a good round price. It was an automaton writer and artist, a most ingenious little figure, which sat at a table, and readily answered with the pencil certain questions. For instance : if asked for an emblem of fidelity, the figure instantly drew a correct picture of a handsome dog ; the emblem of love was shown in an exquisite drawing of a little Cupid ; the automaton would also answer many questions in writing. I carried this curi- ous figure to London and exhibited it for some time in the Royal Adelaide Gallery, and then sent it across the Atlantic to the American Museum. During my very brief visit to Paris, Houdin was giv- ing evening performances in the Palais Hoy ale, in leger- demain, and I was frequently present by invitation. Houdin also took pains to introduce me to other in- ventors of moving figures which I purchased freely, and made a prominent feature in my Museum attrac- tions. I managed, too, during my short stay, to see 188 IN FRANCE. something of the surface of the finest city in the world. And now, going to Paris the second time, I was very fortunate in making the acquaintance of Mr. Dion Boucicault, who was then temporarily sojourning in that city, and who at once kindly volunteered to advise and assist me in regard to numerous matters of impor- tance relating to the approaching visit of the General. He spent a day with me in the search for suitable accommodations for my company, and by giving me the benefit of his experience, he saved me much trouble and expense. I have never forgotten the courtesy extended to me by this gentleman. I stopped at the Hotel Bedford, and securing an interpreter, began to make my arrangements. The first difficulty in the way was the government tax for exhibit- ing natural curiosities, which was no less than one- fourth of the gross receipts, while theatres paid only eleven per cent. This tax was appropriated to the benefit of the city hospitals. Now, I knew from my experience in London, that my receipts would be so large as to make twenty-five per cent of them a far more serious tax than I thought I ought to pay to the French government, even for the benefit of the admi- rable hospitals of Paris. Accordingly, I went to the license bureau and had an interview with the chief. I told him I was anxious to bring a " dwarf" to Paris, but that the percentage to be paid for a license was so large as to deter me from bringing him ; but letting the usual rule go, what should I give him in advance for a two months' license? " My dear sir," he answered, " you had better not come at all ; these things never draw, and you will do IX FRANCE. 189 nothing, or so little that the percentage need not trouble you." T expressed my willingness to try the experiment and offered one thousand francs in advance for a license. The chief would not consent and I then offered two thousand francs. This opened his eyes to a chance for a speculation and he jumped at my offer; he would do it on his own account, he said, and pay the amount of one-quarter of my receipts to the hospitals ; he was perfectly safe in making such a contract, he thought, for he had 15,000 francs in bank. But I declined to arrange this with him individually, so he called his associates together and presented the matter in such a way that the board took my offer on behalf of the government. I paid down the 2,000 francs and received a good, strong contract and license. The chief was quite elated and handed me the license with the remark : " Xow we have made an agreement, and if you do not exhibit, or if your dwarf dies during the two months you shall not get back your money." " All right," thought I ; "if you are satisfied I am sure I have every reason to be so." I then hired at a large rent, the Salle Musard, ftue Vivienne, in a central and fashionable quarter close by the boulevards, and engaged an interpreter, ticket-seller, and a small but excellent orchestra. In fact, I made the most complete arrangements, even to starting the preliminary para- graphs in the Paris papers ; and after calling on the Honorable William Rufus King, the United States Min- ister at the Cteurt of France — who assured me that after my success in London there would be no difficulty whatever in my presentation to King Louis Philippe and family — I returned to England. 190 IN FRANCE. I went back to Paris with General Tom Thumb and party some time before I intended to begin my exhibi- tions, and on the very day after my arrival I received a special command to appear at the Tuileries on the fol- lowing Sunday evening. It will be remembered that Louis Philippe's daughter, the wife of King Leopold, of Belgium, had seen the General at Buckingham Palace — a fact that had been duly chronicled in the French as well as English papers, and I have no doubt that she had privately expressed her gratification at see- ing him. With this advantage, and with the prestige of our receptions by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, we went to the Tuileries with full confidence that our visit and reception would be entirely satisfactory. At the appointed hour the General and I, arrayed in the conventional court costume, were ushered into a grand saloon of the palace where we were introduced to the King, the Queen, Princess Adelaide, the Duchess d'Orleans and her son the Count de Paris, Prince de Joinville, Duke and Duchess de Nemours, the" Duchess d'Aumale, and a dozen or more distinguished persons, among whom was the editor of the official Journal des Debats. The court circle entered into conversation with us without restraint, ano> were greatly delighted with the little General. King Louis Philippe was minute in his inquiries about my country and talked freely about his experiences when he wandered as an exile in America. He playfully alluded to the time when he earned his living as a tutor, and said he had roughed it generally and had even slept in Indian wigwams. Gen- eral Tom Thumb then went through wft his various performances to the manifest pleasure of all who were present, and at the close the King presented to him a IS FRANCE. 191 large emerald brooch set with diamonds. The General expressed his gratitude, and the King, turning to me, said : " you may put it on the General, if you please," which I did, to the evident gratification of the King as well as the General. King Louis Philippe was so^condescending and courte- ous that I felt quite at home in the royal presence, and ventured upon a bit of diplomacy. The Longchamps celebration was coming — a day once devoted to relig- ious ceremony, but now conspicuous for the display of court and fashionable equipages in the Champs Elysees and the Bois de Boulogne, and as the King was famil- iarly conversing with me, I ventured to say that I had hurried over to Paris to take part in the Longchamps dis- play and I asked him if the General's carriage could not be permitted to appear in the avenue reserved for the court and the diplomatic corps, representing that the General's small but elegant establishment, with its ponies and little coachman and footman, would be in danger of damage in the general throng unless the special privilege I asked was accorded. The King smilingly turned to one of the officers of his household and after conversing with him for a few moments he said to me : " Call on the Prefect of Police to-morrow afternoon and you will find a permit ready for you." Our visit occupied two hours, and when we went away the General was loaded with fine presents. The next morning all the newspapers noticed the visit, and the Journal des Debats gave a minute account of the interview and -of the General's performances, taking occasion to say, in speaking of the character parts, that " there was one costume which the General wisely kept 192 IN FRANCE. at the bottom of his box." That costume, however, — the uniform of Bonaparte — was once exhibited, by particular request, as will be seen anon. Longchamps day arrived, and among the many splendid equipages on the grand avenue, none attracted more attention than the superb little carriage with four ponies and liveried and powdered coachman and foot- man, belonging to the General, and conspicuous in the line of carriages containing the Ambassadors to the Court of France. Thousands upon thousands rent the air wTith cheers for " General Tom Pouce." There never was such an advertisement ; the journals next day made elaborate notices of the " turnout," and there- after whenever the General's carriage appeared on the boulevards, as it did daily, the people flocked to the doors of the cafes and shops to see it pass. Thus, before I opened tne exhibition all Paris knew that General Tom Thumb was in the city. The French are exceedingly impressible ; and what in London is only excitement, in Paris becomes furor. Under this pressure, with the prestige of my first visit to the Tuileries and the numberless paragraphs in the papers, I opened my doors to an eager throng. The elite of the city came to the exhibition ; the first day's receipts were 5,500 francs, which would have been doubled if I could have made room for more patrons. There were afternoon and evening performances and from that day secured seats at an extra price were engaged in advance for the entire two months. The season was more than a success, it was a triumph. It seemed, too, as if the whole city was advertising me. The papers were profuse in their praises of the General and his performances. Figaro^ the Punch of IX FRANCE. 193 Paris, gave a picture of an immense mastiff running away with the General's carriage and horses in his mouth. Statuettes of " Tom Pouce " appeared in all the windows, in plaster, Parian, sugar and chocolate ; songs were written about him and his lithograph was seen everywhere. A fine cafe on one of the boulevards took the name of " Tom Pouce " and displayed over the door a life-size statue of the General. In Paris, as in London, several eminent painters expressed their desire to paint his portrait, but the General's engagements were so pressing that he found little time to sit to artists. All the leading actors and actresses came to the Gen- eral's levees and petted him and made him many pre- sents. Meanwhile, the daily receipts continued to swell, and I was compelled to take a cab to carry my bag of silver home at night. The official, who had compromised with me for a two months' license at 2,000 francs, was amazed as well as annoyed at the success of my " dwarf." He came, or sent a man, to the levees to take account of the receipts and every additional thousand francs gave him an addi- tional twinge. He seriously appealed to me to give him more money, but when I reminded him of the excellent bargain he supposed he was making, especially when he added the conditional clause that I should forfeit the 2.000 francs if I did not exhibit or if the General died, he smiled faintly and said something about a " Yankee trick." I asked him if he would renew our agreement for two months more on the same terms ; and he shrug- ged his shoulders and said : . " No, Monsieur Barnum ; you will pay me twenty- five per cent of your receipts when the two months of our contract expires." 13 194: IN FRANCE. But I did not ; for I appealed to the authorities, claiming that I should pay only the ordinary theatrical tax, since the General's exhibition consisted chiefly of character imitations in various costumes, and he was more attractive as an actor than as a natural curiosity. My view of the case was decided to be correct, and thereafter, in Paris and throughout France, with few- exceptions, I paid only the eleven per cent theatrical tax. Indeed, in Paris, the General made a great hit as an actor and was elected a member of the French Dra- matic Society. Besides holding his levees, he appeared every night at the Vaudeville Theatre in a French play, entitled " Petit Poucet," and written expressly for him, and he afterwards repeated the part with great success in other cities. The demands upon our time were inces- sant. We were invited everywhere to dinners and entertainments, and as many of these were understood to be private performances of the General, we were most liberally remunerated therefor. M. Galignani invited us to a soiree and introduced us to some of the most prominent personages, including artists, actors and editors, in Paris. The General was frequently engaged at a large price to show himself for a quarter of an hour at some fancy or charitable fair, and much money was made in this way. On Sundays, he was employed at one or another of the great gardens in the outskirts, and thus was seen by thousands of working people who could not attend his levees. All classes became acquainted with " Tom Pouce." We were commanded to appear twice more at the Tuileries, and we were also invited to the palace on the King's birthday to witness the display of fireworks in honor of the anniversary. Our fourth and last visit to IN FRANCE. 195 the royal family was by special invitation at St. Cloud. On each occasion we met nearly the same persons, but the visit to St. Cloud was by far the most interesting of our interviews. On this one occasion, and by the special request of the King, the General personated Napoleon Bonaparte in full costume. Louis Philippe had heard of the General in this character, and particu- larly desired to see him ; but the affair was quite " on the sly," and no mention was made of it in the papers, particularly in the Journal des Debats, which thought, no doubt, that costume was still " at the bottom of the General's box." We remained an hour, and at parting, each of the royal company gave the General a splendid present, almost smothered him with kisses, wished him a safe journey through France, and a long and happy life. After bidding them adieu, we retired to another portion of the palace to make a change of the General's costume, and to partake of some refreshments which were prepared for us. Half an hour afterwards, as we were about leaving the palace, we went through a hall leading to the front door, and in doing so passed the sitting-room in which the royal family were spending the evening. The door was open, and some of them happening to espy the General, called out for him to come in and shake hands with them once more. We entered the apartment, and there found the ladies sitting around a square table, each provided with two candles, and every one of them, including the Queen, was en- gaged in working at embroidery, while a young lady was reading aloud for their edification. I am sorry to say, I believe this is a sight seldom seen in families of the aristocracy on either side of the water. At the church fairs in Paris, I had frequently seen pieces of 196 EST FRANCE. embroidery for sale, which were labelled as having been presented and worked by the Duchess d'Orleans, Prin- cess Adelaide, Duchess de Nemours, and other title/I ladies. We also visited, by invitation, the Napoleon School for young ladies, established by the First Napoleon, at St. Denis, five miles north of Paris, and the General greatly delighted the old pensioners at the Invalides by calling upon them, and shaking many of them by the hand. If the General could have been permitted to present to these survivors of Waterloo his representa- tion of their chief and Emperor, he would have aroused their enthusiasm as well as admiration. On the Fourth of July, 1844, I was in Grenelle, out- side the barriers of Paris, when I remembered that I had the address of Monsieur Regnier, an eminent mechanician, who lived in the vicinity. Wishing to purchase a variety of instruments such as he manufac- tured, I called at his residence. He received me very politely, and I soon was deeply interested in this intelli- gent and learned man. He was a member of many scientific institutions, was " Chevalier of the Legion of Honor," etc. While he was busy in making out my bill, I was taking a cursory view of the various plates, drawings, etc, which adorned his walls, when my eyes fell on a portrait which was familiar to me. I was certain that I could not be mistaken, and on approaching nearer it proved to be, as I expected, the engraved portrait of Benjamin Franklin. It was placed in a glazed frame, and on the outside of the glass were arranged thirteen stars made of metal, forming a half circle round his head. " Ah! " I exclaimed, 44 1 see you have here a portrait of my fellow-countryman, Dr. Franklin. " IN FRANCE. 197 " Yes," replied M. Kegnier, " and he was a great and an excellent man. When he was in Paris in '98, he was honored and respected by all who knew him, and by none more so than by the scientific portion of the community. At that time, Dr. Franklin was invited by the President of the Society of Emulation to decide upon the merits of various works of art submitted for inspec- tion, and he awarded my father, for a complicated lock, the prize of a gold medal. " While my father was with him at his hotel, a young Quaker called upon the Doctor. He was a total stranger to Franklin, but at once proceeded to inform him that he had come to Paris on business, had unfortu- nately lost all his money, and wished to borrow six hundred francs to enable him to return to his family in Philadelphia. Franklin inquired his family name, and upon hearing it immediately counted out the money, gave the young stranger some excellent advice, and bade him adieu. My father was struck by the generosity of Dr. Franklin, and as soon as the young man had departed, he told the Doctor that he was astonished to see him so free with his money to a stranger ; that people did not do business in that way in Paris ; and what he considered very careless was, that Franklin took no receipt, not even a scratch of a pen from the young man. Franklin replied that he always felt a duty and pleasure in relieving his fellow-men, and especially in this case, as he knew the family, and they were honest and worthy persons. My father, himself a gen- erous man," continued M. Kegnier, "was affected nearly to tears, and begged the Doctor to present him with his portrait. He did so, and this is it. My father has been dead some years. He bequeathed the 198 IN FRANCE. portrait to me, and there is not money enough in Paris to buy it." I need not say that I was delighted with this recital. I remarked to M. Regnier that he should double the number of stars, as we now (in 1844) had twenty-six States instead of thirteen, the original number. " I am aware of that," he replied ; " but I do not like to touch the work which was left by my father. I hold it sacred ; and," added he, " I suppose you are not aware of the uses we make of these stars?" Assuring him in the negative — " Those stars," said he, 64 are made of steel, and on the night of every anniversary of Amer- ican Independence (which is this night), it was always the practice of my father, and will always be mine, to collect our family and children together, darken the room, and by means of electricity, these stars, wThich are connected, are lighted up, and the portrait illuminated by electricity, Franklin's favorite science — thus form- ing a halo of glory about his head, and doing honor to the name of a man whose fame should be perpetuated to eternity." In continuing the conversation, I found that this good old gentleman was perfectly acquainted with the history of America, and he spoke feelingly of what he believed to be the high and proud destiny of our republic. He insisted on my remaining to supper, and witnessing his electrical illumination. Need I say that I accepted the invitation ? Could an American refuse ? We partook of a substantial supper, upon which the good old gentleman invoked the blessing of our Father in Fleaven, and at the conclusion he returned hearty thanks. At nine o'clock the children and family of M. Regnier and his son-in-law were called in, the room was IN FRANCE. 199 darkened, the electrical battery was charged, and the wire touched to one of the outer stars. The whole thir- teen became instantly bright as fire, and a beautiful effect was produced. What more simple and yet beau- tiful and appropriate manner could be chosen to honor the memory of Franklin 1 And what an extraordinary coincidence it was that I, a total stranger in Paris, should meet such a singular man as M. Hegnier at all, and more especially on that day of days, the anniversary of our Independence ! At ten o'clock I took my leave of this worthy family, but not till we had all joined in the fol- lowing toast proposed by M. Reguier : " Washington, Franklin, and Lafayette — heroes, philosophers, patriots, and honest men: May their names stand brightest on the list of earthly glory, when, in after ages, this whole world shall be one universal republic, and every individual under Heaven shall acknowledge the truth that man is capable of self-gov- ernment." It will not be considered surprising that I should feel at home with Monsieur Eegnier. Both the day and the man conspired to excite and gratify my patriotism ; and the presence of Franklin, my love of my native land. During my stay in Paris, a Russian Prince, who had been living in great splendor in that city, suddenly died, and his household and personal effects were sold at auction. I attended the sale for several days in succes- sion, buying many articles of vertu, and, among others, a magnificent gold tea-set, and a silver dining-service, and many rare specimens of Sevres china. These arti- cles bore the initials of the family name of the Prince, and his oavii, " P. T.," thus damaging the articles, so that the silver and gold were sold for their weight value 200 IN FRANCE. only. I bought them, and adding 44 B." to the 44 P. T. " had a very fine table service, still in my possession, and bearing my own initials, " P. T. B." While dining one day with my friend, Dr. Brewster, in Paris, all the company present were in raptures over some very fine 45 Lafitte " wine on the table, and the usual exclamations, " delicious ! " and " fruity ! " were heard on all sides. When I went to the south of France, the Doctor gave me a letter of introduction to Lafitte's agent, Mr. Good, at Bordeaux, and I was shown through the extensive cellars of the establishment. The agent talked learnedly, almost affectionately, about the choice and exclusive vineyards of the establishment, and how the stones in the ground retained the warmth de- rived from the sun during the day throughout the night, thus mellowing and maturing the grapes, and resulting in the production of a peculiar wine which was possible to no other plot of ground in the entire grape country. I afterwards learned, however, that this exclusive establishment bought up the entire wine product of all the vineyards in the region round about — it was like the cele- brated 44 Cabana " cigars in Havana. One day a friend was dining with me in Bordeaux and I called for a bottle of 44 Lafitte," which, purchased on the very ground of its manufacture, was of course genuine and deliciously " fruity." It was very old wine of some famous year, and the bottle as brought up from the bin was covered with cobwebs and dust. But while we were- sipping the wine and exclaiming 44 fruity" at proper intervals, I hap- pened to take out my knife and quite inadvertently cut off a bit of the label. The next day when my friend was again dining with me I called for another bottle of the peculiar Lafitte- which had so delighted us yesterday. IN FRANCE. 201 It came cobwebbed and dust-covered and was duly dis- cussed and pronounced deliciously " fruity." But hor- rors ! all at once, something caught my attention and I exclaimed : " Do you see that cut label? That is the very bottle which held the rare old wine of yesterday ; there is the 4 ear-mark ' which I left with my knife on the bottle " — and I summoned the landlord and thus addressed him : " What do you mean, you scoundrel, by putting your infernal vin ordinaire into old bottles, and passing it off upon us as genuine 4 Latitte V " He protested that such a thing was impossible ; we were at the very fountain head of the wine, and no one would dare to attempt such a fraud, especially upon experienced wine-tasters like ourselves. But I showed him my careless but remembered mark on the bottle, and proved by my friend that we had the same bottle for our wine of the day before. This was shown so con- clusively and emphatically that the landlord finally confessed his fraud, and said that though he had sold thousands of bottles of so-called 44 Lafitte " to his guests, he never had two dozen bottles of the genuine article in his possession in his life ! Every one who has been in the wine district knows that the wine is trodden from the grapes by the bare feet of the peasants, and while I was there, desiring a new experience, I myself trod out a half barrel or so with my own naked feet, dancing vigorously the while to the sound of a fiddle. In spite of the extraordinary attention and unbounded petting the little General received at the hands of all classes, he was in no sense a 44 spoiled child," but retained throughout that natural simplicity of character 202 IN FRANCE. and demeanor which added so much to the charm of his exhibitions. He was literally the pet of Paris, and after a protracted and most profitable season we started on a tour through France. The little General's small Shetland ponies and miniature carriage would be sure to arouse the enthusiasm of the "Provincials," so I de- termined to take them along with us. We went first to Ptouen, and from thence to Toulon, visiting all the inter- mediate towns, including Orleans, Nantes, Brest, Bor- deaux,— where I witnessed a review by the Dukes de Nemours and d'Aumale, of 20,000 soldiers who were encamped near the city. From Bordeaux we went to Toulouse, Montpellier, Nismes, Marseilles, and many other less important places, holding levees for a longer or shorter time. While at Nantes, Bordeaux and Mar- seilles the General also appeared in the theatres in his French part of "Petit Poucet." Very soon after leaving Paris for our tour through France, I found that there were many places where it would be impossible to proceed otherwise than by post. General Tom Thumb's party numbered twelve persons, and these, with all their luggage, four little ponies, and a small carriage, must be transported in posting vehicles of some description. I therefore resolved that as post- ing in France was as cheap, and more independent than any other method of travel, a purchase of posting vehicles should be made for the sole use of the renowned General Tom Thumb and suite. One vehicle, however large, would have been insufficient for the whole com- pany and " effects," and, moreover, would have been against the regulations. These regulations required that each person should pay for the use of one horse, whether using it or not, and I therefore made the fol- XX FRANCE. 203 lowing arrangements : I pnrchased a post-chaise to carry six persons, to be drawn by six horses ; a vehicle on springs, with seats for four persons, and room for the General's four ponies and carriage, to be drawn by four horses ; and lastly, a third vehicle for conveying the baggage of the company, including the elegant little house and furniture set on the stage in the General's performances of "Petit Poucet" at the theatres, the whole drawn by two horses. AYith such a retinue the General "cut quite a swell" in journeying through the country, travelling, indeed, in grander style than a Field Marshal would have thought of doing in posting through France. All this folly and expense, the uninitiated would say, of employ- ing twelve horses and twelve persons, to say nothing of the General's four ponies, in exhibiting a person weigh- ing only fifteen pounds ! But when this retinue passed along the roads, and especially when it came into a town, people naturally and eagerly inquired what great personage was on his travels, and when told that it was " the celebrated General Tom Thumb and suite," everybody desired to go and see him. It was thus the best advertising we could have had, and was really, in many places, our cheapest and in some places, our only mode of getting from point to point where our exhibi- tions were to be given. During most of the tour I was a week or two ahead of the company, making arrangements for the forthcoming exhibitions, and doing my entire business without the aid of an interpreter, for I soon "picked up" French enough to get along very well indeed. I did not forget that Franklin learned to speak French when he was sev- enty years of age, and I did not consider myself too old 204 IN FKANCE. to learn, what, indeed, I was obliged to learn in the interests of my business. As for the little General, who was accompanied by a preceptor and translator, he very soon began to give his entire speaking performances in French, and his piece "Petit Poucet" was spoken as if he were a native. In fact, I soon became the General's avant courier^ though not doing the duties of an avant courier to an ordinary exhibition, since these duties generally consist in largely puffing the " coming man" and expected show, thus endeavoring to create a public appetite and to excite curiosity. My duties were quite different; after engaging the largest theatre or saloon to be found in the town, I put out a simple placard, announcing that the General would appear on such a day. Thereafter, my whole energies were directed, apparently, to keeping the people quiet ; I begged them not to get excited ; I assured them through the public journals, that every opportunity should be afforded to permit every person to see " the distinguished little General, who had delighted the principal monarchs of Europe, and more than a mil- lion of their subjects," and that if one exhibition in the largest audience room in the town would not suffice, two or even three would be given. This was done quietly, and yet, as an advertisement, effectively, for, strange as it may seem, people who were told to keep quiet, would get terribly excited, and when the General arrived and opened his exhibitions, excitement would be at fever heat, the levees would be thronged, and the treasury filled ! Numerous were the word battles I had with mayors, managers of theatres, directors of hospitals, and others, relative to what I considered — justly, I think — the out- IN FRANCE. 205 rageous imposition which the laws permitted in the way of taxes upon " exhibitions." Thus the laws required, for the sake of charity, twenty-five per cent of my gross receipts for the hospitals ; while to encourage a local theatre, or theatres, which might suffer from an outside show, twenty per cent more must be given to the local managers. Of course this law was nearly a dead letter ; for, to have taken forty-five per cent of my gross receipts at every exhibition would soon have driven me from the provinces, so the hospitals were generally content with ten per cent, and five or ten francs a day satisfied the manager of a provincial theatre. But at Bordeaux the manager of the theatre wished to engage the General to appear in his establishment, and as I declined his offer, he threatened to debar me from exhibiting any- where in town, by demanding for himself the full twenty per cent the law allowed, besides inducing the directors of the hospitals to compel me to pay them twenty-five per cent more. Here was a dilemma ! I must yield and take half I thought myself entitled to and permit the General to play for the manager, or submit to legal extortion, or forego my exhibitions. I offered the manager six per cent of my receipts and he laughed at me. I talked with the hospital directors and they told me that as the manager favored them, they felt bound to stand by him. I announced in the public journals that the General could not appear in Bordeaux on account of the cupidity and extortionate demands of the theatre manager and the hospital directors. The people talked and the papers denounced ; but manager and directors remained as firm as rocks in their positions. Tom Thumb was to arrive 206 IN FRANCE. in two days and I was in a decided scrape. The mayor interceded for me, but to no avail ; the manager had determined to enforce an almost obsolete law unless I would permit the General to play in his theatre every night. My Yankee " dander " was up and I declared that I would exhibit the General gratis rather than sub- mit to the demand. Whereupon, the manager only laughed at me the more to think how snugly he had got me. Now it happened that, once upon a time, Bordeaux, like most cities, was a little village, and the little village of Vincennes lay one mile east of it. Bordeaux had grown and stretched itself and thickly settled far beyond Vincennes, bringing the latter nearly in the centre of Bordeaux ; yet, strange to say, Vincennes maintained its own identity, and had its own Mayor and municipal rights quite independent of Bordeaux. I could scarcely believe my informant who told me this, but I speedily sought out the Mayor of Vincennes, found such a personage, and cautiously inquired if there was a theatre or a hospital within his limits ? He assured me there was not. I told him my story, and asked : " If I open an exhibition within your limits will there be any percentages to pay from my receipts % " " Not a sou," replied the Mayor. " Will you give me a writing to that effect?" " With the greatest pleasure," replied the Mayor, and he did so at once. I put this precious paper in my pocket, and in a few moments I hired the largest dancing saloon in the place, a room capable of holding over 2,000 people. I then announced, especially to the delighted citizens of Bor- IN FRANCE. 207 deaux, that the General would open his exhibitions in Vincennes, which he soon did to an overflowing house. For thirteen days we exhibited to houses averaging more than 3,000 francs per day, and for ten days more at largely increased receipts, not one sou of which went for taxes or percentages. The manager and directors, theatre and hospital, got nothing, instead of the fair allowance I would willingly have given them. Oh, yes! they got something, — that is, a lesson, — not to attempt to offset French Skylockism against Yankee shrewdness. We were in the South of France in the vintage season. Nothing can surpass the richness of the country at that time of the year. We travelled for many miles where the eye could see nothing but vineyards loaded with luscious grapes and groves of olive trees in full bearing. It is literally a country of wine and oil. Our remunerative and gratifying round of mingled pleasure and profit, brought us at last to Lille, capital of the department of Nord, and fifteen miles from the Belgian frontier, and from thence we pro- ceeded to Brussels. CHAPTER XIII. IN BELGIUM. CROSSING THE FRONTIER — PROFESSOR PINTE — QUALIFICATIONS OF A GOOD SHOWMAN — "SOFT SUP " — GENEROUS DISTRIBUTION OF MEDALS — PRINCE CHARLES STRATTON — AT BRUSSELS — PRESENTATION TO KING LEOPOLD AND HIS QUEEN — THE GENERAL' S JEWELS STOLEN — THE THIEF CAUGHT — RECOVERY OF THE PROPERTY — THE FIELD OF WATERLOO — MIRACU- LOUSLY MULTIPLIED RELICS — CAPTAIN TIPPITIWITCHET OF THE CONNECTICUT FUSILEERS — AN ACCIDENT — GETTING BACK TO BRUSSELS IN A CART — STRATTON SWINDLED — LOSING AN EXHIBITION — TWO HOURS IN THE RAIN ON THE ROAD — THE CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRY — A STRICT CON- STRUCTIONIST— STRATTON'S HEAD SHAVED — "brummagem" RELICS — HOW THEY ARE PLANTED AT WATERLOO — WHAT LYONS SAUSAGES ARE MADE OF — FROM BRUSSELS TO LONDON. In crossing the border from France into Belgium, Professor Pinte, our interpreter and General Tom Thumb's preceptor, discovered that he had left his passport behind him — at Lille, at Marseilles, or else- where in France, he could not tell where, for it was a long time since he had been called upon to present it. I was much annoyed and indignantly told him that he " would never make a good showman, because a good showman never forgot anything." I could see that my allusion to him as a 44 showman " was by no means pleasant, which leads me to recount the circumstances under which I was first brought in contact with the Professor. He was really a 44 Professor" and teacher of English in one of the best educational establishments in Paris. Very soon after opening my exhibitions in that city, I saw the necessity of having a translator who was quali- fied to act as a medium between the General and the m BELGIUM. 209 highly cultivated audiences that daily favored us at our levees. I had begun with a not over-cultivated inter- preter, who, when the General personated Cupid, for instance, would cry out " Coopeed," to which some one wTould be" sure to respond " Stoopeed," to the annoyance of myself and the amusement of the audience. 1 accordingly determined to procure the best interpreter I could mid and I was directed to call upon Professor Piute. I saw him and briefly stated what I wanted, in what capacity I proposed to employ him, and what salary I would pay him. He was highly indignant and informed me that he was " no showman," and had no desire to learn or engage in the business. 44 But, my dear sir," said I, 44 it is not as a showman that I wish to employ your valuable services, but as a preceptor to my young and interesting ward, General Tom Thumb, whom I desire to have instructed in the French language and in other accomplishments you are so competent to impart. At the same time, I should expect that you would be willing to accompany my ward and your pupil and attend his public exhibitions for the purpose of translating, as may be necessary, to the culti- vated people of your own class who are the principal patrons of our entertainments." This seemed to put an entirely new face upon the matter, especially as I had offered the Professor a salary five times larger, probably, than he was then receiving. So he rapidly revolved the subject in his mind and said : 44 Ah! while I could not possibly accept a situation as a showman, 1 should be most happy to accept the terms and the position as preceptor to your ward." He was engaged, and at once entered upon his duties, not only as preceptor to the General, but as the efficient 14 210 IN BELGIUM. and always excellent interpreter at our exhibitions, and wherever we needed his services on the route. As he had lost his passport, when we came to Courtrai on the Belgian frontier, I managed to procure a permit for him which enabled him to proceed with the party. This was but the beginning of difficulties, for I had all our prop- erty, including the General's ponies and equipage, to pass through the Custom-house, and among other things there was a large box of medals, with a likeness of the General on one side and of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on the other side, which were sold in large numbers as souvenirs at our exhibitions. They were struck off at a considerable expense in England, and commanded a ready sale. The Custom-house officers were informed, however, that these medals were mere advertising cards, as they really were, of our exhibitions, and I begged their acceptance of as many as they pleased to put in their pockets. They were beautiful medals, and a few dozen were speedily distributed among the delighted officials, who forthwith passed our show-bills, lithographs and other property with very little trouble. They wanted, however, to charge a duty upon the General's ponies and carriage, but when I produced a document showing that the French government had admitted them duty- free, they did the same. This superb establishment led these officials to think he must be a very distinguished man, and they asked what rank he held in his own country. 44 He is Prince Charles Stratton, of the Dukedom of Bridgeport, in the Kingdom of Connecticut," said Sher- man. Whereupon they all reverently raised their hats when IN BELGIUM. 211 the General entered the car. Some of the railway men who had seen the distribution of* medals among the Custom-house officers came to me and begged similar " souvenirs " of their distinguished passenger, and I gave the medals very freely, till the applications became so persistent as to threaten a serious pecuniary loss. At last I handed out a final dozen in one package, and said : " There, that is the last of them ; the rest are in the box, and beyond my reach." All this while Professor Pinte was brooding over my remark to him about the loss of his passport ; the word "showman" rankled, and he asked me: "Mr. Barnum, do you consider me a showman]" I laughingly replied, " Why, I consider you the emi- nent Professor Pinte, preceptor to General Tom Thumb ; but, after all, we are all showmen." Finding himself so classed with the rest of us, he ventured to inquire " what were the qualifications of a good showman," to which I replied : " He must have a decided taste for catering for the public ; prominent perceptive faculties ; tact ; a thorough knowledge of human nature ; great suavity ; and plenty of 1 soft soap.' " " Soft sup ! " exclaimed the interested Professor, " what is 4 soft sup.' " I explained, as best I could, how the literal meaning of the words had come to convey the idea of getting into the good graces of people and pleasing those with whom we are brought in contact. Pinte laughed, and as he thought of the generous medal distribution, an idea struck him: " I think those railway officials must have very dirty hands — you are compelled to use so much c soft sup.' " 212 IN BELGIUM. Brussels is Paris in miniature and is one of the most charming cities I ever visited. We found elegant quar- ters, and the day after our arrival by command we vis- ited King Leopold and the Queen at their palace. The King and Queen had already seen the General in Lon- don, but they wished to present him to their children and to the distinguished persons whom we found assembled. After a most agreeable hour we came away — the Gen- eral, as usual, receiving many fine presents. The following day, I opened the exhibition in a beau- tiful hall, which on that day and on every afternoon and evening while we remained there, was crowded by throngs of the first people in the city. On the second or third day, in the midst of the exhibition, I suddenly missed the case containing the valuable presents the General had received from kings, queens, noblemen and gen- tlemen, and instantly gave the alarm; some thief had intruded for the express purpose of stealing these jew- els, and, in the crowd, had been entirely successful in his object. The police were notified, and I offered 2,000 francs reward for the recovery of the property. A day or two afterwards a man went into a jeweller s shop and offered for sale, among other things, a gold snuff-box, mounted with turquoises, and presented by the Duke of Devon- shire to the General. The jeweller, seeing the Gen- eral's initials on the box, sharply questioned the man, who became alarmed and ran out of the shop. An alarm was raised, and the man was caught. He made a clean breast of it, and in the course of a few hours the entire property was returned, to the great delight of the General and myself. Wherever we exhibited after- wards, no matter how respectable the audience, the case of presents was always carefully watched. IN BELGIUM. 213 While I was in Brussels I could do no less than visit the battle-field of Waterloo, and I proposed that our party should be composed of Professor Pinte, Mr. Strat- ton, father of General Tom Thumb, Mr. H. G. Sherman, and myself. Going sight-seeing was a new sensation to Stratton, and as it was necessary to start by four o'clock in the morning, in order to accomplish the distance (sixteen miles) and return in time for our afternoon performance, he demurred. " I do n't want to get up before daylight ancl go off on a journey for the sake of seeing a darned old field of wheat," said Stratton. 64 Sherwood, do try to be like somebody, once in your life, and go," said his wife. The appeal was irresistible, and he consented. We engaged a coach and horses the night previous, and started punctually at the hour appointed. We stopped at the neat little church in the village of Waterloo, for the purpose of examining the tablets erected to the memory of some of the English who fell in the contest. Thence we passed to the house in which the leg of Lord Uxbridge (Marquis of Anglesey) was amputated. A neat little monument in the garden designates the spot where the shattered member had been interred. In the house is shown a part of the boot which is said to have once covered the unlucky leg. The visitor feels it but con- siderate to hand a franc or two to the female who exhib- its the monument and limb. I did so, and Stratton, though he felt that he had not received the worth of his money, still did not like to be considered penurious, so he handed over a piece of silver coin to the attend- ant. I expressed a desire to have a small piece of the boot to exhibit in my Museum ; the lady cut of, without 214 IN BELGIUM. hesitation, a slip three inches long by one in width. I handed her a couple more francs, and Stratton desiring, as he said, to " show a piece of the boot in old Bridge- port," received a similar slip, and paid a similar amount. I could not help thinking that if the lady was thus libe- ral in dispensing pieces of the " identical boot" to all visitors, this must have been about the ninety-nine thousandth boot that had been cut as the " Simon pure " since 1815. With the consoling reflection that the female pur- chased all the cast-off boots in Brussels and its vicinity, and rejoicing that somebody was making a trifle out of that accident besides the inventor of the celebrated " Anglesey leg," we passed on towards the battle-field, lying about a mile distant. Arriving at Mont Saint Jean, a quarter of a mile from the ground, we were beset by some eighteen or twenty persons, who offered their services as guides, to indicate the most important localities. Each applicant professed to know the exact spot where every man had been placed who had taken part in the battle, and each, of course, claimed to have been engaged in that sangui- nary contest, although it had occurred thirty years before, and some of these fellows were only, it seemed, from twenty-five to twenty-eight years of age! We accepted an old man, who, at first declared that he was killed in the battle, but perceiving our looks of incredulity, con- sented to modify his statement so far as to assert that he was horribly wounded, and lay upon the ground three days before receiving assistance. Once upon the ground, our guide, with much gravity, pointed out the place where the Duke of Wellington took his station during a great part of the action ; the IN BELGIUM. 215 locality where the reserve of the British army was sta- tioned; the spot where Napoleon placed his favorite guard ; the little mound on which was erected a tempo- rary observatory for his use during the battle ; the por- tion of the field at which Blucher entered with the Prussian army ; the precise location of the Scotch Greys; the spot where fell Sir Alexander Gordon, Lieut. Col. Canning, and many others of celebrity. I asked him if he could tell me where Captain Tippiti- wichet, of the Connecticut Fusileers, was killed. " Oui, Monsieur," he replied, with perfect confidence, for he felt bound to know, or to pretend to know, every par- ticular. He then proceeded to point out exactly the spot where my unfortunate Connecticut friend had breathed his last. After indicating the locations where some twenty more fictitious friends from Coney Island, New Jersey, Cape Cod and Saratoga Springs, had given up the ghost, we handed him his commission and de- clined to give him further trouble. Stratton grumbled at the imposition as he handed out a couple of francs for the information received. Upon quitting the battle-field we were accosted by a dozen persons of both sexes with baskets on their arms or bags in their hands, containing relics of the battle for sale. These consisted of a great variety of imple- ments of war, pistols, bullets, etc., besides brass French eagles, buttons, etc. I purchased a number of them for the Museum, and Stratton was equally liberal in obtain- ing a supply for his friends in " Old Bridgeport." We also purchased maps of the battle-ground, pictures of the triumphal mound surmounted by the colossal Belgic Lion in bronze, etc., etc. These frequent and renewed taxations annoyed Stratton very much, and as he handed 216 IN BELGIUM. out a five franc piece for a " complete guide-book," he remarked, that " he guessed the battle of Waterloo had cost a darned sight more since it was fought than it did before ! " But his misfortunes did not terminate here. When we had proceeded four or five miles upon our road home, crash went the carriage. We alighted, and found that the axle-tree was broken. It was now a quarter past one o'clock. The little General's exhibition was adver- tised to commence in Brussels at two o'clock, and could not take place without us. We were unable to walk the distance in double the time at our disposal, and as no carriage was to be got in that part of the country, I concluded to take the matter easy, and forego all idea of exhibiting before evening. Stratton, however, could not bear the thought of losing the chance of taking in six or eight hundred francs, and he determined to take matters in hand, in order, if possible, to get our party into Brussels in time to save the afternoon exhibi- tion. He hastened to a farm-house, accompanied by the interpreter, Professor Pinte, Sherman and myself leisurely bringing up the rear. 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 barn- yard. " 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 get to Brussels in time. 44 What will you ask to drive us to Brussels in three- quarters of an hour 1 " demanded Stratton. IN BELGIUM. 217 " It is impossible," replied the farmer ; 44 I should want two hours for my horse to do it in." r< 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 us to Brussels in an hour, for eighty francs. Stratton tried to beat him down, but it was of no use. 44 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." 44 But I have already spent about ten dollars for non- sense," said Stratton, 44 and we shall have to pay for the broken carriage besides." 44 But what can you do better?" chimed in Professor Binte. 44 It is an outrageous extortion to charge sixteen dol- lars 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. 44 It is the custom of the country," said Professor Pinte, 44 and we must submit to it." By the way, this was a favorite expression of the Professor's. Whenever we were imposed upon, or felt that we were not used right, Pinte would always endeavor to smooth it over by informing us it was 44 the custom of the country." 44 Well, it's a thundering mean custom, any how," said Stratton, 44 and I wont stand such an imposition." 44 But what shall we do ? " earnestly inquired Mr. Pinte. 44 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." 213 IN BELGIUM. This appeal to the pocket touched Stratton's. feelings ; so submitting to the extortion, he replied to our inter- preter, " 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 44 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 farmer, " but I can't let him go unless you pay in advance." The minutes were flying rapidly, the antici- pated 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 eye- sight to have determined whether the horse was moving or standing still. To make it still more interesting, it commenced raining furiously. As we had left Brussels in a coach, and the morning had promised us a pleasant day, we had omitted our umbrellas. We were soon soaked to the skin. We " grinned and bore it " awhile without grumbling. At length Stratton, who was almost too angry to speak, desired Mr. Pinte to ask the red- tS BELGIUM. 219 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 any thing 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 our backs. At two o'clock, the time appointed for our exhibition, we were yet some seven miles from Brussels. The horse walked slowly and philosophically through the pitiless storm, the steam majestically rising from the old manure- cart, to the no small disturbance of our unfortu- nate 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, 44 but he knew it would take more than two." " I'll sue him for damage, 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. 44 But they have lied and swindled me," replied Strat- ton. 44 Oh, you must not mind that, it is the custom of the country." 220 IN BELGIUM. Stratton gave "the country," and its "customs," another cursing. All things will finally have an end, and our party did at length actually arrive in Brussels, cart and all, in precisely two hours and a half from the time we left the farmer's house. Of course we were too late to exhibit the little General. Hundreds of visitors had gone away disappointed. "With feelings of utter desperation, Stratton started for a barber's shop. He had a fine, black, bushy head of .hair, of which he was a little proud, and every morn- ing he submitted it to the curling-tongs of the barber. His hair had not been cut for several weeks, and after being shaved, he desired the barber to trim his flowing locks a little. The barber clipped off the ends of the hair, and asked Stratton if that was sufficient. 64 No," he replied, " I want it trimmed a little shorter ; cut away, and I will tell you when to stop." Stratton had risen from bed at an unusual hour, and after having passed through the troubles and excitements of the unlucky morning, he began to feel a little drowsy. This feeling was augmented by the soothing sensations of the tonsorial process, and while the barber quietly pursued his avocation, Stratton as quietly fell asleep. The barber went entirely over his head, cutting off a couple of inches of hair with every clip of his scissors. He then rested for a moment; expecting his customer would tell him that it was sufficient ; but the unconscious Stratton uttered not a word, and the barber, thinking he had not cut the hair close enough, went over the head again. Again did he wait for an answer, little thinking that his patron was asleep. Remembering that Strat- ton had told him to " cut away, and he would tell him IN BELGIUM. 221 when to stop," the innocent barber went over the head the third time, cutting the hair nearly as close as if he had shaved it with a razor ! Having finished, he again waited for orders from his customer, but he uttered not a word. The barber was surprised, and that surprise was increased when he heard a noise which seemed very like a snore coming from the nasal organ of his uncon- scious victim. The poor barber saw the error that he had committed, and in dismay, as if by mistake, he hit Stratton on the side of the head with his scissors, and woke him. He started to his feet, looked in the glass, and to his utter horror saw that he was unfit to appear in public with- out a wig! He swore like a trooper, but he could not swear the hair back on to his head, and putting on his hat, which dropped loosely over his eyes, he started for the hotel. His despair and indignation were so great that it was some time before he could give utterance to words of explanation. His feelings were not allayed by the deafening burst of laughter which ensued. He said it was the first time that he ever went a sight-see- ing, and he guessed it would be the last ! Several months subsequent to our visit to Waterloo, I was in Birmingham, and there made the acquaintance of a firm who manufactured to order, and sent to Water- loo, barrels of " relics " every year. At Waterloo these " relics " are planted, and in due time dug up, and sold at large prices as precious remembrances of the great battle. Our Waterloo purchases looked rather cheap after this discovery. While we were in Brussels, Mrs. Stratton, the mother of the General, tasted some sausages which she declared the best things she had eaten in France or Belgium ; in 222 IN BELGIUM. fact, she said " she had found little that was fit to eat in this country, for every thing was so Frenchified and covered in gravy, she dared not eat it ; but there was something that tasted natural about these sausages ; she had never eaten any as good, even in America." She sent to the landlady to inquire the name of them, for she meant to buy some to take along with her. The answer came that they were called 44 saucisse de Lyons," (Lyons sausages,) and straightway Mrs. Stratton went out and purchased half a dozen pounds. Mr. Sherman soon came in, and, on learning what she had in her package, he remarked : 44 Mrs. Stratton, do you know what Lyons sausages are made of I " 44 No," she replied ; 44 but I know that they are first- rate ! " 44 Well," replied Sherman, 44 they may be good, but they are made from donkeys ! " which is said to be the fact. Mrs. Stratton said she was not to be fooled so easily — that she knew better, and that she should stick to the sausages. Presently Professor Pinte entered the room. 44 Mr. Pinte," said Sherman, 44 you are a Frenchman, and know every thing about edibles ; pray tell me what Lyons sausages are made of." 44 Of asses," replied the inoffensive professor. Mrs. Stratton seized the package, the street window was open, and, in less than a minute, a large brindle dog was bearing the 44 Lyons sausages " triumphantly away. There were many other amusing incidents during our brief stay at Brussels, but I have no space to record them. After a very pleasant and successful week, we returned to London. CHAPTER XIV. IX ENGLAND AGAIN. LEVEES IX EGYPTIAN" HALL — UNDIMINISHED SUCCESS — OTHER ENGAGEMENTS — "UP IN A BALLOON" — PROVINCIAL TOUR — TRAVELLING BY POST — GOING TO AMERICA — A. T. STEWART — SAMUEL ROGERS — AN EXTRA TRAIN— AN ASTONISHED RAILWAY SUPERINTENDENT — LEFT BEHIND AND LOCKED DP — SUNDAYS IN LONDON — BUSINESS AND PLEASURE — ALBERT SMITH — A DAY WITH HIM AT WARWICK — STRATFORD ON AVON — A POETICAL BARBER — WARWICK CASTLE — OLD GUY'S TRAPS — OFFER TO BUY THE LOT — THREAT TO BURST THE SHOW — ALBERT SMITH AS A SHOWMAN — LEARNING THE BUSI- NESS FROM BARNUM — THE WARWICK RACES — RIVAL DWARFS — MANUFAC- TURED GIANTESSES — THE HAPPY FAMILY — THE ROAD FROM WARWICK TO COVENTRY — PEEPING TOM — THE YANKEE GO-AHEAD PRINCIPLE — ALBERT SMITH'S ACCOUNT OF A DAY WITH BARNUM. In London the General again opened his levees in Egyptian Hall with undiminished success. His un- bounded popularity on the Continent and his receptions 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 intermis- sions, 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 proprietor, my particular friend Mr. W. Tyler. This place subsequently became 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 224 IN ENGLAND AGAIN. had gone through with his performances 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 managed the ropes and prevented the balloon from rising ; but, one day, a sudden gust of wind took the bal- loon 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 Gen- eral would have been lost. In addition to other engagements, the General fre- quently performed in Douglass's Standard Theatre, in the city, in the play " Hop o' my Thumb," which was written for him by my friend, Albert Smith, whom I met soon after my first arrival in London and with whom I became very intimate. After my arrival in Paris, seeing the decided success of "Petit Poucet," it occurred to me that I should want such a play when I returned to England and the United States. So I wrote to Mr. Albert Smith, inviting him to make me a visit in Paris, intending to have him see this play and either translate or adapt it, or write a new one in English. He came and stayed with me a week, visiting the Vaudeville Theatre to see " Petit Poucet " nearly every night, and we compared notes and settled upon a plan for " Hop o' my Thumb." He went back to London and wrote the play and it was very pop- ular indeed. During our stay of three months, at this time, in Egyptian Hall, we made occasional excursions and gave exhibitions at Brighton, Bath, Cheltenham, Leamington and other watering places and fashionable resorts. It was at the height of the season in these places, IN ENGLAND AGAIN. 225 and our houses were very large and our profits in proportion. In October, 1844, I made my first return visit to the United States, leaving General Tom Thumb in England, in the hands of an accomplished and faithful agent, who continued the exhibitions during my absence. One of the principal reasons for my return at this time, was my anxiety to renew the Museum building lease, although my first lease of five years had still three years longer to run. I told Mr. Olmsted that if he would not renew my lease on the same terms, for at least five years more, I would immediately put up a new building, remove my Museum, close his building during the last year of my lease, and cover it from top to bottom with placards, stating where my new Museum was to be found. Pend- ing an arrangement, I went to Mr. A. T. Stewart, who had just purchased the Washington Hall property, at the corner of Broadway and Chambers Street, intending to erect a store on the site, and proposed to join him in building, he to take the lower floor of the new store for his business, and I to own and occupy the upper stories for my Museum. He said he would give me an answer in the course of a week. Meanwhile, Mr. Olmsted gave me the additional five years lease I asked, and I so noti- fied Mr. Stewart. Seeing the kind of building that Mr. Stewart erected on his lots, I do not know if he seriously entertained my proposition to join him in the enterprise ; but he was by no means the great merchant then he after- wards became, and neither of us then thought, probably, of the gigantic enterprises we were subsequently to undertake, and the great things we were to accomplish. Having completed my business arrangements in New York, I returned to England with my wife and daugh- 15# 226 IK ENGLAND AGAIN. ters, and hired a house in London. My house was the scene of constant hospitality which I extended to my numerous friends in return for the many attentions shown to me. It seemed then as if I had more and stronger friends in London than in New York. I had met and had been introduced to " almost everybody who was anybody," and among them all, some of the best soon became to me much more than mere acquaintances. Among the distinguished people whom I met, I was introduced to the poet-banker, Samuel Rogers. I saw him at a dinner party at the residence of the American Minister, the Honorable Edward Everett. The old banker was very feeble, but careful nursing and all the appliances that unbounded wealth could bring, still kept the life in him and he managed, not only to con- tinue to give his own celebrated breakfasts, but to go out frequently to enjoy the hospitality of others. As we were going into dinner, I stepped aside, so that Mr. Rogers who was tottering along leaning on the arm of a friend, could go in before me, when Mr. Rogers said : " Pass in, Mr. Barnum, pass in ; I always consider it an honor to follow an American." When our three months' engagement at Egyptian Hall had expired, I arranged for a protracted provin- cial tour through Great Britain. I had made a flying visit to Scotland before we went to Paris — mainly to procure the beautiful Scotch costumes, daggers, etc., which were carefully made for the General at Edinburgh, and to teach the General the Scotch dances, with a bit of the Scotch dialect, which added so much to the inter- est of his exhibitions in Paris and elsewhere. My second visit to Scotland, for the purpose of giving exhi- bitions, extended as far as Aberdeen. IN ENGLAND AGAIN. 227 In England we went to Manchester, Birmingham, and to almost every city, town, and even village of import- ance. We travelled by post much of the time — that is, I had a suitable carriage made for my party, and a van which conveyed the General's carriage, ponies, and such other " property " as was needed for our levees, — and we never had the slightest difficulty in finding good post horses at every station where we wanted them. This mode of travelling was not only very comfortable and independent, but it enabled us to visit many out of the way places, off from the great lines of travel, and in such places we gave some of our most successful exhi- bitions. We also used the railway lines freely, leaving our carriages at any station, and taking them up again when we returned. I remember once making an extraordinary effort to reach a branch-line station, where I meant to leave my teams and take the rail for Rugby. I had a time-table, and knew at what hour exactly I could hit the train ; but unfortunately the axle to my carriage broke, and as an hour was lost in repairing it, I lost exactly an hour in reaching the station. The train had long been gone, and I must be in Eugby, where we had advertised a performance. I stormed around till I found the super- intendent, and told him " I must instantly have an extra train to Eugby." " Extra train !" said he, with surprise and a half sneer, " extra train ! " why you can't have an extra train to Eugby for less than sixty pounds." u Is that all ? " I asked ; " well, get up your train imme- diately and here are your sixty "pounds. What in the world are sixty pounds to me, w*hen I wish* to go to Eugby, or elsewhere, in a hurry ! " 228 IN ENGLAND AGAIN. 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." We reached Rugby in time to give our performance, as announced, and our receipts were £160, which quite covered the expense of our extra train and left a hand- some margin for profit. When we 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 handsful, vexed at the delay which was preventing a crowd' of ladies and gentlemen from buying tickets, Mr. Stratton lost his temper and cried out : " Blast your quarter pennies ! I am not going to count them ! you chaps who haven't bigger money can chuck your copper into my hat and walk in." At Cambridge, some of the under-graduates pretended to take offence because our check-taker would not permit them to smoke in the exhibition hall, and one of them managed to involve him in a quarrel which ended with a challenge from the student to the check-taker, who was IN ENGLAND AG ATX. 229 sure he must fight a duel at sunrise the next morning, and as he expected to be shot, he suffered the greatest mental agony. About midnight, however, after he had been sufficiently scared, I brought him the gratifying intelligence that I had succeeded in settling the dispute. His gratitude at the relief thus afforded, knew no bounds. Mr. Stratton was a genuine Yankee, and thoroughly conversant with the Yankee vernacular, which he used freely. In exhibiting the General, I 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 presided in the ticket-office was the Gen- eral'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 ? " " Wa'al," replied Stratton, " I have to support him ! " This evasive method of answering is common enough in New England, but the literal dowager had her doubts, and promptly rejoined: " 1 rather think he supports you! " In my journeyings through England, I always tried to get back to London Saturday night, so as to pass Sunday with my family, and to meet the friends whom we invited to dine with us on the only day in the week when I could be at home. The railway facilities are so excellent in England, that, no matter how far I might be from London, I could generally reach that city by Sunday morning, and yet do a full week's work in the provinces. This, however, necessitated travel Saturday night, and while I travelled I must sleep. Sleeping cars were, and, I believe, still are unknown in that country ; but I travelled so much, and was, by this time, so well 230 IN ENGLAND AGAIN. known to the guards on the leading lines, that I could generally secure one of the compartments in a first-class " coach " to myself, and my method for obtaining a good night's sleep, was to lay the seat-cushions on the floor of the car, thus, with my blanket to cover me, making a tolerable bed. On one of these Saturday night excursions, I lay down on my extemporized couch, with the expectation of arriving at London at five o'clock in the morning. When I awoke the car was standing still, and the sun was well up in the heavens. Thinking we were very much behind time, and wondering why the train did not go on, at last I got up and looked out of the window, and, to my utter amazement, I found my car locked up in a yard, surrounded by a high fence. Espying a man who seemed to have charge of the premises, I shouted to him to come and let me out of the car, wrhich was also locked. It instantly flashed across my mind that at this station, the guard, seeing no person sitting on the seats in the car, and concluding that it was empty, had detached it from the train, and switched it off into the yard. The astonished man whom I summoned to my assistance, informed me that I was sixty miles from London, and that there would not be another train to the city till evening. It was ten o'clock, and I was to have been home at five. I raised a great row, and de- manded as my right an extra train to carry me to Lon- don, to meet the friends whom it was all-important I should see that day. I had to wait, however, till evening, and I arrived home at seven or eight o'clock, long after my friends had gone, though to the great gratification of my family, who thought some serious accident must have happened to me. IN ENGLAND AGAIN. 231 It must not be supposed that during my protracted stay abroad I confined myself wholly to business or limited my circle of observation with a golden rim. To be sure, I ever had " an eye to business," but I had also two eyes for observation and these were busily employed in leisure hours. I made the most of my opportunities and saw, hurriedly, it is true, nearly everything worth seeing in the various places which I visited. All Europe was a great curiosity shop to me and I willingly paid my money for the show. While in London, my friend Albert Smith, a jolly companion, as well as a witty and sensible author, prom- ised that when I reached Birmingham he would come and spend a day with me in " sight-seeing," including a visit to the house in which Shakespeare was born. Early one morning in the autumn of 1814, my friend Smith and myself took the box-seat of an English mail- coach, and were soon whirling at the rate of twelve miles an hour over the magnificent road leading from Birmingham to Stratford. The distance is thirty miles, At a little village four miles from Stratford, we found that the fame of the bard of Avon had travelled thus far, for we noticed a sign over a miserable barber's shop, " Shakespeare hair-dressing — a good shave for a penny." In twenty minutes more we were set clown at the door of the Red Horse Hotel, in Stratford. The coachman and guard were each paid half a crown as their perquisites. While breakfast was preparing, we called for a guide- book to the town, and the waiter brought in a book, saying that we should find in it the best description extant of the birth and burial place of Shakespeare. I was not a little proud to find this volume to be no other 232 IN ENGLAND AGAIN. than the " Sketch-Book " of our illustrious countryman, Washington Irving ; and in glancing over his humor- ous description of the place, I discovered that he had stopped at the same hotel where we were then await- ing breakfast. After examining the Shakespeare House, as well as the tomb and the church in which all that is mortal of the great poet rests, we ordered a post-chaise for Warwick Castle. While the horses were harnessing, a stage-coach stopped at the hotel, and two gentlemen alighted. One was a sedate, sensible-looking man ; the other an addle-headed fop. The former was mild and unassuming in his manners ; the latter was all talk, without sense or meaning — in fact, a regular Charles Chatterbox. He evidently had a high opinion of him- self, and was determined that all within hearing should understand that he was — somebody. Presently the sedate gentleman said : " Edward, this is Stratford. Let us go and see the house where Shakespeare was born." " Who the devil is Shakespeare ? " asked the sensible young gentleman. Our post-chaise was at the door ; we leaped into it, and were off, leaving the " nice young man " to enjoy a visit to the birth-place of an individual of whom he had never before heard. The distance to Warwick is four- teen miles. We went to the Castle, and approaching the door of the Great Hall, were informed by a well- dressed porter that the Earl of Warwick and family were absent, and that he was permitted to show the apartments to visitors. He introduced us successively into the " Red Drawing-Room," " The Cedar Drawing- Room" "The Gilt Room," "The State Bed-Room," IN ENGLAND AGAIN. 233 " Lady Warwick's Boudoir," " The Compass Room," "The Chapel," and "The Great Dining-Room." As we passed out of the Castle, the polite porter touched his head (he of course had no hat on it) in a style which spoke plainer than words, " Half a crown each, if you please, geutlemen." We responded to the call, and were then placed in charge of another guide, who took us to the top of " Guy's Tower," at the bottom of which he touched his hat a shilling's worth ; and placing our- selves in charge of a third conductor, an old man of seventy, we proceeded to the Greenhouse to see the Warwick Vase — each guide announcing at the end of his short tour: "Gentlemen, I go no farther," and indicating that the bill for his services was to be paid. The old gentleman mounted a rostrum at the side of the vase, and commenced a set speech, which we began to fear was interminable ; so tossing him the usual fee, we left him in the middle of his oration. Passing through the porter's lodge on our way out,, under the impression that we had seen all that was inter- esting, the old porter informed us that the most curious things connected with the Castle were to be seen in his lodge. Feeling for our coin, we bade him produce his relics, and he showed us a lot of trumpery, which, he gravely informed us, belonged to that hero of antiquity, Guy, Earl of Warwick. Among these were his sword, shield, helmet, breast-plate, walking-staff, and tilting- pole, each of enormous size — the horse armor nearly large enough for an elephant, a large pot which would hold seventy gallons, called " Guy's Porridge Pot," his flesh-fork, the size of a farmer's hay-fork, his lady's stirrups, the rib of a mastodon which the porter pre- tended belonged to the great "Dun Cow," which, 234 IX ENGLAND AGAIN. according to tradition, haunted a ditch near Coventry, and after doing injury to many persons, was slain by the valiant Guy. The sword weighed nearly 200 pounds, and the armor 400 pounds. I told the old porter he was entitled to great credit for having concentrated more lies than I had ever before heard in so small a compass. He smiled, and evidently felt gratified by the compliment. " I suppose," I continued, 44 that you have told these marvellous stories so often, that you believe them your- self?" " Almost!" replied the porter, with a grin of satisfac- tion that showed he was " up to snuff," and had really earned two shillings. " Come now, old fellow," said I, " what will you take for the entire lot of those traps ? I want them for my Museum in America." " No money would buy these valuable historical .mementos of a by~gone age," replied the old porter with a leer. " Never mind," I exclaimed ; " I'll have them dupli- cated for my Museum, so that Americans can see them and avoid the necessity of coming here, and in that way I'll burst up your show." Albert Smith laughed immoderately at the astonish- ment of the porter when I made this threat, and I was greatly amused, some years afterwards, when Albert Smith became a successful showman and was exhibiting his 44 Mont Blanc " to delighted audiences in London, to discover that he had introduced this very incident into his lecture, of course, changing the names and locality. He often confessed that he derived his very first idea of becoming a showman from my talk about the business IN ENGLAND AGAIN. 235 and my doings, on this charming day when we visited Warwick. The " Warwick races " were coming off that clay, within half a mile of the village, and we therefore went down and spent an hour with the multitude. There was very little excitement regarding the races, and we concluded to take a tour through the " penny shows," the vans of which lined one side of the course for the distance of a quarter of a mile. On applying to enter one van, which had a large pictorial sign of giantesses, white negro, Albino girls, learned pig, big snakes, etc., the keeper exclaimed : 64 Come, Mister, you is the man what hired Randall, the giant, for 'Merika, and you shows Tom Thumb ; now can you think of paying less than sixpence for going in here?" The appeal was irresistible ; so, satisfying his demands, we entered. Upon coming out, a whole bevy of showmen from that and neighboring vans surrounded me, and began descanting on the merits and demerits of General Tom Thumb. " Oh," says one, " I knows two dwarfs what is better ten times as Tom Thumb." " Yes," says another, " there's no use to talk about Tom Thumb while Melia Patton is above the ground." " Now, I've seen Tom Thumb," added a third, " and he is a fine little squab, but the only 'vantage he's got is he can chaff so well. He chaffs like a man ; but I can learn Dick Swift in two months, so that he can chaff Tom Thumb crazy." " Never mind," added a fourth, " I've got a chap training what you none on you knows, what '11 beat all the 6 thumbs ' on your grapplers." 236 IN ENGLAND AGAIN. " No, he can't," exclaimed a fifth, " for Tom Thumb has got the name, and you all know the name's every- thing. Tom Thumb could n't never shine, even in my van, 'long side of a dozen dwarfs I knows, if this Yan- kee had n't bamboozled our Queen, — God bless her — by getting him afore her half a dozen times." 44 Yes, yes, — that's the ticket," exclaimed another; " our Queen patronizes everything foreign, and yet she would n't visit my beautiful wax-works to save the crown of Hingland." cc Your beautiful wax-works ! " they all exclaimed, with a hearty laugh. 44 Yes, and who says they haint beautiful ? " retorted the other ; 44 they was made by the best Hitalian hartist in this country." 44 They was made by Jim Caul, and showed all over the country twenty years ago," rejoined another ; 44 and arter that they laid five years in pawn in old Moll Wig- gin's cellar, covered with mould and dust." 44 Well, that's a good 'un, that is ! " replied the proprie- tor of the beautiful wax-works, with a look of disdain. I made a move to depart, when one of the head showmen exclaimed, 44 Come, Mister, do n't be shabby ; can you think of going without standing treat all round ? " 44 Why should I stand treat?" I asked. 44 'Cause 't ain't every day you can meet such a bloody lot of jolly brother-showmen," replied Mr. Wax-works. I handed out a crown, and left them to drink bad luck to the 44 foreign wagabonds what would bamboozle their Queen with inferior dwarfs, possessing no advantage over the 4 natyves ' but the power of chaffing." While in the showmen's vans seeking for acquisitions IN ENGLAND AGAIN. 237 to my Museum in America, I was struck with the tall appearance of a couple of females who exhibited as the " Canadian giantesses, each seven feet in height." Sus- pecting that a cheat was hidden under their unfashion- ably long dresses, which reached to the floor and thus rendered their feet invisible, I attempted to solve the mystery by raising a foot or two of the superfluous cover- ing. The strapping young lady, not relishing such liberties from a stranger, laid me flat upon the floor with a blow from her brawny hand. I was on my feet again in tolerably quick time, but not until I had discovered that she stood upon a pedestal at least eighteen inches high. We returned to the hotel, took a post-chaise, and drove through decidedly the most lovely country I ever beheld. Since taking that tour, I have heard that two gentlemen once made a bet, each, that he could name the most delightful drive in England. Many persons were present, and the two gentlemen wrote on separate slips of paper the scene which he most admired. One gentleman wrote, " The road from Warwick to Coven- try ; " the other had written, " The road from Coventry to Warwick." In less than an hour we were set down at the outer walls of Kenilworth Castle, which Scott has greatly aided to immortalize in his celebrated novel of that name. This once noble and magnificent castle is now a stupendous ruin, which has been so often described that I think it unnecessary to say anything about it here. We spent half an hour in examining the inter- esting ruins, and then proceeded by post-chaise to Cov- entry, a distance of six or eight miles. Here we remained four hours, during which time we visited St. Mary's HalL which has attracted the notice of many 238 IN ENGLAND AGAIN. antiquaries. We also took our own " peep " at the effigy of the celebrated 44 Peeping Tom," after which we visited an exhibition called the 44 Happy Family," consisting of about two hundred birds and animals of opposite natures and propensities, all living in harmony together in one cage. This exhibition was so remarkable that I bought it and hired the proprietor to accompany it to New York, and it became an attractive feature in my Museum. We took the cars the same evening for Birmingham, where we arrived at ten o'clock, Albert Smith remark- ing, that never before in his life had he accomplished a day's journey on the Yankee go-ahead principle. He afterwards published a chapter in Bentleys Maga- zine entitled 44 A Day with Barnum," in which he said we 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 44 Peeping Tom " in the house of Shakespeare, while Guy of Warwick would stick his head above the ruins of Kenilworth, and the Warwick Vase appeared in Coventry. CHAPTER XV. RETURN TO AMERICA. THE WIZARD OF THE NORTH — A JUGGLER BEATEN AT HIS OWN TRICKS — SECOND VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES — REVEREND DOCTOR ROBERT BAIRD — CAPTAIN JUDKINS THREATENS TO PUT ME IN IRONS — VIEWS WITH REGARD TO SECTS — A WICKED WOMAN — THE SIMPSONS LN EUROPE — REMINISCENCES OF TRAVEL — SAUCE AND "SASS" — TEA TOO SWEET — A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE — ROAST DUCK — SNOW IN AUGUST — TALES OF TRAVELLERS — SIMPSON NOT TO BE TAKEN IN — HOLLANDERS IN BRUSSELS — WHERE ALL THE DUTCHMEN COME FROM — THREE YEARS US' EUROPE— WARM PERSONAL FRIENDS — DOCTOR C. S. BREWSTER — HENRY SUMNER — GEORGE SAND — LORENZO DRAPER — GEORGE P. PUTNAM — OUR LAST PERFORMANCE IN DUBLIN — DANIEL O'CON- NELL — END OF OUR TOUR — DEPARTURE FOR AMERICA — ARRIVAL rN NEW YORK. While I was at Aberdeen, in Scotland, I met Ander- son, the " Wizard of the North." I had known him for a long time, and we were on familiar terms. The Gen- eral's exhibitions were to close on Saturday night, and Anderson was to open in the same hall on Monday even- ing. He came to onr exhibition, and at the close we went to the hotel together to get a little supper. After supper we were having some fun and jokes together, when it occurred to Anderson to introduce me to sev- eral persons who were sitting in the room, as the " Wizard of the North," at the same time asking me about my tricks and my forthcoming exhibition. He kept this up so persistently that some of our friends who were present, declared that Anderson was " too much for me," and, meanwhile, fresh introductions to stran- gers who came in, had made me pretty generally 240 RETURN TO AMERICA. known in that circle as the " Wizard of the North," who was to astonish the town in the following week. I accepted the situation at last, and said : " Well, gentlemen, as I perform here for the first time, on Monday evening, I like to be liberal, and I should be very happy to give orders of admission to those of you who will attend my exhibition." The applications for orders were quite general, and I had written thirty or forty, wThen Anderson, who saw that I was in a fair way of filling his house with " dead- heads," cried out — " Hold on ! " I am the 4 Wizard of the North.' I'll stand the orders already given, but not another one." Our friends, including the " Wizard " himself, began to think that I had rather the best of the joke. During our three years' stay abroad, I made a second hasty visit to America, leaving the General in England in the hands of my agents. I took passage from Liver- pool on board a Cunard steamer, commanded by Captain Judkins. One of my fellow passengers was the cele- brated divine, Robert Baird. I had known him as the author of an octavo volume, 44 Religion in America"; and while that work had impressed me as exhibiting great ability and an outspoken honesty of purpose, it had also given me the notion that its author must be very rigid and intolerant as a sectarian. Still I was happy to make his acquaintance on board the steamship, and soon regarded with favor the venerable Presbyterian divine. Dr. Baird had been for some time a missionary in Sweden. He was now paying a visit to his native land. I found him a shrewd, well-informed Christian gentle- man, and I took much pleasure in hearing him con- RETURN" TO AMERICA. 241 verse. One night it was storming furiously. The waves, rolling high, afforded a sight of awful grandeur, to witness which I was tempted to put on a pea-jacket, go upon the deck, and lash myself to the side of the ship. After I had been there nearly an hour, wrapt in meditation and wonder, not unmixed with awe, Dr. Baird came up in the darkness, feeling his way cau- tiously along the deck. As he came where I was, I hailed him ; and he asked what I was doing so long up there. " Listening to the preaching, Doctor," I replied ; " and I think it beats even yours, although I have never had the pleasure of hearing you." " Ah ! " he replied, " none of us can preach like this. How humble and insignificant we all feel in the pres- ence of such a display of the Almighty power ; and how grateful we should be to remember that infinite love guides this power." The Sunday following, divine service was held as usual in the large after cabin. Of course it was the Episcopal form of worship. The captain conducted the services, assisted by the clerk and the ship's surgeon. A dozen or two of the sailors, shaved, washed, and', neatly dressed, were marched into the cabin by the mate ; most of the passengers were also present. Those who have witnessed this service, as conducted by Captain Judkins, need not be reminded that he does it much as he performs his duties on deck. He speaks as one having authority ; and a listener could hardly help feeling that there would be some danger of a " row " if the petitions (made as a sort of command) were not speedily answered. After dinner I asked Dr. Baird if he would be will- 16 242 RETURN TO AMERICA. ing to preach to the passengers in the forward cabin. He said he would cheerfully do so if it was desired. I mentioned it to the passengers, and there was a gen- erally-expressed wish among them that he should preach. I went into the forward cabin, and requested the steward to arrange the chairs and tables properly for religious service. He replied that I must first get the captain's consent. Of course, I thought this was a mere matter of form ; so I went to the captain's office, and said : " Captain, the passengers desire to have Dr. Baird conduct a religious service in the forward cabin. I suppose there is no objection." " Decidedly there is," replied the captain, gruffly ; " and it will not be permitted." "Why not?" I asked, in astonishment. "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," I replied, "do you pretend to say you will not allow a respectable and well-known clergyman to offer a prayer and hold religious services on board your ship at the request of your passengers 1 " " 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. I was indignant, and used sharp language. " Well," said I, " this is the most contemptible thing I ever heard of on the part of the owners of a public TUT ME IX IfiOXS, RETURN TO AMERICA. 243 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/ " I replied ; " for this thing is perfectly outrageous. In that out-of-the-way forward cabin, you allow, on week days, gambling, swearing, smoking and singing, till late at night ; and yet on Sun- day you have the impudence to deny the 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 surveyed," exclaimed, in a loud voice : " If you repeat such language, I will put you in irons." " Do it, if you dare," said I, feeling my indignation 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." The captain made no reply ; and, at the request of friends, I walked to another part of the ship. I told the Doctor how the matter stood, and then, laughingly, said to him : " 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 country- men if they were told that my zeal to hear an Orthodox minister preach was so great that u ~™° "**v netting 2±± RETURN TO AMERICA. 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 captain and myself had no further intercourse for five or six days ; not until a few hours before our arrival in New York. Being at dinner, he sent his champagne bottle to me, and asked to " drink my health," at the same time stating that he hoped no ill feeling, would be carried ashore. I was not then, as I am now, a teetotaler ; so I accepted the proffered truce, and I regret that I must add I " washed down" my wrath in a bottle of Heidsick — a poor example, which I hope never to repeat. We have frequently met since, and always with friendly greetings ; but I have ever felt that his manners were unnecessarily coarse and offensive in carrying out an arbitrary and bigoted rule of the steamship company. Though I have never lacked definite opinions, or hesitated to exhibit decided preferences in regard to the different religious creeds, I have never been so sectarian as to imagine that any one of the denominations is with- out any truth, or exists for no good purpose. On the contrary, I hold that every faith has somewhat of truth ; and that each sect, in its way, does a work which per- haps no one of the other sects can do as well. I was strongly confirmed in this general belief by an im- promptu utterance of Dr. Baird, during one of our conversations, which, under the circumstances, was not a little amusing, as it certainly evinced a good deal of insight into human nature. It is well' known that the old Doctor was very rigid in his theological views, and RETURN TO AMERICA. 245 in his career never spared either the Methodists or the people of the so-called liberal opinions. During our passage across the Atlantic, we very naturally had con- siderable tilting in regard to opinions which divided us, though in a thoroughly good-natured way. At last I recalled the case of a woman, somewhat noted among her neighbors for coarseness of speech, including pro- fanity, making her altogether such a person as needed the refining influence of religious teaching. Describing the very unpromising condition of this woman, I said : " Well, Doctor, if you can do anything with your creed to improve that woman, I should be glad to see you undertake the job." I was at once struck with the business air in which he considered the exigencies of what was undoubtedly a hard case. It was clear that he had dropped the character of the sectarian, and was taking a common- sense view of the problem. The problem was soon solved, and he replied : '; Mr. Barnum, it is of no use for you, with your opinions, to attempt to do anything for that sort of a per- son ; and it is equally useless for me, with my views, to attempt it either. But, if you could contrive a way to set some fiery, rousing "Methodist to work upon her, why, he is just the man to do it ! " There were a number of pretty wild young men among our passengers, and on several occasions they tried their wits upon Dr. Baird. But he was a man of sterling common sense, and with that, very quick at repartee ; and they never made anything out of him. On one occasion, at dinner, they were in great glee, and, for a lark," they sent him their champagne bottle to drink a glass of wine with them. They, of course, supposed 246 EETUEN TO AMERICA. he was a teetotaler, as, indeed, I believe he was ; but when the waiter handed him the bottle, he quietly poured a spoonful or two into his glass, and, gracefully bowing to the young gentlemen, placed it to his lips, but not tasting it. Of course, they could say nothing. Early one morning, several of these youths came upon de^k, and, meeting the Doctor there, one of them exclaimed : " It is cold as hell this morning, ahx't it, Doctor] " " I am unable to state the exact height of the ther- mometer in that locality," said he, gravely ; " but I am afraid you will know all about it some time, if you are not careful." The laugh was decidedly against the young man ; but one of his companions, who thought considerably of himself, seemed anxious to take up the cudgel, and he remarked: " Dr. Baird, your brother clergymen are "making a great ado in New York about the state of crime there ; and they have got a smelling-committee, who go about and smell out all filthy places there, and report them to the public. Indeed, they do say that several of the clergy, and some laymen of the Arthur Tappan stripe, have got a book in which they have written down a list of all the bad houses in New York. I should like to see that book. Ha ! ha ! I wonder if they have really got one V " I do n't know how that is," replied Doctor Baird ; " but," casting his eyes heavenward, " I can assure you there is a book in which all such places are recorded, as well as the names of those who occupy or visit them ; and in due time it will be opened to public gaze." The young man looked cowed, and extending his hand to Doctor Baird, said : RETURN TO AMERICA. 247 " Sir, 1 confess I have made too light of a serious matter. I sincerely beg your pardon, if I have offended you." " You have not offended me," said the Doctor, with a benignant smile ; "but I am rejoiced to perceive that you have offended your own sense of propriety and morality. I trust you will not forget it." This was the last attempt on board that ship to try a lance with Doctor Baird. Several years later, when I was engaged in the Jenny Lind enterprise, Doctor Baird called upon me. Having been so long a missionary in Sweden, the native land of the great songstress, he had a special desire to make her acquaintance and listen to her singing. I introduced him to her, and gave him the entree to her concerts. He improved the opportunity, and he also made frequent calls upon her. She became much interested in him. Indeed, on several occasions she contributed liberally to the charitable institutions he had recommended to her favorable notice. During my residence in London I made the acquaint- ance of an American, whom I will call Simpson, and his wife. They had originally been poor, and accus- tomed to pretty low society. Their opportunities for education had been limited, and they were what we should term vulgar, ignorant, common people. But by a turn of Fortune's wheel they became suddenly rich, and like some other fools who know nothing of their own country, they must rush to make the tour of Europe.- Mr. Simpson was an ignorant, good-natured fellow, fond of sporting large amounts of jewelry ; was very social with Englishmen ; always bragging of our " glo- 248 (RETURN TO AMERICA. rious country " ; and was particularly given to boasting that he was once poor and now he was rich. When- ever he met Americans he was delighted, and insisted on the privilege of " standing treats " to all around, familiarly slapping on the back, and treating as an old chum, any American gentleman, however refined, whom he might come in contact with. Mrs. Simpson was a coarse woman, yet always study- ing politeness, and particularly the proper pronuncia- tion of words. She was ever trying to appear refined ; and she prided herself upon understanding all the rules of etiquette and fashion. She was continually purchas- ing new dresses and fashionable articles of apparel. She loaded herself down with diamonds and tawdry jewelry, and would frequently appear in the streets with six or eight different dresses in a day. But, strange to say, with all her pride and vanity with regard to being considered the perfection of refinement, she had an awful habit of using profane language ! She really seemed to think this an evidence of good breed- ing. Perhaps she thought it a luxury which rich peo- ple were entitled to enjoy. This peculiarity occasion- ally led to most ludicrous scenes. The Simpsons were from New England ; and in their conversation they had the nasal Yankee twang, and the peculiar pronunciation of the illiterate class of the New England people. Those who have heard John E. Owens in '; Solon Shingle," are aware that preserved fruits are in New England called " sauce," by the vulgar pronounced " sass." But when Mrs. Simpson heard the word in England pronounced sauce, she was very anxious that John, her husband, should adopt the new pronuncia- RETURN TO AMERICA. 249 tion. He tried hard to learn, but would frequently forget himself and say " sass." Mrs. Simpson would lose her patience on such occasions, and reprove her husband sharply. Indeed, if he escaped without re- ceiving some profane epithet from the lips of his would-be fashionable wife, it was a wonder. On one occasion I happened to meet them at dinner with an English family in London, to whom I had, in the way of business, introduced them a few weeks pre- viously. We had scarcely taken our seats at the table before Simpson happened to discover a dish of sweet- meats at the further corner of the table. Turning to the servant he said : " Please pass me that sass." Mrs. Simpson's eyes flashed indignantly, and she angrily exclaimed, almost in a scream : " Say sauce ; don't say 6 sass.' I'd rather hear you say h — 1 a d — d sight !" That our English hostess was amazed and shocked it is needless to say, although she preserved her equa- nimity better than could be expected. As for myself, I confess I could not refrain from laughing, which, of course, served only to increase the wrath of Mrs. Simpson. Fourteen years subsequent to this event, I called on this English lady in company with an American friend. In the course of conversation, I happened to ask her if she remembered about Mrs. Simpson's " sass." She took from a drawer her memorandum book, and showed us the above expression verbatim, which, she said, she wrote down the same day it was uttered ; and she added she had never been able to think of it since without laughing. 250 RETURN TO AMERICA. I met Simpson and his wife at a hotel in Marseilles, France, in the summer of 1845. Mrs. Simpson said she and Simpson had almost determined not to go to France at all when they " heard it was necessary to hire an interpreter to tell what folks said." Said she, " I told Simpson I did n't want to go among a set of folks who were such cussed fools they couldn't speak English ! But of course we must go to France just for the speech of the people when we get home, so here we are. For my part," she continued, " I speak English to these Frenchmen anyhow, and if they can't understand me they can go without understanding. The other morning, I told the waiter my tea was too sweet. I found afterwards that too sweet (toute de suite) was French for 6 very quick. " 4 Oui, madame,' he replied, 4 oui, oui, que voulez vous ] ' (what will you have V) " " 6 Too sweet, too sweet,' I repeated, 4 too sweet, too sweet.' Then I pointed to my tea, and said again, 4 Too sweet, d — -n your stupid head, can't you under- stand too sweet]' The fool jumped around like a hen with her head cut off, and kept saying, 4 Oui, oui, madame, too sweet, quest ceque c'est? (What is it?)' Finally an English gentleman asked me what was the matter, and when I told him, he explained by telling me that too sweet (toute de suite) in French meant quick, very quick, and that was what made the stupid waiter jump around so." 44 But d — n the French waiters," she continued, 44 1 have got quit of them finally, for I have found out a language we both understand. 44 The same day my tea was too sweet,- Simpson was out at dinner time ; and I went to the table alone. I RETURN TO AMERICA. 251 called for soup, and the sap-heads Drought me some sort of preserves. I then called for fish, and the fools could not understand me. Then I said, £ Bring me some chicken,' and d — n 'em, they danced about in a quandary till I thought I should starve to death. But finally I thought of roast duck. I am dreadfully fond of duck, and I knew they always had stuffed ducks at dinner time. So I called to the waiter once more, and pointed to my plate and said, 6 quack, quack, quack, now do you understand]' and the fool began to laugh, and said, 4 Oui, madame, oui, oui,' and off he ran, and soon brought me the nicest piece of duck you ever saw. So now every day at dinner, I say 1 quack, quack,7 and I always get some first-rate duck." I congratulated her on having discovered a universal language. The same day, I met a young Englishman in the hotel, who had been travelling in Spain. During our conversation we were summoned to dinner. At the table d'hote, Simpson happened to be seated exactly opposite us. As we continued our conversation, Simp- son heard it, and his attention was particularly arrested — it being something of a novelty to meet a stranger in these parts, who spoke our native tongue. The Eng- lish gentleman mentioned that he ascended the Pyrenees the week previous. " I should like to have been with you," I remarked, " but I am almost too fat and lazy to climb high moun- tains. I suppose you found it pretty hard work." 64 Yes, we had to rough it some ; we encountered considerable snow," he replied. " Snow ! " exclaimed Simpson, in astonishment. The Englishman looked with surprise at this inter- 252 RETURN TO AMERICA. ruption ; for he did not know Simpson, nor had he ever heard him speak before. However, he quietly replied, " Yes, sir, snow." 44 Not by a d d sight, you didn't," replied Simp- son , emphatically. 44 That wont go down. Snow in August wont do. I have seen snow myself in Connec- ticut, the last of September, but it wont do in August, by a thundering sight," The Englishman sprang to his feet, but I hit him a nudge, and said, u It is all right. Excuse me ; let me introduce my friend, Mr. Simpson, from America. He has travelled some, and it is pretty hard to take him in with big stories." He comprehended the matter instantly and sat down. 44 Yes, sir," remarked Simpson, 44 1 have heard travel- lers before, but August is a leetle too early for snow." 44 But suppose I should say it was not this year's snow 1 " said the Englishman, who was ready now to carry on the joke. 44 Worse and worse," exclaimed Simpson, with a tri- umphant laugh ; 44 if it would not melt in August, when in thunder would it melt I You might as well say it would lay all the year round." 44 1 give it up," said the Englishman, 44 you are too sharp for me." Simpson wTas delighted, and took special pains for several days to inform the interpreters in the neighbor- ing hotels and billiard saloons, that he had 44 took down" an impudent John Bull, who had tried to stuff him with the idea that he had seen snow in August. I met the Simpsons afterwards in Brussels, and the head of the family, who had heard nothing but French spoken, outside of his own circle, for a long time, called RETURN TO AMERICA. 253 me in great glee to the door, to see and hear some Dutchmen, who were conversing together in the street. "There!" exclaimed Simpson, "those fellows are Dutchmen ; I know by their talk." " Very well," said I, " how far do you suppose those Dutchmen are from their native place ] " . " Why," replied Simpson, " I suppose they came from Western Pennsylvania ; that's where I have always seen 'em." With the exception of the brief time passed in mak- ing two short visits to America, I had now passed three years with General Tom Thumb in Great Britain and on the Continent. The entire period had been a season of unbroken pleasure and profit. I had immensely enlarged my business experiences and had made money and many friends. Among those to whom I am indebted for special courtesies while I was abroad are Dr. C. S. Brewster, whose prosperous professional career in Russia and France is well known, and Henry Sumner, Esq., who occupied a high position in the social and literary circles . of Paris and who introduced me to George Sand and to many other distinguished persons. To both these gentlemen, as well as to Mr. John Ximmo, an English gentleman connected with Galignanis Messenger, Mr. Lorenzo Draper, the Ameri- can Consul, and Mr. Dion Boucicault, I was largely indebted for attention. In London, two gentlemen especially merit my warm acknowledgments for many valuable favors. I refer to the late Thomas Brettell, publisher, Haymarket; and Mr. E. Fillingham, Jr., Fenchurch Street. I was also indebted to Mr. G. P. Putnam, at that time a London publisher, for much useful information. 254 RETURN TO AMERICA. We had visited nearly every city and town in France and Belgium, all the principal places in England and Scotland, besides going to Belfast and Dublin, in Ireland. I had several times met Daniel O'Connell in private life and in the Irish capital I heard him make an eloquent and powerful public Repeal speech in Con- ciliation HalL In Dublin, after exhibiting a week in Rotunda Hall, our receipts on the last day were £261, or $1,305, and the General also received £50, or $250, for playing the same evening at the Theatre Royal. Thus closing a truly triumphant tour, we set sail for New York, arriving in February 1847. CHAPTER XVI. AT HOME. RENEWING THE LEASE OF THE MUSEUM BUILDING — TOM THUMB IN AMERICA — TOUR THROUGH THE COUNTRY — JOURNEY TO CUBA — BARNUM A CURIOSITY — RAISING TURKEYS — CEASING TO BE A TRAVELLING SHOWMAN — RETURN TO BRIDGEPORT — ADVANTAGES AND CAPABILITIES OF THAT CITY — SEARCH FOR A HOME — THE FINDING — BUILDING AND COMPLETION OF IRANISTAN — GRAND HOUSE-WARMING — BUYING THE BALTIMORE MUSEUM — OPENING THE PHIL- ADELPHIA MUSEUM — CATERING FOR QUAKERS — THE TEMPERANCE PLEDGE AT THE THEATRE — PURCHASING PEALE'S PHILADELPHIA COLLECTION — MY AGRICULTURAL AND ARBORICULTURAL DOINGS — " GERSY BLEW " CHICKENS — HOW I SOLD MY POTATOES — HOW I BOUGHT OTHER PEOPLE'S POTATOES — CUTTING OFF GRAFTS — MY DEER PARK — MY GAME-KEEPER — FRANK LESLIE — PLEASURES OF HOME. One of my main objects in returning home at this time, was to obtain a longer lease of the premises occu- pied by the American Museum. My lease had still three years to run, but Mr. Olmsted, the proprietor of the building, was dead, and I was anxious to make provision in time for the perpetuity of my establishment, for I meant to make the Museum a permanent institution in the city, and if I could not renew my lease, I intended to build an appropriate edifice on Broadway. I filially succeeded, however, in getting the lease of the entire building, covering fifty-six feet by one hundred, for twenty-five years, at an annual rent of $ 10,000 and the ordinary taxes and assessments. I had already hired in addition the upper stories of three adjoining buildings. My Museum receipts were more in one day, than they formerly were in an entire week, and the establishment 256 AT HOME. had become so popular that it was thronged at all hours, from early morning to closing time at night. On my return, I promptly made use of General Tom Thumb's European reputation. He immediately ap- peared in the American Museum, and for four weeks drew such crowds of visitors as had never been seen there before. He afterwards spent a month in Bridge- port, 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. The receipts, amounting to several hundred dollars, were presented to the Bridgeport Charitable Society. The Bridgeporters were much delighted to see their old friend, " little Charlie," again. They little thought, when they saw him playing about the streets a few years previously, that he was destined to create such a sensation among the crowned heads of the old world ; and now, returning with his European reputation, he was, of course, a great curiosity to his former acquaint- ances, as well as to the public generally. His Bridge- port friends found that he had not increased in size dur- ing the four and a half years of his absence, but they discovered that he had become sharp and witty, " abounding in foreign airs and native graces " ; in fact, that he was quite unlike the little, diffident country fel- low whom they had formerly known. " We never thought Charlie much of a phenomenon when he lived among us," said one of the first citizens of the place, " but now that he has become 1 Barnum- ized,' he is a rare curiosity." But there was really no mystery about it ; the whole change made by training and travel, had appeared to me by degrees, and it came to the citizens of Bridgeport AT HOME. 257 suddenly. The terms upon which I first engaged the lad showed that I had no over-sanguine expectations of his success as a " speculation." When I saw, however, that he was wonderfully popular, I took the greatest pains to engraft upon his native talent all the instruction he was capable of receiving. He was an apt pupil, and I provided for him the best of teachers. Travel and attrition with so many people in so many lands did the rest. The General left America three years before, a diffident, uncultivated little boy ; he came back an edu- cated, accomplished little man. He had seen much, and had profited much. He went abroad poor, and he came home rich. On January 1, 1845, my engagement with the General at a salary ceased, and we made a new arrangement by which we were equal partners, the General, or his father for him, taking one-half of the profits. A reservation, however, was made of the first four weeks after our arrival in New York, during, which he was to exhibit at my Museum for two hundred dollars. When we returned to America, the General's father had acquired a handsome fortune, and. settling a large sum upon the little General personally,, he placed the balance at interest, secured by bond and mortgage, excepting thirty thousand dollars, with which he purchased land near the city limits of Bridge- port, and erected a large and substantial mansion, where he resided till the day of his death, and in which his only two daughters were married, one in 1850, the other in 1853. His only son, besides the General, was born in 1851. All the family, except ': little Charlie," are of the usual size. After spending a month in visiting his friends, it was 258 AT HOME. determined that the General and his parents shonld travel through the United States. I agreed to accom- pany them, with occasional intervals of rest at home, for one year, sharing the profits equally, as in England. We proceeded to Washington city, where the General held his levees in April, 1847, visiting President Polk and lady at the White House — thence to Rich- mond, returning to Baltimore and Philadelphia. Our receipts in Philadelphia in twelve days were $5,594.91. The tour for the entire year realized about the same average. The expenses were from twenty-five dollars to thirty dollars per day. From Philadelphia we went to Boston, Lowell, and Providence. Our receipts on one day in the latter city were $976.97. We then visited New Bedford, Fall Eiver, Salem, Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Troy. Niagara Falls, Buffalo, and intermediate places, and in returning to New York we stopped at the principal towns on the Hudson River. After this we visited New Haven, Hartford, Portland, Me., and intermediate towns. I was surprised to find that, during my long absence abroad, I had become almost as much of a curiosity to my patrons as I was to the spinster from Maine who once came to see me and to attend the " services " in my Lecture Room. 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 over- hear the remark, 44 There's Barnum." 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 AT HOME. 259 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 of my money " ; and away he went, without going into the Museum at all ! In November, 1847, we started for Havana, taking the steamer from New York to Charleston, where the General exhibited, as well as at Columbia, Augusta, Savannah, Milledgeville, Macon, Columbus, Montgom- ery, Mobile and New Orleans. At this latter city we remained three weeks, including Christmas and New Year's. We arrived in Havana by the schooner Adams Gray, in January, 1848, and were introduced to the Cap- tain-General and the Spanish nobility. We remained a month in Havana and Matanzas, the General proving an immense favorite. In Havana he was the especial pet of Count Santovania. In Matanzas we were very much indebted to the kindness of a princely American merchant, Mr. BrinckerhofF. Mr. J. S. Thrasher, the American patriot and gentleman, was also of great assist- ance to us, and placed me under deep obligations. The hotels in Havana are not good. An American who is accustomed to substantial living, finds it difficult to get enough to eat. We stopped at the Washington House, which at that time was " first-rate bad." It was filthy, and kept by a woman who was drunk most of the time. Several Americans boarded there who were regular gormandizers. One of them, seeing a live tur- key on a New Orleans vessel, purchased and presented it to the landlady. It was a small one, and when it was carved, there was not enough of it to " go round." An American, (a large six-footer and a tremendous 260 AT HOME. eater,) who resided on a sugar plantation near Havana, happened to sit near the carver, and seeing an Amer- ican turkey so near him, and feeling that it was a rare dish for that latitude, kept helping himself, so that when the carving was finished, he had eaten about one half of the turkey. Unfortunately the man who bought it was sitting at the further end of the table, and did not get a taste of the coveted bird. He was indig- nant, especially against the innocent gormandizer from the sugar plantation, who, of course, was not acquainted with the history of the turkey. When they arose from the table, the planter smacked his lips, and patting his stomach, remarked, " That was a glorious turkey. I have not tasted one before these two years. I am very fond of them, and when I go back to my plantation I mean to commence raising turkeys." " If you do n't raise one before you leave town, you'll be a dead man," said the disappointed poultry pur- chaser. From Havana we went to New Orleans, where we remained several days, and from New Orleans we pro- ceeded to St. Louis, stopping at the principal towns on the Mississippi river, and returning via Louisville, Cin- cinnati, and Pittsburgh. We reached the latter city early in May, 1848. From this point it was agreed between Mr. Stratton and myself, that I should go home and henceforth travel no more with the little Gen- eral. I had 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 strag- gler from home most of the time for thirteen years, and I cannot describe the feelings of gratitude with which I AT HOME. reflected, that having by the most arduous toil and depri- vations succeeded in securing a satisfactory compe- tence, I should henceforth spend my days in the bosom of my family. I was fully determined that no pecu- niary temptation should again induce me to forego the enjoyments to be secured only in the circle of home. I reached my residence in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in the latter part of May, rejoiced to find my family and friends in good health, and delighted to find myself once more at home. My new home, which was then nearly ready for occu- pancy, was the well-known Iranistan. More than two years had been employed in building this beautiful residence. In 1846, finding that fortune was con- tinuing to favor me, I began to look forward eagerly to the time when I could withdraw from the whirlpool of business excitement and settle down permanently with my family, to pass the remainder of my days in compar- ative rest. I wished to reside within a few hours o^ New York. I had never seen more delightful locations than there are upon the borders of Long Island Sound, between New Jlochelle, New York, and New Haven, Connecti- cut ; and my attention was therefore turned in that direction. Bridgeport seemed to be about the proper distance from the great metropolis. It is pleasantly sit- uated at the terminus of two railroads, which trav- erse the fertile valleys of the Naugatuck and Hou- satonic rivers. The New York and New Haven Railroad runs through the city, and there is also daily steamboat communication with New York. The enterprise which characterized the city, seemed to mark it as destined to become the first in the State in size and opulence ; and 262 AT HOME. I was not long in deciding, with the concurrence of my wife, to fix our future residence in that vicinity. I accordingly purchased seventeen acres of land, less than a mile west of the city, and fronting with a good view upon the Sound. Although nominally in Bridge- port, my property was really in Fairfield, a few rods west of the Bridgeport line. In deciding upon the kind of house to be erected, I determined, first and foremost, to consult convenience and comfort. I cared little for style, and my wTife cared still less ; but as we meant to have a good house, it might as well, at the same time, be unique. In this, I confess, I had " an eye to business," for I thought that a pile of buildings of a novel order might indirectly serve as an advertisement of my Museum. In visiting Brighton, in England, I had been greatly pleased with the Pavilion erected by George IV. It was the only specimen of Oriental architecture in England, and the style had not been introduced into America. ^concluded to adopt it, and engaged a Lon- don 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 home- stead. On my second return visit to the United States, I brought these drawings with me and engaged a com- petent architect and builder, giving him instructions to proceed with the work, not " by the job " but " by the day," and to spare neither time nor expense in erecting a comfortable, 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. New and magnificent avenues were AT HOME. 263 opened in the vicinity of my property. The building progressed slowly, bat surely and substantially. Ele- gant and appropriate furniture was made expressly for every room, in the house. I erected expensive water works to supply the premises. The stables, conserva- tories 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. All I cared to know was that it suited me, and that would have been a small consideration with me if it had not also suited my family. The whole was finally completed to my satisfaction. My family removed into the premises, and, on the four- teenth of November, 1848, nearly one thousand invited guests, including the poor and the rich, helped us in the old-fashioned custom of " house-warming." When the name "Iranistan" was announced, a wag- gish New York editor syllabled it, I-ran-i-stan, and gave as the interpretation, that " I ran a long time before I could stan'!" Literally, however, the name signifies, " Eastern Country Place," or, more poetically, 65 Ori- ental Villa." The plot of ground upon which Iranistan was erected, was at the date of my purchase, in March 1846, a bare field. But I transplanted many hundreds of fruit and forest trees, some of the latter of very large growth when they were moved, and thus in a few years my premises were adorned with what, in the ordinary pro- cess of growth, would have required a whole generation. I have never waited for my trees to grow, if money would transplant them of nearly full growth at the start. The years 1818 and 1849 were mainly spent with 264 AT HOME. my family, though I went every week to New York to look after the interests of the American Museum. While I was in Europe, in 1845, my agent, Mr. Fordyce Hitchcock, had bought out for me the Baltimore Museum, a fully-supplied establishment, in full opera- tion, and I placed it under the charge of my uncle, Alanson Taylor. He died in 1846, and I then sold the Baltimore Museum to the " Orphean Family," by whom it was subsequently transferred to Mr. John E. Owens, the celebrated comedian. After my return from Europe, I opened, in 1849, a Museum in Dr. Swain's fine building, at the corner of Chestnut and Seventh streets, in Philadelphia. This was in all respects a first-class establishment. It was elegantly fitted up, and contained, among other things, a dozen fine large paintings, such as 4i The Del- uge," " Cain and his Family," and other similar subjects which I had ordered copied, when I was in Paris, from paintings in the gallery of the Louvre. There was also a complete and valuable collection of curiosities and I sent from New York, from time to time, my transient novelties in the way of giants, dwarfs, fat boys, animals and other attractions. There was a lecture room and stage for dramatic entertainments ; but I was catering for a Quaker population, and was careful to introduce or permit nothing which could possibly be objectionable. While the Museum contained such wax-works as " The Temperate Family," " The Intemperate Family," and Mrs. Pelby's representation of " The Last Supper," the theatre presented " The Drunkard " and other moral dramas. The most respectable people in the city patron- ized the Museum and attended the theatre. " The Drunkard" was exceedingly well played and it made a AT HOME. 265 great impression. There was a temperance pledge in the box-office, which was signed by thousands during the run of the piece. Almost every hour during the day and evening, women could be seen bringing their husbands to the Museum to sign the pledge. I stayed in Philadelphia long enough to identify my- self with this Museum and to successfully start the enterprise and then left it in the hands of different managers who profitably conducted it till 1851, when, finding that it occupied too much of my time and attention, I sold it to Mr. Clapp Spooner for $40,000. At the end of that year, the building and contents were destroyed by fire. The loss was a serious one to Philadelphia, and the people were very desirous that Mr. Spooner should rebuild the establishment ; but a highly profita- ble business connection with the Adams Express Com-- pany prevented him from doing so. While my Philadelphia Museum was in full opera- tion, Peale's Museum ran me a strong opposition at the Masonic Hall. That enterprise proved disastrous, and I purchased the collection at sheriff's sale, for five or six thousand dollars, on joint account of my friend Moses Kimball and myself. The curiosities were equally divided, one-half going to his Boston Museum and the other half to my American Museum in Xew York. In 1848 I was elected President of the Fairfield County Agricultural Society in Connecticut. Although not practically a farmer, I had purchased about one hundred acres of land in the vicinity of my residence, and felt and still feel a deep interest in the cause of agriculture. I had begun by importing some blood stock for Iranistan, and, as I was at one time atta< ked 266 AT HOME. by the " hen fever," I erected several splendid poultry- houses on my grounds. These were built for me by a carpenter who wrote an application for a situation, sending me a frightfully mis-spelled letter, in which he said that he was " youste " to hard work. I thought if his work was as strong as his spelling, he was the man I wanted, and I employed him. When the time came to prepare for our agricultural fair in the fall, he made a series of gorgeous cages in which to exhibit my shanghaes, bantams, and other fancy fowls. I went out to see them before they were sent away, and was horrified to find that he had marked the cages in his own peculiar style, describing my " Jersey Blues," for instance, in startling capitals as " Gersy Blews." I called for a jack-plane to remove every mark on the •cages and told the astonished carpenter that he might do anything in the world for ine, except to spell. In 1849 it was determined by the Society that I should deliver the annual address. I begged to be ex- cused on the ground of incompetency, but my excuses 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 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 there- upon directed him to barrel them up and ship them to New York for sale. He did so, and received two dol- lars per barrel, or about sixty-seven cents, per bushel. But, unfortunately, 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 potatoes " to live on during the winter. But the worst is still to come. My potatoes were all gone before March, and I AT HOME. 267 was obliged to buy, during the spring, over fifty bushels of potatoes, at $1.25 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 44 sprouts," and was thereafter informed by my gardener that I had cut off all his grafts ! A friend of mine, Mr. James D. Johnson, lived in a fine house a quarter of a mile west of Iranistan, and as I owned several acres of land at the corner of two streets directly adjoining his homestead, I surrounded the ground with, high pickets, and introducing a number of Rocky Mountain elk, reindeer, and American deer, I converted it into a deer park. Strangers passing by would natu- rally suppose that it belonged to Johnson's estate, and to render the illusion more complete, his son-in-law, Mr. S. H. Wales, of the Scientific American, placed a sign in the park, fronting on the street, and reading : 44 All persons are forbid trespassing on these grounds, or disturbing the deer. j. d. johnson." I 44 acknowledged the corn," and was much pleased with the joke. Johnson was delighted, and bragged considerably of having got ahead of Barnum, 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 he had got a capital joke on Barnum ; he would not ex- plain, 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 268 AT HOME. words, " Game-keeper to P. T. Barnum" His friends, as soon as they understood the joke, enjoyed it mightily, but it was said that neighbor Johnson laughed out of " the wrong side of his mouth." Thereafter, Mr. Johnson was known among his friends and acquaintances as " Barnum's game-keeper." Sometime afterwards when I was President of the Pequonnock Bank, it was my custom every year to give a grand dinner at Iranistan to the directors, and in making preparations I used to send to certain friends in the West for prairie chickens and other game. On one occasion a large box, marked " P. T. Barnum, Bridgeport ; Game," was lying in the express office, when Johnson seeing it, and espying the word " game," said : " Look here ! I am 6 Barnum's game-keeper,' and I'll take charge of this box." And " take charge " of it he did, carrying it home and notifying me that it was in his possession, and that as he was my game-keeper he would " keep " this, unless I sent him an order for a new hat. He knew very well that I would give fifty dollars rather than be deprived of the box, and as he also threatened to give a game dinner at his own house, I speedily sent the order for the hat, acknowledged the good joke, and my own guests enjoyed the double " game." During the year 1848, Mr. Frank Leslie, since so widely known as the publisher of several illustrated journals, came to me with letters of introduction from London, and I employed him to get up for me an illus- trated catalogue of my Museum. This he did in a splendid manner, and hundreds of thousands of copies were sold and distributed far and near, thus adding greatly to the renown of the establishment. AT HOME. 269 I count these two years — 1848 and 1849 — among the happiest of my life. I had enough to do in the management of my business, and yet I seemed to have plenty of leisure hours to pass with my family and friends in my beautiful home of Iranistan. CHAP TEE XVII. THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. GRAND SCHEME — CONGRESS OF ALL NATIONS — A BOLD AND BRILLIANT ENTER- PRISE— THE JENNY LIND ENGAGEMENT — MY AGENT IN EUROPE — HIS INSTRUCTIONS — CORRESPONDENCE WITH MISS LIND — BENEDICT AND BEL- LETTI — JOSHUA BATES — CHEVALIER WYCKOFF — THE CONTRACT SIGNED — MY RECEPTION OF THE NEWS — THE ENTIRE SUM OF MONEY FOR THE ENGAGEMENT SENT TO LONDON — MY FIRST LIND LETTER TO THE PUBLIC — A POOR PORTRAIT — MUSICAL NOTES IN WALL STREET — A FRIEND IN NEED. Many of my most fortunate enterprises have fairly- startled me by the magnitude of their success. When my sanguine hopes predicted a steady flow of fortune, I have been inundated ; when I calculated upon mak- ing a curious public pay me liberally for a meritorious- article, I have often found the same public eager to deluge me with compensation. Yet, I never believed in mere luck and I always pitied the simpleton who relies on luck for his success. Luck is in no sense the foundation of my fortune ; from the beginning of my career I planned and worked for my success. To be sure, my schemes often amazed me with the affluence of their results, and, arriving at the very best, I some- times 44 builded better than" I 44 knew." For a long time I had been incubating a plan for an extraordinary exhibition which I was sure would be a success and would excite universal attention and com- mendation in America and abroad. This was nothing THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. 271 less than a " Congress of Nations " — an assemblage of representatives of all the nations that could be reached by land or sea. I meant to secure a man and woman, as perfect as could be procured, from every accessible people, civilized and barbarous, on the face of the globe. I had actually contracted with an agent to go to Europe to make arrangements to secure " specimens " for such a show. Even now, I can conceive of no exhibition which wTould be more interesting and which would appeal more generally to all classes of patrons. As it was, and while positively preparing for such a congress, It occurred to me that another great enterprise could be undertaken at less risk, with far less real trouble, and with more remunerative results. And now I come to speak of an undertaking which my worst enemy will admit was bold in its conception, complete in its development, and astounding in its suc- cess. It was an enterprise never before or since equalled in managerial annals. As I recall it now, I almost tremble at the seeming temerity of the attempt. That I am proud of it I freely confess. It placed me before the world in a new light ; it gained me many warm friends in new circles ; it was in itself a fortune to me — I risked much but I made more. It was in October 1849, that I conceived the idea of bringing Jenny Lind to this country. I had never heard her sing, inasmuch as she arrived in London a few weeks after I left that city with General Tom Thumb. Her reputation, however, was sufficient for me. I usually jump at conclusions, and almost invariably find that my first impressions are correct. It struck me, when I first thought of this speculation, that if properly managed it must prove immensely profitable, provided I could 272 THE JENNY LTND ENTERPRISE. engage the " Swedish Nightingale" on any terms within the range of reason. As it was a great undertaking, I considered the matter seriously for several days, and all my " cipherings " and calculations gave but one result — immense success. Reflecting that very much would depend upon the manner in which she should be brought before the public, I saw that my task would be an exceedingly arduous one. It was possible, I knew, that circum- stances might occur which would make the enterprise disastrous. " The public " is a very strange animal, and although a good knowledge of human nature "will gen- erally lead a caterer of amusements to hit the people, they are fickle, and ofttimes perverse. A slight misstep in the management of a public entertainment, frequently wrecks the most promising enterprise. But I had marked the " divine Jenny " as a sure card, and to secure the prize I began to cast about for a competent agent. I found in Mr. John Hall Wilton, an Englishman who had visited this country with the Sax-Horn Pla)ers, the best man whom I knew for that purpose. A few minutes sufficed to make the arrangement with him, by which I was to pay but little more than his expenses if he failed in his mission, but by which also he was to be paid a large sum if he succeeded in bringing Jenny Lind to our shores, on any terms within a liberal schedule which I set forth to him in writing. On the 6th of November, 1849, I furnished Wilton with the necessary documents, including a letter of general instructions which he was at liberty to exhibit to Jenny Lind and to any other musical notables whom he thought proper, and a private letter, containing hints THE JENNY LIND ENTEEPEISE. 273 and suggestions not embodied in the former. I also gave him letters of introduction to my bankers, Messrs. Baring Brothers & Co., of London, as well as to many friends in England and France. The sum of all my instructions, public and private, to Wilton amounted to this : He was to engage her on shares, if possible. I, however, authorized him to engage her at any rate, not exceeding one thousand dollars a night, for any number of nights up to one hundred and fifty, with all her expenses, including servants, carriages, secretary, etc., besides also engaging such musical assistants, not exceeding three in number, as she should select, let the terms be what they might. If necessary, I should place the entire amount of money named in the engagement in the hands of London bankers before she sailed. Wilton's compensation was arranged on a kind of sliding scale, to be governed by the terms which he made for me — so that the farther he kept below my utmost limits, the better he should be paid for making the engagements. He proceeded to London, and opened a correspondence with Miss Lind, who was then on the Continent. He learned from the tenor of her letters, that if she could be induced to visit America at all, she must be accompanied by Mr. Julius Benedict, the accomplished composer, pianist, and musical director, and also she wras impressed with the belief that Signor Belletti, the fine baritone, would be of essential service. Wilton therefore at once called upon Mr. Benedict and also Signor Belletti, who were both then in London, and in numerous interviews was enabled to learn the terms on which they would consent to engage to visit this country with Miss Lind. Having obtained the' information desired, he proceeded to 18 214 THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. Lubeck, in Germany, to seek an interview with Miss Lind herself. Upon arriving at her hotel, he sent his card, requesting her to specify an hour for an interview. She named the following morning, and he was punctual to the appointment. In the course of the first conversation, she frankly told him that during the time occupied by their cor- respondence, she had written to friends in London, including my friend Mr. Joshua Bates, of the house of Baring Brothers, and had informed herself respect- ing my character, capacity, and responsibility, which she assured him were quite satisfactory. She informed him, however, that at that time there were four per- sons anxious to negotiate with her for an American tour. One of these gentlemen was a well-known opera man- ager 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 Wyckoff, a person who had conducted a successful speculation some years previously by visit- ing America in charge of the celebrated danseuse, Fanny Ellsler. Several of these parties had called upon her personally, and Wyckoff upon hearing my name, attempted to deter her from making any engagement with me, by assuring her that I was a mere showman, and that, for the sake of making money by the spec- ulation, I would not scruple to put her into a box and exhibit her through the country at twenty-five cents a head. This, she confessed, somewhat alarmed her, and she wrote to Mr. Bates on the subject. t He entirely dis- abused her mind, by assuring her that he knew me personally, and that in treating with me she was not THE JENNY LEND ENTERPRISE. 275 dealing with an " adventurer " who might make her remuneration depend entirely upon the success of the enterprise, hut I was ahle to carry out all my engage- ments, let them prove never so unprofitable, and she could place the fullest reliance upon my honor and integrity. ;i Now," said she to Mr. Wilton, " I am perfectly satisfied on that point, for I know the world pretty well, and am aware how far jealousy and envy will some- times carry persons ; and as those who are trying to treat with me are all anxious that I should participate in the profits or losses of the enterprise, I much pre- fer treating with you, since your principal is willing to assume all the responsibility, and take the entire man- agement and chances of the result upon himself." Several interviews ensued, during which she learned, from Wilton that he had settled with Messrs. Benedict and Belletti, in regard to the amount of their salaries, provided the engagement was concluded, and in the course of a week, Mr. Wilton and Miss Lind had arranged the terms and conditions on which she was ready to conclude the negotiations. As these terms were within the limits fixed in my private letter of instructions, the following agreement was duly drawn in triplicate, and signed by herself and Wilton, at Lubeck, January 9, 1850 ; and the signatures of Messrs. Bene- dict and Belletti were affixed in London a few days afterwards : 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 Phixeas T. Barnum, of Xew York, in the United States of North America, of the one part, and Mademoiselle Jenny* Lixd, Vocalist, of Stockholm in Sweden, of the other part, wherein the said Jenny Lind doth agn •• I : 1st. To sing for the said Phineas T. Barnum in one hundred and fifty concerts, including oratorios, within 276 THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. (if possible) one year, or eighteen months from the date of her arrival in the City of New York — the said con- certs 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 regulated conditionally with her health and safety of voice, but the former never less than one or two, nor the latter less than four ; but in no case to appear in operas. 2d. 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 w7ith 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 superin- tend her finances ; to pay all her and her party's travel- ling expenses from Europe, and during the tour in the United States of North America and Havana ; to pay all hotel expenses 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. 3d. 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 assur- ance for the full amount of her engagement, which shall 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 THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. 277 its current reduction, by her services in the concerts or oratorios. 4th. And the said John Hall Wilton, on the 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 moneys in any way expended consequent on this engagement, 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 concerts or oratorios on the aforesaid and first-named terms, and if then found to fall short of the expectations 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 unnecessary, then the engage- ment 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 engagement shall continue as at first — the sums herein, after expenses for Julius Benedict and Giovanni Belletti, to remain unaltered except for advancement. 5th. And the said John Hall Wilton, agent for the said Phineas T. Barnum, at the request of the said 278 THE JENNY LIXD ENTERPRISE. Jenny Lind, agrees to pay to Julius Benedict, of Lon- don, to accompany the said Jenny Lind as musical di- rector, pianist, and superintendent of the musical depart- ment, 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 Lon- don, previous to his departure from Europe ; and the said John Hall Wilton agrees further, for the said Phin- eas T. Barnum, to pay all his travelling expenses from Europe, together with 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 ora- torios, if required. 6th. And the said John Hall Wilton, at the request, selection, and for the aid of the said Jenny Lind, agrees to pay to Giovanni Beiletti, baritone vocalist, to accom- pany 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 conjunc- tion 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 addition to all his hotel and travelling expenses. 7th. 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 purposes indepen- dent of the engagement with the . said Phineas T. Barnum, she, the said Jenny Lind, consulting with the said Phineas T. Barnum with a view to mutually agree- THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. 279 ing 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 where- ever it shall appear against the interests of the said Phineas T. Bar num. 8th. 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 pro- portion of the terms agreed upon shall be given to the said Jenny Lind, Julius Benedict, and Giovanni Belletti, for services rendered to that time. 9th. 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. 10th. 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 memorandum of agreement we set hereunto our hand and 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. 280 THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. Extract from a Letter addressed to John Hall Wilton by Phineas T. Barnum, and referred to in paragraph No. 4 of the annexed agreement New York, November 6, 1849. Mr. J. Hall Wilton : Sir : — In reply to your proposal to attempt a nego- tiation 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 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 carriage, two servants, and a friend to accompany her and superintend her finances. I will furthermore pay all and every expense appertaining to her appearance 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 to the arrangements, provided she will undertake to give not less than eighty nor more than one hundred and fifty concerts, or nights' perform- ances. Phixeas T. Barnum. I certify the above to be a true extract from the letter. J H. Wilton. I was at my Museum in Philadelphia when Wilton arrived in New York, February 19, 1850. He imme- diately telegraphed to me, in the cipher we had agreed upon, that he had signed an engagement with Jenny Lind, by which she was to commence her concerts in America in the following September. I was somewhat THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. 281 startled by this sudden announcement ; and feeling that the time to elapse before her arrival was so long that it would be policy to keep the engagement private for a few months, I immediately telegraphed him not to men- tion it to any person, and that I would meet him the next day in New York. When we reflect how thoroughly Jenny Lind, her musical poweis, her character, and wTonderful successes, 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 engagement 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 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. The next morning I started for New York. On arriv- ing at Princeton we met the Xew York cars, and purchas- ing the morning papers, I was surprised to find in them a full account of my engagement with Jenny Lind. However, this premature announcement could not be recalled, and I put the best face on the matter. Anxious to learn how this communication would strike the pub- lic mind, I informed the conductor, whom I well knew, that I had made an engagement with Jenny Lind, and that she would surely visit this country in the following August. " Jenny Lind! Is she a dancer %%i asked the con- ductor. 282 THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. I informed him who and what she was, but his ques- tion had chilled me as if his words were ice. Really, thought I, if this is all that a man in the capacity of a railroad conductor between Philadelphia and New York knows of the greatest songstress in the world, I am not sure that six months will be too long a time for me to occupy in enlightening the public in regard to her merits. I had an interview with Wilton, and learned from him that, in accordance with the agreement, it would be requisite for me to place the entire amount stipulated, $187,500, in the hands of the London bankers. I at once resolved to ratify the agreement, and immediately sent the necessary documents to Miss Lind and Messrs. Benedict and Belletti. I then began to prepare the public mind, through the newspapers, for the reception of the great songstress. How effectually this was done, is still within the remem- brance of the American public. As a sample of the manner in which I accomplished my purpose, I present the following extract from my first letter, which ap- peared in the New York papers of February 22, 1850 : " Perhaps I may not make any money by this enter- prise ; but I assure you that if I knew I should not make a farthing profit, I would ratify the engage- ment, 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 THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. 2S3 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 pro- ceeds of concerts for charitable purposes in Great Brit- ain, where she has sung gratuitously, have realized more than ten times that amount." The people soon began to talk about Jenny Lind, and I was particularly anxious to obtain a good portrait of her. Fortunately, a fine opportunity occurred. One day, while I was sitting in the office of the Museum, a foreigner approached me with a small package under his arm. He informed me in broken English that he was a Swede, and said he was an artist, who had just arrived from Stockholm, where Jenny Lind had kindly given him a number of sittings, and he now had with him the portrait of her which he had painted upon copper. He unwrapped the package, and showed me a beautiful picture of the Swedish. Night- ingale, inclosed in an elegant gilt frame, about fourteen by twenty inches. It was just the thing I wanted ; the price was fifty- dollars, and I purchased it at once. Upon showing it to an artist friend the same day, he quietly assured me that it wras a cheap lithograph pasted on a tin back, neatly varnished, and made to appear like a fine oil painting. The intrinsic value of the picture did not exceed thirty-seven and one half cents ! After getting together all my available funds for the purpose of transmitting them to London in the shape of United States bonds, I found a considerable sum still lacking to make up the amount. I had some second 284 THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE. mortgages which were perfectly good, but I could not negotiate them in Wall Street. Nothing would answer there short of first mortgages on New York or Brook- lyn city property. I went to the president of the bank where I had done all my business for eight years. I offered him, as security for a loan, my second mortgages, and as an additional inducement, I proposed 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 three thousand dollars per night, and appropriate them towards the payment of my loan. He laughed in my face, and said : " Mr. Barnum, it is generally believed in Wall Street, that your engagement with Jenny Lind will ruin you. I do not think you will ever receive so much as three thousand dollars at a single concert." I was indignant at his want of appreciation, and answered him that I would not at that moment 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 collateral 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 discov- ered myself five thousand dollars short. I felt that it was indeed " the last feather that breaks the camel's back." Happening casually to state my desperate case THE JENNY L1ND EXTEEPEISE. 235 to the Eev. 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 proffered friendship, and felt that he had removed a mountain- weight from my shoulders. CHAPTER XVIII. THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YOKK. FINAL CONCERTS IN LIVERPOOL — DEPARTURE FOR A3IERICA —ARRIVAL OFF BTATEN ISLAND — MY FIRST INTERVIEW WITH JENNY LIND — THE TREMEN- DOUS THRONG AT THE WHARF — TRIUMPHAL ARCHES — "WELCOME TO AMER- ICA " — EXCITEMENT IN THE CITY — SERENADE AT THE IRVING HOUSE — THE PRIZE ODE — BAYARD TAYLOR THE PRIZEMAN — " BARNUM's PARNASSUS " — "BARNUMOPSIS " — FIRST CONCERT IN* CASTLE GARDEN — A NEW AGREEMENT — RECEPTION OF JENNY LIND — UNBOUNDED ENTHUSIASM — BARNUM CALLED OUT — JULIUS BENEDICT — THE SUCCESS OF THE ENTERPRISE ESTABLISHED — TWO GRAND CHARITY CONCERTS IN NEW YORK —DATE OF THE FIRST REGULAR CONCERT. After the engagement with Miss Lind was consum- mated, she declined several liberal offers to sing in London, but, at my solicitation, gave two concerts in Liverpool, on the eve of her departure for America. My object in making this request was, to add the eclat of that side to the excitement on this side of the Atlan- tic, which was already nearly up to fever heat. The first of the two Liverpool concerts was given the night previous to the departure of the Saturday steamer for America. My agent had procured the services of a musical critic from London, who finished his account of this concert at half past one o'clock the following morn- ing, and at two o'clock my agent was overseeing its insertion in a Liverpool morning paper, numbers of which he forwarded to me by the steamer of the same day. The republication of the criticism in the Ameri- can papers, including an account of the enthusiasm which attended and followed this concert, — her trans- Atlantic, — had the desired effect. THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YOEK. 287 On Wednesday morning, August 21, 1850, Jenny Lind and Messrs. Benedict and Belletti, set sail from Liverpool in the steamship Atlantic, in which I had long before engaged the necessary accommodations, and on board of which I had shipped a piano for their use. They were accompanied by my agent, Mr. Wilton, and also by Miss Ahmansen and Mr. Max Hjortzberg, cous- ins of Miss Lind, the latter being her Secretary ; also by her two servants, and the valet of Messrs. Benedict and Belletti. It was expected that the steamer would arrive on Sunday, September 1, but, determined to meet the song- stress on her arrival whenever it might be, I went to Staten Island on Saturday, and slept at the hospitable residence of my friend, Dr. A. Sidney Doane, who was at that time the Health Officer of the Port of New York. A few minutes before twelve o'clock, on Sunday morn- ing, the Atlantic hove in sight, and immediately after- wards, through the kindness of my friend Doane, I was on board the ship, and had taken Jenny Lind by the hand. After a few moments' conversation, she asked me when and where I had heard her sing. " I never had the pleasure of seeing you before in my life," I replied. " How is it possible that you dared risk so much money on a person whom you never heard sing ? " she asked in surprise. " I risked it on your reputation, which in musical matters I would much rather trust than my own judg- ment," I replied. I may as well state, that although I relied promi- nently upon Jenny Lind's reputation as a great musical 288 THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. artiste, I also took largely into my estimate of her success with all classes of the American public, her character for extraordinary benevolence and generosity. Without this peculiarity in her disposition, I never would have dared make the engagement which I did, as I felt sure that there were multitudes of individuals in America who would be prompted to attend her con- certs by this feeling alone. Thousands of persons covered the shipping and piers, and other thousands had congregated on the wharf at Canal Street, to see her. The wildest enthusiasm pre- vailed as the steamer approached the dock. So great was the rush on a sloop near the steamer's berth, that one man, in his zeal to obtain a good view, accidentally tumbled overboard, amid the shouts of those near him. Miss Lind witnessed this incident, and was much alarmed. He was, however, soon rescued, after taking to himself a cold duck instead of securing a view of the Nightingale. A bower of green trees, decorated with beautiful nags, was discovered on the wharf, together with two triumphal arches, on one of which was in- scribed, " Welcome, Jenny Lind ! " The second was surmounted by the American eagle, and bore the inscrip- tion, "Welcome to America ! " These decorations were not produced by magic, and I do not know that I can rea- sonably find fault with those who suspected I had a hand in their erection, My private carriage was in waiting, and J enny Lind was escorted to it by Captain West. The rest of the musical party entered the carriage, and mounting the box at the driver's side, I directed him to the Irving House. I took that seat as a legitimate advertisement, and my presence on the outside of the carriage aided those who filled the windows and side- THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. 289 walks along the whole route, in coming to the conclu- sion that Jenny Lind had arrived. A reference to the journals of that day will show, that never before had there been such enthusiasm in the City of New York, or indeed in America. Within ten min- utes after our arrival at the Irving House, not less than twenty thousand persons had congregated around the entrance in Broadway, nor was the number diminished before nine o'clock in the evening. At her request, I dined with her that afternoon, and when, according to European custom, she prepared to pledge me in a glass of wine, she was somewhat surprised at my saying, " 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 your health and happiness in a glass of cold water." At twelve o'clock that night, she was serenaded by the New York Musical Fund Society, numbering, on that occasion, two hundred musicians. They were escorted to the Irving House by about three hundred firemen, in their red shirts, bearing torches. There was a far greater throng in the streets than there was even during the day. The calls for Jenny Lind were so vehement that I led her through a window to the balcony. The loud cheers from the crowds lasted for several minutes, before the serenade was permitted to proceed again. » I have given the merest sketch of but a portion of the incidents of Jenny Lind's firs.t day in America. For weeks afterwards the excitement was unabated. Her rooms were thronged by visitors, including the magnates of the land in both Church and State. The carriages of the wealthiest citizens could be seen in front of her 19 290 THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. hotel at nearly all hours of the day, and it was with some difficulty that I prevented the " fashionables " from monopolizing her altogether, and thus, as I believed, sadly marring my interests by cutting her off from the warm sympathies she had awakened among the masses. Presents of all sorts were showered upon her. Milli- ners, mantua-makers, and shopkeepers vied with each other in calling her attention to their wares, of which they sent her many valuable specimens, delighted if, in return, they could receive her autograph acknowledg- ment. Songs, quadrilles and polkas were dedicated to her, and poets sung in her praise. We had Jenny Lind gloves, Jenny Lind bonnets, Jenny Lind riding hats, Jenny Lind shawls, mantillas, robes, chairs, sofas, pi- anos — in fact, every thing was Jenny Lind. Her movements were constantly watched, and the moment her carriage appeared at the door, it was surrounded by multitudes, eager to catch a glimpse of the Swedish Nightingale. In looking over my " scrap-books " of extracts from the New York papers of that day, in which all accessi- ble details concerning her were duly chronicled, it seems almost incredible that such a degree of enthusiasm should have existed. An abstract of the " sayings and doings " in regard to the Jenny Lind mania for the first ten days after her arrival, appeared in the London Times of Sept. 23, 1850, and although it was an ironical " show- ing up " of the American enthusiasm, filling several col- umns, it was nevertheless a faithful condensation of facts which at this late day seem even to myself more like a dream than reality. Before her arrival I had offered §200 for a prize ode, t; Greeting to America," to be sung by Jenny Lind at THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. 291 her first concert. Several hundred " poems" were sent in from all parts of the United States and the Canadas. The duties of the Prize Committee, in reading these effusions and making choice of the one most worthy the prize, were truly arduous. The " offerings," with per- haps a dozen exceptions, were the merest doggerel trash. The prize was awarded to Bayard Taylor for the follow- ing ode : 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! Thou Cradle of Empire ! though wide be the foam That severs the land of my fathers and thee, I hear, from thy bosom, the welcome of home, 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 Stars!. This award, although it gave general satisfaction, yet was met with disfavor by several disappointed poets, who, notwithstanding the decision of the committee, persisted in believing and declaring their own produc- tions to be the best. This state of feeling was doubt- less, in part, the cause which led to the publication, about this time, of a witty pamphlet entitled ' Bar- num's Parnassus ; being Confidential Disclosures of the Prize Committee on the Jenny Lind song." It gave some capital hits in which the committee, the enthusiastic public, the Nightingale, and myself, were 292 THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. roundly ridiculed. The following is a fair specimen from the work in question : BABNUMOPSIS. 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, Darts 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! 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. 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. THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YOKE. 293 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 golden harmonies, have deigned Captive to joiu the heterogeneous throng. Sustained by an unfaltering trust in coin, Dealt from thy hand, O thou illustrious man, Gladly I heard the summons come to join Myself the innumerable caravan. Besides the foregoing, this pamphlet contained eleven poems, most of which abounded in wit. I have room for but a single stanza. The poet speaks of the vari- ous curiosities in the Museum, and representing me as still searching for further novelties, makes me address the Swedish Nightingale as follows : "So Jenny, come along! you're just the card for me, And quit these kings and queens, for the country of the free; They '11 welcome you with speeches, and serenades, and rockets, And you will touch their hearts, and I will tap their pockets; And if between us both the public isn't skinned, Why, my name isn't Barnum, nor your name Jenny Lind!" 294 THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. Various extracts from this brochure were copied in the papers daily, and my agents scattered the work as excitement. Among the many complimentary poems sent in, was the following, by Mrs. L. H. Sigourney, which that distinguished writer enclosed in a letter to me, with the request that I should hand it to Miss Lind : THE SWEDISH SONGSTRESS AND HER CHARITIES. 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. Jenny Lind's first concert was fixed to come off at Castle Garden, on Wednesday evening, September 11th, and most of the tickets were sold at auction on the Sat- urday and Monday previous to the concert. John N. Genin, the hatter, laid the foundation of his fortune by purchasing the first ticket at $225. It has been exten- sively reported that Mr. Genin and I are brothers-in-law, BY MRS. L. H. SIGOURNEY. THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. 295 but our only relations are those of business and friend- ship. The proprietors of the Garden saw fit to make the usual charge of one shilling to all persons who entered the premises, yet three thousand people were present at the auction. One thousand tickets were sold on the first day for an aggregate sum of $10,141. On the Tuesday after her arrival I informed Miss Lind that I wished to make a slight alteration in our agree- ment. " What is it] " she asked in surprise. " I am convinced," I replied, 44 that our enterprise will be much more successful than either of us antici- pated. I wish, therefore, to stipulate that you shall receive not only $1,000 for each concert, besides all the expenses, as heretofore agreed on, but after taking $5,500 per night for expenses and my services, the balance shall be equally divided between us." Jenny looked at me with astonishment. She could not comprehend my proposition. After I had repeated it, and she fully understood its import, she cordially grasped me by the hand, and exclaimed, " Mr. Barnum, you are a gentleman of honor : you are generous ; it is just as Mr. Bates told me ; I will sing for you as long as you please; I will sing for you in America — in Europe — anywhere ! " Upon drawing the new contract which was to include this entirely voluntary and liberal advance on my part, beyond the terms of the original agreement, Miss Lind's lawyer, Mr. John Jay, who was present solely to put in writing the new arrangement between Miss Lind and myself, insisted upon intruding the suggestion that she should have the right to terminate the engagement at the end of the sixtieth concert, if she should choose to do so. This proposition was so persistently and annoy- 296 THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. ingly pressed that Miss Lind was finally induced to entertain it, at the same time offering, if she did so, to refund to me all moneys paid her up to that time, excepting the $1,000 per concert according to the origi- nal agreement. This was agreed to, and it was also arranged that she might terminate the engagement at the one-hundredth concert, if she desired, upon paying me $25,000 for the loss of the additional fifty nights. After this new arrangement was completed, I said: " Now, Miss Lind, as you are directly interested, you must have an agent to assist in taking and counting the tickets"; to which she replied, "Oh, no! Mr. Barnum ; I have every confidence in you and I must decline to act upon your suggestion" ; but I continued: " 1 never allow myself, if it can be avoided, when I have associates in the same interests, to be placed in a position where I must assume the sole responsibility. I never even permitted an actor to take a benefit at my Museum, unless he placed a ticket-taker of his own at the door." Thus urged, Miss Lind engaged Mr. Seton to act as her ticket-taker, and after we had satisfactorily arranged the matter, Jay, knowing the whole affair, had the impu- dence to come to me with a package of blank printed affidavits, which he demanded that I should fill out, from day to day, with the receipts of each concert, and swear to their correctness before a magistrate ! I told him that I would see him on the subject at Miss Lind's hotel that afternoon, and going there a few moments before the appointed hour, I narrated the cir- cumstances to Mr. Benedict and showed him an affidavit which I had made that morning to the effect that I would never directly or indirectly take any advantage THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. 297 whatever of Miss Lind. This I had made oath to, for I thought if there was any swearing of that kind to be done I would do it " in a lump " rather than in detail. Mr. Benedict was very much opposed to it, and arriving during the interview, Jay was made to see the matter in such a light that he was thoroughly ashamed of his proposition, and, requesting that the affair might not be mentioned to Miss Lind, he begged me to destroy the affidavit. I heard no more about swearing to our receipts. On Tuesday, September 10th, I informed Miss Lind that, judging by present appearances, her portion of the proceeds of the first concert would amount to $10,000. She immediately resolved to devote every dollar of it to charity ; and, sending for Mayor Woodhull, she acted under his and my advice in selecting the various institu- tions among which she wished the amount to be distributed. My arrangements of the concert room were very complete. The great parterre and gallery of Castle Garden were divided by imaginary lines into four com- partments, each of which was designated by a lamp of a different color. The tickets were printed in colors corresponding with the location which the holders were to occupy, and one hundred ushers, with rosettes and bearing wands tipped with ribbons of the several hues, enabled every individual to find his or her seat without the slightest difficulty. Every seat was of course num- bered in color to correspond with the check, which each person retained after giving up an entrance ticket at the door. Thus, tickets, checks, lamps, rosettes, wands, and even the seat numbers were all in the appropriate colors to designate the different departments. These arrange- 298 THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. merits were duly advertised, and every particular was also printed upon each ticket. In order to prevent confusion, the doors were opened at five o'clock, while the concert did not commence until eight. The conse- quence was, that although about five thousand persons were present at the first concert, their entrance was marked with as much order and quiet as was ever witnessed in the assembling of a congregation at church. These precautions were observed at all the concerts given throughout the country under my administration, and the good order which always prevailed was the subject of numberless encomiums from the public and the press. The reception of Jenny Lind on her first appearance, in point of enthusiasm, was probably never before equalled in the world. As Mr. Benedict led her towards the foot-lights, 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 by far 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 before 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 completely carried away by their feelings, that the remainder of the air was drowned in a perfect tempest of acclamation. Enthusiasm had been wrought to 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 concert Jenny Lind was loudly THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. 299 called for, and was obliged to appear three times before the audience could be satisfied. They then called vociferously for " Barnum," and I reluctantly responded to their demand. On this first night, Mr. Julius Benedict firmly estab- lished with the American people his European reputa- tion, as a most accomplished conductor and musical composer ; while Signor Belletti inspired an admiration which grew warmer and deeper in the minds of the American people, to the end of his career in this country. It would seem as if the Jenny Lind mania had reached its culminating point before she appeared, and I confess that I feared the anticipations of the public were too high to be realized, and hence that there would be a reaction after the first concert ; but I was happily disappointed. The transcendent musical genius of the Swedish Nightingale was superior to all that fancy could paint, and the furor did not attain its high- est point until she had been heard. The people were in ecstasies ; the powers of editorial acumen, types and ink, were inadequate to sound her praises. The Rubicon was passed. The successful issue of the Jenny Lind enterprise was established. I think there were a hun- dred 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. So elated was I with my suc- cess, in spite of all obstacles and false prophets, that I do not think half a million of dollars would have tempted me to relinquish the enterprise. 300 THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK. Upon settling the receipts of the first concert, they were found to be somewhat less than I anticipated. The sums bid at the auction sales, together with the tickets purchased at private sale, amounted to more than $20,000. It proved, however, that several of the tickets bid off at from $12 to $25 each, were not called for. In some instances, probably the zeal of the bidders cooled down when they came out from, the scene of ex- citement, and once more breathed the fresh sea-breeze which came sweeping up from " the Narrows," while perhaps, in other instances, bids were made by parties who never intended to take the tickets. I can only say, once for all, that I was never privy to a false bid, and was so particular upon that point, that I would not per- mit one of my employees to bid on, or purchase a ticket at auction, though requested to do so for especial friends. The amount of money received for tickets to the first concert was $17,864.05. As this made Miss Lind's portion too small to realize the $10,000 which had been announced as devoted to charity, I proposed to divide equally with her the proceeds of the first two concerts, and not count them at all in our regular engagement. Accordingly, the second concert was given September 13th, and the receipts, amounting to $14,203.03, were, like those of the first concert, equally divided. Our third concert, but which, as between ourselves, we called the " first regular concert," was given Tuesday, September 17, 1850. CHAPTER XIX. SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. HEAD-WORK AND HAND-WORK — MANAGING PUBLIC OPINION — CREATING A FUROR — THE NEW YORK HERALD — JENNY LIND'S EVIL ADVISERS — JOHN JAY — MISS LEND' 8 CHARITIES — A POOR GIRL LN BOSTON — THE NIGHTINGALE AT rRANISTAN — RUMOR OF HER MARRIAGE TO P. T. BARXUM — THE STORY BASED ON OUR " ENGAGEMENT " —WHAT IRANISTAN DID FOR ME — AVOIDING CROWDS — IN PHILADELPHIA AND BALTIMORE — A SUBSTITUTE FOR MISS LIND — OUR ORCHESTRA — PRESIDENT FILLMORE, CLAY, FOOTE, BENTON, SCOTT, CASS, AND WEBSTER — VISIT TO MT. VERNON — CHRISTMAS PRESENTS — NEW YEAR'S EVE — WE GO TO HAVANA — PLAYING BALL — FREDERIK A BRE- MER— A HAPPY MONTH IN CUBA. No one can imagine the amount of head-work and hand-work which I performed during the first four weeks after Jenny Lind's arrival. Anticipating much of this, I had spent some time in August at the White Mountains to recruit my energies. Of course I had not been idle during the summer. I had put innumer- able means and appliances into operation for the fur- therance of my object, and little did the public see of the hand that indirectly pulled at their heart-strings, preparatory to a relaxation of their purse-strings ; and these means and appliances were continued and enlarged throughout the whole of that triumphal musical campaign. The first great assembly at Castle Garden was not gathered by Jenny Lind's musical genius and powers alone. She was effectually introduced to the public before they had seen or- heard her. She appeared in the presence of a jury already excited to enthusiasm 302 SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. in her behalf. She more than met their expectations, and all the means I had adopted to prepare the way were tlms abundantly justified. As a manager, I worked by setting others to work. Biographies of the Swedish Nightingale were largely circulated ; " Foreign Correspondence " glorified her talents and triumphs by narratives of her benevolence ; and "printer's ink" was invoked in every possible form, to put and keep Jenny Lind before the people. I am happy to say that the press generally echoed the voice of her praise from first to last. I could fill many volumes with printed extracts which are nearly all of a similar tenor to the following unbought, unsolicited editorial article, which appeared in the New York Herald of Sept. 10, 1850 (the day before the first concert given by Miss Lind in the United States) : "Jenny Lind and the American People. — What ancient monarch was he, either in history or in fable, who offered half his kingdom (the price of box tick- ets 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 discover — 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 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 thousand 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 preparation for her 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 or. 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, describ- ing her extraordinary genius—her unrivalled combination of power and 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 fiouae. Tben she was great in power — in art — in genius; now she is greater in all. We speak from experience and SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. 303 conviction. Then she astonished, and pleased, and fascinated the thousands of the British aristocracy; now she will fascinate, and please, and delight, and almost make mad with musical excitement, the millions of the American democracy. To- morrow night, this new sensation — this fresh movement — this excitement excel- ling 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 and power of Jenny Lind — will far surpass all past expectation. Jenny Lind is a wonder, and a prodigy in song — and no mistake." As usual, however, the Herald very soon " took it all back " and roundly abused Miss Lind and persistently attacked her manager. As usual, too, the public paid no attention to the Herald and doubled their patronage of the Jenny Lind concerts. After the first month the business became thoroughly systematized, and by the help of such agents as my faithful treasurer, L. C. Stewart, and the indefatigable Le Grand Smith, my personal labors were materially relieved ; but from the first concert on the 11th of Sep- tember, 1850, until the ninety-third concert on the 9th of June, 1851, a space of nine months, I did not know a waking moment that was entirely free from anxiety. I could not hope to be exempted from trouble and perplexity in managing an enterprise which depended altogether on popular favor, and which involved great consequences to myself ; but I did not expect the numerous petty annoyances which beset me, especially in the early period of the concerts. Miss Lind did not dream, nor did any one else, of the unparalleled enthu- siasm that would greet her; and the first immense assembly at Castle Garden somewhat prepared her, I suspect, to listen to evil advisers. It would seem that the terms of our revised contract were sufficiently liberal 304 SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. to her and sufficiently hazardous to myself, to justify the expectation of perfectly honorable treatment ; but certain envious intermeddlers appeared to think differently. " Do you not see, Miss Lind, that Mr. Barnum is coining money out of your genius ] " said they ; of course she saw it, but the high-minded Swede despised and spurned the advisers who recommended her to repudiate her con- tract with me at all hazards, and take the enterprise into her own hands — possibly to put it into theirs. I, however, suffered much from the unreasonable interfer- ence of her lawyer, Mr. John Jay. Benedict and Belletti behaved like men, and Jenny afterwards expressed to me her regret that she had for a moment listened to the vexatious exactions of her legal counsellor. To show the difficulties with which I had to contend thus early in my entei prise, I copy a letter which I wrote, a little more than one month after Miss Lind commenced her engagement with me, to my friend Mi. Joshua Bates, of Messrs. Baring, Brothers & Co., London : New York, Oct. 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 yon 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 face of the fact that, nearly every day, they allow persons (some moving in the first classes of society) 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 notbing and less than nothing — such as the regret that I was a 'showman,' exhibitor of Tom Thumb, etc., etc. Without the elements which I possess for business, 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 at present — and such men as the Hon. Edward Everett, G. G. Howland, and others will tell yon tbat 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 SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. 305 to depend upon to secure public favor, and I have thus far acted on this knowl- edge. 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 continual backhitings, 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 interests as well as mine to drop a line of advice to Mr. Benedict and another to Mr. J ay 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 unfriend- liness. 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 cannot allow ignorance or envy to rob me of the fruits of my enterprise. Sincerely and gratefully, yours, P. T. Barmttm. It is not my purpose to enter into full details of all of the Lind concerts, though I have given elsewhere a transcript from the account books of my treasurer, pre- senting a table of the place and exact receipts of each concert. This will gratify curiosity, and at the same time indicate our route of travel. Meanwhile, I devote a few pages to interesting incidents connected with Miss Lind's visit to America. Jenny Lind's character for benevolence became so generally known, that her door was beset by persons asking charity, and she was in the receipt, while in the principal cities, of numerous letters, all on the same subject. Her secretary examined and responded favor- ably to some of them. He undertook at first to answer them all, but finally abandoned that course in despair. I knew of many instances in which she gave sums of money to applicants, varying in amount from $20, $50, $500, to $1,000, and in one instance she gave $5,000 to a Swedish friend. One night, while giving a concert in Boston, a girl 20 306 SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. approached the ticket-office, and laying down $3 for a ticket, remarked, " There goes half a month's earnings, but I am determined to hear Jenny Lind." Miss Lind's secretary heard the remark, and a few minutes after- wards coming into her room, he laughingly related the circumstance. " Would you know the girl again ? " asked Jenny, with an earnest look. Upon receiving an affirmative reply, she instantly placed a $20 gold-piece in his hand, and said, " Poor girl ! give her that with my best compliments." He at once found the girl, who cried with joy when she received the gold-piece, and heard the kind words with which the gift was accompa- nied. The night after Jenny's arrival in Boston, a display of fireworks was given in her honor, in front of the Eevere House, after which followed a beautiful torch- light procession by the Germans of that city. On her return from Boston to New York, Jenny, he? companion, and Messrs. Benedict and Belletti, stopped at Iranistan, my residence in Bridgeport, where they remained until the following day. The morning after her arrival, she took my arm and proposed a promenade through the grounds. She seemed much pleased, and said, " I am astonished that you should have left such a beautiful place for the sake of travelling through the country with me." The same day she told me in a playful mood, that she had heard a most extraordinary report. " I have heard that you and I are about to be married," said she ; " now how could such an absurd report ever have origi- nated \ " " Probably from the fact that we are ' engaged,' " I replied. She enjoyed a joke, and laughed heartily. SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. 307 " Do you know, Mr. Barnum," said she, " that if you had not built Iranistan, I should never have come to America for you ? " I expressed my surprise, and asked her to explain. " I had received several applications to visit the United States," she continued, " but I did not much 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 Iranistan. It attracted my attention. I said to myself, a gentleman who has been so successful in his business as to be able to build and reside in such a palace cannot be a mere ' adventurer.' So I 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," I replied ; " for I intend and expect to make more by this musical enterprise than Iranistan cost me." " I really hope so," she replied ; " but you must not be too sanguine, you know, ' man proposes but God dis- poses.' " Jenny Lind always desired to reach a place in which she was to sing, without having the time of her arrival known, thus avoiding the excitement of promiscuous crowds. As a manager, however, I knew that the inter- ests of the enterprise depended in a great degree upon these excitements. Although it frequently seemed inconceivable to her how so many thousands should have discovered her secret and consequently gathered together to receive her, I was not so much astonished, inasmuch as my agent always had early telegraphic 308 SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT; intelligence of the time of her anticipated arrival, and was not slow in communicating the information to the public. On reaching Philadelphia, a large concourse of per- sons awaited the approach of the steamer which con- veyed her. With difficulty we pressed through the crowd, and were followed by many thousands to Jones's Hotel. The street in front of the building was densely packed by the populace, and poor Jenny, who was suf- fering from a severe headache, retired to her apartments. I tried to induce the crowd to disperse, but they declared they would not do so until Jenny Lind should appear on the balcony. I would not disturb her, and knowing that the tumult might prove an annoyance to her, I placed her bonnet and shawl upon her companion, Miss Ahmansen, and led her out on the balcony. She bowed gracefully to the multitude, who gave her three hearty cheers and quietly dispersed. Miss Lind was so utterly averse to any thing like deception, that we never ven- tured to tell her the part which her bonnet and shawl had played in the absence of their owner. Jenny was in the habit of attending church whenever she could do so without attracting notice. She always preserved her nationality, also, by inquiring out and attending Swedish churches wherever they could be found. She gave $1,000 to a Swedish church in Chi- cago. While in Boston, a poor Swedish girl, a domestic in a family at Roxbury, called on Jenny. She detained her visitor several hours, talking about home, and other matters, and in the evening took her in' her carriage to the concert, gave her a seat, and sent her back to Rox- bury in a carriage, at the close of the performances. I SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. 309 have no doubt the poor girl carried with her substan- tial evidences of her countrywoman's bounty. My eldest daughter, Caroline, and her friend, Mrs. Lyman, of Bridgeport, accompanied me on the tour from New York to Havana, and thence home, via New Orleans and the Mississippi. We were at Baltimore on the Sabbath, and my daughter, accompanying a friend, who resided in the city, to church, took a seat with her in the choir, and joined in the singing. A number of the congregation, who had seen Caroline with me the day previous, and supposed her to be Jenny Lind, were yet laboring under the same mistake, and it was soon whispered through the church that Jenny Lind was in the choir ! The excitement was worked to its highest pitch when my daughter rose as one of the musical group. Every ear was on the alert to catch the first notes of her voice, and when she sang, glances of satisfaction passed through the assembly. Caroline, quite unconscious of the atten- tion she attracted, continued to sing to the end of the hymn. Not a note was lost upon the ears of the atten- tive congregation. " What an exquisite singer ! " " Heavenly sounds ! " "T never heard the like ! " and similar expressions were whispered through the church. At the conclusion of the services, my daughter and her friend found the passage way to their carriage blocked by a crowd who were anxious to obtain a nearer view of the " Swedish Nightingale," and many persons that afternoon boasted, in good faith, that they had listened to the extraordinary singing of the great song- stress. The pith of the joke is that we have never discovered that my daughter has any extraordinary claims as a vocalist. 310 SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. Our orchestra in New York consisted of sixty. When we started on our southern tour, we took with us per- manently as the orchestra, twelve of the best musicians we could select, and in New Orleans augmented the force to sixteen. We increased the number to thirty- five, forty or fifty, as the case might be, by choice of musicians residing where the concerts were given. On our return to New York from Havana, we enlarged the orchestra to one hundred performers. The morning after our arrival in Washington, Presi- dent Fillmore called, and left his card, Jenny being out. When she returned and found the token of his attention, she was in something of a flurry. " Come," said she, " we must call on the President immediately." " Why so T' I inquired. " Because he has called on me, and of course that is equivalent to a command for me to go to his house." I assured her that she might make her mind at case, for whatever might be the custom with crowned heads, our Presidents were not wont to " command " the movements of strangers, and that she would be quite in time if she returned his call the next day. She did so, and was charmed with the unaffected bearing of the President, and the warm kindnesses expressed by his amiable wife and daughter, and consented to spend the evening with them in conformity with their request. She was accom- panied to the " White House " by Messrs Benedict, Belletti and myself, and several happy hours were spent in the private circle of the President's family. Mr. Benedict, who engaged in a long, quiet conversa- tion with Mr. Fillmore, was highly pleased with the interview. A foreigner, accustomed to court etiquette, is generally surprised at the simplicity which character- SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. 311 izes the Chief Magistrate of this Union. In 1852 I called on the President with my friend the late Mr. Bret- tell, of London, who resided in St. James Palace, and was quite a worshipper of the Queen, and an ardent admirer of all the dignities and ceremonies of royalty. He expected something of the kind in visiting the Pres- ident of the United States, and was highly pleased with his disappointment. Both concerts in Washington were attended by the President and his family, and every member of the Cab- inet. I noticed, also, among the audience, Henry Clay, Benton, Foote, Cass and General Scott, and nearly every member of Congress. On the following morning, Miss Lind was called upon by Mr. Webster, Mr. Clay, Gen- eral Cass, and Colonel Benton, and all parties were evi- dently gratified. I had introduced Mr. Webster to her in Boston. Upon hearing one of her wild mountain songs in New York, an<$ also in Washington, Mr. Web- ster signified his approval by rising, drawing himself up to his full height, and making a profound bow. Jenny was delighted by this expression of praise from the great statesman. When I first introduced Miss Lind to Mr. Webster, at the Revere House, in Boston, she was greatly impressed with his manners and conver- sation, and after his departure, walked up and down the room in great excitement, exclaiming : " Ah ! Mr. Bar- num, that is a man ; I have never before seen such a man ! " We visited the Capitol while both Houses were in session. Miss Lind took the arm of Hon. C. F. Cleve- land, representative from Connecticut, and was by him escorted into various parts of the Capitol and the grounds, with all of which she was much pleased. 312 SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. While I was in Washington an odd reminiscence of my old show-days in the South came back to me in a curious way. Some years before, in 1836, my travelling show company had stopped at a hotel in Jackson, Mississippi, and, as the house was crowded, soon after I went to bed five or six men came into the room with cards and a candle and asked permission, as there was no other place, to sit down and play a quiet game of " brag." I consented on condition that I might get up and participate, which was permit- ted and in a very little while, as I knew nothing what- ever of the game, I lost fifty dollars. Good " hands " and good fortune soon enabled me to win back my money, at which point one of the players who had been introduced to me as * Lawyer Foote" said : " Now the best thing you can do is to go back to bed ; you do n't know anything about the game, and these fellows do, and they'll skin you." I acted upon his advice. And now, years afterwards, when Senator Foote called upon Miss Lind the story came back to me, and while I was talking with him I remarked : " Fifteen years ago, when I was in the South, I became acquainted with a lawyer named Foote, at Jackson, Mississippi." "It must have been me," said the Senator, " I am the only 6 lawyer Foote, of Jackson, Mississippi.' " " Oh ! no, it could not have been you," and I told him the story. " It was me," he whispered in my ear, and added, " I used to gamble like h — 1 in those days." During the week I was invited with Miss Lind and her immediate friends, to visit Mount Vernon, with Col- SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. 313 onel Washington, the then proprietor, and Mr. Seaton, ex-Mayor of Washington, and Editor of the Intelligencer. Colonel Washington chartered a steamboat for the pur- pose. We were landed a short distance from the tomb, which we first visited. Proceeding to the house, w° were introduced to Mrs. Washington, and several other ladies. Much interest was manifested by Miss Lincl in examining the mementoes of the great man whose home it had been. A beautiful collation was spread out and arranged in fine taste. Before leaving, Mrs. Washing- ton presented Jenny with a book from the library, with the name of Washington written by his own hand. She wrts much overcome at receiving this present, called me aside, and expressed her desire to give something in return. " I have nothing with me," she said, '; except- ing this watch and chain, and I will give that if you think it will be acceptable." I knew the watch was very valuable, and told her that so costly a present would not be expected, nor would it be proper. " The expense is nothing, compared to the value of that book," she replied, with deep emotion ; " but as the watch was a present from a dear friend, perhaps I should not give it away." Jenny Lind, I am sure, never forgot the pleasurable emotions of that day. At Richmond, half an hour previous to her departure, hundreds of young ladies and gentlemen had crowded into the halls of the house to secure a glimpse of her at parting. I informed her that she would find difficulty in passing out. "How long is it before we must start? " she asked. " Half an hour," I replied. u Oh, I will clear the passages before that time," said she, with a smile ; whereupon she went into the upper hall, and informed the people that she wished to take the hands 314 SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. of every one of them, upon one condition, viz : they should pass by her in rotation, and as fast as they had shaken hands, proceed down stairs, and not block up the passages. They joyfully consented to the arrangement, and in fifteen minutes the course was clear. Poor Jenny had shaken hands with every person in the crowd, and I presume she had a feeling remembrance of the incident for an hour or two at least. She was waited on by many members of the Legislature while in Richmond, that body being in session while we were there. The voyage from Wilmington to Charleston was an exceedingly rough and perilous one. We were about thirty-six hours in making the passage, the usual time being seventeen. There was really great danger of our steamer being swamped, and we were all apprehensive that we should never reach the Port of Charleston alive. Some of the passengers were in great terror. Jenny Lind exhibited more calmness upon this occasion than any other person, the crew excepted. We arrived safely at last, and I was grieved to learn that for twelve hours the loss of the steamer had been considered cer- tain, and had even been announced by telegraph in the Northern cities. We remained at Charleston about ten days, to take the steamer "Isabella" on her regular trip to Havana. Jenny had been through so much excitement at the North, that she determined to have quiet here, and therefore declined receiving any calls. This disap- pointed many ladies and gentlemen. One young lady, the daughter of a wealthy planter near Augusta, was so determined upon seeing her in private, that she paid one of the servants to allow her to put on a cap and white apron, and carry in the tray for Jenny's tea. I SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. 315 afterwards told Miss Lind of the joke, and suggested that after such an evidence of admiration, she should receive a call from the young lady. " It is not admiration — it is only curiosity," replied Jenny, " and I will not encourage such folly." Christmas was at hand, and Jenny Lind determined to honor it in the way she had often done in Sweden. She had a beautiful Christmas tree privately prepared, and from its boughs depended a variety of presents for mem- bers of the company. These gifts were encased in paper, with the names of the recipients written on each. After spending a pleasant evening in her drawing- room, she invited us into the parlor, where the " sur- prise " awaited us. Each person commenced opening the packages bearing his or her address, and although every individual had one or more pretty presents, she had prepared a joke for each. Mr. Benedict, for instance, took off wrapper after wrapper from one of his packages, which at first was as large as his head, but after having removed some forty coverings of paper, it was reduced to a size smaller than his hand, and the removal of the last envelope exposed to view a piece of cavendish tobacco. One of my presents, choicely wrapped in a dozen coverings, was a jolly young Bac- chus in Parian marble, intended as a pleasant hit at my temperance principles ! The night before New Year's day was spent in her apartment with great hilarity. Enlivened by music, singing, dancing and story-telling, the hours glided swiftly away. Miss Lind asked me if I would dance with her. I told her my education had been neglected in that line, and that I had never danced in my life. "That is all the better," said she; "now dance with 316 SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. me in a cotillion. I am sure you can do it." She was a beautiful dancer, and I never saw her laugh more heartily than she did at my awkwardness. She said she would give me the credit of being the poorest dancer she ever saw ! About a quarter before twelve, Jenny suddenly checked Mr. Burke, — formerly celebrated as the musi- cal prodigy, "Master Burke," — who was playing on the piano, by saying, "Pray let us have quiet ; do you see, in fifteen minutes more, this year will be gone for- ever ! " She immediately took a seat, and rested her head up- on her hand in silence. We all sat down, and for a quarter of an hour the most profound quiet reigned in the apartment. The remainder of the scene I transcribe from a description written the next day by Mrs. Lyman, who was present on the occasion : " The clock of a neighboring church struck the knell •of the dying year. All were silent — each heart was left to its own communings, and the bowed head and tearful eye told that memory was busy with the Past. It was a brief moment, but thoughts and feelings were crowded into it, which render it one never to be forgot- ten. A moment more — the last stroke of the clock had fallen upon the ear — the last faint vibration ceased ; another period of time had passed forever away — a new one had dawned, in which each felt that they were to live and act. This thought recalled them to a full consciousness of the present, and all arose and quietly, but cordially, presented to each other the kind wishes of the season. As the lovely hostess pressed the hands of her guests, it was evident that she, too, had wept, — she, the gifted, the admired, the almost idolized one. SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. 317 Had she, too, cause for tears 1 Whence were they I — from the overflowings of a grateful heart, from tender associations, or from sad remembrances'? None knew, none could ask, though they awakened deep and pecu- liar sympathy. And from one heart, at least, arose the prayer, that when the dial of time should mark the last hour of her earthly existence, she should greet its ap- proach with joy and not with grief — that to her soul spirit- voices might whisper, ' Come, sweet sister ! come to the realms of unfading light and love — come, join your seraphic tones with ours, in singing the praises of Him who loved us, and gave himself for us' — while she, with meekly-folded hands and faith -uplifted eye, should answer, i Yes, gladly and without fear I come, for I know that my Redeemer liveth.' " I had arranged with a man in New York to. transport furniture to Havana, provide a house, and board Jenny Lind and our immediate party during our stay. When we arrived, we found the building converted into a semi- hotel, and the apartments were any thing but comfort- able. Jenny was vexed. Soon after dinner, she took a volante and an interpreter, and drove into the suburbs. She was absent four hours. W'hither or why she had gone, none of us knew. At length she returned and informed us that she had hired a commodious fur- nished house in a delightful location outside the walls of the city, and invited us all to go and live with her during our stay in Havana, and we accepted the invitation. She was now freed from all annoyances ; her time was her own, she received no calls, went and came when she pleased, had no meddlesome advisers about her, legal or otherwise, and was as merry as a cricket. We had a large court-yard in the rear of the house, and here she i 318 SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT. would come and romp and run, sing and laugh, like a young school-girl. "Now, Mr. Barnum, for another game of ball," she would say half a dozen times a day ; whereupon, she would take an india-rubber ball, (of which she had two or three,) and commence a game of throwing and catching, which would be kept up until, being completely tired out, I would say, " I give it up." Then her rich, musical laugh would be heard ringing through the house, as she exclaimed, " Oh, Mr. Barnum, you are too fat and too lazy ; you cannot stand it to play ball with me ! " Her celebrated countrywoman, Miss Frederika Bremer, spent a few days with us very pleasantly, and it is diffi- cult to conceive of a more delightful month than was passed by the entire party at Jenny Lind's house in the outskirts of Havana. CHAPTER XX. INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. PROTEST AGAINST PRICES IX HAVANA — THE CUBAN'S SUCCUMB — JENNY LIND TAKES THE CITY BY STORM — A MAGNIFICENT TRIUMPH — COUNT PENALYEll — A SPLENDID OFFER — MR. BRINCKERHOFF — BENEFIT FOR THE HOSPITALS — REFUSING TO RECEIVE THANKS — YIVALLA AND HIS DOG — HENRY BENNETT — HIS PARTIAL INSANITY — OUR VOYAGE TO NEW ORLEANS — THE EDITOR OF THE NEW YORK HERALD ON BOARD — I SAVE THE LIFE OF JAMES GORDON- BENNETT — ARRIVAL AT THE CRESCENT CITY — CHEATING THE CROWD— A DUPLICATE MISS LIND — A BOY LN RAPTURES — A MAMMOTH HOG — UP THE MISSISSIPPI — AMUSEMENTS ON BOARD — IN LEAGUE WITH THE EVIL ONE — AN AMAZED MULATTO. Soon after arriving in Havana. I discovered that a strong prejudice existed against our musical enterprise. I might rather say that the Habaneros, not accustomed to the hi°h figure which tickets had commanded in the States, were determined on forcing me to adopt their opera prices, whereas I paid one thousand dollars per night for the Tacon Opera House, and other expenses being in proportion, I was determined to receive remu- nerating prices, or give no concerts. This determina- tion on my part annoyed the Habaneros, who did not wish to be thought penurious, though they really were so. Their principal spite, therefore, was against me ; and one of their papers politely termed me a "Yankee pirate," who cared for nothing except their doubloons. They attended the concert, but were determined to show the great songstress no favor. I perfectly under- stood this feeling in advance, but studiously kept all 320 INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. knowledge of it from Miss Lind. I went to the first concert, therefore, with some misgivings in regard to her reception. The following, which I copy from the Havana correspondence of the New York Tribune, gives a correct account of it : ******** " Jenny Lind soon appeared, led on by Signor Belletti. Some three or four hundred persons clapped their hands at her appearance, hut this token of appro- bation was instantly silenced by at least two thousand five hundred decided hisses. Thus, having settled the matter that there should be 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 eye flashed defiance, and, becoming immovable as a statue, she stood there, perfectly calm and beautiful. 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 mortal never heard except from her lips. Some of the oldest Castilians kept a frown upon their brow and a curling sneer upon their lip; their ladies, however, and most of the audience began to look surprised. The gushing melody flowed on increasing in beautj and glory. The cabcdleros, the senoras and senoritas began to look at each other; nearly all, however, kept their teeth clenched and their lips closed, evidently deter- mined to resist to the last. The torrent flowed deeper and faster, the lark flew higher and higher, the melody grew richer and grander ; still every lip was com- pressed. By and by, as the rich notes came dashing in rivers upon our enraptured ears, one poor critic involuntarily whispered a ' brava.' This outbursting of 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 tremendous 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 pro- duced. Tremblingly, slowly, and almost bowing her face to the ground, she withdrew. The roar and applause of victory increased. 1 Encore ! encore ! encore ! * came from every lip. She again appeared, and, courtesying low, again withdrew, bat again, again, and again did they call her o\\t 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." I cannot express what my feelings were as I watched this scene from the dress circle. Poor Jenny ! I deeply INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. 321 sympathized with her when I heard that first hiss. I indeed observed the resolute bearing which she assumed, but was apprehensive of the result. When I witnessed her triumph, I could not restrain the tears of joy that rolled down my cheeks ; and rushing through a private box, I reached the stage just as she was withdrawing after the fifth encore. " God bless you, Jenny, you have settled them ! " I exclaimed. " Are you satisfied ? " said she, throwing her arms around my neck. She, too, was crying with joy, and never before did she look so beautiful in my eyes as on that evening. One of the Havana papers, notwithstanding the great triumph, continued to cry out for low prices. This induced many to absent themselves, expecting soon to see a reduction. It had been understood that we would give twelve concerts in Havana ; but when they saw, after the fourth concert, which was devoted to charity, that no more were announced, they became uneasy. Committees waited upon us requesting more concerts, but we peremptorily declined. Some of the leading Dons, among whom was Count Penal ver, then offered to guarantee us $25,000 for three concerts. My reply was, that there was not money enough on the island of Cuba to induce me to consent to it. That settled the matter, and gave us a pleasant opportunity for recreation. We visited, by invitation, Mr. Brinckerhoff, the emi- nent American merchant at Matanzas, whom I had met at the same place three years previously, and who sub- sequently had visited my family in Connecticut. The gentlemanly host did everything in his power to render our stay agreeable; and Miss Lind was so delighted with his attentions and the interesting details of sugar 21 322 INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. and coffee plantations which we visited through his kindness, that as soon as she returned to Havana, she sent on the same tour of pleasure Mr. Benedict, who had been prevented by illness from accompanying us. I found my little Italian plate-dancer, Vivalla, in Havana. He called on me frequently. He was in great distress, having lost the use of his limbs on the left side of his body by paralysis. He was thus unable to earn a livelihood, although he still kept a performing dog, which turned a spinning-wheel and performed some curious tricks. One day, as I was passing him out of the front gate, Miss Lind inquired who he was. I briefly recounted to her his history. She expressed deep interest in his case, and said something should be set apart for him in the benefit which she was about to give for charity. Accordingly, when the benefit came off, Miss Lind appropriated $500 to him, and I made the necessary arrangements for his return to his friends in Italy. At the same benefit $4,000 were distributed between two hospitals and a convent. A few mornings after the benefit our bell was rung, and the servant announced that I was wanted. I went to the door and found a large procession of children, neatly dressed and bearing banners, attended by ten or twelve priests, arrayed in their rich and flowing robes. I inquired their business, and was informed that they had come to see Miss Lind, to thank her in person for her benevolence. I took their message, and informed Miss Lind that the leading priests of the convent had come in great state to see and thank her. " I will not see them," she replied ; " they have nothing to thank me for. If I have done good, it is no more than my duty, and it is my pleasure. I do not deserve their INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. 323 thanks, and I will not see them." I returned her answer, and the leaders of the grand procession went away in disappointment. The same day Vivalla called, and brought her a basket of the most luscious fruit that he could procure. The little fellow was very happy and extremely grateful. Miss Lind had gone out for a ride. " God bless her ! I am so happy ; she is such a good lady. I shall see my brothers and sisters again. Oh, she is a very good lady," said poor Vivalla, overcome by his feelings. He begged me to thank her for him, and give her the fruit. As he was passing out of the door, he hesitated a moment, and then 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 wheel for her ? She is such a good lady, I wish to please her very much." I smiled, and told him she would not care for the dog ; that he was quite welcome to the money, and that she refused to see the priests from the convent that morning, because she never received thanks for favors. When Jenny came in I gave her the fruit, and laugh- ingly told her that Vivalla wished to show her how his performing dog could turn a spinning-wheel. " Poor man, poor man, do let him come ; it is all the good creature can do for me," exclaimed Jenny, and the tears flowed thick and fast down her cheeks. " I like that, I like that," she continued ; " do let the poor crea- ture come and bring his dog. It will make him so happy." I confess it made -me happy, and I exclaimed, for my heart was full, " God bless you, it will make him cry for joy ; he shall come to-morrow." 324 INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. I saw Vivalla the same evening, and delighted him with the intelligence that Jenny would see his dog per- form the next day, at four o'clock precisely. " I will be punctual," said Vivalla, in a voice trem- bling 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 exclaimed 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 us all up 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 dog and to ask Vivalla all sorts of questions about his performances, his former course of life, his friends in Italy, and his present hopes and determinations. Then she sang and played for him, gave him some refreshments, finally insisted on carrying his wheel to the door, and her servant accom- panied Vivalla to his boarding-house. Poor Vivalla ! He was probably never so happy before, but his enjoyment did not exceed that of Miss Lind. That scene alone would have paid me for all my labors during the entire musical campaign. A few months later, however, the Havana correspondent of the « INCIDENTS OF TH E TOUR. 325 New York Herald announced the death of Vivalla and stated that the poor Italian's last words were about Jenny Lind and Mr. Bar num. When Captain Rawlings, of the Steamer " Isabella " made his next return trip from Charleston, he brought a fine lot of game and invited Messrs. Benedict, Belletti and myself to a breakfast on board, where we met Mr. John Howard, of the Irving House, New York, Mr. J. B. Monnot, of the New York Hotel, Mr. Mixer, of the Charleston Hotel, and Mr. Monroe of one of the Havana hotels. The break- fast was a very nice one, and was accompanied by some " very fine old Madeira," which received the highest encomiums of the company. " Now," said Captain Rawlings, " you must break your rule once, Mr. Barnum, and wash down your game with a glass or two of this choice Madeira. It is very old and fine, as smooth as oil, and the game is hardly game without it. Do take some." I positively declined, saying I did not doubt that he had the genuine article for once, but that most of what was offered and sold as wine did not con- tain a single drop of the juice of the grape. This led to a general talk about the impositions practised, even in the best hotels, in serving customers with " fine old wines and liquors " at the bar and at the table, and some very curious and amusing stories were told and confessions made. But there could be no mistake about this Madeira ; it was rich, rare, old, oily, and genuine in flavor and quality ; all the connois- seurs at the table were unanimous in their verdict. But when the breakfast was over and we were going ashore, as I was sitting next the captain in his own boat, he said to me : 326 INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR " Barnum, that fine old Madeira is the real c game ' of my game breakfast ; I wanted to test those experi- enced tasters, and I gave them some wine which I bought for a dollar and a half a gallon at a comer grocery in Charleston." In the party which accompanied me to Havana, was Mr. Henry Bennett, who formerly kept Peale's Museum in New York, afterwards managing the same establish- ment for me when I purchased it, and he was now with me in the capacity of a ticket-taker. He was as honest a man as ever lived, and a good deal of a wag. I remember his going through the market once and run- ning across a decayed actor who was reduced to tending a market stand ; Bennett hailed him with " Hallo ! what are you doing here ; what are you keeping that old tur- key for ? " " O ! for a profit," replied the actor. "Prophet, prophet!" exclaimed Bennett, "patriarch, you mean ! " With all his waggery he was subject at times to moods of the deepest despondency, bordering on insanity. Madness ran in his family. His brother, in a fit of frenzy, had blown his brains out. Henry himself had twice attempted his own life while in my employ in New York. Some time after our present journey to Ha- vana, I sent him to London. He conducted my business precisely as I directed, writing up his account with me correctly to a penny. Then handing it to a mutual friend with directions to give it to me when I arrived in London the following week, he went to his lodgings and committed suicide. While we were in Havana, Bennett was so despon- dent at times that we were obliged to watch him care- INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. 327 fully, lest he should do some damage to himself or others. When we left Havana for New Orleans, on board the steamer " Falcon," Mr. James Gordon Ben- nett, 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 Jenny Lind and bitterly attacked me. There was an estrangement, no new thing, between the editor and myself. The Herald, in its desire to excite attention, has a habit of attacking public men and I had not escaped. I wTas always glad to get such notices, for they served as inexpensive advertisements to my Museum, and brought custom to me free of charge. Ticket-taker Bennett, however, took much to heart the attacks of Editor Bennett upon Jenny Lind, and while in New York he threatened to cowhide his name- sake, as so many men have actually done in days gone by, but I restrained him. When Editor Bennett came on board the ': Falcon," he had in his arms a small pet monkey belonging to his wife, and the animal was placed in a safe place on the forward deck. When Henry Bennett saw the editor he said to a bystander : 4i 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 to 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 : 328 INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. ;: Old Bennett has gone forward alone in the dark to feed his monkey, and d — n him, 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 effect- ively to address him at such times, I exclaimed . " Eidiculous ! you would not do such a thing." " I swear I will," was his savage reply. I expostu- lated 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 not possibly benefit any one, and that from the fact of the relations existing between the editor and myself, I should be the first to be accused of his murder. I implored him to go to his stateroom, and he finally did so, accompanied by some of the gentlemen 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 namesake and drop him overboard. The matter was too serious for a joke, and we made little mention of it ; but more than one of my 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." This incident has long been known to several of my intimate friends, and when Mr. Bennett learns the fact from this volume, he may possibly be somewhat mollified over his payment to me, fifteen years later, of $200,000 for the unexpired lease of my Museum, concerning which some particulars will be given anon. INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. 329 111 New Orleans the wharf was crowded by a great concourse of persons, as the steamer w Falcon" ap- proached. 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," said she, in despair. " Leave that to me. Remain quiet for ten minutes, and there shall be no crowd here," I replied. Taking my daughter on my arm, she threw her veil over her face, and we descended the gangway to the dock. The crowd pressed around. I had beckoned for a carriage before leaving the ship. "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," I ex- claimed, and by dint of pushing, squeezing and coax- ing, we reached the carriage, and drove for the Montalba buildings, where Miss Lind's apartments had been prepared, and the whole crowd came following at our heels. In a few minutes afterwards, Jenny and her companion came quietly in a carriage, and were in the house before the ruse was discovered. In answer to incessant calls, she appeared a moment upon the balcony, waved her handkerchief, received three hearty cheers, and the crowd dispersed. A poor blind boy, residing in the interior of Missis- sippi, a flute-player, and an ardent lover of music, visited New Orleans expressly to hear Jenny Lind. 330 INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. A subscription had been taken up among his neighbors to defray the expenses. This fact coming to the ears of Jenny, she sent for him, played and sang for him, gave him many words of joy and comfort, took him to her concerts, and sent him away considerably richer than he had ever been before. A funny incident occurred at New Orleans. Our concerts were given in the St. Charles Theatre, then managed by my good friend, the late Sol. Smith. In the open lots near the theatre were exhibitions of mammoth hogs, five-footed horses, 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 to me the next day, " but my son was in raptures. He 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. W e were just passing the numerous shows upon the vacant lots. One of the signs attracted him, and he said, 6 Father, let us go in and see the big hog ! ' The little scamp ! I could have horse- INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. 381 whipped him!" said the father, who, loving a joke, could not help laughing at the ludicrous incident. Some months afterwards, I was relating this story at my own table to several guests, among whom was a very matter-of-fact man who had not the faintest conception of humor. After the whole party had laughed heartily at the anecdote, my matter-of-fact friend gravely asked : " And was it a very large hog, Mr. Barnum? " I made arrangements with the captain of the splen- did steamer " Magnolia," of Louisville, to take our party as far as Cairo, the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, stipulating for sufficient delay in Natchez, Mis- sissippi, and in Memphis, Tennessee, to give a concert in each place. It was no unusual thing for me to char- ter a steamboat or a special train of cars for our party. With such an enterprise as that, time and comfort were paramount to money. The time on board the steamer was whiled away in reading, viewing the scenery of the Mississippi, and other diversions. One day we had a pleasant musical festival in the ladies' saloon for the gratification of the passengers, at which Jenny volunteered to sing without ceremony. It seemed to us she never sang so sweetly before. I also did my best to amuse my fellow passen- gers with anecdotes and the exhibition of sundry legerdemain tricks which I had been obliged to learn and use in the South years before and under far differ- ent circumstances than those which attended the per- formance now. Among other tricks, I caused a quarter of a dollar to disappear so mysteriously from beneath a card, that the mulatto barber on board came to the conclusion that I was in league with the devil. The next morning I seated myself for the operation 332 INCIDENTS OF THE TOUB. of shaving, and the colored gentleman ventured to dip into the mystery. " 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 yourself 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 inquired, 44 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. The movement did not escape me, and immediately 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 inter- view, bent on testing the alleged powers of Beelze- bub's colleague. " Beg pardon, Mr. Barnum, but where is my money ] Can you get it \ " "I do not want your money," was the quiet answer. " It is safe." INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR. 333 " 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 gentleman 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! Of course, I had a confederate, but the mystifica- tion of that mulatto was immense. CHAPTER XXL JENNY LIND. ARRIVAL AT ST. LOUIS — SURPRISING PROPOSITION" OF MISS LLND's SECRETARY — HOW THE MANAGER MANAGED — READINESS TO CANCEL THE CONTRACT — CONSULTATION WITH " UNCLE SOL." — BARNUM NOT TO BE HIRED — A " JOKE " — TEMPERANCE LECTURE IN THE THEATRE — SOL. SMITH — A COMEDIAN, AUTHOR, AND LAWYER — UNIQUE DEDICATION — JENNY LIND's CHARACTER AND CHARITIES — SHARP WORDS FROM THE WEST — SELFISH ADVISERS — MISS'LIND'S GENEROUS IMPULSES — HER SIMPLE AND CHILDLIKE CHARACTER — CONFESSIONS OF A MANAGER — PRIVATE REPUTATION AND PUBLIC RENOWN — CHARACTER AS A STOCK IN TRADE — LE GRAND SMITH — MR. DOLBY — THE ANGELIC SIDE KEPT OUTSIDE —MY OWN SHARE LN THE PUBLIC BENEFITS — JUSTICE TO MISS LIND AND MYSELF. According to agreement, the "Magnolia" waited for us at Natchez and Memphis, and we gave profitable concerts at both places. The concert at Memphis was the sixtieth in the list since Miss Lind's arrival in America, and the first concert in St. Louis would be the sixty-first. When we reached that city, on the morning of the day when our first concert was to be given, Miss Lind's secretary came to me, commissioned, he said, by her, and announced that as sixty concerts had already taken place, she proposed to avail herself of one of the conditions of our contract, and cancel the engagement next morning. As this was the first inti- mation of the kind I had received, I was somewhat startled, though I assumed an entirely placid demeanor, and asked : " Does Miss Lind authorize you to give me this notice 1 " JENNY LIND. 335 " I so understand it," was the reply. I immediately reflected that if our contract was thus suddenly cancelled, Miss Lind was bound to repay to me all I had paid her over the stipulated $1,000 for each concert, and a little calculation showed that the sum thus to be paid back was $77,000, since she had already received from me $137,000 for sixty concerts. In this view, I could not but think that this was a ruse of some of her advisers, and, possibly, that she might know nothing of the matter. So I told her secretary Jhat I would see him again in an hour, and meanwhile I went to my old friend Mr. Sol. Smith for his legal and friendly advice. I showed him my contract and told him how much I had been annoyed by the selfish and greedy hangers on and advisers, legal and otherwise, of Jenny Lind. I talked to him about the " wheels within wheels " which moved this great musical enterprise, and asked and gladly accepted his advice, which mainly coincided with my own views of the situation, I then went back to the secretary and quietly told him that I was ready to settle with Miss Lind and to close the engage- ment. " But," said he, manifestly " taken aback," " you have already advertised concerts in Louisville and Cincinnati, I believe." . " Yes," I replied ; " but you may take my contracts for halls and printing off my hands at cost." I further said that he was welcome to the assistance of my agent who had made these arrangements, and, moreover, that I would cheerfully give my own services to help them through with these concerts, thus giving them a good start " on their own hook." 336 JENNY LIND. My liberality, which he acknowledged, emboldened him to make an extraordinary proposition : " Now suppose," he asked, " Miss Lind should wish to give some fifty concerts in this country, what would you charge as manager, per concert ] " " A million dollars each, not one cent less," I replied. I was now thoroughly aroused ; the whole thing was as clear as daylight, and I continued : " Now we might as well understand each other ; I do n't believe Miss Lind has authorized you to propose to me to cancel our contract ; but if she has, just bring^ me a line to that effect over her signature and her check for the amount due me by the terms of that contract, some $77,000, and we will close our business connec- tions at once." " But why not make a new arrangement," persisted the Secretary, " for fifty concerts more, by which Miss Lind shall pay you liberally, say $1,000 per con- cert?" " Simply because I hired Miss Lind, and not she me," I replied, " and because I never ought to take a farthing less for my risk and trouble than the contract gives me. I have voluntarily paid Miss Lind more than twice as much as I originally contracted to pay her, or as she expected to receive when she first 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 go to her for it to-morrow morning." I met the secretary soon after breakfast next morning and asked him if he had a written communication for me from Miss Lind] He said he had not and that the whole thing was a "joke." He merely wanted, he added, to see what I would say to the proposition. I JENNY LUND. 337 asked him if Miss Lind was in the " joke," as he called it ? He hoped I would not inquire, bat would let the matter drop. I went on, as usual, and gave four more concerts in St. Louis, and followed out my programme as arranged in other cities for many weeks following ; nor at that time, nor at any time afterwards, did Miss Lind give me the slightest intimation that she had any knowl- edge of the proposition of her secretary to cancel our agreement or to employ me as her manager. During our stay at St. Louis, I delivered a temper- ance lecture in the theatre, and at the close, among other signers, of the pledge, was my friend and adviser, Sol. Smith. " Uncle Sol." as every one called him, was a famous character in his time. He was an excel- lent comedian, an author, a manager and a lawyer. For a considerable period of his life, he was largely concerned in theatricals in St. Louis, New Orleans and other cities, and acquired a handsome property. He died at a ripe old age, in 1869, respected and lamented by all who knew him. I esteem it an honor to have been one of his intimate friends. A year or two before he died, he published a very interesting volume, giving a full account of the lead- ing incidents in his long and varied career as an actor and manager. He had previously, in 1854, pub- lished an autobiographical work, comprising an account of the ;i second seven years of his professional life " together with sketches of adventure in after years, and entitled " The Theatrical Journey-Work and Anec- dotical Recollections of Sol. Smith, Comedian, Attor- ney at Law," etc. This unique work was preceded by a dedication which I venture to copy. It was as fol- lows : 22 338 JENNY LIND. "TO PHINEAS T. BARNUM, PROPRIETOR OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM, ETC. " Great Impressario : Whilst you were engaged in your grand Jenny Lind speculation, the following conun- drum went the rounds of the American newspapers : " 4 Why is it that Jenny Lind and Barnum will never fall out ? ' Answer : 6 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 concentrated 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 6 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 modifications (I sup- pose it need no longer be a secret) secured to her — besides the original stipulation of one thousand dol- lars for every concert, attendants, carriages, assistant artists, and a pompous and extravagant retinue, fit (only) for a European princess — one half of the profits of each performance. You may also remember the legal advice I gave you on the occasion referred to, and the salutary effect of your following it. You must remember the extravagant joy you felt afterwards, in Philadelphia, when the 6 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 JEXXY LIXD. 339 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 afterwards 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 c divine Jenny.' " Of all your speculations — from the negro centena- rina, who didn't nurse General Washington, down • to the Bearded Woman of Genoa — there was not one which required the exercise of so much hum- buggery as the Jenny Lind concerts ; and I verily be- lieve there is no man living, other than yourself, who could, or would, have risked the enormous expendi- ture of money necessary to carry them through success- fully— travelling, with sixty artists, four thousand miles, and giving ninety-three concerts, 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 operation but little less than two hundred thousand dollars ! 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 lesson to the aristocrats of Europe how to live. At your beauti- ful and tasteful residence, 4 Iranistan ' (I do n't like the 340 JEXXY LIXD. name, though,) you can and do entertain your friends "with a warmth of hospitality, only equalled by that of the great landed proprietors of the old country, or of our own 4 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 continually 6 cast them forth upon the waters,' reward- ing labor, encouraging the arts, and lending a helping hand to industry in all its branches. Not content with doing all this, you deal telling blows, whenever oppor- tunity offers, upon the monster Intemperance. 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 instalment towards the debt, I, as one of the community, owe you, and with the hope of afford- ing 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 little 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. 1, 1854." " Uncle " Sol. Smith must be held solely responsible for his extravagant estimate of P. T. Barnum, and for his somewhat deprecatory view of the attributes of the " divine Jenny." It is true that he derived many of his impressions of Miss Lind from the annoying circum- JEXXY LIND. 311 stances that compelled me to seek his professional advice and assistance in St. Louis, when Jenny Lind's secretary came to me with an assumed authorization from her to abruptly close our engagement. But when Sol. Smith's dedication was first published, there were plenty ot people and papers throughout the land that were eager to catch up and indorse this new view of Miss Lind's character. The Athenians were sometimes sick, no doubt, of hearing Aristides always called "the Just." Yet, some of the sharp things which Sol. Smith means to say about Miss Lind, apply rather to the selfish persons who, unfortunately, were more in her confidence than I ever aspired to be, and who assumed to advise her and thus easily perverted her better judgment. With all her excellent and even extraordinarily good qualities, however, Jenny Lind was human, though the reputation she bore in Europe for her many charitable acts led me to believe, till I knew her, that she was nearly perfect. I think now that her natural impulses were more simple, childlike, pure and generous than those of almost any other person I ever met. But she had been petted, almost worshipped, so long, that it would have been strange indeed if her unbounded popu- larity had not in some degree affected her to her hurt, and it must not be thought extraordinary if she now and then exhibited some phase of human weakness. Like most persons of uncommon talent, she had a strong will which, at times, she found ungovernable ; but if she was ever betrayed into a display of ill-temper she was sure to apologize and express her regret after- wards. Le Grand Smith, who was quite intimate with her, and who was my right-hand man during the entire Lind engagement, used sometimes to say to me : 342 JEXXY LIXD. " Well, Mr. Barrmm, you have managed wonderfully in always keeping Jenny's 8 angel ' side outside with the public." More than one Englishman — I may instance Mr. Dolby, Mr. Dickens's agent during his last visit to America — expressed surprise at the confirmed impres- sion of " perfection " entertained by the general Ameri- can public in regard to the Swedish Nightingale. These things are written with none but the kindest feelings towards the sweet songstress, and only to modify the too current ideas of superhuman excellence which cannot be characteristic of any mortal being. As I have before intimated in giving details of my management of the enterprise, believing, as I did when I engaged her, in her " angelic" reputation, I am frank enough to confess that I considered her private charac- ter a valuable adjunct, even in a business point of view, to her renown as a singer. I admit that I took her charities into account as part of my " stock in trade." Whenever she sang for a public or private charity, she gave her voice, which was worth a thousand dollars to her every evening. At such times, I always insisted upon paying for the hall, orchestra, printing, and other expenses, because I felt able and willing to contribute my full share towards the worthy objects which prompted these benefits. This narration would be incomplete if I did not add the following : We were in Havana when I showed to Miss Lind a paper containing the conundrum on " for-getting " and " for-giving," at which she laughed heartily, but immedi- ately checked herself and said : " O ! Mr. Bamum, this is not fair ; you know that JEXXY LIXD. 343 you really give more than I do from the proceeds of every one of these charity concerts." And it is but just to her to say that she frequently remonstrated with me and declared that the actual expenses should be deducted and the thus lessened sum devoted to the charity for which the concert might be given ; but I always laughingly told her that I must do my part, give my share, and that if it was purely a business operation, 4; bread cast upon the waters," it would return, perhaps, buttered ; for the larger her reputation for liberality, the more liberal the public would surely be to us and to our enterprise. I have no wish to conceal these facts ; and I certainly have no desire to receive a larger meed of praise than my qualified generosity merits. Justice to myself and to my management, as well as to Miss Lind, seems to permit, if not to demand, this explanation. CHAPTEE XXII. CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. PENITENT TICKET PURCHASERS — VISIT TO THE " HERMITAGE " — "APRIL FOOL" PUN — THE MAMMOTH CAVE — SIGNOR SALVI — GEORGE D. PRENTICE — PER- FORMANCE IN A PORK HOUSE — RUSE AT CINCINNATI — ANNOYANCES AT PITTSBURG — LE GRAND SMITH'S GRAND JOKE— RETURN TO NEW YORK — THE FINAL CONCERTS IN CASTLE GARDEN AND METROPOLITAN HALL — THE ADVISERS APPEAR — THE NINETY-THIRD CONCERT — MY OFFER TO CLOSE THE ENGAGEMENT — MISS LIND'S LETTER ACCEPTING MY PROPOSITION — STORY ABOUT AN "IMPROPER PLACE "— JENNY'S CONCERTS ON HER OWN ACCOUNT — HER MARRIAGE TO MR. OTTO GOLDSCHMIDT — CORDIAL RELATIONS BETWEEN MRS. LIND GOLDSCHMIDT AND MYSELF — AT HOME AGAIN — STATE- MENT OF THE TOTAL RECEIPTS OF THE CONCERTS. After five concerts in St. Louis, we went to Nashville, Tennessee, where we gave our sixty-sixth and sixty- seventh concerts in this country. At the first ticket auction in that city, the excitement was considerable and the bidding spirited, as was generally the case. After the auction was over, one of my men, happening in at a dry-goods store in the town, heard the proprietor say, " I'll give five dollars to any man who will take me out and give me a good horse-whipping ! I deserve it, and am willing to pay for having it done. To think that I should have been such a fool as to have paid forty-eight dollars for four tickets for my wife, two daughters, and myself, to listen to music for only two hours, makes me mad with myself, and I want to pay somebody for giving me a thundering good horse-whip- ping ! " I am not sure that others have not experienced a somewhat similar feeling, when they became cool and rational, and the excitement of novelty 'and competition had passed away. CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. While at Nashville, Jenny Lind, accompanied by my daughter, Mrs. Lyman, and myself, visited ;i the Her- mitage," the late residence of General Jackson. On that occasion, for the first time that season, we heard the wild mocking-birds singing in the trees. This gave Jenny Lind great delight, as she had never before heard them sing except in their wire-bonnd cages. The first of April occurred while we were in Nash- ville. I was considerably annoyed during the forenoon by the calls of members of the company who came to me under the belief that I had sent for them. After dinner I concluded to give them all a touch of " April fool." The following article, which appeared the next morning in the Nashville Daily American, my amanuen- sis having imparted the secret to the editor, will show how it was done : "A series of laughable jokes came off yesterday at the Veranda in honor of All Fools' Day. Mr. Barnum was at the hottom of the mischief. He managed in some mysterious manner to obtain a lot of blank telegraphic despatches and envelopes from one of the offices in this city, and then went to work and manufac- tured ' astounding intelligence ' for most of the parties composing the Jenny Lind suite. Almost every person in the company received a telegraphic despatch written under the direction of Barnum. Mr. Barnum's daughter 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 lib- eral offers of engagements from banks and other institutions at the North. Burke, and others of the musical professors, were offered princely salaries by opera managers, and many of them received most tempting inducements to pro- ceed immediately to the World's Fair in London. " One married gentleman in Mr. Barnum's suite received the gratifying intel- ligence 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 extraordinary tele- graphic intelligence, and as the great impressario managed to have the despatches delivered 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, rejoiced or grieved according to circumstances. Several gave Mr. 346 CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. Barnum notice of their intention to leave him, in consequence of hotter 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-morrow.' At a late hour last night the secret had not got out, and we presume that many of the victims will first learn from our columns that they have been taken in by Bar- num and All Fools' Day ! " From Nashville, Jenny Lind and a few friends went by way of the Mammoth Cave to Louisville, while the rest of the party proceeded by steamboat. While in Havana, I engaged Signor Salvi for a few months, to begin about the 10th of April. He joined us at Louisville, and sang in the three concerts there, with great satisfaction to the public. Mr. George D. Prentice, of the Louisville Journal, and his beautiful and accomplished lady, who had contributed much to the pleasure of Miss Lind and our party, accompanied us to Cincinnati. A citizen of Madison had applied to me on our first arrival in Louisville, for a concert in that place. I replied that the town was too small to afford it, where- upon he offered to take the management of it into his own hands, and pay me $5,000 for the receipts. The last concert at Louisville, and the concerts at Natchez and Wheeling were given under a similar agreement, though with better pecuniary results than at Madison. As the steamer from Louisville to Cincinnati would arrive at Madison about sundown, and would wait long enough for us to give a concert, I agreed to his proposi- tion. We were not a little surprised to learn upon arriving, that the concert must be given in a " pork house " — a capacious shed which had been fitted up and decorated for the occasion. We concluded, however, that if the CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN". inhabitants were satisfied with the accommodations, we ought not to object. The person who had contracted for the concert came $1,300 short of his agreement, which I consequently lost, and at ten o'clock we were again on board the fine steamer " Ben Franklin" bound for Cincinnati. The next morning the crowd upon the wharf was immense. I was fearful that an attempt to repeat the New Orleans ruse with my daughter would be of no avail, as the joke had been published in the Cincinnati papers; so I gave my arm to Miss Lind, and begged her to have no fears, for I had hit upon an expedient which would save her from annoyance. We then descended the plank to the shore, and as soon as we had touched it, Le Grand Smith called out from 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 4 Buckeyes.' We intend to stay here until you bring out Jenny Lind ! " They readily allowed me to pass with the lady whom they supposed to be my daughter, and in five minutes afterwards the Nightingale was complimenting Mr. Coleman upon the beautiful and commodious apartments which were devoted to her in the Burnett House. The crowd remained an hour on the wharf Jbefore they would be convinced that the person whom they took for my daughter was in fact the veritable Swede. When •this was discovered, a general laugh followed the exclamation from one of the victims, " Well, Barnum has humbugged us after all ! " us CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. In passing up the river to Pittsburg, the boat waited four hours to enable us to give a concert in Wheeling. It was managed by a couple of gentlemen in that city, who purchased it for five thousand dollars in advance, by which they made a handsome profit for their trouble. The concert was given in a church. At Pittsburg, the open space surrounding the con- cert room became crowded with thousands of persons, who, foolishly refusing to accommodate each other by listening to the music, disturbed the concert and deter- mined us to leave the next morning for Baltimore, instead of giving a second concert that had been adver- tised. Le Grand Smith here paid me off for my " April fool " joke. He induced a female of his acquaintance to call on me and reveal an arrangement which she pretended accidentally to have overheard between some scoundrels, who were resolved to stop our stage coach on the Alle- ghany mountains and commit highway robbery. Tho story seemed incredible, and yet the woman related it with so much apparent sincerity, that I swallowed the bait, and remitting to New York all the money I had, except barely enough to defray our expenses to Balti- more, I purchased several revolvers for such members of the company as were not already provided, and we left Pittsburg armed to the teeth ! Fortunately, Jenny Lind and several of the company had left before I made this grand discovery, and hence she was saved any apprehensions on the subject. It is needless to say we found no use for our firearms. We reached New York early in May, 1851, and gave fourteen concerts in Castle Garden and Metropolitan Hall. The last of these made the ninety-second regu- CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. 319 lar concert under our engagement. Jenny Lind had now again reached the atmosphere of her legal and other " advisers," and I soon discovered the effects of their influence. I, however, cared little what course they advised her to pursue. I indeed wished they would prevail upon her to close with her hundredth concert, for I had become weary with constant excite- ment and unremitting exertions. I was confident that if she undertook to give concerts on her own account, she would be imposed upon and harassed in a thousand ways ; yet I felt it would be well for her to have a trial at it, if she saw fit to credit her advisers' assurance that I had not managed the enterprise as successfully as it might have been done. At about the eighty-fifth concert, therefore, I was most happy to learn from her lips that she had concluded to pay the forfeiture of twenty-five thousand dollars, and terminate the concerts with the one hundredth. We went to Philadelphia, wThere I had advertised the ninety-second, ninety-third, and ninety-fourth concerts, and had engaged the large National Theatre on Chest- nut Street. It had been used for equestrian and theatri- cal entertainments, but was now thoroughly cleansed and fitted up by Max Maretzek for Italian opera. It was a convenient place for our purpose. One of her " advisers," a subordinate in her employ, who was already itching for the position of manager, made the selection of this building a pretext for creating dissatis- faction in the mind of Miss Lind. I saw the influences which were at, work, and not caring enough for the profits of the remaining seven concerts, to continue the engagement at the risk ol disturbing the friendly feel- ings which had hitherto uninterruptedly existed between 350 CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. that lady and myself, I wrote her a letter offering to relinquish the engagement, if she desired it, at the ter- mination of the concert which was to take place that evening, upon her simply allowing me a thousand dol- lars per concert for the seven which would yet remain to make up the hundred, besides paying me the sum stipulated as a forfeiture for closing the engagement at the one-hundredth concert. Towards evening I received the following reply : "To P. T. Barnum, Esq. " My Dear Sir: — I accept your proposition to close our contract to-night, at the end of the ninety-third concert, on condition of my paying you seven thou- sand dollars, in addition to the sum I forfeit under the condition of finishing the engagement at the end of one hundred concerts. "I am, dear Sir, yours truly, "Jenny Lixd. "Philadelphia, 9th of June, 1851." I met her at the concert in the evening, and she was polite and friendly as ever. Between the first and second parts of the concert, I introduced General Welch, the lessee of the National Theatre, who informed her that he was quite willing to release me from my engagement of the building, if she did not desire it longer. She replied, that upon trial, she found it much better than she expected, and she would therefore retain it for the remainder of the concerts. In the mean time, her advisers had been circulating the story that I had compelled her to sing in an im- proper place, and when they heard she had concluded to remain there, they beset her with arguments against it, until at last she consented to remove her concerts to a smaller hall. I had thoroughly advertised the three concerts, in the newspapers within a radius of one hundred miles from Philadelphia, and had sent admission tickets to the edit- CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. 351 ors. On the day of the second concert, one of the new agents, who had indirectly aided in bringing about the dissolution of our engagement, refused to recognize these tickets I urged upon him the injustice of such a course, but received no satisfaction. I then stated the fact to Miss Lind, and she gave immediate orders that these tickets should be received. Country editors' tick- ets, which were offered after I left Philadelphia, were however refused by her agents (contrary to Miss Lind's wish and knowledge), and the editors, having come from a distance with their wives, purchased tickets, and I subsequently remitted the money to numerous gentle- men, whose complimentary tickets were thus repudiated. Jenny Lind gave several concerts with varied success, and then retired to Niagara Falls, and afterwards to Northampton, Massachusetts. While sojourning at the latter place, she visited Boston and was married to Mr. Otto Goldschmidt, a German composer and pianist, to whom she was much attached, and who had studied music with her in Germany. lie played several times in our concerts. He was a very quiet, inoffensive gen- tleman, and an accomplished musician. I met her several times after our engagement termi- nated. She was always affable. On one occasion, while passing through Bridgeport, she told me that she had been sadly harassed in giving her concerts. " Peo- ple 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 supplied with complimentary tickets when she gave concerts in New York, and on the occa- sion of her last appearance in America, I visited her in her room back of the stage, and bade her and her 352 CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. husband adieu, with my best wishes. She expressed the same feeling to Hie 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 em- inent 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 entertainment, she knew by experience what a genuine pleasure she would receive by devoting the money to the alleviation of the wants and sorrows of those who needed it. uAh! Mr. Barnum," she replied, " that is very true, and it would be ungrateful in me to not continue 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 I have all the money which I shall ever need." Pursuant to this resolution, the larger portion of the concerts which this noble lady has given since her return to Europe, have been for objects of benevolence. If she consents to sing for a charitable object in London, for instance, the fact is not advertised at all, but the tickets are readily disposed of in a private quiet way, at a guinea and half a guinea each. After so many months of anxiety, labor and excite- ment, in the Jenny Lind enterprise, it will readily be believed that I desired tranquility. I spent a week at Cape May, and then came home to Iranistan, where I remained during the entire summer. ' CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. 353 JENNY LLND CONCERTS. TOTAL RECEIPTS, EXCEPTED G- OF CONCERTS DEVOTED TO CHARITY. Boston, Providence, Bostou, Philadelphia, «< New York, New York, No. L 2. 3. 4. 5. & 7. 8. a 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45 Philadelphia, tt Baltimore, (« Washington City Richmond, Charleston, Havana, . $17,864 05 No. 46. Havana, 14,203 03 47. New Orleans, 48. 12,519 59 49. 14,266 09 50. « 12,174 74 51. 16,028 39 52. it lli,479 50 53. (( 11,848 62 54. «( 8,639 92 55. (M 10,169 25 56. <( 6,525 54 57. (( 10.524 87 58. <« 5,240 00 59. Natchez, 7,586 00 60. Memphis, St. Louis, 9.291 25 61. 7,547 00 62. 8,458 65 63. 6,415 90 64. << 4,009 70 65. «< 5,982 00 66. Nashville, 8,007 10 67. 6,334 20 68. Louisville, tt 9,429 15 69. 9,912 17 70. . i 5,773 40 71. Madison, 4,993 50 72. Cincinnati, . 6.(570 15 73. 9.840 33 74. a 7,097 15 75. Q OiiQ OA o,Joo oU 76. tt 10,570 25 10,646 45 77. "Wheeling, 78. Pittsburg, 5,480 75 79. New York, . 5,728 65 80. 3,709 88 81. 4,815 48 82. n 7,117 00 83. «< 8,357 05 84. <( 8,406 50 85. <« 8,121 33 86. a 6,878 55 87. Oh, Mr. Barnum, I never saw anything so beautiful as those elegant 44 Golden Pigeons " ; you must give me some of their eggs for my own pigeons to hatch ; I should prize them beyond measure." 44 Oh, you dont want 4 Golden Pigeons/ I said; " they are painted." 572 MORE ABOUT THE MUSEUM. r " No, they are not painted," said she, with a laugh, " but I half think the ' Angel Fish ' is." I could scarcely control my laughter as I explained : " Now, Mrs. H., I never spoil a good joke, even when the exposure betrays a Museum secret. I assure you, upon honor, that the " Australian Golden Pigeons," as they are labelled, are really painted ; I bought them for the sole purpose of giving Old Adams a lesson ; in their natural state they are nothing more than common white ruff-neck pigeons." She was convinced, and to this day she blushes whenever any allusion is made to the " Angel Fish " or the " Golden Pigeons." In 1862, I sent the Commodore to Washington, and joining him there, I received an invitation from Presi- dent Lincoln to call at the White House with my little friend. Arriving at the appointed hour I was informed that the President was in a special cabinet meeting, but that he had left word if I called to be shown in to him with the Commodore. These were dark days in the rebellion and I felt that my visit, if not ill-timed, must at all events be brief. When we were admitted Mr. Lincoln received us cordially, and introduced us to the members of the cabinet. When Mr. Chase was intro- duced as the Secretary of the Treasury, the little Commodore remarked : " I suppose you are the gentleman who is spending so much of Uncle Sam's money ] " " No, indeed," said Secretary of War 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 : MORE ABOUT THE MUSEUM. 573 <: 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." Commodore Nutt and the Nova Scotia giantess, Anna Swan, illustrate the old proverb sufficiently to show how extremes occasionally met in my Museum. He was the shortest of men and she was the tallest of women. I first heard of her through a quaker who came into my office one day and told me of a wonderful girl, seventeen years of age, who resided near him at Pictou, Nova Scotia, and who was probably the tallest girl in the world. I asked him to obtain her exact height, on his return home, which he did and sent it to me, and I at once sent an agent who in due time came bac\ with Anna Swan. She was an intelligent and by no means ill-looking girl, and during the long period while she was in my employ she was visited by thousands of persons. After the burning of my second Museum, she went to England where she attracted great attention. For many years I had been in the habit of engaging parties of American Indians from the far West to exhibit at the Museum, and had sent two or more Indian companies to Europe, where they were regarded as very great " curiosities." In 1864, ten or twelve chiefs of as many different tribes, visited the President of the United States at Washington. By a 574 MORE ABOUT THE MUSEUM. pretty liberal outlay of money, I succeeded in inducing the interpreter to bring them to New York, and to pass some days at my Museum. Of course, getting these Indians to dance, or to give any illustration of their games or pastimes, was out of the question. They were real chiefs of powerful tribes, and would no more have consented to give an exhibition of themselves than the Chief Magistrate of our own nation would have done. Their interpreter could not therefore promise that they would remain at the Museum for any definite time ; " for," said he, " you can only keep them just so long as they suppose all your patrons come to pay them visits of honor. If they suspected that your Museum was a place where people paid for entering," he continued, " you could not keep them a moment after the discovery." On their arrival at the Museum, therefore, I took them upon the stage and personally introduced them to the public. The Indians liked this attention from me, as they had been informed that I was the proprietor of the great establishment in which they were invited and honored guests. My 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 upon the stage, I took them in carriages and visited the Mayor of New York in the Governor's room at the City Hall. Here the Mayor made them a speech of welcome, which being interpreted to the savages was responded to by a speech from one of the chiefs, in which he thanked the great "Father" of the city for his pleasant words, and for his kindness in pointing out the portraits of his MORE ABOUT THE MUSEUM. 575 predecessors hanging on the walls of the Governor's room. On another occasion, I took them by special invita- tion to visit one of the large public schools np town. The teachers were pleased to see them, and arranged an exhibition of special exercises by the scholars, which they thought would be most likely to gratify their barbaric visitors. At the close of these exercises, one old chief arose, and simply said, 44 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, I took them to ride in Central Park, and through different portions of the city. At every street corner which we 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, between each of these outside visits I would return with them to the Museum, and secure two or three appearances upon the stage to receive the people who had there congre- gated " to do them honor." As they regarded me as their host, they did not hesitate to trespass upon my hospitality. Whenever their eyes rested upon a glittering shell among my specimens of conchology, especially if it had several brilliant colors, one would take off his coat, another his shirt, and insist that I should exchange my shell for their garment. When I declined the exchange, but on the contrary presented them with the coveted article, I soon found I had established a dangerous precedent. Immediately, they all commenced to beg for everything in my vast collection, which they happened to take a liking to. This cost me many valuable specimens, and 576 MORE ABOUT THE MUSEUM. often " put me to my trumps " for an excuse to avoid giving them things which I could not part with. The chief of one of the tribes one day discovered an ancient shirt of chain-mail which hung in one of my cases of antique armor. He was delighted with it, and declared he must have it. I tried all sorts of excuses to prevent his getting it, for it had cost me 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 told me through the interpreter; and now he must have this steel shirt to protect himself ; and when he returned to the Eocky Mountains he would have his revenge. I remained inexorable until he finally brought me a new buckskin Indian suit, which he insisted upon exchanging. I felt compelled to accept his proposal ; and never did I see a man more delighted than he seemed to be when he took the mailed shirt into his hands. He fairly jumped up and down with joy. He ran to his lodging room, and soon appeared again with the coveted armor upon his body, and marched down one of the main halls of the Museum, with folded arms, and head erect, occasionally patting his breast with his right hand, as much as to say, " now, Mr. Ute, look sharp, for I will soon be on the war path! " Among these Indians were War Bonnet, Lean Bear, and Hand-in-the-water, chiefs of the Cheyennes ; Yellow Buffalo, of the Kiowas ; Yellow Bear, of the same tribe ; Jacob, of the Caddos ; and White Bull, of the Apaches. The little wiry chief known as Yellow Bear had killed many whites as they had travelled through the " far West." He was a sly, treacherous, blood-thirsty savage, who would think no more of MORE ABOUT THE MUSEUM. 577 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 Wash- ington, 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 me, and although not speaking or understanding a word of our language, would try to convince me that he loved me dearly. In exhibiting these Indian warriors on the stage, I explained to the large audiences the names and charac- teristics of each. When I came to Yellow Bear I would pat him familiarly upon the shoulder, which always caused him to look up to me with a pleasant smile, while he softly stroked down my arm with his right hand in the most loving manner. Knowing that he could not understand a word I said, I pretended to be complimenting him to the audience, while I 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 I patted him on the head, and he, supposing I was sounding his praises, would smile, fawn upon me, and stroke my arm, while I continued : " If the blood-thirsty little villain understood what I was saying, he would kill me in a moment ; but as he thinks I am compli- menting him, I can safely state the truth to you, that he is a lying, thieving, treacherous, murderous monster. He has tortured to death poor, unprotected women, murdered their husbands, brained their helpless little 37 578 ' MORE ABOUT THE MUSEUM. 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 I gave him another patronizing pat on the head, and he, with a pleasant smile, bowed to the audience, as much as to say that my words were quite true, and that he thanked me very much for the high encomiums I had so generously heaped upon him. After they had been about a week at the Museum, one of the chiefs discovered that visitors paid money for entering. This information he soon communicated to the other chiefs, and I heard an immediate murmur of discontent. Their eyes were opened, and no power could induce them to appear again upon the stage. Their dignity had been offended, and their wild, flashing eyes were anything but agreeable. Indeed, I hardly felt safe in their presence, and it was with a feeling of relief that I witnessed their departure for Washington the next morning. In the spring of 1864, the United States Consul at Larnica, Island of Cyprus, Turkish Dominions, wrote me a letter, declaring that he and the English Consul, an American physician, resident in the island, and a large company of Europeans as well as natives, had seen the most remarkable object, no doubt, in the world, — a lusus nature, a feminine phenomenon. This woman was represented to have " four cornicles on her head, and one large horn, equal in size to an ordinary ram's horn, growing out of the side of her head " ; and the consistency of the horns was represented to be similar to that of cows' or goats' horns. This singular story continued : " These horns have been growing for ten or twelve years, and were carefully concealed by the MOKE ABOUT THE MUSEUM. 579 woman until a few weeks since, when a vision appeared in the person of an old man, and warned her to remove the veil she wore, or God would punish her. She sent to the Greek priest (she being of that persuasion), and confessed to him, and was ordered to uncover her head, which she at once did." She was subsequently seen by the entire population, and the French consul, in com- pany with others, offered her fifty thousand piastres to go to Paris for exhibition. The English consul, I was further informed, had pronounced this woman to be " worth her weight in gold " ; and I was assured that if I wished to add her to my " wonderful Museum, and present to the American public the most remarkable object yet exhibited," I had only to " send an agent im- mediately to secure the prize." Informing myself of the trustworthiness of my cor- respondent (who also wrote a similar account to the New York Observer J, I was not long in making up my mind to secure this freak of nature ; and I despatched Mr. John Greenwood, Jr., in the steamer " City of Bal- timore," for Liverpool, April 30, 1864. He went to London and Paris, and thence to Marseilles, where he took a Syrian and Egyptian steamer to Palermo, and from thence proceeded to Cyprus. On arriving, if he could have seen the woman at once, he could have re- embarked on the steamer, which sailed again in a few hours for other islands ; but unfortunately, the woman was a few miles in the interior, and poor Greenwood was detained a month on the island before he could take another steamer to get away. Worse yet, the woman, spite of the impression she had made upon so many and such respectable witnesses, was really no curi- osity after all, as it proved upon examination, that 580 MOKE ABOUT THE MUSEUM. her 4 4 horns " were not horns at all, but fleshy excres- cences, which may have been singularly shaped tumors, or wens. It is needless to add that my agent did not engage her;, and after a month of discomfort and hard living, he succeeded in getting away, and sailed for Constantinople, mainly to see what could be done in the way of securing one or more Circassian women for ex- hibition in my Museum. On his way through the Mediterranean, he had the following adventure : On board the steamer, the harem of a Turkish Pasha occupied one side of the quarter- deck, which was divided off from the rest by a hurdle fence run longitudinally through the middle of the deck. Greenwood was one day sitting in an easy chair with his back to these women and their attendants, wThen, feeling his chair move, he turned and saw one of the Pasha's wives getting over the hurdle, and as there was scarcely room for her to squeeze herself between the chairs in which passengers were sitting, he moved his own chair out of the way and rising, offered his hand to assist the woman over the fence. She indignantly jumped back, and Greenwood w7as immediately seized by two of the Pasha's attendants, violently shaken, and taken to task in Turkish for daring to offer to touch the hand of one of his Excellency's women. Greenwood had that day formed the acquaintance of a fellow-passenger, a young Greek from Scio, who was going to Beyrout to act as clerk for a merchant in that place. He spoke good English, and seeing Greenwood in trouble among the Turks, and knowing that he could speak neither Greek nor Arabic, he went to the rescue, and demanded an explanation of the difficulty. Upon hearing what was the trouble, he informed the MOKE ABOUT THE MUSEUM. 581 turbulent fellows that Greenwood had no motive in his act beyond simple common courtesy. The prisoner, however, was still detained in the grasp of the Turks, till the will of the insulted Pasha could be known. On deck soon came the irate Pasha, in company with an old gentleman who was said to have been tutor, formerly, to the present Sultan of Turkey. When the two heard the charge and the explanation, and had consulted to- gether a little while, Greenwood was released. But for the friendly interposition of the Greek, he might have been bastinadoed, or even bowstrung. During the remainder of the voyage he was closely watched, but lie was very careful to be guilty of no act of 4; politeness," and he went on shore at Constan- tinople without so much as saying good-by to the Pasha. In Constantinople he had some very singular adven- tures. To carry out his purpose of getting access to the very interior of the slave-marts, he dressed himself in full Turkish costume, learned a few words and phrases which would be necessary in his. assumed char- acter as a slave-buyer, and, as the Turks are a notably reticent people, he succeeded very well in passing him- self off for what he appeared, though he ran a risk of detection many times every day. In this manner, he saw a large number of Circassian girls and women, some of them the most beautiful beings he had ever seen, and after a month in Constantinople and in other Turkish cities, he sailed for Marseilles, then went to Paris, picking up many treasures for my Museum, and returned to New York, after a journey of 13,112 miles. CHAPTER XXXVII. M& AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. MISS LAVINIA WARREN — A CHARMING LITTLE LADY — SUPPOSED TO BE THE $30,000 NUTT IN DISGUISE — HER WARDROBE AND PRESENTS — STORY OF A RING — THE LITTLE COMMODORE IN LOVE — TOM THUMB SMITTEN — RIVALRY OF THE DWARFS — JEALOUSY OF THE GENERAL — VISIT AT BRIDGEPORT — THE GENERAL'S STYLISH TURN-OUT — MISS WARREN IMPRESSED — CALL OF THE GENERAL — A LILIPUTIAN LOVE 'SCENE — TOM THUMB'S INVENTORY OF HIS PROPERTY — HE PROPOSES AND IS ACCEPTED — AHRIVAL OF THE COM- MODORE— HIS GRIEF — EXCITEMENT OVER THE ENGAGEMENT — THE WED- DING IN GRACE CHURCH — REVEREND JUNIUS WILLEY — A SPICY LETTER BY DOCTOR TAYLOR — GRAND RECEPTION OF MR. AND MRS. STRATTON — THE COMMODORE IN SEARCH OF A GREEN COUNTRY GIRL. In 1862 I heard of an extraordinary dwarf girl, named Lavinia Warren, who was residing with her parents at Middleboro', Massachusetts, and I sent an invitation to her and her parents to come and visit me at Bridgeport. They came, and I found her to be a most intelligent and refined young lady, well educated, and an accomplished, beautiful and perfectly-developed woman in miniature. I succeeded in making an engage- ment with her for several years, during which she con- tracted — as dwarfs are said to have the power to do — to visit Great Britain, France, and other foreign lands. Having arranged the terms of her engagement, I took her to the house of one of my daughters in New York, where she remained quietly, while I was procuring her wardrobe and jewelry, and making arrangements for her debut. As yet, nothing had been said in the papers about this interesting young lady, and one day as I was MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. 583 taking her home with me to Bridgeport, I met in the cars the wife of a wealthy menagerie proprietor, who introduced me to her two daughters, young ladies of sixteen and eighteen years of age, and then said : " You have disguised the little Commodore very nicely." " That is not Commodore Nutt," I replied, " it is a young lady whom I have recently discovered." " Very well done, Mr. Barnum," replied Mrs. B., with a look of self satisfaction. " Really ," I repeated, " this is a young lady." " Thank you, Mr. Barnum, but I know Commodore Nutt in whatever costume you put him ; and I re- cognized him the moment you brought him into the car." "But, Mrs. B.," I replied, " Commodore Nutt is now exhibiting in the Museum, and this is a little lady whom I hope to bring before the public soon." " Mr. Barnum," she replied, " you forget that I am a showman's wife, conversant with all the showman's tricks, and that I cannot be deceived." Seeing there was no prospect of convincing her, I replied in a confidential whisper, for such chance for a joke was not to be lost : " Well, I see you are too sharp for me, but I beg you not to mention it, for you are the only person on board this train who suspects it is the Commodore." " I will say nothing," she replied, " but do please bring the little fellow over here, for my daughters have never seen him." I stepped and told Lavinia the joke and asked her to help carry it out. I then took her over where she got a seat in the midst of the three ladies. 584 < MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. " Ah, Commodore," whispered Mrs. B., "you have done it pretty well, but bless you, I knew those eyes and that nose the moment I saw you." " Your eyes must be pretty sharp, then," replied Lavinia. " Oh, you see people in our line understand these things, and are never deceived by appearances ; but let me introduce you to these two young ladies, my daughters." " We are happy to see you, sir," said one of the young ladies. They then enjoyed a very animated con- versation, in the course of which they asked the " Com- modore " all about his family, and Lavinia managed to answer the questions in such a way as to avoid sus- picion. The ladies then informed the " Commodore " that there was a sweet little lady living in their town only sixteen years old, and if he would visit them, they would introduce him ; that her family was highly re- spectable, and she would make him a capital wife T Lavinia thanked them and promised to visit them if it should be convenient. As the ladies left the car, they shook hands with Lavinia, kissed her, and in a whisper said " good morning, sir." Meeting the hus- band of the lady, some wee*ks afterwards, I told him the joke, and he enjoyed it so highly that he will prob- ably never let his wife and daughters hear the last of it. I purchased a very splendid wardrobe for Miss War- ren, including scores of the richest dresses that could be procured, costly jewels, and in fact everything that could add to the charms of her naturally charming little person. She was then placed on exhibition at the Museum and from the day of her debut she was an extraordinary success. Commodore Nutt was on exlii- MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. 585 bition with her, and although he was several years her junior he evidently took a great fancy to her. One day I presented to Lavinia a diamond and emerald ring, and as it did not exactly fit her finger, I told her I would give her another one and that she might present this one to the Commodore in her own name. She did so, and an unlooked-for effect was speedily apparent ; the little Commodore felt sure that this was a love-token, and poor Lavinia was in the greatest trouble, for she considered herself quite a woman, and regarded the Commodore only as a nice little boy. But she did not like to offend him, and while she did not encourage, she did not openly repel his attentions. Miss Lavinia War- ren, however, was never destined to be Mrs. Commodore Nutt. It was by no means an unnatural circumstance that I should be suspected of having instigated and brought about the marriage of Tom Thumb with Lavinia War- ren. Had I done this, I should at this day have felt no regrets, for it has proved, in an eminent degree, one of the 44 happy marriages." I only say, what is known to all of their immediate friends, that from first to last their engagement was an affair of the heart — a case of 44 love at first sight" — that the attachment was mutual, and that it only grows with the lapse of time. But I had neither part nor lot in instigating or in occasioning the marriage. And as I am anxious to be put right before the public, and so to correct whatever of false impression may have gained ground, I have procured the consent of all the parties to a sketch of the wooing, winning and nuptials. Of course I should not la} these details before the public, except with the sanction of those most interested. In this they consent to pay the 586 ' MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. penalty of distinction. And if the wooings of kings and queens must be told, why not the courtship and marriage of General and Mrs. Tom Thumb \ The story is an interesting one, and shall be told alike to exonerate me from the suspicion named, and to amuse those — and they count by scores of thousands — who are interested in the welfare of the distinguished couple. In the autumn of 1862, when Lavinia Warren was on exhibition at the Museum, Tom Thumb had no busi- ness engagement with me ; in fact, he was not on exhibi- tion at the time at all ; he was taking a " vacation " at his house in Bridgeport. Whenever he came to New York he naturally called upon me, his old friend, at the Museum. He happened to be in the city at the time referred to, and one day he called, quite unexpectedly to me, while Lavinia was holding one of her levees. Here he now saw her for the first time, and very natur- ally made her acquaintance. He had a short interview with her, after which he came directly to my private office and desired to see me alone. Of course I com- plied with his request, but without the remotest suspi- cion as to his object. I closed the door, and the General took a seat. His first question let in the light. He inquired about the family of Lavinia Warren. I gave him the facts, which I clearly perceived gave him satis- faction of a peculiar sort. He then said, with great frankness, and with no less earnestness : " Mr. Barnum, that is the most charming little lady I ever saw, and I believe she was created on purpose to be my wife ! Now," he continued, " you have always been a friend of mine, and I want you io say a good word for me to her. I have got plenty of money, and I want to marry and settle down in life, and I really feel as if I must marry that young lady." MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. 587 The little General was highly excited, and his general manner betrayed the usual anxiety, which, I doubt not, most of my readers will understand without a descrip- tion. I could not repress a smile, nor forget my joke ; and I said : " Lavinia is engaged already." " To whom — Commodore Nutt ? " asked Tom Thumb, with much earnestness, and some exhibition of the " green-eyed monster." "No, General, to me," I replied. " Never mind," said the General, laughing, " you can exhibit her for a while, and then give up the engage- ment ; but I do hope you will favor my suit with her." I told the General that this was too sudden an affair ; that he must take time to think of it ; but he insisted that years of thought would make no difference, for his mind was fully made up. " Well, General," I replied, " I will not oppose you in your suit, but you must do your own courting. I tell you, however, the Commodore will be jealous of you, and more than that, Miss Warren is nobody's fool, and you will have to proceed very cautiously if you can suc- ceed in winning her affections." The General thanked me, and promised to be very discreet. A change now came suddenly over him in several particulars. He had been (much to his credit) very fond of his country home in Bridgeport, where he spent his intervals of rest with his horses, and especially with his yacht, for his fondness for the water was his great passion. * But now he was constantly having occa- sion to visit the city, and horses and yachts were strangely neglected. He had a married sister in New • 588 MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. York, and his visits to her multiplied, for, of course, he came to New York 44 to see his sister ! " His mother, who resided 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 very frequent, and it was noticeable that new relations were being established between him and Commodore Nutt. The Commodore was not exactly jealous, yet he strutted around like a bantam rooster whenever the General approached Lavi- nia. One day he and the General got into a friendly scuffle in the dressing-room, and the Commodore threw the General upon his back in " double quick " time. The Commodore is lithe, wiry, and quick in his move- ments, but the General is naturally slow, and although he was considerably heavier than the Commodore, he soon found that he could not stand before him in a per- sonal encounter. Moreover, the Commodore is natur- ally quick-tempered, and when excited, he brags about his knowledge of " the manly art of self-defence," and sometimes talks about pistols and bowie knives, etc. Tom Thumb, on the contrary, is by natural disposition decidedly a man of peace ; hence, in this, agreeing with Falstaff as to what constituted the 44 better part of valor," he was strongly inclined to keep his distance, if the little Commodore showed any belligerent symptoms. •In the course of several weeks the General found numerous opportunities to talk with Lavinia, while the Commodore was performing on the stage, or was otherwise engaged ; and, to a watchful discerner, it was evident he was making encouraging progress in the affair of the heart. He also managed to meet Lavinia on Sunday afternoons and evenings, without the knowl- 0 MR. AND MES." GENERAL TOM THUMB. 589 edge of the Commodore ; but he assured me he had not yet dared to suggest matrimony. He finally returned to Bridgeport, and privately begged that on the following Saturday I would take Lavinia up to my house, and also invite him. His immediate object in this was, that his mother might get acquainted with Lavinia, for he feared oppo- sition from that source whenever the idea of his mar- riage should be suggested. I could do no less than accede to his proposal, and on the following Friday, while Lavinia and the Commodore were sitting in the green- room, I said : t; Lavinia, you' may go up to Bridgeport with me to-morrow morning, and remain until Monday." " Thank you," she replied; "it will be quite a relief to get into the country for a couple of days." The Commodore immediately pricked up his ears, and said : " Mr. Barnum, I should like to go to Bridgeport to-morrow." "What for?" I asked. " I wTant to see my little ponies ; I have not seen them for several months," he replied. I whispered in his ear, " you little rogue, that is the pony you want to see," pointing to Lavinia. He insisted I was mistaken. When I remarked that he could not well be spared from the Museum, he said : " Oh ! I can perform at half past seven o'clock, and then jump on to the eight o'clock evening train, and go up by myself, reaching Bridgeport before eleven, and return early Monday morning." I feared there would be a clashing of interests between the rival pigmies ; but wishing to please him, 590 MR AND MBS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. I consented to his request, especially as Lavinia also favored it. I wished I could then fathom that little woman's heart, and see whether she (who must have discovered the secret of the General's frequent visits to the Museum) desired the Commodore's visit in order to stir up the General's ardor, or whether, as seemed to me the more likely, she was seeking in this way to prevent a denouement which she wTas not inclined to favor. Certain it is, that though I was the General's confidant, and knew all his desires upon the subject, no person had discovered the slightest evidence that Lavinia Warren had ever entertained the remotest sus- picion of his thoughts regarding marriage. If she had made the discovery, as I assume, she kept the secret well. In fact, I assured Tom Thumb that every indica- tion, so far as any of us could observe, was to the effect that his suit would be rejected. The little General was fidgety, but determined ; hence he was anxious to have Lavinia meet his mother, and also see his posses- sions in Bridgeport, for he owned considerable land and numerous houses there. The General met us at the depot in Bridgeport, on Saturday morning, and drove us to my house in his own carriage — his coachman being tidily dressed, with a broad velvet ribbon and silver buckle placed upon his hat expressly for the occasion. Lavinia was duly informed that this was the General's "turn out"; and after resting half an hour at Lindencroft, he took her out to ride. He stopped a few moments at his mother's house, where she saw the apartments which his father had built expressly for him, and filled with the most gorgeous furniture — all corresponding to his own diminutive size. Then he took her to East Bridgeport, MP.. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMP*. 591 and undoubtedly took occasion to point out in great detail all of the houses which he owned, for he de- pended much upon having his wealth make some im- pression upon her. They returned, and the General stayed to lunch. I asked Lavinia how she liked her ride ; she replied : " It was very pleasant, but," she added, " it seems as if you and Tom Thumb owned about all of Bridgeport ! " The General took his leave and returned at five o'clock to dinner, with his mother. Mrs. Stratton remained until seven o'clock. She expressed herself charmed with Lavinia Warren ; but not a suspicion passed her mind that little Charlie was endeavoring to give her this accomplished young lady as a daughter-in- law. The General had privately asked me to invite him to stay over night, for, said he, " If I get a chance, I intend to 4 pop the question ' before the Commodore arrives." So I told his mother I thought the General had better stop with us over night, as the Commodore would be up in the late train, adding that it would be more pleasant for the little folks to be together. She assented, and the General was happy. After tea Lavinia and the General sat down to play backgammon. As nine o'clock approached, I remarked that it was about time to retire, but somebody would have to sit up until nearly eleven o'clock, in order to let in the Commodore. The General replied : " I will sit up with pleasure, if Miss Warren will remain also." Lavinia carelessly replied, that she was accustomed to late hours, and she would wait and see the Commo- dore. A little supper was placed upon the table for the Commodore, and the family retired. 592 MR AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. Now it happened that a couple of mischievous young ladies were visiting at my house, one of whom was to sleep with Lavinia. They were suspicious that the General was going to propose to Lavinia that evening, and, in a spirit of ungovernable curiosity, they deter- mined, notwithstanding its manifest impropriety, to wit- ness the operation, if they could possibly manage to do so on the sly. Of course this was inexcusable, the more so as so few of my readers, had they been placed under the same temptation, would have been guilty of such an impropriety ! Perhaps I should hesitate to use the testimony of such witnesses, or even to trust it. But a few weeks after, they told the little couple the whole story, were forgiven, and all had a hearty laugh over it. It so happened that the door of the sitting room, in which the General and Lavinia were left at the back- gammon board, opened into the hall jnst at the side of the stairs, and these young misses, turning out the lights in the hall, seated themselves upon the stairs in the dark, where they had a full view of the cosy little couple, and were within easy ear-shot of all that was said. The house was still. The General soon acknowl- edged himself vanquished at backgammon, and gave it up. After sitting a few moments, he evidently thought it was best to put a clincher on the financial part of his abilities ; so he drew from his pocket a policy of insu- rance, and handing it to Lavinia, he asked 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," re- MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. 593 plied the General, " and yet I get the benefit of the insurance in case of fire. You will see," he continued, unfolding the policy, " this is the property of Mr. Wil- liams, but here, you will observe, it reads 'loss, if any, payable to Charles S. Stratton, as his interest may ap- pear.' The fact is, I loaned Mr. Williams three thou- sand dollars, took a mortgage on his house, and made him insure it for my benefit. In this way, you per- ceive, 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 insur- ance policy to his pocket. "You see," he continued, " I never lend any of my money without taking bond and mortgage security 9 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 Gen- eral ; " 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," 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 England, the Em- peror and Empress of France, the King of Prussia, the Emperor of Austria, and at the courts of any other 38 594 MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. 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 Gen- eral, with an evident feeling of self-congratulation. " 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 1 " 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 people, 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 en- gage me," said the General. " I thought you remarked the other day that you had money enough, and was tired of travelling," said La- vinia, with a slightly mischievous look from one corner of her eye. " That depends upon my company while travelling," 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 ME. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. 595 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 : " Do n't you think it would be pleasanter if we went as man and wife \ " The little fairy quickly disengaged his arm, and remarked that the General was a funny fellow to joke in that way. " I am not joking at all," said the General, earnestly, " it is quite too serious a matter for that." 4i I wonder why the Commodore don't come ? " said Lavinia. " I hope you are not anxious for his arrival, for I am sure I am not," responded the General, " and what is more, I do hope you will say c yes,' before he comes at all ! " " Really, Mr. Stratton," said Lavinia, with dignity, " if you are in earnest in your strange proposal, I must say I am surprised." "Well, I hope you are not offended" replied the General, " for I was never more in earnest in my life, and I hope you will consent. The first moment I saw you I felt that you were created to be my wife." " But this is so sudden." " Xot so very sudden ; it is several months since we first met, and you know all about me, and my family, and I hope you find nothing to object to in me." " Xot at all ; on the contrary, I have found you very agreeable, in fact I like you very much as a friend, but I have not thought of marrying, and — " " And what ? my dear," said the General, giving her 596 ' MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. a kiss. " Now, I beg of you, don't have any 6 buts ' or c ands ' about it. You say you like me as a friend, why will you not like me as a husband? You ought to get married ; I love you dearly, and I want you for a wife. Now, deary, the Commodore will be here in a few minutes, I may not have a chance to see you again alone ; do say that we will be married, and I will get Mr. Barnum to give up your engagement." Lavinia hesitated, and finally said : " I think I love you well enough to consent, but I have always said I would never marry without my mother's consent." " Oh ! I'll ask your mother. May I ask your mother % Come, say yes to that, and I will go and see her next week. May I do that, pet ] " Then there was a sound of something very much like the popping of several corks from as many beer bottles. The young eaves-droppers had no doubt as to the char- acter of these reports, nor did they doubt that they sealed the betrothal, for immediately after they heard Lavinia say : " Yes, Charles, you may ask my mother." Another volley of reports followed, and then Lavinia said, "Now, Charles, don't whisper this to a living soul ; let us keep our own secrets for the present." " All right," said the General, u I will say nothing ; but next Tuesday I shall start to see your mother." " Perhaps you may find it difficult to obtain her con- sent," said Lavinia. At that moment a carriage drove up to the door, and immediately the bell was rung, and the little Commo- dore entered. MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. 597 " You here, General I " said the Commodore, as he espied his rival. " Yes," said Lavinia, " Mr. Barnum asked him to stay, and we were waiting for yon ; come, warm yourself." " I am not cold," said the Commodore ; " where is Mr. Barnum % " "He has gone to bed," remarked the General, "but a nice supper has been prepared for you." " I am not hungry, 'I thank you ; I am going to bed. Which room does Mr. Barnum sleep in 1 " said the little bantam, in a petulant tone of voice. His question was answered ; the young eaves-drop- pers scampered to their sleeping apartments, and the Commodore soon came to my room, where he found me indulging in the foolish habit of reading in bed. "Mr. Barnum, does Tom Thumb board here?" asked the Commodore, sarcastically. " No," said I, " 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 ; but I thought he had taken up his board here," replied the Commodore, and off he went to bed, evidently in a bad humor. Ten minutes afterwards Tom Thumb came rushing into my room, and closing the door, he caught hold of my hand in a high state of excitement and whispered : " We are engaged, Mr. Barnum ! we are engaged ! we are engaged ! " and he jumped up and down in the greatest glee. " Is that possible ? " I asked. " Yes, sir, indeed it is ; but you must not mention it," he responded ; " we agreed to tell nobody, so please 598 ME. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. don't say a word. I must tell you, of course, but 4 mum is the word.' I am going, Tuesday, to get her mother's consent." I promised secrecy, and the General retired in as happy a mood as I ever saw him. Lavinia also retired, but not a hint did she give to the young lady with whom she slept regarding the engagement. Indeed, our family plied her upon the subject the next day, but not a breath passed her lips that would give the slightest indication of what had transpired. She was quite sociable with the Commodore, and as the General concluded to go home the next morning, the Commodore's equanimity and good feelings were fully restored. The General made a call of half an hour Sunday evening, and man- aged to have an interview with Lavinia. The next morning she and the Commodore returned to New York in good spirits, 1 remaining in Bridgeport. The General called on me Monday, however, bring- ing a very nice letter which he had written to Lavinia's mother. He had concluded to send this letter by his trusty friend, Mr. George A. Wells, instead of going himself, and he had just seen Mr. Wells, who had con- sented to go to Middleborough with the letter the fol- lowing day, and to urge the General's suit, if it should be necessary. The General went to New York on Wednesday, and was there to await Mr. Wells' arrival. On Wednesday morning the General and Lavinia walked into my office, and after closing the door, the little General said : 44 Mr. Barnum, I want somebody to tell the Commo- dore that Lavinia and I are engaged, for I am afraid there will be a c row ' when he hears of it." 46 Do it yourself, General," I replied. ME. AND MBS. GENEBAL TOM THUMB. 599 " Oli," said the General, almost shuddering, " I would not dare to do it, he might knock me down. " I will do it," said Lavinia ; and it was at once arranged that I should call the Commodore and Lavinia into my office, and either she or myself would tell him. The General, of course, " vamosed." When the Commodore joined us and the door was closed, I said : " Commodore, do you know what this little witch has been doing 1 " " No, I do n't," he answered. " Well, she has been cutting up one of the greatest pranks you ever heard of," I replied. " She almost deserves to be shut up, for daring to do it. Can't you guess what she has done ] " He mused a moment, and then looking at me, said in a low voice, and with a serious looking face, " En- gaged ? " " Yes," said I, " absolutely engaged to be married to General Tom Thumb. Did you ever hear of such a thing % " " Is that so, Lavinia 1 " asked the Commodore, look- ing her earnestly in the face. " That is so," said Lavinia; " and Mr. Wells has gone to obtain my mother's consent." The Commodore turned pale, and choked a little, as if he was trying to swallow something. Then, turn- ing on his heel, he said, in a broken voice : " I hope you may be happy." As he passed out of the door, a tear rolled down his cheek. " That is pretty hard," I said to Lavinia " I am very sorry," she replied, "but I could not help 600 MK. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. it. That diamond and emerald ring which you bade me present in my name, has caused all this trouble." Half an hour after this incident, the Commodore came to my office, and said : 44 Mr. Barnum, do you think it would be right for Miss Warren to marry Charley Stratton if her mother should object? " I saw that the little fellow had still a slight hope to hang on, and I said : " No, indeed, it would not be right." " Well, she says she shall marry him any way ; that she gives her mother the chance to consent, but if she objects, she will have her own way and marry him," said the Commodore. " On the contrary," I replied, e< I will not permit it. She is engaged to go to Europe for me, and I will not release her, if her mother does not fully consent to her marrying Tom Thumb." The Commodore's eyes glistened with pleasure, as he replied : " Between you and me, Mr. Barnum, I don't believe she will give her consent." But the next day dissipated his hopes. Mr. Wells returned, saying that Lavinia's mother at first objected, for she feared it was a contrivance to get them married for the promotion of some pecuniary advantage ; but, upon reading the letter from the General, and one still more urgent from Lavinia, and also upon hearing from Mr. Wells that, in case of their marriage, I should can- cel all claims I had upon Lavinia's services, she con- sented. After the Commodore had heard the news, I said to him: MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. 601 " Never mind, Commodore, Minnie Warren is a bet- ter match for you ; she is a charming little creature, and two years younger than you, while Lavinia is several years your senior." " I thank you, sir," replied the Commodore, pom- pously, 44 1 would not marry the best woman living ; I don't believe in women, any way." I then suggested that he should stand with little Min- nie, as groom and bridesmaid, at the approaching wed- ding. " No, sir ! " replied the Commodore, emphatically ; 44 I won't do it ! " That idea was therefore abandoned. A few weeks subsequently, when time had reconciled 1ke Commodore, he told me that Tom Thumb had asked him to stand as groom with Minnie, at the wedding, and he was going to do so. 44 When I asked you, a few weeks ago, you refused," I said. 44 It was not your business to ask me," replied the Commodore, pompously. 44 When the proper person invited me I accepted." Of course the approaching wedding was announced. It created an immense excitement. Lavinia's levees at the Museum were crowded to suffocation, and her photographic pictures were in great demand. For several weeks she so^ more than three hundred dollars' worth of her cartes de visite each day. And the daily receipts at the Museum wrere frequently over three thousand dollars. I engaged the General to exhibit, and to assist her in the sale of pictures, to which his own photograph, of course, was added. I could afford to give them a fine wedding, and I did so. 602 MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. The little couple made a personal application to Bishop Potter to perform the nuptial ceremony, and obtained his consent ; but the matter became public, and outside pressure from some of the most squeamish of his clergy was brought to bear upon the bishop, and he rescinded his engagement. This fact of itself, as well as the opposition that caused it, only added to the notoriety of the approach- ing wedding, and increased the crowds at the Museum. The financial result to me was a piece of good fortune, which I was, of course, quite willing to accept, though in this instance the " advertisement," so far as the fact of the betrothal of the parties with its preliminaries were concerfffd, was not of my seeking, as the recital now given shows. But seeing the turn it was taking in crowding the Museum, and pouring money into the treasury, I did not hesitate to seek continued advantage from the notoriety of the prospective marriage. Accord- ingly, I offered the General and Lavinia fifteen thousand dollars if they would postpone the wedding for a month, and continue their exhibitions at the Museum. " Not for fifty thousand dollars," said the General, excitedly. " Good for. you, Charley," said Lavinia, "only you ought to have said not for a hundred thousand, for I would not ! " They both laughed heartily at^vhat they considered my discomfiture, and such, looked at from a business point of view, it certainly was. The wedding day approached and the public excitement grew. For several days, I might say weeks, the approaching mar- riage of Tom Thumb was the New York " sensation." For proof of this I did not need what, however, was MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. 603 ample, the newspaper paragraphs. A surer index was in the crowds that passed into the Museum, and the dollars that found their way into the ticket office. It was susro-ested to me that a small fortune in itself could be easily made out of the excitement. u Let the ceremony take place in the Academy of Music, charge a big price for admission, and the citizens will come in crowds." I have no manner of doubt that in this way twenty-five thousand dollars could easily have been obtained. But I had no such thought. I had promised to give the couple a genteel and graceful wedding, and I kept my word. The day arrived, Tuesday, February 10, 1863. The ceremony was to take place in Grace Church, New York. The Rev. Junius Willey, Rector of St. John's Church in Bridgeport, assisted by the late Rev. Dr. Taylor, of Grace Church, was to officiate. The organ was played by Morgan. I know not what better I could have done, had the wedding of a prince been in contemplation. The church was comfortably filled by a highly select audience of ladies and gentlemen, none being admitted except those having cards of invitation. Among them were governors of several of the States, to whom I had sent cards, and such of those as could not be present in person were represented by friends, to whom they had given their cards. Members of Con- gress were present, also generals of the army, and many other prominent public men. Numerous applications were made from wealthy and distinguished persons for tickets to witness the ceremony, and as high as sixty dollars was offered for a sinsre admission. But not a ticket was sold ; and Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren were pronounced " man and wife " before witnesses- 604 MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. The following entirely authentic correspondence, the only suppression being the name of the person who wrote to Dr. Taylor 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, 18G3. 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 or which you complain be so utterly insignificant 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 cans of complaint exists only in your imagination. You have never been excluded from your peAv. As rector, I 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 reflec- tions 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 pecu- liar and restricted sense. It is not property, as your house or your 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) sle(*p in your pew ; you must, however, do so noiselessly and never to the disturbance of your Bleeping neighbors ; your property in your pew has this extent afad nothing more. Now, if Mr. W*** s*** were at any time to come tome and say, "Sir, I would MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. G05 that you should grant me the use of Grace Church for a solemn service (a marriage, a baptism, or a funeral, as the case may be), and as it is desirable that the feelings of the parties should be protected as far as possible from the impertinent intrusion 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 par- ticular; 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 selfi-h as some other people, come to me and say, sir, we are about to be married, and Ave wish to throw around our marriage all the solemnities of religion. We are strangers in your city, and as there is no clergymen 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 controlled 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 unthinking multi- tude 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. 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. Tn 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. Wille}', 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 ad- vance upon the wearing journey of life. Sir, it was most emphatically a high triumph of " Christian civilization" ! Respectfully submitted, by your obedient servant, Thomas Kouse Taylor. 606 ' MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. Several thousand persons attended the reception of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb the same day at the Metro- politan Hotel. After this they started on a wedding tour, taking Washington in their way. They visited President Lincoln at the White House. After a couple of weeks they returned, and, as they then supposed, retired to private life. Habit, however,, is indeed second nature. The Gen- eral and his wife had been accustomed to excitement, and after a few months' retirement they again longed for the peculiar pleasures of a public life, and the pub- lic were eager to welcome them once more. They resumed their public career, and have since travelled several years in Europe, and considerably in this coun- try, holding public exhibitions more than half the time, and spending the residue in leisurely viewing such cities and portions of the country as they may happen to be in. Commodore Nutt and Minnie Warren, I should add, usually travel with them. I met the little Commodore last summer, after his absence in Europe of three years, and said : " Are you not married yet, Commodore ? " " No, sir ; my fruit is plucked," he replied. " You don't mean to say you will never marry," I remarked. " No, not exactly," replied the Commodore, compla- cently, 4 4 but I have concluded not to marry until I am thirty." " I suppose you intend to marry one of your size? " I said. "I am not particular in that respect," but seeing my jocose mood, he continued, with a comical leer, 44 1 think I should prefer marrying a good, green country girl, to anybody else." MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. 607 This was said with a degree of nonchalance, which none can appreciate who do not know him. To make sure that a lack of memory has not misled me as to any of the facts in regard to the courtship and wedding of Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren, I will here say that, after writing out the story, I read it to the parties personally interested, and they give me leave to say that, in all particulars, it is a correct statement ot the affair, except that Lavinia remarked : " Well, Mr. Barnum, your story don't lose any by the telling " ; and the Commodore denies the " rolling tear," when informed of the engagement of the little pair. In June 1869, the report was started, for the third or fourth time, in the newspapers, that Commodore Nutt and Miss Minnie Warren were married — this time at West Haven, in Connecticut. The story was wholly untrue, nor do I think that such a wedding is likely to take place, for, on the principle that people like their opposites, Minnie and the Commodore are likely to marry persons whom they can literally " look up to " — that is, if either of them marries at all it will be a tall partner. Soon after the wedding of General Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren, a lady came to my office and called my attention to a little six-paged pamphlet which she said she had written, entitled " Priests and Pigmies," and requested me to read it. I glanced at the title, and at once estimating the character of the publication, I promptly declined to devote any portion of my valuable time to its perusal. " But you had better look at it, Mr. Barnum ; it deeply interests you, and you may think it worth your while to buy it." 603 - MR AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB. " Certainly, I will buy it, if you desire," said I, ten- dering her a sixpence, which I 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 sup- pressing the work. It says some frightful things, I assure you," urged the author. I lay back in my chair and fairly roared at this exceed- ingly feeble attempt at black-mail. " But," persisted the lady, t: suppose it says that your Museum and Grace Church are all one, what then I " " My dear madam," I 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 anything else you choose to write ; only have the kindness 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 XXXVIII. POLITICAL AND PEESOXAL. MY POLITICAL PRINCIPLES — REASONS FOR MY CHANGE OF PARTIES — KANSAS AND SECESSION — WIDE-AWAKES — GRAND ILLUMINATION OF LINDENCROFT — JOKE ON A DEMOCRATIC NEIGHBOR — PEACE MEETINGS — THE STEPNEY EXCITEMENT — TEARING DOWN A PEACE FLAG — A LOYAL MEETING — RECEP- TION IN BRIDGEPORT — DESTRUCTION OF THE " FARMER" OFFICE — ELIAS HOWE, JR. — SAINT PETER AND SALTPETRE — DRAFT RIOTS — BURGLARS AT LINDENCROFT — MY ELECTION TO THE LEGISLATURE — BEGINNING OF MY WAR ON RAILROAD MONOPOLIES — WIRE-PULLING — THE XTV. AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION — STRIKING THE WORD " WHITE " FROM THE CONNECTICUT CONSTITUTION — MY SPEECH. I began my political life as a Democrat, and my news- paper, the Herald of Freedom, was a Jackson-Demo- cratic journal. While always taking an active interest in political matters, I had no desire for personal prefer- ment, and, up to a late period, steadily declined to run for office. Nevertheless, in 1852 or 1853, prominent members of the party with which I voted, urged the submission of my name to the State Convention, as a candidate for the office of Governor, and although the party was then in the ascendancy, and a nomination would have been equivalent to an election, I peremp- torily refused ; in spite of this refusal, which was gen- erally known, several votes were cast for me in the Convention. The Kansas strifes, in 1854, shook my faith in my party, though I continued to call myself a Democrat, often declaring that if I thought there was .a drop of blood in me that was not democratic, I would let it out if I had to cut the jugular vein. When, 39 610 POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. however, secession threatened in 1860, I thought it was time for a " new departure," and I identified myself with the Republican party. During the active and exciting political campaign of 1860, which resulted in Mr. Lincoln's first election to the presidency, it will be remembered that " Wide- Awake " associations, with their uniforms, torches and processions, were organized in nearly every city, town and village throughout the North. . Arriving at Bridge- port from New York at five o'clock one afternoon, I was informed that the Wide-Awakes were to parade that evening and intended to march out to Lindencroft. So I ordered two boxes of sperm candles, and prepared for a general illumination of every window in the front of my house. Many of my neighbors, including several Democrats, came to Lindencroft in the evening to wit- ness the illumination and see the Wide- Awake proces- sion. My nearest neighbor, Mr. T., was a strong Dem- ocrat, and before he came to my house, he ordered his servants to stay in the basement, and not to show a light above ground, thus intending to prove his Dem- ocratic convictions and conclusions by the darkness of his " premises ; and so, while Lindencroft was all ablaze with a flood of light, the next house was as black as a coal-hole. My neighbor, Mr. James D. Johnson, wras also a Democrat, but I knew he would not spoil a good joke for the sake of politics, and I asked him to engage the attention of Mr. and Mrs. T., and to keep their faces turned towards Bridgeport and the approaching proces- sion, the light of whose torches could already be seen in the distance, while another Democratic friend, Mr, George A. Wells, and I, ran over and illuminated Mr. POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. 611 TVs house. This we did with great success, completing our work five minutes before the procession arrived. As the Wide- Awakes turned into my grounds and saw that the house of Mr. T. was brilliantly illuminated, they concluded that he had become a sudden convert to Republicanism, and gave three rousing cheers for him. Hearing his name thus cheered and wondering at the cause, he happened to turn and see that his house was lighted up from basement to attic, and uttering a single profane ejaculation, he rushed for home. He was not able, however, to put out the lights till the Wide- A wakes had gone on their way rejoicing under the impression that one more Republican had been added to their ranks. When the rebellion broke out in 1861, I was too old to go to the field, but I supplied four substitutes, and contributed liberally from my means for the cause of the Union. After the defeat at Bull Run, July 21, 1861, " peace meetings" began to be held in different parts of the Northern States, and especially in Fairfield and Litchfield Counties, in Connecticut. It was usual in these assemblages to display a white flag, bearing the word " Peace " above the National flag, and to make and listen to harangues denunciatory of the war. One of these meetings was advertised to be held, August 24th, at Stepney, ten miles north of Bridgeport. On the morning of that day, I met Elias Howe, Jr., who pro- posed to me that we should drive up to Stepney, attend the Peace meeting, and hear for ourselves whether the addresses were disloyal or not. We agreed to meet at the post-office, at twelve o'clock at noon, and I went home for my carriage. On the way I met several gen- tlemen to whom I communicated my intention, asking POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. them to go also ; and as Mr. Howe invited several of his friends to accompany us, when we met at noon, at least twenty gentlemen were at the place of rendezvous with their carriages, ready to start for Stepney. I am quite confident that not one of us had any other intention in going to this meeting, than to quietly listen to the haran- gues, and if they were found to be in opposition to the government, and calculated to create disturbance or dis- affection in the community, and deter enlistments, it would be best to represent the matter to the govern- ment at Washington, and ask that measures might be taken to suppress such gatherings. As we turned into Main Street, we discovered two large omnibuses filled with soldiers, who were at home on furlough, and who were going to Stepney. Our lighter carriages outran them, and so arrived at Stepney in time to see the white peace flag run up over the stars and stripes, when we quietly stood in the crowd while the meeting was organized. It was a very large gather- ing, and some fifty ladies were- on the seats in front of the platform, on which were the officers and speakers of the meeting. A " preacher," — Mr. Charles Smith, — was invited to open the proceedings with prayer, and c; The Military and Civil History of Connecticut, during the War of 1861-65," by W. A. Croffut and John M. Morris, thus continues the record of this extraordinary gathering : <; 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 Kun, on a small scale was re-enacted. The devout POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. 613 Smith, and the undelivered orators, it is alleged, took refuge in a field of com. The procession drove straight to the pole unresisted, the hostile crowd parting to let them pass ; and a tall man, — John Piatt, — amid some mutte rings, climbed the pole, reached the halliards, and the mongrel banners were on the ground. Some of the peace-men, rallying, drew weapons on e the invaders/ and a musket and a revolver were taken from them by- soldiers at the very instant of firing. Another of the defenders 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 adjacent shed were seized. The stars and stripes were hoisted upon the pole, and wildly cheered. P. T. Bar- nura 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 4 The Star Spangled Banner' was then sung in chorus, and a series of resolutions passed, declaring that 4 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: c 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." On our way back to Bridgeport, the soldiers threat- ened a descent upon the Farmer office, but I strongly 614 ■ POLITICAL AND IJERSOXAL. ^ appealed to them to refrain from such a riotous pro- ceeding, telling them that as law-abiding citizens they should refrain from acts of violence and especially should make no appeal to the passions of a mob. So confident was I that the day's proceedings had ended with the reception of the soldiers on their return from Stepney, that in telegraphing a full account of the facts to the New York papers, I added that there was no danger of an attack upon the Farmer office, since leading loyal citizens were opposed to such action as unnecessary and unwise. But the enthusiasm with which the soldiers had been received, and the excite- ment of the day, prompted them to break through their resolutions, and, half an hour after my telegram had been sent to New York, they rushed into the Farmer office, tumbled the type into the street, and broke the presses. I did not approve of this summary suppres- sion of the paper, and offered the proprietors a hand- some subscription to assist in enabling them to renew the publication of the Farmer. ' One of the editors of this paper went South, and connected himself with a journal in Augusta, Georgia; the remaining proprietor shortly afterwards re-issued the Farmer, but the peace meetings which had been advertised for different towns were never held; the gathering at Stepney was the last of the kind. Elias Howe, Jr., although he was a man of wealth and well advanced in years, enlisted as a private in the Seventeenth regiment of Connecticut volunteers and served in the Army of the Potomac. Once when his fellow-soldiers, not having been paid off, were in need of money, he advanced $13,000 due them, and when his regiment was disbanded and discharged from service, he POLITICAL AND PERSONAL; chartered, at his own expense, a special train to bring them from New Haven to Bridgeport, where they had a public reception. Mr. Howe, like all men of his reputed wealth and liberality, was constantly besieged by solicitors for all sorts of charities, nor was he free from such applica- tions when he was serving as a common soldier in Vir- ginia. On one occasion a worthy priest came to him and asked for a subscription to a church which was then building. 4; Who is it," exclaimed Howe, " that talks of building churches in this time of war ] " The priest ventured to say that he was trying to build in his parish a church which was to be known as St. Peter's. " St. Peter's is it? " asked Howe ; " well, St. Peter was, in his way, a fighting man ; he drew a sword once and cut off a man's ear ; on the whole, I think," he added, as he gave a handsome sum of money to the priest, " I must do something for St. Peter, though about these days I am devoting my attention and money mainly to saltpetre." After the draft riots in New York and in other cities, in July, 1863, myself and other members of the "Pru- dential Committee " which had been formed in Bridge- port were frequently threatened with personal violence, and rumors were especially rife that Lindencroft would some night be mobbed and destroyed. On several occa- sions, soldiers volunteered as a guard and came and stayed at my house, sometimes for several nights in suc- cession, and I was also provided with rockets, so that in case of an attempted attack I could signal to my friends in the city and especially to the night watchman at the arsenal, who would see my rockets at Lindencroft and give the alarm. Happily these signals were never 616 POLITICAL AND PERSONAL, needed, but the rockets came in play, long afterwards, in another way. My house was provided with a magnetic burglar- alarm and one night the faithful bell sounded. I was instantly on my feet and summoning my servants, one ran and rung the large bell on the lawn which served in the day time to call my coachman from the stable, another turned on the gas, while I fired a gun out of the window and I then went to the top of the house and set off several rockets. The whole region round about was instantly aroused ; dogs barked, neighbors half dressed, but armed, flocked over to my grounds, every time a rocket went up, and I was by no means sparing of my supply; the whole place was as light as day, and in the general glare and confusion we caught sight of two retreating burglars, one running one way, the other another way, and both as fast as their legs could carry them ; nor do I believe that the panic-stricken would- be plunderers stopped running till they reached New York. It always seemed to me that a man who " takes no interest in politics " is unfit to live in a land where the government rests in the hands of the people. Conse- quently, whether I expressed them or not, I always had pronounced opinions upon all the leading political ques- tions of the day, and no frivolous reason ev§r kept me from the polls. Indeed, on one occasion, I even hastened my return from Europe, so that I could take part in a presidential election. I was a party man, but not a partisan, nor a wire-puller, and I had never sought or desired office, though it had often been ten- dered to me. This was notoriously true, among all who knew me, up to the year 1865, when I accepted POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. 617 from the Republican party a nomination to the Con- necticut legislature from the town of Fairfield, and I did this because I felt that it would be an honor to be permitted to vote for the then proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States to abolish slavery forever from the land. I was elected, and on arriving at Hartford the night before the session began, I found the wire-pullers at work laying their plans for the election of a Speaker of the House. Watching the movements closely, I saw that the railroad interests had combined in support of one of the candidates, and this naturally excited my suspi- cion. I never believed in making State legislation a mere power to support monopolies. I do not need to declare my full appreciation of the great blessings which rail- road interests and enterprises have brought upon this country and the world. But the vaster the enterprise and its power for good, the greater its opportunity for mischief if its power is perverted. The time was when a whole community was tied to the track of one or two railway companies, and it was too truthful to be looked upon as satire to call New Jersey the is State of Camden and Amboy." A great railroad company, like fire, is a good servant, but a bad master; and when it is considered that such a company, with its vast number of men dependent upon it for their daily bread, can sometimes elect State officers and legislatures, the dan- ger to our free institutions from such a force may well be feared. Thinking of these things, and seeing in the combina- tion of railroad interests to elect a speaker, no promise of good to the community at large, I at once consulted with a few friends in the legislature, and we resolved to 618 POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. defeat the railroad "ring," if possible, in caucus. I had not even seen either of the candidates for the speaker- ship, nor had I a single selfish end in view to gratify by the election of one candidate or the other ; but I felt that if the railroad favorite could be defeated, the public interest would be subserved. We succeeded ; their candidate was not nominated, and the railroad men were taken by surprise. They had had their own way in every legislature since the first railroad was laid down in Connecticut, and to be beaten now fairly startled them. Immediately after the caucus, I 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 that office for several successive years, and who was, in fact, the great rail- road factotum in the State. He complied with my re- quest, and he soon found how important it was to check the strong and growing monopoly ; for, as he said, the " outside pressure " from personal friends in both polit- ical parties, to secure the appointment of the person to whom I had objected, was terrible. Though I had not foreseen nor thought of such a thing until I reached Hartford, I soon found that a battle with the railroad commissioners would be neces- sary, and my course was shaped accordingly. It was soon discovered that a majority of the railroad com- missioners were mere tools in the hands of the railroad companies, and that 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 chair- man of the railroad commissioners permitted most of the accidents which occurred on that road to be taken POLITICAL AXD PERSONAL. 619 charge of and reported upon by the paid lobby agent of that railroad. This was so manifestly destructive to the interests of all parties who might suffer from accidents on the load, or have any controversy therefor with tl e company, that I succeeded in enlisting the farmers and other true men on the side of right ; and we defeated the chairman of the railroad commissioners, who was a candidate for re-election, and elected our own candidate in his place. I also carried through a law that no person who was in the employ of any railroad in the State should serve as railroad commissioner. But the great struggle which lasted nearly through the entire session was upon the subject of railroad passenger commutations. Commodore Vanderbilt had secured control of the Hudson River and Harlem rail- roads, and had increased the price of commuters' tick- ets from two hundred to four hundred per cent. Many men living on the line of these roads at distances of from 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 compelled to submit to the extortion. Commodore Vanderbilt was a large shareholder in the New York and New Haven road ; indeed, subsequent elections showed that he had a controlling interest, and it seemed evident to me that the same practice would be put in operation on the New Haven Eailroad, that commuters were groaning under on the two other roads. I enlisted as many as I could in an effort to strangle this outrage before it became too strong to grapple with. Several lawyers in the Assembly had promised me their aid, but long before the final struggle came, every lawyer except one in that body was enlisted in favor of the railroads ! 620 POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. What potent influence had been at work with these legal gentlemen could only be surmised. Certain it is that all the railroad interests in' the State were com- bined ; and while they had plenty of money with which to carry out their designs and desires, the chances looked slim in favor of those members of the legislature who had no pecuniary interest in the matter, but were strug- gling simply for justice and the protection of the peo- ple. But " Yankee stick-to-it-iveness " was always a noted feature in my character. Every inch of the ground was fought over, day after day, before the legis- lative railroad committee. Examinations and cross-ex- aminations of railroad commissioners and lobbyists were kept up. Scarcely more than one man, Senator Ballard, of Darien, aided me personally in the investi- gations which took place. But he was a host in him- self, and we left not a stone unturned ; we succeeded by our persistence, in letting in considerable light upon a dark subject. The man whom I had prevented from being made chairman, succeeded in becoming a mem- ber of the railroad committee ; but, from the mouths of unwilling witnesses, I exhibited his connection with rail- road reports, railroad laws, and railroad lobby ings, in such a light that he took to his bed some ten days before the end of the session, and actually remained there, "sick," as he said, till the legislature adjourned. The speaker offered me the chairmanship of any one of several committees, and I selected that of the Agri- cultural committee, because it would occupy but little of my time, and 'give me the opportunity I so much desired to devote my attention to the railway combinations. The Republicans had a majority in ,both branches of the legislature ; the Democrats, however, were watchful POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. 621 and energetic. The amendment to the United States Constitution, abolishing slavery, met with but little open opposition ; but the proposed amendment to the State Constitution, striking out the word " white" from that clause which denned the qualifications of voters, 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 offering the contemplated amendment, and in reply to this, I spoke, May 26, 1865, as follows : SPEECH OF P. T. BARXUM, 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 demagog- 622 POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. ism." 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 unanimously 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 op- position 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. If I thought I had one drop of blood in my veins which was not democratic, in the light of this definition, I would have it out, no matter at what trouble or sacrifice. It was the repudiation by the southern democracy of this great democratic doc- trine of majority rule which opened the rebellion. And now, Mr. Speaker, let me remind our demo- cratic 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 POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. 623 moral character, who are able to read 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 igno- rance, 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 principle. And where was this poor, down-trodden colored race in this rebellion? Did they seize the u opportunity " when their masters were engaged with a powerful foe, to break out in insurrection, and massacre those tyrants who had so long held them in the most cruel bondage 1 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 dis- grace of southern white " democratic " rebels, be it said, these instances of barbarism were numerous all through the war. When this rebellion first broke out, the northern democracy raised a hue-and-cry against permit- ting the negroes to fight; but when such a measure seemed necessary, in order to put down traitors, these 624 POLITICAL AXD PERSONAL. colored men took their muskets in hand and made their bodies a wall of defence for the loyal citizens of the north. And now, when our grateful white citizens ask from this assembly the privilege of deciding by their votes whether these colored men, who, at least, were partially our saviors in the war, may or may not, under proper restrictions, become participants in that great salvation, 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 work' ing people upon our shores, our extended laws of fran- chise 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 citi- zenship, 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 edu- POLITICAL AND TEItSOXAL, 625 cated citizens who vote. The gentleman from Milford lives near the old Washington toll-bridge, which spans the Housatonic River, and he doubtless remembers, as I do, when the Boston and New York stages crossed that bridge, and the coachman would always denounce the " infernal bridge monopoly " which compelled him to pay a dollar every time the stage crossed. The passen- gers would generally laugh and say : " Let him pay, it's nothing to us ; we are only passengers." Some twenty years ago, one of the gentlemen accustomed to travel in that stage, was crossing the Atlantic in a steamship. At the hour of midnight, when nearly all were wrapt in sleep, the fearful cry of " fire " rang through the ship. There were the poor passengers, threatened by the devouring element, and only a plank between them and death. Our passenger, not half awake, rubbed his eyes and probably fancying he was in the old stage-coach, cried out : " Fire away, I am only a passenger ! " For- tunately, it was a false alarm ; but when the gentleman was wide awake, he discovered that there could be no disinterested passengers on board a burning ship. 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 distinguished 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 dignity of whitewashes and 40 626, POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. boot-blacks, does not exhibit the same polish and refine- ment 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 cannot 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 cannot teach them to shave notes, to spec- ulate 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 an 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 TOLITICAL AND PERSONAL. 627 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 bountiful Nature has safely garnered in the warm bosom of our mother earth ; he sees no evidence of that vitality which the beneficent sun will develop to grace and beautify the world. But let him remain until March or April, and as the snow begins to melt away, he discovers the beau- tiful 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 carpet ; 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 joyful notes of gratitude 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 specimens 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 manhood 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 628 POLITICAL AND PERSONAL 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 clean- liness 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 foreheads will be raised and widened by an ac- tive and expanded brain ; the vacant eye of bar- barism, ignorance and idleness will light up with the fire of intelligence, education, ambition, activity and Christian civilization ; and you will find the immortal soul asserting her dignity, by the development of a man who would startle, by his intelligence, the honor- able gentleman from Wallingford, 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 happiness 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 ; our rivers were so large that they were vulgar, when contrasted with the beau- tiful little streams and rivulets of Europe ; our New \ POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. 629 York Central Park was eclipsed by the Bois cle Bologne and the Champs Ely sees of Paris, or Hyde or Reg- ent Park of London, to say nothing of the great Phoenix Park at Dublin. " They have introduced a couple of Venetian gon- dolas on the large pond in Central Park," remarked a friend. " All very well," replied the verdant traveller, " but between you and me, these birds can't stand our cold climate more than one season." The gentleman from Wallingford evidently had as 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 mis- apprehends 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. Doubtless General Grant will feel himself highly com- plimented when he learns that it requires no greater capacity to handle the musket, and meet armed bat- talions in the field, than " oxen and asses " possess. Let the educated free negro feel that he is a man ; let him be trained in New England churches, schools and workshops ; let him support himself, pay his taxes, and cast his vote, like other 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 63Q POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. to be trilled with. It may tenant the body of a Chi- naman, a Turk, an Arab or .a Hottentot — it is still an immortal spirit; and amid all assumptions 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 establishment be- longed 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 some- thing 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 afterwards she was brought to a sick bed by the small- pox, 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 State 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 POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. 631 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 pro- duct of negro labor were nearly identical. The North wanted Southern cotton and the South was ready in turn to bny from the North whatever was needed in the way of Northern supplies and manufactures. This com- munity of commercial interests led to an identity in po- litical principles especially in matters pertaining to the negro race — the working race of the South — which produced the cotton and consumed so much of what Northern merchants and manufacturers sold for planta- tion use. The Southern planters were good customers and were worth conciliating. So when Connecticut pro- posed 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 democrats are asked to permit the white citizens of this State to express their opinion in regard to re-instating the colored man where our Revolutionary sires placed him under the Constitution. Now, gentle- men, "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 let- ting 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?- 632 TOLITICAL AND PERSONAL. 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 fellowship of a political party if he could exhibit sufficient "inventive 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 oppo- nent's head with a shillelagh ? 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. u Is genius for the arts and those occupations requir- ing intellect 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 POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. 633 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 u high art" to lynch a man by hanging him to the nearest tree or lamp post? Is a "whiskey scrimmage" one of the lost arts restored? We all know how the u artists" of both po- litical parties are prone to embellish elections and to enhance the excitements of political campaigns by in- citing riots, and the frequency with which these disgrace- * ful 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 travelled through his native country and have seen how he is oppressed. I have listened to the eloquent and patriotic appeals of Daniel O'Con- n ell, in Conciliation Hall, in Dublin, and I have gladly contributed to his fund for ameliorating the condition 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. My neighbors will testify that at mid- winter I employ Irishmen by the hundred to do work that is not abso- lutely 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 634 POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. the paintings ; there I saw portraits of great men, and I saw two empty frames from whieh the pictures 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 domi- nant party in the Legislature; and especially obnoxious were the supposed sentiments of these governors on the war. Therefore, the Senate voted to remove the pic- tures, and thus proved as it would seem, that there is an intimate connection between politics and art. I have repeatedly travelled 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 portion of the South have descended. I trust the day is not far distant when the 44 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, travelling every year to New Orleans, Nashville, and even to Cincinnati, to dispose of their master's crops. The free colored citizens of Ope- lousas, St. Martinsville, and all the Attakapas country in Louisiana, are as respectable and intelligent as an ordinary community of whites. They speak the French and English languages, educate their children in music, and 44 the arts " and they pay their taxes on more than ' fifteen millions of dollars. Gentlemen of the opposition, I' beseech you to POLITICAL AND PERSONAL 635 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 expenditure 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 England 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 argu- ment 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 636 POLITICAL AND PERSONAL. 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 legis- lature simply because I wished to have the honor of voting for the two constitutional amendments — one for driving slavery entirely out 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 care nothing whatever for any sect or party under heaven, as such. I have no axes to grind, no logs to roll, no favors to ask. 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 — poli- tics, as well as everything else — " I know that honesty is the best policy." A retributive Providence will unerr- ingly and speedily search out all wrong doing ; hence, right is always 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 done 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 edu- cation, and the universal franchise be, the motto of free America, and the toiling millions of Europe, who are POLITICAL AND PERSONAL.- 637 watching you with such intense interest, will hail us as their saviors. 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. Let 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 XXXIX. THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IN EUINS. A TERRIBLE LOSS — HOW I RECEIVED THE NEWS — BURNING OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM — DETAILS OP THE DISASTER — FAITH IN HERRING'S SAFES — BAKED AND BOILED WHALES — THE NEW YORK TRIBUNE ON THE DESTRUCTION OF THE MUSEUM — A PUBLIC CALAMITY — SYMPATHY OF THE LEADING EDITORS — AMOUNT OF MY LOSS — SMALL INSURANCE — MY PROPERTY — INTENTION TO RETIRE TO PRIVATE LIFE — HORACE GREELEY ADVISES ME TO GO A-FISHING — BENEFIT 'TO THE MUSEUM EMPLOYEES AT THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC — MY SPEECH — WHAT THE NEW YORK SUN SAID ABOUT IT — THE NEW UP-TOWN MUSEUM — OPENING THE ESTABLISHMENT TO THE PUBLIC. On the thirteenth day of July, 1865, I was speaking in the Connecticut Legislature, in session at Hartford, against the railroad schemes, when a telegram was handed to me from my son-in-law, S. H. Hurd, my assist- ant manager in New York, stating that the American Museum was in flames and that its total destruction was certain. I glanced over the despatch, folded it, laid it on my desk, and calmly continued my speech as if noth- ing had happened. At the conclusion of my remarks, the bill I had been advocating was carried, and the House adjourned. I then handed the telegram, an- nouncing my great loss in New York, to my friend and fellow-laborer, Mr. William G. Coe, of Winsted, who immediately communicated the intelligence to several members. Warm sympathizers at once crowded around me, and Mr. Henry B. Harrison, of New Haven, my stronggst railroad opponent, pushing forward, seized me by the hand, and said : THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IN RUINS. G39 "Mr. Barnum, I am really very sorry to hear of your great misfortune." " Sorry," I replied, " why, my dear sir, I shall not have time to be c sorry ' in a week ! It will take me that length of time before I can get over laughing at having whipped you all so nicely in this attempted railroad im- position." The Speaker of the House and my fellow-members all testified that neither my face nor my manner betrayed the slightest intimation when I read the telegram that I had received unpleasant intelligence. One of the local journals, speaking of this incident, two days after the fire, said : In the midst of Mr. Barnum' s speech a telegram was handed to him, an- nouncing that his Museum was in flames, with no hope of saving any portion of his cherished establishment. Without the slightest evidence of agitation, he laid the telegram upon his desk and finished his speech. When he went next day to ISew York he saw only a pile of black, smouldering ruins. Immediately after adjournment that afternoon, I took the cars for Bridgeport, spending the night quietly at home, and the following morning I went to New York to see the ruins of my Museum, and to learn the full extent of the disaster. When I arrived at the scene of the calamity and saw nothing but the smouldering debris of what a few hours before was the American Museum, the sight was sad indeed. Here were destroyed, almost in a breath, the accumulated results of many years of incessant toil, my own and my predecessors, in gather- ing from every quarter of the globe myriads of curious productions of nature and art — an assemblage of rari- ties which a half million of dollars could not restore, and a quarter of a century could not collect. In addi- tion to these there were many Revolutionary relics and 640 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IX EUINS. other links in our national history which never could be duplicated. Not a thousand dollars worth of the en- tire property was saved ; the destruction was complete ; the loss was irreparable, and the total amount of insur- ance was but forty thousand dollars. The fire probably originated in the engine room, where steam was constantly kept up to pump fresh air into the water of the aquaria and to propel the im- mense fans for cooling the atmosphere of the halls. The flames burst through into the manager's office, and rapidly extended to all parts of the building. The desk of my son-in-law, Mr. Hurd, was already in flames when he opened it and took out several thousands of dollars in bank bills, and reflecting upon the risk he might incur in carrying it through the surging crowd outside, with remarkable presence of mind, and faith in Herring's safes, he hastily thrust this money with the account books into my safe, which already held many thousand dollars, and locking the door, left the whole with entire confidence to the flames. Buttoning his coat, he safely made his way out of the burning build- ing and through the excited throng in the streets. Mr. Hurd's faith in Herring was well founded ; for, when the safe was recovered from the ruins, its contents were discovered to be in perfect preservation. Of the curiosities and other contents of the establishment nothing was saved. When I first gazed upon the ruins, I saw, down in the depths, the remains of the two white whales, which had arrived only a week before, and which were swimming in the great glass tank when the fire broke out. I had never seen these monsters alive, but the half-consumed carcasses presented to my mind the worst specimens of baked and boiled fish that could THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IN RUINS. 641 be conceived of. All the New York newspapers made a great " sensation " of the fire, and the full particu- lars were copied in journals throughout the country. A facetious reporter, Mr. Nathan D. Urner, of the Tribune, wrote the following amusing account, which appeared in that journal, July 14, 1865, and was very generally quoted from and copied by provincial papers many of whose readers accepted every line of the glowing narrative as "gospel truth": Soon after the breaking out of the conflagration, a number of strange and terrible howls and moans proceeding from the large apartment in the third floor of the Museum, corner of Ann Street and Broadway, startled the throngs who had collected in front of the burning building, and who were at first under the impression that the sounds must proceed from human beings unable to effect their escape. Their anxiety was somewhat relieved on this score, but their con- sternation was by no means decreased upon learning that the room in question was the principal chamber of the menagerie connected with the Museum, and that there was imminent danger of the release of the animals there confined, by the action of the flames. Our reporter fortunately occupied a room on the north corner of Ann Street and Broadway, the windows of which looked immediately into this apartment; and no sooner was he apprised of the fire than he repaired there, confident of finding items in abundance. Luckily the windows of the Museum were unclosed, and he had a perfect view of almost the entire interior of the apartment. The following is his statement of what followed, in his own language: " Protecting myself from the intense heat as well as I could, by taking the mattress from the bed and 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 ani- mals 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 apart- ment. To the left of the lion's cage was the tank containing the two vast alliga- tors, 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 simultaneous 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, con- sumed by the flames, fell forward, letting the rods drop to the floor, and many 41 642- THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IN RUINS. other animals were set free. Just at tins time the door fell through and the flames and smoke rolled in like a whirlwind from the Hadean river Cocytus. 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 excitement. 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 singing 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 farmyard. The members of the delectated convocation were all huddled together in the bottom of their cage, which suddenly gave way, pre- cipitating 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 alligators 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 fero- cious 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 alligators 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 ana- conda, and joined the melee in the centre of the flaming apartment. A number of birds which were caged in the upper part of the building were set free by some charitably inclined person at the first alarm of fire and at inter- vals 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 Berp< nts which also obtained their liberty; and soon after the rising and devouring flames began to enwrap the entire building, a splendid and emblematic sight was pre- sented 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- THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IX RUINS. 643 ing sinuous form grew still; and, wafted upward by the cheers of the gazing multi- tude, the eagle, with a scream of triumph, and bearing his prey in his iron talons, soared toward the sun. Several monkeys escaped from the burning building to the neighboring roofs and streets ; aud considerable excitement was caused by the attempts to secure them. One of the most amusing incidents in this respect was in connection with Mr. James Gordon Bennett. The veteran editor of the Herald was sitting in his private office with his back to the open window, calmly discuss- ing with a friend the chances that the Herald establishment would escape the conflagration, which at that time was threateningly advancing up Ann Street, toward 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 interrupted him, and turning quickly he was considerably taken aback at seeing the devil himself, or something like him, at his very shoulder as he spoke. Eecovering his equanimity, with the ease and suavity 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 orangoutang. The poor creature,- but recently released from captivity, and doubtless thinking that he might fill some vacancy in the editorial 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 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 preconcerted 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 systematized attack by gorillas, Brazil apes, and chimpanzees. 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 thou- sands 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 apa (meat where the figures were kept, amid a multitude of crawling snakes, chattering monkeys and escaped paroquets. The " Eying Brigand " was uncere- moniously throttled and dragged toward the door ; 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'bf the other bandits were upset, and they themselves roughly seized. The full length statue of P. T. Barnum fell down of it- 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 Murde ress under the other, and coolly departed for the street. Two ragged boys quarrelled over 6U THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IX RUINS. the Tom Thumb, but at length settled the controversy by one of them talcing 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 a curiosity- seeking policeman was garroting Benjamin Franklin, with the idea of abducting him, a small monkey, flung from the window-sill by the strong hand of an impa- tient fireman, made a straight dive, hitting Poor Richard just below the waist- coat, and passing through his stomach, as the Harlequin in the " Green-Mon- ster " 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 intense, the "Aggers" began to perspire freely, and the swiftly approaching flames compelled all hands to desist from any further at- tempt 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 reclining upon the ample lap of Moll Pitcher, the Fa- ther 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 advancing flames compelled us to retire. We believe that all the living curiosities were saved; but the giant girl, Anna Swan, was only rescued with the utmost difficulty. There was not a door through which ber 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 :esort, the employees of the place procured a lofty derrick which fortunately happened to be standing near, and erected it alongside the Museum. A portion of the wall was then broken off on each side of the window, the strong tackle was got in readiness, 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 car- riage of extraordinary 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, siezed with St. Patrick's aver- sion to the reptiles, 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 magni- ficent miscellaneousness, 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 despatched by the excited populace. Sev- eral of the serpents of the copper-head species escaped the fury of the tumul- tuous masses, and true to their instincts, sought shelter in the World and News offices. 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 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IN RUINS. 645 his appearance caused a sensation. Some superstitions 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, as- cended the steps of the building, and became bewildered, as many a biped bear has done before him. He seemed to lose his sense of vision, and no doubt, en- deavoring to operate for a fall, walked over the side of the steps and broke his neck. He succeeded 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 described, shares ad- vanced 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 grouping among the ruins found choice morsels of boiled 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 pre- pare 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 Xew York journals, and many more in other cities, editorially expressed their sympathy with my 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 excite- ment and so much regret as that of Barnum's Museum. The collection of curi- osities was very large, and though many of them may not have had much intrin- sic 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 expen- sive theatres, while to the children of the city, Barnum's has been a fountain of delight, ever offering new attractions as captivating and as implicitly believed in as the Arabian Nights Entertainments; Theatre, Menagerie and Museum, it amused, instructed, and astonished. If its thousands and tens of thousands of annual visitors were bewildered sometimes with a Woolly Horse, a What is It ? or a Mermaid, they found repose and certainty in a Giraffe, a Whale or a Bhino- ceros. If wax effigies 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 reassured by the presence of the mildest and most amiable of 646- THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IX RUINS. 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 visitors, 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 heen 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, hut 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 and strange creatures still roam in the deserts ; giants and pigmies still wander up and down the earth; the oldest man, the fat- est 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, my insurance was but §40,000, while the collection, at the lowest estimate, was worth $400,000, and as my premium was five per cent I had paid the insurance companies more than they returned to me. When the lire occurred, my summer pantomime season had just begun and the Museum was doing an immensely profitable business. My first impulse, after reckoning up my losses, was to retire from active life and from all business occupation beyond what my large real estate interests in Bridgeport, and my property in New York would compel. I felt that I had still a com- petence and that after a most active and busy life, at fifty-five years, I was entitled to retirement, to compara- tive rest for the remainder of my days. I called on my old friend, the editor of the Tribune, for advice on the subject. " Accept this fire as a notice to quit, and go a-fish- ing," said Mr. Greeley. " A-fishing ! " I exclaimed. " Yes, a fishing; I have*been wanting to go a-fishing the am:::.: cak museum in ruins. for thirty years, and have not yet found time to do so," replied Mr. Greeley. I really felt that his advice was good and wise, and had I consulted only my own ease and interest I should have acted upon it. But. two considerations moved me to pause : First, one hundred and fifty employees, many of whom depended upon their exertions for their daily bread, were thrown out of work at a season when it would be difficult for them to get engagements else- where. Second : I felt that a large city like Xew York needed a good Museum, and that my experience of a quarter of a century in that direction, afforded extraor- dinary facilities for founding another establishment of the kind, and so I took a few days for reflection. Meanwhile, the Museum employees were tendered a benefit at the Academy of Music, at which most cf the dramatic artists in the city volunteered their services. I was called out, and made some off-hand remarks in which I stated that nothing which I could utter in behalf of the recipients of that benefit, could plead for them half so eloquently as the smoking ruins of the building where they had so long earned their support by their efforts to gratify the public. At the same time I announced that, moved by the considerations I have mentioned. I had concluded to establish another Mu- seum, and that in order to give present occupation to my employees, I had engaged the Winter Garden Thea- tre for a few weeks, and I hoped to open a new estab- lishment of my own in the ensuing fall. The Xew York Su?i commented upon the few remarks which I was suddenly and quite unexpectedly called upon to make, in the following flattering manner : One of the happiest impromptu oratorial efforts that \re have heard for some time, was that made hy Barnum at the benefit performance given fur his em- 648 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IN RUINS. ployees 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 dur- ing his long career, he could not have had a better opportunity of doing so than by listening to this address. Every word, though delivered with apparent care- lessness, struck a key note in the hearts of his listeners. Simple, forcible and touching, 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 charlatan, 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 knowl- edge 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 representative type of the American mind. I very soon secured by lease the premises, numbers 535, 537 and 539 Broadway, seventy-five feet front and rear, by two hundred feet deep, and known as the Chi- nese Museum buildings. In less than four months, I succeeded in converting this building into a commodious Museum and lecture room, and meanwhile I sent agents through America and Europe to purchase curiosities. Besides hundreds of small collections, I bought up several entire museums, and with many living curiosi- ties and my old company of actors and actresses, I opened to the public, November 13, 1865, " Barnum's New American Museum," thus beginning a new chap- ter in my career as a manager and showman. CHAPTER XL. MY WAR OX THE RAILROADS. SCENES IN THE LEGISLATURE — SHARP-SHOOTING — PROPOSITIONS FOR A NEW CAPITAL OF CONNECTICUT — THE RIVALRY OF CITIES — CULMINATION OF THE RAILROAD CONTROVERSY — EXCITEMENT AMONG THE LOBBYISTS — A BILL FOR THE BENEFIT OF COMMUTERS — PEOPLE PROTECTED FROM THE PLUN- DERERS— HOW SETTLERS ARE DRAWN INTO A STATE AND THEN CHEATED BY THE RAILROAD COMPANIES — EQUAL RIGHTS FOR COMMUTERS AND TRAN- SIENT PASSENGERS — WHAT COMMODORE VANDERBILT DID — WHAT THE NEW YORK AND NEW HAVEN RAILROAD COMPANY WANTED TO DO — EXPOSURE OF THEIR PLOT — CONSTERNATION OF THE CONSPIRATORS — MY VICTORY — AGAIN ELECTED TO THE LEGISLATURE — UNITED STATES SENATOR FERRY — EX- GOVERNOR W. A. BUCKINGHAM — THEODORE TILTON — GOVERNOR HAWLEY — FRIENDS AT LLNDENCROFT — NOMINATED FOR CONGRESS AND DEFEATED. During my membership in the Connecticut Legisla- ture of 1865, I made several new friends and agreeable acquaintances, and many things occurred, sometimes in the regular proceedings, and sometimes as episodes, which made the session memorable. On one occasion, a representative, who was a lawyer, introduced resolu- tions to reduce the number of Representatives, urging that the " House" was too large and ponderous a body to work smoothly ; that a smaller number of persons could accomplish business more rapidly and completely ; and, in fact, that the Connecticut Legislature was so large that the members did not have time to get ac- quainted with each other before the body adjourned sine die. I replied, that the larger the number of representa- tives, the more difficult it would be to tamper with 650 MY WAR ON THE RAILROADS. them ; and if they all could not become personally ac- quainted, so much the better, for there would be fewer " rings," and less facilities for forcing improper legisla- tion. " As the house seems to be thin now, I will move to lay my resolutions on the table," remarked the member ; " but 1 shall call them up when there is a full house." " According to the gentleman's own theory," I 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 proposition was seconded amid a roar of laughter ; and the resolutions were almost unan- imously voted down, before the member fairly compre- hended what was going on. He afterwards acknowl- edged it as a pretty fair joke, and at any rate, as an effective one. The State House at Hartford was a disgrace to Con- necticut ; the Hall of Eepresentatives was too small ; there were no committee rooms, and the building was utterly unfit for the purposes to which it was devoted. The State House at New Haven was very little better, and I made a strong effort to secure the erection of new edifices in both cities. I was chairman of the commit- tee on new State Houses, and during our investigations it was ascertained that Bridgeport, Middletown and Meriden would each be willing to erect a State House at its own cost, if the city should be selected as the new capital of the State. These movements aroused the jealousy of Hartford and New Haven, which at once appointed committees to wait upon us. The whole matter, however, finally went by default, and the ques- tion was never submitted to the people. It is quite MY WAR ON THE RAILROADS. possible, however, that ere long the citizens of Bridgeport or Meriden will offer to build a eapitol, and that one of these two cities with the entire consent of the rest of the State, including the inhabitants of Hart- ford and New Haven, will become the capital of Con- necticut. As the session drew near its close, the railroad con- troversy culminated by my introduction of a bill to amend the act for the regulation of railroads by the interpolation of the following : Section 508. No railroad company, which has had a system of commutation fares in force for more than four years, shall aholish, alter, or modify the same, except for the regulation of the price charged for such commutation ; and such price shall, in no case, he 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 company. The New York and New Haven Kailroad Company 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. My motives were attacked, and the most foolish slanders were circulated. Not only every legal man in the house was arrayed against me, but occasionally a " country member " who had promised to stick by and aid in checking the cupidity of railroad managers, would drop off, and be found voting on the o'her side. I devoted many hours, and even days, to explaining the true state of things to the members from the rural regions, and although the prospect of carry- ing this great reform looked rather dark, I felt that I had a majority of the honest and disinterested members of the house with me. Finally, Senator Ballard informed me that he had canvassed the Senate and was convinced that the bill could be carried through that body if I 652 MY WAR ON THE RAILROADS. could be equally successful with the house. At last it was known that the final debate would take place and the vote be taken on the morning of July 13. When the day arrived the excitement was intense. The passages leading to the hall were 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 rail- roads 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. Henry B, Harrison was a close and forcible debater and a clear-headed lawyer. His speech exhib- ited considerable thought, and his earnestness and high character as a gentleman of honor, carried much weight. Besides, his position as chairman of the committee naturally influenced some votes. He claimed to under- stand thoroughly the merits of the question, from having, in his capacity as chairman, heard all the testi- mony and arguments which had come before that com- mittee ; and a majority of the committee, after due deliberation, had reported against the proposed bill. On closing the debate, I endeavored to state briefly the gist of the case, — that, only a few years before, 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 prop- erty, thus vastly increasing the value .of the lands, and correspondingly helping our receipts for taxes. I urged MY WAR ON THE RAILROADS. 653 that there was a tacit understanding between the rail- road and these commuters and the public generally, that such persons as chose thus to remove from a neighboring State, and bring their families and capital within our 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 railroad to remove these families (embracing in the ag- gregate 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, 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 (Si. 40). We do n't ask them to go back to their former prices; we do n'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 passenger from New York to New Haven, if you have the courage to risk the competition of the steamboats; and whatever per- centage 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 commuters, demand this law; for if it is once fixed by statute that the prices of commutation are not to be increased, 654 MY WAR ON THE RAILROADS. many persons will leave the localities where extortion is permitted on the rail- roads, and will settle in our State. But these railroad gentlemen 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 engaged in plots against puhlic 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 the power of these companies. It was at this point in my remarks when I received the telegram from my son-in-law in New York, announc- ing the burning of the American Museum. Reading the despatch, and laying it on my desk without further attention, I continued : These railroad gentlemen absolutely deny any intention of raising the fares of commuters, and profess to think it very hard that disinterested and conscien- tious 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 dupli- city of these men. I have had detectives on their track, for men who plot against public interests 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. I then drew from my 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 Directory 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 my bill became a law they could get ahead of me. I continued : Now, Mr. Speaker, I know that these despatches are true; my information is from the inside of the camp. I see a director of the New York and New Haven Railroad sitting in this hall; I know that he knows these despatches 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 yesterday for exactly this purpose, I will forfeit and pay one thousand dollars to the families of poor soldiers in this city. In con- sideration 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," MY WAR ON THE RAILROADS. 655 the words "as it existed on the first 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 legislature ; 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. The opposition were astounded at the revelation and the previous question was ordered. The bill as amended was carried almost with a " hurrah." It is now an act in the statute book of the State, and it annually adds many dollars to the assessment roll of Connecticut, since the protection afforded to commuters against the extor- tions practised by railway companies elsewhere is a strong inducement to permanent settlers along the lines of Connecticut railways. In the spring of 1866, I was again elected to repre- sent the town of Fairfield .in the Connecticut Legisla- ture. I had not intended to accept a nomination for that office a second time, but one of the directors of the New York and New Haven Railroad, who was a citizen of Fairfield and had been a zealous lobby member of the preceding legislature, had declared that I should not represent the town again. As the voters of Fair- field seemed to think that the public interests were of more importance than the success of railroad conspira- cies, combinations, and monopolies, I accepted their nomination. Almost the only exciting question before that legisla- ture was the election of an United States Senator. President Johnson had begun to show disaffection towards the Republican party which elected him, and the zealous members of that party were watching with anxious hearts the actions of those who offered them- selves as candidates for offices of trust and responsi- bility. One of the Eepublican United States Senators 656 MY WAR ON THE RAILROADS. had already abandoned the party and affiliated with John- son. The other Senator was a candidate for re-election. He had been a favorite candidate with me, but when I became convinced that he sympathized with the recre- ant Senator and President Johnson, no importunities of political friends or any other inducement could change my determination to defeat him, if possible. I devoted days and nights to convincing some of my fellow mem- bers that the interests of the State and the country demanded the election of Hon. O. S. Ferry to that important office. Excitement ran high. Ex-Governor Wm. A. Buck- ingham was also a candidate. I knew he would make an excellent Senator but he had filled the gubernatorial chair for eight years ; and as the present senator had held his office twelve years, and he was from the same city as Governor Buckingham, I urged that Norwich should not carry off all the honors ; that Fairfield County was entitled to the office ; and both before and at the Republican nominating caucus I set forth, so far as I was able, what I considered the merits and pecu- liar claims of Mr. Ferry. I suggested that Mr. Buck- ingham might rest on his laurels for a couple of years and be elected to fill the place of the next retiring senator in 1868. Mr. Ferry started in the ballotings with a very small vote indeed, and it required the most delicate management to secure a majority for him in that caucus. But it was done ; and as the great strife was between the two other rival candidates, Mr. Ferry had scarcely a hope of the nomination and was much surprised the next morning to hear of his success. He was elected for the term beginning March 4, 1866, and one of his opposing candidates in the caucus ex- MY WAIl ON THE HATLHOAPS. 657 Governor William A. Buckingham, was elected, two years afterwards, for the senatorial term commencing March 4, 1869. I was again chairman of the Committee on Agricul- ture, and on the whole the session at New Haven, in 1866, was very agreeable to me; there were many con- genial spirits in the House and our severer labors were lightened by some very delightful episodes. During the summer, Governor Hawley, Hon. David Gallup, Speaker of the House, Hon. O. 8. Ferry, U. S. Senator, Mr. W. G. Coe, of Winsted, Mr. A. B. Mygatt, of New Milford, Mr. Theodore Tilton, editor of the New York Independent, Mr. George Pratt, of Nor- wich, Mr. S. H. Wales, of the Scientific American, Mr. David Clark, of Hartford, Mr. A. H. Byington, of Nor walk, and many other gentlemen of distinction were occasional guests at Lindencroft. Several times we had delightful sails, dinners, and clam-bakes at Charles Island, eight miles east of Bridgeport, a most cool and charming spot in the warm summer days. The health of my wife, which had been poor since 1855, pre- vented many occasions of festivity for which I had all other facilities ; for Lindencroft was indeed a charming residence, and it afforded every requisite for the enter- tainment of large numbers of friends. During the summer Governor Hawley appointed me a commissioner to the Paris Exposition, but I was unable to attend. In the spring of 1867, I received from the Eepublican convention in the Fourth District in Connecticut the nomination for Congress. As I have already remarked, politics were always distasteful to me. I possess natu- rally too much independence of mind, and too strong a 42 658 MY WAR ON THE RAILROADS. determination to do what I believe to be right, regard- less of party expediency, to make a lithe and oily politi- cian. To be called on to favor applications 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, and just after the close The filth and scandal, •the slanders and vindictiveness, the plottings and fawn- MY WAR ON THE RAILROADS. 659 ings, the fidelity, treachery, meanness and manliness, which by turns exhibited themselves in the exciting scenes preceding the election, were novel to me, and were so far interesting. My personal efforts in the can- vass were mainly confined to the circulation of docu- ments, and I did not spend a dollar to purchase a vote. Shortly after my opponent was nominated, I sent him the following letter, which was also published in the Bridgeport Standard: Bridgeport, Conn., Feb. 21, 1867. W. H. Barnum, Esq., Salisbury, Conn. Dear Sir: Observing that the democratic party has nominated you for Congress fi Dm this district, I desire to make you a proposition. The citizens of this portion of our State will be com- pelled on the first Monday in April next, to decide 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 important, therefore, that the people shall vote understandingly, 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 respect- fully invite you to meet me in a serious and can- did discussion of the important political issues of the day, at various towns in the Fourth Congressional Dis- trict of Connecticut, on each week day evening, from the fourth day of March until the thirtieth day of the same month, both inclusive. 660 MY WAP. OX THE RAILROADS. If you will consent to thus meet me in a friendly dis- cussion 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 fair- ness, 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 consid- eration. It is due to the voters of the Fourth Congres- sional District that they have an early and full oppor- tunity to examine their candidates in regard to these important problems, and I shall esteem it a great privi- lege if you will accept this proposition. Please favor me with an early answer, and oblige, Truly yours, P. T. Barnum. To this letter Mr. William H. Barnum replied, declin- ing to accept my proposition to go before the people of the district, and discuss the political questions of the day. During the canvass I received the following letter, which, together with my reply, was published in the Bridgeport Standard and in the New York Tribune : Litchfield Co., Conn., Feb. 20, 1867. P. T. Barnum. — Dear Sir : Although Fairfield County was entitled to the nomination of the copperhead candidate for Congress from the Fourth District, and under ordinary circumstances it would have been given to William F. Taylor, of Danbury, you are, perhaps, aware that they have changed their tactics and nomi- nated a wealthy namesake of yours, simply for the purpose of using his money against you. A democratic ex-Congressman is said to be preparing a tariff of prices to be paid for votes, and they boast that their candidate will expend $50,000 to secure his election. Already, I am credibly informed, the greenbacks MY WxYR ON THE RAILROADS. 661 are being freely circulated by bis friends. I write to ask what your intentions are in regard to counteracting this effort of tbe copperhead party. Do you intend to fight lire with fire? Tbe day of election is fast approaching, and we are con- fident of success, as all our friends are wide awake. Respectfully yours, The New York Tribune, commenting upon the cor- respondence, said: Mr. P. T. Barnum, Union candidate for Congress in the Fourth District of Connecticut, was lately solicited by a friend to spend money in a manner deemed objectionable by Mr. Barnum, and he responded as became a patriot. The following was my reply to the above letter : Bridgeport, Feb. 23, 1867. Esq. — Dear Sir : Your kind letter of the 20th inst. has caused me painful emotions. I now wish to say, once for all, that under no conceivable circum- stances will I permit a dollar of mine to be used to pur- chase a vote, or to induce a voter to act contrary to his honest convictions. The idea that the intelligent reading men of New England can be bought like sheep in the shambles, and that the sacred principles which have so far guided them in the terrible struggle between liberty and slavery can now, in this eventful hour of national existence, be set up at auction and knocked down to the highest bidder, seems to me as preposterous as it is shameful and humiliating. But if it is possible that occasionally a degraded voter can thus be induced to " sell his birth- right for a mess of pottage," God grant that I may be a thousand times defeated sooner than permit one grain of gold to be accursed by using it so basely ! I will not believe that American citizens can lend themselves to the contemptible meanness of sapping the very life-blood of our noble institutions by encour- aging a fatal precedent, which ignores all principle, 0 GG2 MY WAE OX THE RAILEOADS. and would soon prevent any honest man, however distinguished for his intelligence and loyalty, from representing his district in our national councils. None could then succeed except unprincipled vaga- bonds, who, by the lavish expenditure of money, would debauch and degrade the freemen whose votes they coveted. No, sir ! Grateful as I am for the extinguished honor of receiving a unanimous nomination for Con- gress from the loyal Union party in my district. I have no aspiration for that high position if it is only to be attained by bringing into disgrace the noble privilege of the free elective franchise. Think for a moment what a deadly weapon is being placed in the hands of tyrants throughout the civilized world, with which to destroy such apostles of liberty. as John Bright and Garibaldi, if it can be said with truth that American citizens have become so corrupt and degraded, so lost to a just esti- mate of the value and true nobility of the ballot, that it is bought and sold for money. My dear sir, any party that can gain a temporary as- cendancy by such atrocious means, not only poisons the body politic of a free and impartial government, but is also sure to bring swift destruction upon itself. And so it should be. I am unaccustomed to political life, and know but little of the manner of conducting a campaign like the present. I believe, however, it is customary for the State Central Committee to assess candidates, in or- der that they shall defray a proper portion of the ex- penses incurred for speakers and documents to mlighten the voters upon the political issues of the day. To that extent I am willing and anxious to be taxed ; for <; light MY WAR OX THE RAILROADS. 663 and knowledge " are always desired by the friends of human rights and of public order. But I trust that all money used for any other pur- pose, in the pending election will come from the pock- ets of those who now (as during the rebellion) are doing their utmost to aid traitors, and who, still unrepenting, are vindictively striving to secure at the ballot-box what their Southern allies failed to accomplish on the field of battle. If any of our friends misapprehend my true sentiments upon the subject of bribery, cor- ruption and fraud, I hope you will read them this letter. Truly yours, P. T. Barnum. P. 8. — The following is the law of Connecticut on the bribery of electors : Section 64. Xo person shall offer or receive any money, or other tiling, by way of gift, fee or reward, for giving, or refusing to give, a vote for electing members of the General Assembly, or any officer chosen at an electors' meeting, nor promise, procure, or in any way confer, any gratuity, reward or preferment, for any vote given or to be given, in any election; and every person guilty of so doing shall forfeit the sum of $17, one-half to him who shall prosecute to effect, and the other half to the treasury of the town where the offence is committed, and every person who shall be convicted a second time of a like offence shall be disfranchised. .That section commends itself to the obedience of every law-abiding voter, and I shall be the last to con- sent to its violation. P> Tt Bt When Congress met, I was surprised to see by the newspapers that the seat of my opponent was to be contested on account of alleged bribery, fraud and cor- ruption in securing his election. This 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 664: MY WAR ON THE RAILROADS. 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 nat- uralization 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 XLI. BENNETT AND THE HERALD. THE AMERICAN MUSEUM LEASE — ITS VALUE — BENNETT OF THE HERALD BUYS IT FOR $200,000 — HE PURCHASES THE PROPERTY — OVERESTIMATE OF ITS WORTH — MAX MARETZEK — MISS CLARA LOUISE KELLOGG's ESTIMATE OF CERTAIN PEOPLE — THE POWER BEHIND THE HERALD THRONE — THE HER- ALD'S INFLUENCE — BENNETT KICKED AND COWHIDED — HIS LAWYER INSISTS UPON MY TAKING BACK THE MUSEUM LEASE — I DECLINE — BENNETT RE- FUSES MY ADVERTISEMENTS — INTERVIEW WITH MR. HUDSON — WAR OF THE MANAGERS UPON THE HERALD — BENNETT HUMBLED — LOSS OF THE HERALD'S PRESTIGE — MONEY — DAMAGE TO BENNETT'S ESTABLISHMENT — THE EDITOR SUED — PEACE BETWEEN THE HERALD AND THE MANAGERS. When the old American Museum burned down, and while the ruins were still smoking, I had numerous applications for the purchase of the lease of the two lots, fifty-six by one hundred feet, which had still nearly eleven years to run. It will be remembered that in 1847 I came back from England, while my second lease of live years had yet three years more to run, and renewed that lease for twenty-five years from 1851 at an annual rental of $10,000. It was also stipulated that in case the building wras destroyed by fire the proprietor of the property should expend twenty-four thousand dollars towards the erection of a new edifice, and at the end of the term of lease he was to pay me the appraised value of the building, not to exceed $100,000. Kents and real estate values had trebled since I took this twenty-five years' lease, and hence the remaining term was very valuable. I engaged an experienced and com- petent real estate broker in Pine Street to examine the 666 BENNETT AND THE HERALD. terms of my lease, and in view of his knowledge of the cost of erecting buildings and the rentals they were commanding in Broadway, I enjoined him to take his time, and make a careful estimate of what the lease was worth to me, and what price I ought to receive if I sold it to another party. At the end of several days, he showed me his figures, which proved that {he lease was fully worth $275,000. As I was inclined to have a museum higher up town, I did not wish to engage in erecting two buildings at once, so I concluded to offer my museum lease for sale. Accordingly, I put it into the hands of Mr. Homer Morgan, with directions to offer it for $225,000, which was $50,000 less than the value at which it had been estimated. The next day I met Mr. James Gordon Bennett, who told me that he desired to buy my lease, and at the same time to purchase the fee of the museum property, for the erection thereon of a publication building for the New York Herald. I said I thought it was very fitting the Herald should be the successor of the Museum ; and Mr. Bennett asked my price. " Please to go or send immediately to Homer Mor- gan's office," I replied, " and you will learn that Mr. Morgan has the lease for safe at $225,000. This is $50,000 less than its estimated value ; but to you I will deduct $25,000 from my already reduced price, so you may have the lease for $200,000." Bennett replied that he would look into the affair closely ; and the next day his attorney sent for my lease. He kept it several days, and then appointed an hour for me to come to his office. I called according to appoint- ment. Mr. Bennett and his attorney had thoroughly ex- amined the lease. It was the property of my wife. BENNETT AND THE HERALD. 667 Bennett concluded to accept my offer. My wife as- signed the lease to him, and his attorney handed me Mr. Bennett's check on the Chemical Bank for $21)0,000. That same day I invested $50,000 in United States bonds ; and the remaining §150,000 was similarly in- vested on the following day. I learned at that timo that Bennett had agreed to purchase the fee of the property for §500,000. He had been informed that the property 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 estimated 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. 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 hundred feet was more than was ever before paid in any city in the world for a tract of that size, he discovered the serious oversight which he had made ; and the owner of the property was immediately informed that Bennett would not take it. But Bennett had al- ready signed a bond to the owner, agreeing to pay §100,000 cash, and to mortgage the premises 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 me orT also, and get back the money he had paid me. At this time Bennett was ruling the managers of the theatres and other amusements with a rod of iron. He 668 BENNETT AND THE HEEALD. had established a large job printing office in connection with the Herald office ; and woe to the manager who presumed to have his bills printed elsewhere. Any manager who dared to decline employing Bennett's job office to print his small bills and posters, at Bennett's exorbitant prices, was ignored in the Herald ; his adver- tisements were refused, and generally, he and his estab- lishment were black-balled and blackguarded in the columns of the Herald. Of course most of the managers were somewhat sensitive to such attacks, and therefore submitted to his impositions in the job office, his double price for newspaper advertisements, and any other over- bearing conditions the Herald might choose to dictate. The advertisements of the Academy of Music, then under the direction of Mr. Max Maretzek, had been refused on account of some dissatisfaction in the Herald office in regard to free boxes, and also because the prima donna, Miss Clara Louise Kellogg, had certain ideas of her own with regard to social intercourse with certain people, as Miss Jenny Lind had with regard to the same people, when she was under my management, and to some de- gree under my advice, and these ideas were not partic- ularly relished by the power behind the Herald throne. For my own part, I thoroughly understood Bennett and his concern, and I never cared one farthing for him or his paper. I had seen for years, especially as Bennett's enormously overestimated 44 influence" applied to public amusements, that whatever the Herald praised, sickened, drooped, and if the Herald persisted in prais- ing it, finally died ; while whatever the Herald attacked prospered, and all the more, the more it was abused. It was utterly impossible for Bennett to injure me, un- less he had some more potent weapon than his Herald. BEXXETT AND THE HERALD. G69 And that this was the general opinion was quite eyv from the fact that several years had elapsed sir tlemen were in the almost daily habit of cufh> and cowhiding Bennett in the streets and umer public places for his scurrilous attacks upon them, or upon members of their families. It had come to be seen that what the Herald said, good or bad, was, like the editor himself, literally of " no account." My business for many years, as manager of the Museum and other public entertainments, 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 adver- tisement altogether for tha space of about a year ; but I always managed to be the gainer by his course. Now, however, when new difficulties threatened, all the lead- ing managers in New York were members of the " Managers' Association," and as we all submitted to the arbitrary and extortionate demands of the Herald, Ben- nett thought he had but to crack his whip, in order to keep any and all of us within the traces. The great Ogre of the Herald supposed he could at all times frighten the little managerial boys into any holes which might be left open for them to hide in. Accordingly, one day Bennett's attorney wrote me a letter, saying that he would like to have me call on him at his office the fol- lowing morning. Not dreaming of the object I called as 670 BENNETT AXD THE KEEALD. desired, and after a few pleasant 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 accom- modate 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 expressed upon his countenance, that he evidently pitied me for the temer- ity that would doubtless lead me into the jaws of the insatiable monster of the Herald. The next morning I observed that the advertisement of my entertainments with my Museum Company at Winter Garden was left out of the Herald columns. I went directly to the edi- torial 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. BENNETT AND THE HERALD. 671 " When will the ' Emperor ' be in t " I inquired ; " 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 publish 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 premises. I then pro- ceeded to notify the Secretary of the " Managers' Asso- ciation " to call the managers together at twelve o'clock the following day ; and 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 excluded 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 motion that the entire association should stop their advertising and bill printing at the Herald office, and have no further connection with that establishment. 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. Accord- ingly, Messrs. Wallack, Wheatley and Stuart were dele- gated to go down to the Herald office to call on Mr. Bennett. 672 BENNETT AND THE HEEALD. 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 patronizing manner ; told him how long he had known, and how much he re- spected his late father, who was " a true English gen- tleman 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 insisted upon excluding from his col- umns 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 disagreement with the proprietor] — intimating that such a proceeding, for such a reason, and no other, might lead to a rupture of business rela- tions with other managers. In reply, Mr. Bennett had something to say about the fox that had suffered tail- wise 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 Bar- num'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 withdraw 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 gratuitously the advertisements of Wallaces BENNETT AND THE HEEALD. 673 Theatre and Niblo's Garden, and inordinately puffed these establishments, evidently in order to ease the fall, and to convey the idea that some of the theatres patron- ized the Herald, and perhaps hoping by praising these managers to draw them back again, and so to nullify the agreement of the Association in regard to the Herald. Thereupon, the managers headed their advertisements in all the other New York papers with the line, " This Establishment does not advertise 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 vilify the theatrical and opera managers, their artists and their performances, and by way of contrast profusely praised Tony Pastor's Bowery show, and Sundry entertainments of a similar character, thereby speedily bringing some of these side-shows to grief and shutting up their shops. Meanwhile, the first-class theatres prospered amazingly under the abuse of Bennett. Their receipts were never larger, and their houses never more thronged. The pub- lic took sides in the matter 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 circu- lation 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 amuse- 43 674 BENNETT AND THE HERALD. merits were announced for the evening, now bought other papers. This was the hardest blow of all, and it fully accounted for the abuse which the Herald daily poured out upon the theatres. But the more Bennett raved the more the people laughed, and the more determined did they seem to patronize the managers. Many people came to the Museum, who said they came expressly to show us that the public were with us and against the Herald. The other managers stated their experience to be the same in this respect. In fact, it was a subject of general remark, that, without exception, the associated managers never had done such a thriving business as during the two years in which they gave the Herald the cold shoulder. Bennett evidently felt ashamed of the whole transac- tion ; 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 wTas all the " law " there was about it. He held James Gordon Bennett's bond, that he wrould pay him half a million of dollars for the land, as follows : $ 100,000 cash, and a bond and mortgage upon the premises 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. That lien still exists against the Herald property. BENNETT AND THE HERALD. 675 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 property, 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 I should certainly have built on Bennett's property, even if I had owned a dozen Mu- seums up town. As it was, Bennett was badly beaten on every side, and especially by the managers, who for- ever established the fact that the Heralds abuse was profitable, and its patronage fatal to any enterprise ; and who taught Mr. Bennett personally the lesson of his own insignificance, as he had not learned it since the days when gentlemen used to kick and cowhide him up and down the whole length of Nassau Street. In the autumn of 1868, the associated managers came to the conclusion that the punishment of Bennett for two years was sufficient, and they consented to restore their adver- tisements to the Herald. I was then associated with the Van Amburgh Company in my new Museum, and we concluded that the cost of advertising in the Herald was more than it was worth, and so we did not enter into the new arrangement made by the Managers' Asso- ciation. CHAPTER XLIL PUBLIC LECTURING. MY TOUR AT THE WEST — THE CURIOSITY EXHIBITOR HIMSELF A CURIOSITY — BUYING A FARM IN WISCONSIN — HELPING THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES — A RIDE ON A LOCOMOTIVE — PUNCTUALITY IN MY ENGAGEMENTS — TRICKS TO SECURE SEATS IN THE LADIES' CAR — I SUDDENLY BECAME FATHER TO A YOUNG MARRIED COUPLE — MY IDENTITY DENIED — PITY AND CHARITY — REVEREND DOCTOR CHAPIN PULLS THE BELL — TEMPERANCE — HOW I BECAME A TEETOTALER — MODERATE DRINKING AND ITS DANGERS — DOC- TOR CHAPIN'S LECTURE IN BRIDGEPORT — MY OWN EFFORTS IN THE TEM- PERANCE CAUSE — LECTURING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY — NEWSPAPER ARTICLES — THE STORY OF VINELAND, LN NEW JERSEY. During the summer of 1866, Mr. Edwin L. Brown, Corresponding Secretary of the " Associated Western Literary Societies," opened a correspondence with me relative to delivering, in the ensuing season, my lecture on "Success in Life," before some sixty lyceums, Young Men's Christian Associations, and Literary Societies belonging to the union which Mr. Brown represented. The scheme embraced an extended tour through Penn- sylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and Iowa, and I was to receive one hundred dollars for every repetition of my lecture, with all my travelling expenses on the route. Agreeing to these terms, I commenced the engagement at the appointed time, and, averaging five lectures a week, I finished the prescribed round just before New Year's. Before beginning this engagement, however, I gave the lecture for other associations at Wheeling, Virginia. Cincinnati, Ohio, and Louisville, Kentucky. I also delivered the lecture in Chicago, for PUBLIC LECTURING. 677 Professor Eastman, who at that time had one of his Business Colleges in that city. He engaged the cele- brated Crosby Opera House for the occasion, and I think, with, perhaps, two exceptions, I never spoke before so large and intelligent an audience as was there assembled. It was estimated that from five to six thou- sand ladies and gentlemen were gathered in that capa- cious building ; and nearly as many more went away unable to obtain admission. I was glad to observe by the action of the audience, and by the journals of the following day, that my efforts on that occasion were satisfactory. Indeed, though it is necessarily egotistical, I may truly say that with this lecture I always suc- ceeded in pleasing my hearers. I may add, that I have invariably, as a rule, devoted to charitable purposes every penny I ever received for lecturing, except while I was under the great Jerome Clock cloud in England, when I needed all I could earn. My western tour was delightful ; indeed it was al- most an ovation. I found, in fact, that when I had strayed so far from home, the curiosity exhibitor him- self became quite a curiosity. On several occasions, in Iowa, I was introduced to ladies and gentlemen who had driven thirty miles in carriages to hear me. I insisted, however, that it was more to see than to hear ; and I asked them if that was not really the case. In several instances they answered in the affirmative. In fact, one quaint old lady said: "Why, to tell you the truth, Mr. Barnum, we have read so much about you, and your Museum and your queer carryings-on, that we were not quite sure but you had horns and cloven feet, and so we came to satisfy our curiosity ; but, la, me ! I don't see but what you look a good deal like other folks, after all." 678 PUBLIC LECTURING. While at the West, I visited my sister, Mrs. Minerva Drew, and her family, at Bristol, Wisconsin, where they reside on a farm which I presented to her about twenty years ago. Her children having grown up and married, all except her son, Fairchild B. Drew, who had just at- tained his majority, his father (Ezekiel Drew) wished to retain his services on the farm. Fairchild, however, felt that the farm was not quite large enough for his as- pirations. I found also that he coveted a neighboring farm, which, with its stock, was for sale for less than five thousand dollars. I bought it for him, on condi- tion that he should continue the care of the old farm, and that the two should be worked together. I trust that the arrangement will prove beneficial to all concerned ; for there is great pleasure in helping others who try to help themselves ; without such effort on their part, all good offices in their favor are thrown away, — it is simply attempting to make a sieve hold water. On my tour, in attempting to make the connection from Cleveland, Ohio, to Fort Wayne, Indiana, via Toledo, I arrived at the latter city at one o'clock, p. m., which was about two hours too late to catch the train in time for the hour announced for my lecture that evening. I went to Mr. Andrews, the superintendent of the To- ledo, Wabash and Western Railway, and told him I wanted to hire a locomotive and car to run to Fort Wayne, as I must be there at eight o'clock at night. 44 It is an impossibility," said Mr. Andrews ; 44 the dis- tance is ninety -four miles, and no train leaves here till morning. The road is much occupied by freight trains, and we never run extra trains in this part of the country, unless the necessity is imperative." PUBLIC LECTURING. 679 I suppose I looked astonished, as well as chagrined. I knew that if I missed lecturing in Fort Wayne that evening, I could not appoint another time for that pur- pose, for every night was engaged during the next two months. I also felt that a large number of persons in Fort Wayne would be disappointed, and I grew despe- rate. Drawing my wallet from my pocket, I said : " I will give two hundred dollars, and even more, if you say so, to be put into Fort Wayne before eight o'clock to-night ; and, really, I hope you will accommo- date me." The superintendent looked me thoroughly over in half a minute, and I fancied he had come to the conclu- sion that I was a burglar, a counterfeiter, or something worse, fleeing from justice. My surmise was confirmed, when he slowly remarked : " Your business must be very pressing, sir." " It is indeed," I replied ; I am Barnum, the muse- um man, and am engaged to speak in Fort Wayne to- night." He evidently did not catch the whole of my response, for he immediately said : " Oh, it is a show, eh] W'here is old Barnum him- self]" " I am Barnum," I replied, " and it is a lecture which I am advertised to give to-night ; and I would not dis- appoint the people for anything." "Is this P. T. Barnum'?" said the superintendent, starting to his feet. " I am sorry to say it is," I replied. . " Well, Mr. Barnum," said he, earnestly, " if you can •stand it to ride to Fort Wayne in the caboose of a freight train, your well-established reputation for punc- 680 PUBLIC LECTURING. tuality in keeping your engagements shall not suffer on account of the Toledo, Wabash and Western Railroad." " Caboose ! " said I, with a laugh, " I would ride to Fort Wayne astride of the engine, or boxed up and stowed away in a freight car, if necessary, in order to meet my engagement." A freight train was on the point of starting for Fort Wayne ; all the cars* were at once ordered to be switched off, except two, which the superintendent said were necessary to balance the train ; the freight trains on the road were telegraphed to clear the track, and the polite superintendent pointing to the caboose, invited me to step in. I drew out my pocket-book to pay, but he smilingly shook his head, and said : " You have a through ticket from Cleveland to Fort Wayne ; hand it to the freight agent on your arrival, and all will be right." I was much moved by this unexpected mark of kindness, and expressing myself to that effect, I stepped into the caboose, and we started. The excited state of mind which I had suffered while under the impression that the audience in Fort Wayne must be disappointed now changed, and I felt as happy as a king. In fact, I enjoyed a new sensation of imperial superiority, in that I was M monarch of all I surveyed," emperor of my own train, switching all other trains from the main track, and making conductors all along the line wonder what grand mogul had thus taken complete possession and control of the road. Indeed, as we sped past each train, which stood quietly on a side track waiting for us to pass, I could not help smiling at the glances of excited curiosity which were thrown into our car by the agent and brakemen of the train which had been so peremptorily ordered to clear TUBLIC LECTURING. 681 the track ; and always stepping at the caboose door, I raised my hat, receiving in return an almost reverent salute, which the occupants of the waiting train thought due, no doubt, to the distinguished person for whom they were ordered by special telegram to make way. I now began to reflect that the Fort Wayne lecture committee, upon discovering that I did not arrive by the regular passenger train, would not expect me at all, an 1 that probably they might issue small bills announcing my failure to arrive. I therefore prepared the following telegram which I despatched to them on our arrival at Napoleon, the first station at which we stopped : Lecture Committee, Fort Wayne: — Rest perfectly tranquil. Iam to be de- livered at Fort Wayne by contract by half-past seven o'clock — special train. At the same station I received a telegram from Mr. Andrews, the superintendent, asking me how I liked the caboose. I replied : The springs of the caboose are softer than dovrn ; I am as happy as a clam at high water; I am being carried towards Fort Wayne in a style never surpassed by Ctesar's triumphal march into Rome. Hurrah for the Toledo and Wabash Railroad ! At the invitation of the engineer, I took a ride of twenty miles upon the locomotive. It fairly made my head swim. I could not reconcile my mind to the idea that there was no danger ; and intimating to the engineer that it would be a" relief to get where I could not see ahead, I was permitted to crawl back again to the caboose. I reached Fort Wayne in ample time for the lecture ; and as the committee had discreetly kept to themselves the fact of my non-arrival by the regular train, probably not a dozen persons were aware of the trouble I had taken to fulfil my engagement, till in the course of my lecture, under the head of " perseverance," I recounted my day's adventures, as an illustration of exercising that 682 PUBLIC LECTURING. quality when real necessity demanded. The Fort Wayne papers of the next day published accounts of " Barnum on a Locomotive," and " A Journey in a Caboose " ; and as I always had an eye to advertising, these articles were sent marked to newspapers in towns and cities where I was to lecture, and of course were copied, — thus producing the desired effects, first, of informing the pub- lic that the :c showman" was coming, and next, assuring the lecture committee that Barnum would be punctually on hand as advertised, unless prevented by " circum- stances over which he had no control." The managers of railroads running west from Chi- cago pretty rigidly enforce a rule excluding from certain reserved cars all gentlemen travelling without ladies. As I do not smoke, I avoided the smoking cars ; and as the ladies' car was sometimes more select and always more comfortable than the other cars, I tried various expedients to smuggle myself in. If I saw a lady about to enter the car alone, I followed closely, hoping thus to elude the vigilance of the brakeman, who generally acted as door-keeper. But the car Cerberus is pretty well up to all such dodges, and I did not always suc- ceed. On one occasion, seeing a young couple, evi- dently just married, and starting on a bridal tour, about to enter the car, I followed closely, but was stopped by the door-keeper, who called out: " How many gentlemen are with this lady." I have always noticed that young newly-married peo- ple are very fond of saying " my husband " and " my wife ; " they are new terms which sound pleasantly to the ears of those who utter them ; so in answer to the peremptory inquiry of the door-keeper, the bridegroom promptly responded : " I am this lady's husband." PUBLIC LECTURING. 683 " And I guess you can sec by the resemblance between the lady and myself," said I to Cerberus, " that I am her father." The astounded husband and the blushing bride were too much " taken aback " to deny their newly-discovered parent, but the brakeman said, as he permitted the young couple to pass into the car : " We can't pass all creation with one lady," " I hope you will not deprive me of the company of my child during the little time we can remain together," I said with a demure countenance. The brakeman evidently sympathized with the fond " parient " whose feelings were sufficiently lacerated at losing his daughter through her finding a husband, and I was permitted to pass. I immediately apologized to the young bride and her husband, and told them who I was, and my reasons for the assumed paternity, and they enjoyed the joke so heartily that they called me " father " during our entire journey together. Indeed, the husband privately and slyly hinted to me that the first boy should be christened 44 P. T." My friend the Rev. Dr. Chapin, by the by an inveterate punster, is never tired of ringing the changes on the names in my family ; he says that my wife and I are the most sympathetic couple he ever saw, since she is " Charity " " and I am " Pity " (P. T.) On one occasion, at my house in New York, he called my atten- tion to the monogram, P. T. B , on the door and said, " I did it," " Did what," I asked : 44 Why that," replied the doctor, 44 P. T. B , — Pull The Bell, of course," thus literally ringing a new change on my initials. At another time during my western lecturing trip, I was following closely in the wake of a lady who wag entering the favorite car, when the brakeman exclaimed . 684- PUBLIC LECTURING. " You can't go in there, sir ! " c< I rather guess I can go in with a lady," said I, pointing to the one who had just entered. " Not with that lady, old fellow ; for I happen to know her, and that is more than you do ; we are up to all these travellers' tricks out here ; it's no go." I saw indeed that it was " no go," and that I must try something else ; " Look here, my dear fellow," said I ; "I am travelling every day on the railroads, on a lectur- ing tour throughout the West, and I really hope you will permit me to take a' seat in the ladies' car. I am Barnum, the Museum man from New York." Looking sharply at me for an instant, the altogether too wide-awake brakeman exclaimed : " Not by a d — n sight you ain't ! I know Barnum ! " I could not help laughing ; and pulling several old letters from my pocket, and showing him the directions on the envelopes, I replied: " Well, you may know him, but the ' old fellow ' has changed in his appearance, perhaps. You see by these letters that I am the ' crittur.' " The brakeman looked astonished, but finally said : " Well, that is a fact sure enough. I knowT you when I come to look again, but really I did not believe you at first. You see we have all sorts of tricks played on us, and we learn to doubt everybody. You are very wel- come to go in, Mr. Barnum, and I am glad to see you," and as this conversation was heard throughout the car, " Barnum, the showman," was the subject of general observation and remark. I fulfilled my entire engagement, which covered the lecturing season, and returned to .New York greatly pleased w7ith my Western tour. Public lecturing was PUBLIC LECTURING. 685 by no means a new experience with me ; for, apart from my labors in that direction in England, and occasi onal addresses before literary and agricultural associations at home, I had been prominently in the field for many years as a lecturer on temperance. My attention was turned to this subject in the following manner : In the fall of 1847, while exhibiting General Tom Thumb at Saratoga Springs, where the Xew York State Fair was then being held, I saw so much intoxication among men of wealth and intellect, filling the highest positions in society, that I began to ask myself the ques- tion, What guarantee is there that I may not become a drunkard ? and I forthwith pledged myself at that time never again to partake of any kind of spirituous liquors as a beverage. True, I continued to partake of wine, for I had been instructed, in my European tour, that this was one of the innocent and charming indispensa- bles of life. I however regarded myself as a good temperance man, and soon began to persuade my friends to refrain from the intoxicating cup. Seeing need of reform in Bridgeport, I invited my friend, the Reverend Doctor E. H. Chapin, to visit us, for the purpose of giving a public temperance lecture. I had never heard him on that subject, but I knew that on whatever topic he spoke, he was as logical as he was eloquent. He lectured in the Baptist Church in Bridgeport. His subject was presented in three divisions : The liquor-seller, the moderate drinker, and the indifferent man. It happened, therefore, that the second, if not the third clause of the subject, had a special bearing upon me and my position. The eloquent gentleman overwhelmingly proved that the so-called respectable 686 PUBLIC LECTURING. liquor-seller, in his splendid saloon or hotel bar, and who sold only to " gentlemen," inflicted much greater injury upon the community than a dozen common grog- geries — which he abundantly illustrated. He then took up the " moderate drinker," and urged that he was the great stumbling-block to the temperance reform. He it was, and not the drunkard in the ditch, that the young man looked at as an example when he took his first glass. That when the drunkard was asked to sign the pledge, he would reply, " Why should I do so ] What harm can there be in drinking, when such men as respectable Mr. A, and moral Mr. B drink wine under their own roof ? " He urged that the higher a man stood in the community, the greater was his influence either for good or for evil. He said to the moderate drinker : " Sir, you either do or you do not consider it a privation and a sacrifice to give up drinking. Which is it? If you say that you can drink or let it alone, that you can quit it forever without considering it a self-denial, then I appeal to you as a man, to do it for the sake of your suffering fellow-beings." He further argued that if it was a self-denial to give up wine-drinking, then cer- tainly the man should stop, for he was in danger of becoming a drunkard. What Doctor Chapin said produced a deep impres- sion upon my mind, and after a night of anxious thought, I rose in the morning, took my champagne bot- tles, knocked off their heads, and poured their contents upon the ground. I then called upon Doctor Chapin, asked him for the teetotal pledge, and signed it. He was greatly surprised in discovering that I was not already a teetotaler. He supposed such was the case, from the fact that I had invited him to lecture, and he TUBLIC LECTURING. GS7 little thought, at the time of his delivering it, that his argument to the moderate drinker was at all applicable tome. I felt that I had now a duty to perform, — to save others, as I had been saved, and on the very morn- ing when I signed the pledge, I obtained over twenty signatures in Bridgeport. I talked temperance to all whom I met, and very soon commenced lecturing upon the subject in the adjacent towns and villages. I spent the entire winter and spring of 1851-2 in lecturing through my native State, always travelling at my own expense, and I was glad to know that I aroused many hundreds, perhaps thousands, to the importance of the temperance reform. I also lectured frequently in the cities of New^ York and Philadelphia, as well as in other towns in the neighboring States. While in Boston with Jenny Lind, I was earnestly solicited to deliver two temperance lectures in the Tremont Temple, where she gave her concerts. I did so ; and though an admission fee was charged for the benefit of a benevolent society, the building on each occasion was crowded. In the course of my tour with Jenny Lind, I was frequently solicited to lecture on temperance on evenings when she did not sing. I always complied when it was in my power. In this way I lec- tured in Baltimore,Washington, Charleston, New Orleans, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and other cities, also in the ladies' saloon of the steamer Lexington, on Sunday morning. In August, 1853, I lectured in Cleveland, Ohio, and several other towns, and afterwards in Chicago, Illi- nois, and in Kenosha, Wisconsin. An election was to be held in Wisconsin in October, and the friends of prohibition in that State solicited my services for the ensuing month, and I could not refuse them. I there- 688 PUBLIC LECTURING. fore hastened home to transact some business which required my presence for a few days, and then returned, and lectured on my way in Toledo, Norwalk, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois. I made the tour of the State of Wis- consin, delivering two lectures per day for four consecu- tive weeks, to crowded and attentive audiences. My lecture in New Orleans, when I was in that city, was in the great Lyceum Hall, in St. Charles Street, and I lectured by the invitation of Mayor Crossman and several other influential gentlemen. The immense hall contained more than three thousand auditors, including the most respectable portion of the New Orleans public. I was in capital humor, and had warmed myself into a pleasant state of excitement, feeling that the audience was with me. While in the midst of an argument illus- trating the poisonous and destructive nature of alcohol to the animal economy, some opponent called out, 44 How does it affect us, externally or internally'? " 4 4 Internally," I replied. I have scarcely ever heard more tremendous merri- ment than that which followed this reply, and the ap- plause was so prolonged that it was some minutes before I could proceed. On the first evening when I lectured in Cleveland, Ohio, (it was in the Baptist Church,) I commenced in thiswise: 44 If there are any ladies or gentlemen pre- sent who have never suffered in consequence of the use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage, either directly, or in the person of a dear relative or friend, I will thank them to rise." A man with a tolerably glowing coun- nance arose. 44 Had you never a friend who was intem- perate ? " I asked. 44 Never ! " was the positive reply. PUBLIC LECTURING. G89 A giggle ran through the opposition portion of the audience. 44 Really, my friends," I said, 44 1 feel con- strained, to make a proposition which I did not antici- pate. I am, as you are all aware, a showman, and I am always on the lookout for curiosities. This gentleman is a stranger to me, but if he will satisfy me to-morrow morning that he is a man of credibility, and that no friend of his was ever intemperate, I will be glad to engage him for ten weeks at $200 per week, to exhibit him in my American Museum in New York, as the greatest curiosity in this country.". A laugh that was a laugh followed this announce- ment. 44 They may laugh, but it is a fact," persisted my opponent with a look of dogged tenacity. 44 The gentleman still insists that it is a fact," I replied. 44 1 would like, therefore, to make one simple qualifica- tion to my offer, I made it on the supposition that, at some period of his life, he had friends. Now if he never had any friends, I withdraw my offer ; otherwise, I will stick to it." This, and the shout of laughter that ensued, was too much for the gentleman, and he sat down. I noticed throughout my speech that he paid strict attention, and frequently indulged in a hearty laugh. At the close of the lecture he approached me, and extending his hand, which I readily accepted, he said, 44 1 was particularly green in rising to-night. Having once stood up, I was determined not to be put down, but your last remark fixed me ! " He then complimented me very highly on the reasonableness of my arguments, and declared that ever afterwards he would be found on the side of tem- perance. 44 690 PUBLIC LECTURING. Among the most gratifying incidents of my life have been several of a similar nature to the following : After a temperance speech in Philadelphia, a man about thirty years of age came forward, signed the teetotal pledge, and then, giving me his hand, he said, " Mr. Barnum, you have this night saved me from ruin. For the last two years I have been in the habit of tippling, and it has kept me continually under the harrow. This gen- tleman (pointing to a person at his side) is my partner in business, and I know he is glad I have signed the pledge to-night." " Yes, indeed I am, George, and it is the best thing you ever did," replied his partner, " if you'll only stick to it." " That will I do till the day of my death ; and won't my dear little wife Mary cry for joy to-night, when I tell her what I have done ! " he exclaimed in great exulta- tion. At that moment he was a happy man, but he could not have been more so than I was. Sir William Don — who came to this country and acted in several theatres, afterwards going to Australia, and dying, I believe, soon after his return to England — once heard me lecture, and immediately afterwards came forward and signed the pledge. He kept it for a short period only, although when he signed, he said that strong drink was the bane of his life. It is the one bane of too many brilliant men, who but for this one misfortune might attain almost every desirable success in life. I may add, that I have lectured in Montreal, Canada, and many towns and cities in the United States, at my own expense. One of the greatest- consolations I now enjoy is that of believing I have carried happiness to PUBLIC LECTURING. 691 the bosom of many a family. In the course of my life I have written much for newspapers, on various sub- jects, and always with earnestness, but in none of these have I felt so deep an interest as in that of the temper- ance reform. Were it not for this fact, I should be reluctant to mention, that besides numerous articles for the daily and weekly press, I wrote a little tract on t; The Liquor Business," which expresses my practical view of the use and traffic in intoxicating drinks. In every one of my temperance lectures since the begin- ning of the year 1869, I have regularly read the follow- ing report, made by Mr. T. T. Cortis, Overseer of the Poor in Vineland, New Jersey : Though we have a population of 10,000 people, for the period of six months no settler or citizen of Vineland has required relief at my hands as Overseer of the Poor. Within seventy days, there has only been one case among what we call the floating population, at the expense of $1.00. During the entire year, there has only heen hut one indictment, and that a trifling case of assault and battery, among our colored population. So few are the fives in Vineland. that we have no need of a fire department. There has only heen one house hurnt down in a year, and two slight fires, which were soon put out. We practically have no debt, and our taxes are only one per cent on the valuation. The police expenses of Vine- land amount to 875.00 per year, the sum paid to me; and our poor expenses a mere trifle. I ascribe this remarkable state of things, so nearly approaching the golden age, to the industry of our people, and the absence of King Alcohol. Let me give you, in contrast to this, the state of things in the town from which I came, in Xew England. The population of the town was 0,500 — a little less than that of Vineland. It maintained forty liquor shops. These kept busy a police judge, city marshal, assistant marshal, four night watchmen, six police- men. Fires were almost continual. That small place maintained a paid fire department, of four companies, of forty men each, at an expense of 83,000.00 per annum. I belonged to this department for six years, and the fires averaged about one every two weeks, and mostly incendiary. The support of the poor cost $2,500.00 per annum. The debt of the township was 8120,000.00. The condition of things in this New England town is as favorable in that country as that of many other places where liquor is sold. It seems to me that there is an amount of overwhelm- ing testimony and unanswerable argument in this one brief extract, that makes it in itself one of the most 'per- fect and powerful temperance lectures ever written. CHAPTER XLIII. THE KEW MUSEUM. A GIGANTIC AMUSEMENT COMPANY — IMMENSE ADDITIONS TO THE NEW COL- LECTION— CURIOSITIES FROM EVERYWHERE — THE GORDON CUMMI>"CS COLLECTION FROM AFRICA — THE GORILLA — WHAT THE PAPERS SAID ABOUT THE MONSTER— MY PRIVATE VIEW OF THE ANIMAL — AMUSING INTER- VIEW WITH PAUL DU CHAILLU — A SUPERB MENAGERIE — THE NEW THEATRE — PROJECT FOR A FREE NATIONAL INSTITUTION — MESSRS. E. D. MORGAN, WILLIAM C. BRYANT, HORACE GREELEY AND OTHERS FAVOR MY PLAN — PRESIDENT JOHNSON INDORSES IT — DESTRUCTION OF MY SECOND MUSEUM BY FIRE— THE ICE-CLAD RUINS — A SAD, YET SPLENDID SPECTA- CLE— OUT OF THE BUSLNESS — FOOT RACES AT THE WHITE MOUNTAINS — HOW I WAS NOT BEATEN— OPENING OF WOOD'S MUSEUM IN NEW YORK — MY ONLY INTEREST IN THE ENTERPRISE. My new Museum on Broadway was liberally patron- ized from the start, but I felt that still more attractions were necessary in order to insure constant success. I therefore made arrangements with the renowned Van Amburgh Menagerie Company to unite their entire col- lection of living wild animals with the Museum. The new company was known as the " Barnum and Van Amburgh Museum and Menagerie Company," and as such was chartered by the Connecticut Legislature, the New York Legislature having refused us a charter unless I would " see" the " ring" a thousand dollars' wrorlh, which I declined. I owned forty per cent and the Van Amburgh Company held the remaining sixty per cent in the new enterprise, which comprehended a large travelling menagerie through the country in sum- mer, and the placing of the wild animals in the Museum THE NEW MUSEUM. 693 in winter. The capital of the company was one million of dollars, with the privilege of doubling the amount. As one of the conditions of the new arrangement, it was stipulated that I should withdraw from all active personal attention to the Museum, but should permit my name to be announced as General Manager, and I was also elected President of the company. This arrangement; gave me the comparative tranquillity which I now began to desire. I spent most of my time in Bridgeport*, except in winter, when I resided in New York. I usually visited the Museum about once a week, but sometimes was absent for several months. Meanwhile, immense additions were made to the curi- osity departments of the newT Museum. Every penny of the profits of this Museum and of the two immense travelling menageries of wild animals wTas expended in procuring additional attractions for our patrons. Among other valuable novelties introduced in this establishment was the famous collection made by the renowned lion- slayer, Gordon Cummings. This was purchased for me by my faithful friend, Mr. George A. Wells, who was then travelling in Great Britain with General Tom Thumb. The collection consisted of many hundreds of skins, tusks, heads and skeletons of nearly every species of African animal, including numerous rare specimens never before exhibited on this continent. It was a great Museum in itself, and as such had attracted much atten- tion in London and elsewhere, but it was a mere addi- tion to our Museum and Menagerie ; and was exhibited without extra charge for admission. In the summer of 186 7, I saw in several New York papers a thrilling account of an immense gorilla, which had arrived from Africa in charge of Barnum's agent, 694 THE NEW MUSEUM. for the Barnum and Van Amburgh Company. The accounts described the removal of the savage animal in a strong iron cage from the ship, and his transportation up Broadway to the museum. His cries and roarings were said to have been terrible, and when he was taken into the menagerie, he was reported to have bent the heavy iron bars of his cage, and in his rage to have seized a poker which was thrust at him, and to have twisted it as if it had been a bit of wire. Nothing so startlingly sensational in the line of zoological descrip- tion had appeared since the Tribune s famous report of the burning of the American Museum, in lb65. For several years I had been trying to secure such an animal, and several African travellers had promised to do their best to procure one for me ; and I had offered as high as $20,000 for the delivery in New York of a full-grown, healthy gorilla. From the minute descrip- tion now given by the reporters, I was convinced that, at last, the long-sought prize had been secured. I was greatly elated, and at once wrote from Bridgeport to our manager, Mr. Ferguson, advising him how to exhibit the valuable animal, and particularly how to preserve its pre- cious life as long as might be possible. I have owned many ourang-outangs, and all of them die ultimately of pulmonary disease ; indeed, it is difficult to keep speci- mens of the monkey tribe through the winter in our climate, on account of their tendency to consumption. I therefore advised Mr. Ferguson to have a cage so con- structed that no draught of air could pass through it, and I further instructed him in methods of guarding against the gorilla's taking cold. A few days later I went to New t York expressly to see the gorilla, and on visiting the Museum, I was vexed THE NEW MUSEUM. 695 beyond measure to find that the animal was simply a huge baboon ! He was chained down, so that he could not stand erect, nor turn his back to visitors. His keeper could easily irritate him, and when the animal was excited, he would seize the iron bars with both hands, and, uttering horrid screams, would shake the cage so fiercely that it could be heard and " felt " in the adjoining saloons. No doubt many of the visitors recalled Du Chaillus accounts of the genuine gorilla, and were convinced that the veritable animal was before them. But I had been too long in the business to be caught by such chaff, and approaching the keeper, I asked him why he did not lengthen the chain, so that the animal could stand up ? " Because, if I do, he will show his tail," the keeper confidentially whispered in my ear. The imposition was so silly and transparent that I did not care how soon it was exposed. As usual, how- ever, I looked at the funny side of the matter, and immediately enclosed a ticket to my friend Mr. Paul Du Chaillu, who was then stopping at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, at the same time writing to the great African traveller, that, much as he had done, the Barnum and Van Amburgh Company had done more, since he had only killed gorillas, while we had secured a living one, and brought the monster safely from Africa to America. I informed him, moreover, that all the gorillas he had seen and described were tailless, while our far more remarkable specimen had a tail full four feet long ! Mr. Du Chaillu came into the Museum that afternoon, in great glee, with my open letter in his hand. " Ah, Mr. Barnum," he exclaimed, " this is the fun- niest letter I ever received. Of course, you know your 696 THE NEW MUSEUM. gorilla' is no gorilla at all, but only a baboon. I will not look at him, for when people ask me about ' Bar- num's gorilla,' I prefer to be able to say that I have not seen him." " On the contrary," said I, " I particularly desire that you should see the animal, and expose it. The imposi- tion is too ridiculous." 44 True ; but I think your letter is more curious than your animal." 44 Then I give you full leave to read the letter to all who ask you about the 4 gorilla.' " 44 Thank you," said Du Chaillu, 44 and I wish you would let me read it in my lectures at the West, where I am soon going on a tour." I consented that he should do so, and I afterwards heard that he was delighting as well as enlightening western audiences on the subject of Manager Ferguson's management of the great 44 gorilla " in the Barnum and Vau Amburgh Museum and Menagerie. The menagerie of living animals was superior in extent to any other similar collection in America, embracing, as it did, almost every description of wild animal ever exhibited, including the smallest African elephant, and the only living girarTe then in the United States. The collection of lions and royal Bengal tigers was superb. There was a cage full of young lions that attracted great attention, and the whole menagerie was an exceedingly valuable one. When I say that to these attractions was added an able dramatic company, which performed every afternoon and evening, and that the admission to the entire establishment was but thirty cents, with no extra charge, except for a few front seats and private boxes, it is no wonder that this immense THE NEW MUSEUM. 697 building, five stories high, and covering ground seventy- five by two hundred feet in area, was thronged " from sunrise to ten P. M.," and from top to bottom, with country and city visitors, of both sexes and all ages. The public was soon thoroughly convinced of the facts ; first, that never before was such an outlay made for so great an assemblage of useful and amusing attractions, combining instruction with amusement, and thrown open to the people at so small a charge for admission ; and second, that the surest way of deriving the greatest profit, in the long run, is to give people as much as possible for their money. That these facts were fully impressed upon our patrons is instanced in the monthly returns made to the United States Collector of Internal Revenue for the district, which showed that our receipts were larger than those of Wallack's Theatre, Niblo's Garden, or any other theatre or place of amusement in New York, or in America. Anxious to gather curiosities from every quarter of the globe, I sent Mr. John Greenwood, junior, (who went for me to the isle of Cyprus and to Constantinople, in 186-1,) on the " Quaker City" excursion, which left Xew York June 8, 1867, and returned in the following No- vember. During his absence Mr. Greenwood travelled 17,735 miles, and brought back several interesting relics from the Holy Land, which were duly deposited in the Museum. Very soon after entering upon the premises, I built a new and larger lecture room, which was one of the most commodious and complete theatres in New York, and I largely increased the dramatic company. Our collection swelled so rapidly that we were obliged to extend our premises by the addition of another building, forty by 698 THE NEW MUSEUM. one hundred feet, adjoining the Museum. This addition gave us several new halls, which were speedily rilled with curiosities. The rapid expansion of the establish- ment, and the immense interest excited in the public mind led me to consider a plan I had long contem- plated, of taking some decided steps towards the founda- tion of a great free institution, which should be similar to and in some respects superior to the British Museum in London. 4 4 The Barnum and Van Amburgh Museum and Menagerie Company," chartered with a capital of $2,000,000 had, in addition to the New York establish- ment, thirty acres of land in Bridgeport, whereon it was proposed to erect suitable buildings and glass and wire edifices for breeding and acclimating rare animals and birds, and training such of them as were fit for public performances. In time, a new building in New York, covering a whole square, and farther up town, would be needed for the mammoth exhibition, and I was not with out hopes that I might be the means of establishing permanently in the city an extensive zoological garden. It was also my intention ultimately to make my Mu- seum the nucleus of a great free national institution. When the American Museum was burned, and I turned my attention to the collection of fresh curiosities, I felt that I needed other assistance than that of my own agents in America and Europe. It occurred to me that if our government representatives abroad would but use their influence to secure curiosities in the respective countries to which they were delegated, a free public Museum might at once be begun in New York, and I proposed to offer a part of my own establishment rent-free for the deposit and exhibition of such rarities as might be collected in this way. Accordingly, a week after the THE NEW MUSEUM. 699 destruction of the American Museum, a memorial Was addressed to the President of the United States, asking him to give his sanction to the new effort to furnish the means of useful information and wholesome amusement, and to give such instructions to public officers abroad as would enable them, without any conflict with their legitimate duties, to give efficiency to this truly national movement for the advancement of the public good, without cost to the government. This memorial was dated July 20, 1865, and was signed by Messrs. E. D. Morgan, Moses Taylor, Abram Wakeman, Simeon Dra- per, Moses H. Grinnell, Stephen Knapp, Benjamin R. Winthrop, Charles Gould, Wm. C. Bryant, James Wads- worth, Tunis W. Quick, John A. Pitkin, "Willis Gay- lord, Prosper M. Wetmore, Henry Ward Beecher, and Horace Greeley. This memorial was in due time pre- sented, and was indorsed as follows : "Executive Mansion, Washington", D. C. April 27, 1806. The purpose set forth in this Memorial is highly approved and com mended, and our Ministers, Consuls and commercial agents are requested to give whatever influence in carrying out the object within stated they may deem compatible with the duties of their respective positions, and not inconsistent with the public interests. Andrew Johnson." I went to Washington myself, and had interviews with the President, Secretaries Seward, McCulloch and Welles, and also with Assistant Secretary of the Navy, G. V. Fox, who gave me several muskets and other " rehel trophies." During my stay at the capital I had a pleasant interview with General Grant, who told me he had lately visited my Museum with one of his sons, and had been greatly gratified. Upon my mentioning, among other projects, that I had an idea of collecting the hats of distinguished individuals, he at once offered to send an orderly for the hat he had worn during his 700 , THE NEW MUSEUM. principal campaigns. All these gentlemen cordially approved of my plan for the establishment of a National Museum in New York. But before this plan could be put into effective opera- tion, an event occurred which is now to be narrated : The winter of 1867-68 was one of the coldest that had been known for years, and some thirty severe snow- storms occurred during the season. On Tuesday morn- ing, March 3d, 1868, it was bitter cold. A heavy body of snow was on the ground, and as I sat at the break- fast table with my wife and an esteemed lady guest, the wife of my excellent friend Rev. A. C. Thomas, I read aloud the general news from the morning papers. Leisurely turning to the local columns, I said, 44 Hallo ! Barn urn's Museum is burned." 64 Yes," said my wife, with an incredulous smile, " I supect it is.'1 " It is a fact," said I, " just listen; 'Barnum's Mu- seum totally destroyed by fire.' " This was read so coolly, and I showed so little excite- ment, that both of the ladies supposed I was joking. My wife simply remarked : " Yes, it was totally destroyed two years ago, but Barnum built another one." " Yes, and that is burned," I replied ; " now listen," and I proceeded very calmly to read the account of the fire. Mrs. Thomas, still believing from my manner that it was a joke, stole slyly behind my chair, and looking over my shoulder at the newspaper, she exclaimed : " Why, Mrs. Barnum, the Museum is really burned. Here is the whole account of it in this morning's paper." 64 Of course it is," I remarked, with a smile, 64 how could you think I could joke on such a serious subject ! " THE NEW MUSEUM. 701 It was indeed too true, and the subject was no doubt " serious " enough ; in fact the pecuniary blow was per- haps even heavier than the loss of the other Museum, especially as there was probably no Bennett around who would give me §200,000 for a lease ! But during my whole life I had been so much accustomed to operations of magnitude for or against my interests, that large losses or gains were not apt to disturb my tranquillity. Indeed, my second daughter calling in soon after, and seeing how coolly I took the disaster, said that her hus- band had remarked that morning, " Your father wont care half so much about it as he would if his pocket had been picked of fifty dollars. That would have vexed him, but he will take this heavier loss as simply the fortune of war." And this was very nearly the fact. Yet the loss was a large one, and the complete frustration of our plans for the future was a serious consideration. But worse than all were the sufferings of the poor wild animals which were burned to death in their cages. A very few only of these animals were saved. Even the people who were sleeping in the building barely escaped with their lives, and next to nothing else, so sudden was the fire and so rapid its progress. The papers of the following morning contained full accounts of the fire ; and editorial writers, while manifesting much sympathy for the proprietors, also expressed profound regret that so mag- nificent a collection, especially in the zoological depart- ment, should be lost to the city. The cold was so intense that the water froze almost as soon as it left the hose of the fire engines ; and when at last everything was destroyed, except the front granite wall of the Museum building, that and the lad- 702 THE KBW MUSEUM. der, signs, and lamp-posts in front, were covered in a gorgeous frame-work of transparent ice, which made it altogether one of the most picturesque scenes imagin- able. Thousands of persons congregated daily in that locality in order to get a view of the magnificent ruins. By moonlight the ice-coated ruins were still more sub- lime ; and for many days and nights the old Museum was M the observed of all observers," and photographs were taken by several artists. When the Museum was burnt, I was nearly ready to bring out a new spectacle, for which a very large extra company had been engaged, and on which a consider- able sum of money had been expended in scenery, prop- erties, costumes, and especially in enlarging the stage. I had expended altogether some $78,000 in building the new lecture-room, and in refitting the saloons. The curiosities were inventoried by the manager, Mr. Fergu- son, at $288,000. I bought the real estate only a little while before the fire, for $460,000, and there was an insurance on the whole of $160,000 ; and in June, 1868, I sold the lots on which the building stood for $±32,- 000. The cause of the fire was a defective flue in a restaurant in the basement of the building. Thus by the destruction of Iranistan, and two Muse- ums, about a million of dollars' worth of my property had been destroyed by fire, and T was not now long in making up my mind to follow Mr. Greeley's advice on a former occasion, to " take this fire as a notice to quit, and go a-fishing." We all know how difficult it is for a person to stop when he is engaged in business, and how seldom it is that we find a man who thinks he has accumulated money enough, and is willing to cease trying to make THE NEW MUSEUM. 703 more. An active business life, like everything else, becomes a habit, and the strife for success in business, through all the changes of fortune, and ups and downs of trade, becomes an infatuation akin to that which spurs the gambler. Hence, men often pursue their money-getting occupations long after the necessity there- for has ceased. Of course, by wedding themselves to this one ambition they forego many of the higher plea- sures of life, and though they have a vague idea of that " good time coming," when they are going to take things easy and enjoy themselves, that time never comes. Men who are entirely idle are the most miserable creatures in the world ; but when by arduous toil they have secured a competence, and especially when they have reached a point in life where they are conscious of a waning of their vital energies, we must admit that they are unwise if they do not slip put of active business, and devote a large portion of their time to intellectual pur- suits, social enjoyments, and, if they have not done so through life, to serious reflections on the ends and aims of human existence. It is, perhaps, possible that notwithstanding the active life I have led, I have after all a lazy streak in my com- position ; at all events, I confess it was with no small degree of satisfaction that by this last burning of the Museum, notwithstanding the serious pecuniary loss it proved to me, I discovered a way open through which I could retire to a more quiet and tranquil mode of life. I therefore at once dissolved with the Van Amburgh Company, and sold out to them all my interest in the personal property of the concern. I was, however, beset on every side to start another Museum, and men of capital offered to raise a million of dollars if neces- 704 THE NEW MUSEUM. sary, for that purpose, provided I would undertake its management. My constant reply was, "lead me not into temptation." I felt that I had enough to live on, and I earnestly believed the doctrine laid down in my lecture on " Money Getting," in regard to the danger of leaving too much property to children. As I now had something like real leisure at my dis- posal, in the summer of 1868 I made my third visit to the White Mountains. To me, the locality and scene are ever fresh and ever wonderful. From the top of Mount Washington, one can see on every side within a radius of forty miles peaks piled on peaks, with smiling valleys here and there between, and. on a very clear day, the Atlantic Ocean off Portland, Maine, is distinctly visible — sixty miles away. Beauty, grandeur, sub- limity, and the satisfaction of almost every sense com- bine to remind one of the ejaculation of that devout English soul who exclaims : " Look around with pleas- ure, and upward with gratitude." At the Profile House, near the Notch, in the Franco- nia range, I met many acquaintances, some of whom had been there with their families for several weeks. When tired of scenery-hunting and hill-climbing, and thrown entirely upon their own resources, they had invented a " sell" which they perpetrated upon every new-comer. Naturally enough, as I was considered a capital subject for their fun, before I had been there half an hour they had made all the arrangements to take me in. The " sell " consisted in getting up a foot- race in which all were to join, and at the word " go" the contestants were to start and run across the open space in front of the hotel to a fence opposite, while the last man who should touch the rail must treat the crowd. THE NEW MUSEUM. 105 Of course, no one touched the rail at all, except the vic- tim, I suspected no trick, but tried to avoid the race, urging in excuse that I was too old, too corpulent, and besides, as they knew, I was a teetotaler and would not drink their liquor. " Oh, drink lemonade, if you like," they said, " but no backing out ; and as for corpulence, here is Stephen, our old stage-driver, who weighs three hundred, and he shall run with the rest." And in good truth, Stephen, in a warm day especially, would be likely to " run " with the best of them ; but I did not know then that Stephen was the stool-pigeon whom they kept to entrap unwary and verdant youths like myself ; so looking at his portly form I at once agreed that if Stephen ran I would, as I knew that for a stout man I was pretty quick on my feet. Accordingly, at the word " go," I started and ran as if the traditional enemy of mankind were in me or after me, but before I had accomplished half the distance, I wondered why at least, one or two of the crowd had not outstripped me, for, in fact, Stephen was the only one whom I expected to beat. Looking back and at once comprehending the " sell," I decided not to be sold. A correspondent of the New York Sun told how I escaped the trick and the penalty, and how I subsequently paid off the tricksters, in a letter from which I quote the following : "Barnum threw up his hands hefore arriving at the railing, and did not touchy it at all! It was acknowledged on all sides that the 'biters were hit' 'But you ran well,' said those who intended the 'sell.' 'Yes,' replied Barnum in high glee, 'I ran better than I did for Congress; but I was not green enough to touch the rail ! ' Of course a roar of laughter followed, and the ' sellers ' re- solved to try the game the next morning on some other new-comer; but their luck had evidently deserted them, for the next man also ' smelt a rat,' and hold- ing up his hands refused to touch the rail. The two successive failures dampened the ardor of the "sellers," and they relinquished that trick as a had /job. But the way Barnum sold nearly the whole crowd of ' sellers,' in detail, on the following afternoon, by the old 'sliver trick,' was a caution to sore sides. So much laugh- 45 706 THE NEW MUSEUM. ing in one day was probably never before done in that locality. One after another succeeded in extracting from the palm of Barnum's hand what each at first sup- posed was a tormenting * sliver,' but which turned out to be a ' broom splinter' a foot long which was hidden up B.'s sleeve, except the small point winch appeared from under the end of his thumb, apparently protruding from under the skin of his palm. One 1 weak brother ' nearly fainted as he saw come forth some twelve inches of what he at first supposed was a 1 sliver,' but which he was now thoroughly convinced was one of the nerves from Barnum's arm. Mr. O'Brien, the Wall Street banker, was the first victim. When asked what he thought upon seeing such a long ' sliver ' coming from Barnum's hand, he solemnly replied, 1 1 thought he was a dead man!' It was acknowledged by all that Barnum gave them a world of 'fun,' and that he and his friends left the Profile House with flying colors." During the year, Mr. George Wood, a most successful and enterprising manager, had been engaged in en- larging and refitting Banvard's building, at the corner of Broadway and Thirteenth Street, for a Museum and theatre ; and wishing to avoid my competition in the business, he proposed, that for a consideration, to be governed to some degree by the receipts, I should bind myself to have no other interest in any Museum or place of amusement in New York, and that I should give him the benefit of my experience, influence and information, and thus aid in advancing his interests and in building up and carrying out his enterprise. His prop- osition fully met my views, and I accepted it. Without incurring risk or responsibility, I could occupy portions of my time, which otherwise, perhaps, might drag heavily on my hands ; my mind especially would be employed in matters with which I was familiar, and I might .gratify my desire to assist in catering to the healthful, wholesome amusement of the rising generation and the public. I should not rust out ; and, moreover, the new museum would afford me a pleasant place to drop into when I felt inclined to do so. Nothing in this arrange- ment compelled my presence in New, York, or even in the United States; I could go when and where I THE NEW MUSEUM. 707 chose, and could continue to be, as I hope to be for the rest of my life, " a man of leisure," which in my case, and according to my construction, is far from being a man of idleness. "While I was at the White Mountains, I received a telegram from Mr. George Wood, stating that he could not consider his list of curiosities complete unless I would consent to be present at the opening of his Mu- seum, and I accordingly waived all my chances in any intended foot races, and hastened to New York, making at Mr. Wood's request the opening address in his new establishment, August 31, 1868. CHAPTER XLTV. CURIOUS COINCIDENCES. — NUMBER THIRTEEN. POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS — UNLUCKY FRIDAY — UNFORTUNATE SATURDAY — RAINY SUNDAYS — TERRIBLE THIRTEEN — THE BRETTELLS OF LONDON — IN- CIDENTS OF MY WESTERN TRIP — SINGULAR FATALITY — NUMBER THIRTEEN IN EVERY HOTEL — NO ESCAPE FROM THE FRIGHTFUL FIGURE — ADVICE OF A CLERICAL FRIEND — THE THIRTEEN COLONIES — THE THIRTEENTH CHAPTER OF CORINTHIANS — THIRTEEN AT MY CHRISTMAS DINNER PARTY — THIRTEEN DOLLARS AT A FAIR — TWO DISASTROUS DAYS — THE THIRTEENTH DAY IN TWO MONTHS — THIRTEEN PAGES OF MANUSCRIPT. In the summer of 1868, a lady who happened to be at that time an inmate of my family, upon hearing me say that I supposed we must remove into our summer residence on Thursday, because our servants might not like to go on Friday, remarked : " What nonsense that is ! It is astonishing that some persons are so foolish as to think there is any difference in the days. I call it rank heathenism to be so supersti- tious as to think one day is lucky and another unlucky " ; and then, in the most innocent manner possible, she added : " I would not like to remove on a Saturday myself, for they say people who remove on the last day of the week don't stay long." Of course this was too refreshing a case of undoubted superstition to be permitted to pass without a hearty laugh from all who heard it. I suppose most of us have certain superstitions, im- bibed in our youth, and still lurking more or less faintly in our minds. Many would not like to acknowledge CURIOUS COINCIDENCES.— NUMBER THIRTEEN 709 that they had any choice whether they commenced a new enterprise on a Friday or on a Monday, or whether they first saw the new moon over the right or left shoulder. And yet, perhaps, a large portion of these same persons will be apt to observe it when they happen to do anything which popular superstition calls " un- lucky." It is a common occurrence with many to im- mediately make a secret " wish " if they happen to use the same expression at the same moment when a friend with whom they are conversing makes it ; nevertheless these persons would protest against being considered superstitious, — indeed, probably they are not so in the full meaning of the word. Several years ago an old lady who was a guest at my house, remarked on a rainy Sunday : " This is the first Sunday in the month, and now it will rain every Sunday in the month ; that is a sign which never fails, for I have noticed it many a time." "Well," I remarked, smiling, " watch closely this time, and if it rains on the next three Sundays I wilL give you a new silk dress." She was in high glee, and replied : " Well, you have lost that dress, as sure as you are born." The following Sunday it did indeed rain. "Ah, ha!" exclaimed the old lady, " what did I tell you 1 I knew it would rain." I smiled, and said, " all right, watch for next Sunday." And surely enough the next Sunday it did rain, harder than on either of the preceding Sundays. "Now, what do you think]" said the old lady, solemnly. " I tell you that sign never fails. It wont do to doubt the ways of Providence," she added with a 710 - CUEIOUS COINCIDENCES.— NUMBER THIRTEEN. sigh, " for His ways are mysterious and past finding out." The following Sunday the sun rose in a cloudless sky, and not the slightest appearance of rain was manifested through the day. The old lady was greatly disap- pointed, and did not like to hear any allusion to the subject ; but two years afterwards, when she was once more my guest, it again happened to rain on the first Sunday in the month, and I heard her solemnly predict that it would, every succeeding Sunday in the month, for, she remarked, " it is a sign that never fails." She had forgotten the failure of two years before ; indeed, the continuance and prevalence of many popular super- stitions is due to the fact that we notice the " sign " when it happens to be verified, and do not observe it, or we forget it, when it fails. Many persons are exceedingly superstitious in regard to the number " thir- teen." This is particularly the case, I have noticed, in Catholic countries I have visited, and I have been told that superstition originated in the fact of a thirteenth apostle having been chosen, on account of the treachery of Judas. At any rate, I have known numbers of French persons who had quite a horror of this fatal number. Once I knew a French lady who had taken passage in an ocean steamer, and who, on going aboard, and finding her assigned state-room to be " No. 13," insisted upon it that she would not sail in the ship at all ; she had rather forfeit her passage money, though finally she was persuaded to take another room. And a great many people, French, English, and American will not undertake any important enterprise on the thir- teenth day of the month, nor sit at table with the full complement of thirteen persons. With regard to this CURIOUS COINCIDENCES. — NUMBER THIRTEEN. 711 number to which so many superstitions cling, I have some interesting experiences and curious coincidences, which are worth relating as a part of my personal his- tory. When I was first in England with General Tom Thumb, I well remember dining one Christmas day with my friends, the Brettells, in St. James's Palace, in Lon- don. Just before the dinner was finished (it is a wonder it was not noticed before) it was discovered that the number at table was exactly thirteen. 44 How very unfortunate," remarked one of the guests ; " I would not have dined under such circumstances for any consideration, had I known it ! " " Nor I either," seriously remarked another guest. " Do you really suppose there is any truth in the old superstition on that subject] " I asked. 44 Truth ! " solemnly replied an old lady. 64 Truth ! Why I myself have known three instances, and have heard of scores of others, where thirteen persons have eaten at the same table, and in every case one of the number died before the year was out ! " This assertion, made with so much earnestness, evi- dently affected several of the guests, whose nerves were easily excited. I can truthfully state, however, that I dined at the Palace again the following Christmas, and although there were seventeen persons present, every one of the original thirteen who dined there the preced- ing Christmas, was among this number, and all in good health ; although, of course, it would have been nothing- very remarkable if one had happened to have died during the last twelve months. While I was on my Western lecturing tour in 1866, long before I got out of Illinois, I began to observe 712 curious coincidences.— number thirteen. that at the various hotels where I stopped my room very frequently was No. 13. Indeed, it seemed as if this number turned up to me as often as four times per week, and so before many days I almost expected to have that number set down to my name wherever I signed it upon the register of the hotel. Still, I laughed to myself, at what I was convinced was simply a coincidence. On one occasion I was travelling from Clinton to Mount Vernon, Iowa, and. was to lecture in the college of the latter place that evening. Ordinarily, I should have arrived at two o'clock P. M. ; but owing to an accident which had occurred to the train from the West, the conductor informed me that our arrival in Mount Vernon would probably be delayed until after seven o'clock. I telegraphed that fact to the committee who were expecting me, and told them to be patient. When we had arrived within ten miles of that town it was dark. I sat rather moodily in the car, wishing the train would " hurry up " ; and happening for some cause to look back over my left shoulder, I discovered the new moon through the window. This omen struck me as a coincident addition to my ill-luck, and with a pleasant chuckle I muttered to myself, " Well, I hope I wont get room number thirteen to-night, for that will be adding insult to injury." I reached Mount Vernon a few minutes before eight, and was met at the depot by the committee, who took me in a carriage and hurried to the Ballard House. The committee told me the hall in the college was already crowded, and they hoped I would defer taking tea until after the lecture. I informed them that I would gladly do so, but simply wished to run to my room a moment for a wash. While wiping my face I CURIOUS COINCIDENCES. —NUMBER THIRTEEN. 713 happened to think about the new room, and at once stepped outside of my bed-room door to look at the number. It was " number thirteen." After the lecture I took tea, and I confess that I began to think "number thirteen" looked a little ominous. There I was, many hundreds of miles from my family ; I left my wife' sick, and I began to ask myself does "number thirteen" portend anything in particular ? Without feeling willing even now to acknowledge that I felt much apprehension on the subject, I must say I began to take a serious view of things in general. I mentioned the coincidence of my luck in so often having ;i number thirteen " assigned to me to Mr. Bal- lard, the proprietor of the hotel, giving him all the particulars to date. " I will give you another room if you prefer it," said Mr. Ballard. " Xo, I thank you," I replied with a semi-serious smile ; 44 If it is fate, I will take it as it comes ; and if it means anything I shall probably find it out in time. That same night before retiring to rest I wrote a letter to a clerical friend, then residing in Bridgeport, telling him all my experiences in regard to " number thirteen." I said to him in closing : " Do n't laugh at me for being superstitious, for I hardly feel so ; I think it is simply a series of ' coincidences ' which appear the more strange because I am sure to notice every one that occurs." Ten days afterwards I received an answer from my reverend friend, in which he cheerfully said : " It's all right ; go ahead and get 6 number thirteen ' as often as you can. It is a lucky number," and he added : " Unbelieving and ungrateful man! What is thirteen but the traditional 'baker's dozen,' indicating 'good measure, pressed down, shaken together, ami 711- -CURIOUS COINCIDENCES.— NUMBER THIRTEEN. running over,' as illustrated in your triumphal lecturing tour? By all means insist upon having room No. 13 at every hotel; and if the guests at any meal be less than that charmed complement, send out and compel somebody to come in. " What do you say respecting the Thirteen Colonies? Any ill luck in the num- ber? Was the patriarch Jacob afraid of it when he adopted Ephraim and Manas- seh, the two sons of Joseph, so as to complete the magic circle of thirteen? " Do you not know that chapter thirteen of First Corinthians is the grandest in the Bible, with verse thirteen as the culmination of all religious thought? And can you read verse thirteen of the Fifth chapter of Revelation without the highest rapture?" But my clerical friend had not heard of a certain curious circumstance which occurred to me after I had mailed my letter to him and before I received his answer. On leaving Mount Vernon for Cedar Rapids the next morning, the landlord, Mr. Ballard, drove me to the railroad depot. As I was stepping upon the cars, Mr. Ballard shook my hand, and with a laugh exclaimed : " Good-by, friend Barnum, I hope you wont get room number thirteen at Cedar Rapids to-day." " I hope not ! " I replied earnestly, and yet with a smile. I reached Cedar Rapids in an hour. The lecture com- mittee met and took me to the hotel. I entered my name, and the landlord immediately called out to the porter : " Here John, take Mr. Barnum's baggage, and show him to 6 number thirteen ! 9 99 I confess that when I heard this I was startled. I remarked to the landlord that it was certainly very singu- lar, but was nevertheless true, that " number thirteen " seemed to be about the only room that I could get in a hotel. " We have a large meeting of Railroad directors here at present," he replied, " and ' number thirteen ' is the only room unoccupied in my house.", I proceeded to the room, and immediately wrote to CURIOUS COINCIDENCES.— NUMBER THIBTEEN. 715 Mr. Ballard at Mount Vernon, assuring him that my letter was written in " number thirteen," and that this was the only room I could get in the hotel. During the remainder of my journey, I was put into " number thir- teen " so often in the various hotels at which I stopped that it came to be quite a matter of course, though occasionally I was fortunate enough to secure some other number. Upon returning to New York, I related the foregoing adventures to my family, and told them I was really half afraid of " number thirteen." Soon afterwards, I telegraphed to my daughter who was boarding at the Atlantic House in Bridgeport, asking her to engage a room for me to lodge there the next night, on my way to Boston. " Mr. Hale," said she to the landlord, " father is coming up to-day ; will you please reserve him a comfortable room ? " " Certainly," replied Mr. Hale, and he instantly ordered a fire in " room thirteen ! " I went to Boston and proceeded to Lewiston, Maine, and thence to Lawrence, Massachu- setts, and the hotel register there has my name booked for " number thirteen." My experience with this number has by no means been confined to apartments. In 1867 a church in Bridgeport wanted to raise several thousand dollars in order to get freed from debt. I subscribed one thousand dollars, by aid of which they assured me they would certainly raise enough to pay off the debt. A few weeks subsequently, however, one of the "brethren" wrote me that they were still six hundred dollars short, with but little prospect of getting it. I replied that I would pay one-half of the sum required. The brother soon afterwards wrote me that he had obtained the other half, and I might forward him my subscription of w thir- 716 CURIOUS COINCIDENCES. — NUMBER THIRTEEN. teen " hundred dollars. During the same season I attended a fair in Franklin Hall, Bridgeport, given by a temperance organization. Two of my little grand- daughters accompanied me, and telling them to select what articles they desired, I paid the bill, twelve dollars and fifty cents. Whereupon I said to the chil- dren, " I am glad you did not make it thirteen dollars, and I will expend no more here to-night." We sat awhile listening to the music, and finally started for home, and as we were going, a lady at one of the stands near the door, called out : " Mr. Barnum, you have not patronized me. Please take a chance in my lottery." " Certainly," I replied ; " give me a ticket." I paid her the price (fifty cents), and after I arrived home, I dis- covered that in spite of my expressed determination to the contrary, I had expended exactly " thirteen " dol- lars ! I invited a few friends to a " clam-bake " in the sum- mer of 1868, and being determined the party should not be thirteen, I invited fifteen, and they all agreed to go. Of course, one man and his wife were " disappointed," and could not go — and my party numbered thirteen. At Christmas, in the same year, my children and grand- children dined with me, and finding on " counting noses," that they would number the inevitable thirteen, I expressly arranged to have a high chair placed at the table, and my youngest grandchild, seventeen months old, was placed in it, so that we should number four- teen. After the dinner was over, we discovered that my son-in-law, Thompson, had been detained down town, and the number at dinner table, notwithstanding my extra precautions, was exactly thirteen. Thirteen was certainly an ominous number to me in CURIOUS COINCIDENCES. —NUMBER THIRTEEN. 717 1865, for on the thirteenth day of July, the American Museum was burned to the ground, while the thirteenth day of November saw the opening of " Barnum's Xew American Museum," which was also subsequently de- stroyed by fire. Having concluded this veritable history of supersti- tious coincidences in regard to thirteen, I read it to a clerical friend, who happened to be present ; and after reading the manuscript, I paged it, when my friend and I were a little startled to find that the pages numbered exactly thirteen. CHAPTER XLV. A STORY-CHAPTER. "every man to his vocation" and "nature will assert herself" — rest by the wayside — a half-shaved party — consternation of a clergyman — natives in new york — doctoring a corn-doctor — religious railways — the brighton bugle business — cash and con- science— castles in the air — a deluded antiquarian — gambllng and politics — irish wit — about conductors — dr. chapin as a punster — fowl attempts — a pair o' ducks — cutting a sick friend — rev. richard varick dey — his crime and its consequences — fore- ordination — practical joking by my father — a valuable race horse — how he was let and then killed — agony of the horse- killer — the final "sell" — foreign and domestic french — cock- neyism — wicked words in exeter hall. AiSD now as a traveller, when almost home, sits down by the wayside to rest, and meanwhile discourses to his companion about minor matters relating to the journey, or revives reminiscenses of home and foreign lands, so I stop to sum up in this chapter some of the incidents and anecdotes which seem pertinent to my story. The old adages, " Every man to his vocation," and "Nature will assert herself " are oftentimes amusingly illustrated. Every one knows the fable of the man who prayed to Jupiter to convert his cat into a woman, and Jupiter kindly gratified him and the man married the woman. This was well enough, till one night the feline female heard a mouse scratching at the door, when she jumped out of bed and began a vigorous hunt, to the consternation of her husband, if not of the mouse. Something almost as absurd and quite as illustrative of A STORY-CHAPTER. 719 tc instinct," or " nature " occurred during my manage- ment of the Museum. I had brought out a play entitled " The Patriot Fathers," or something of the sort ; it was patriotic at any rate, and required a great many people, who had very little to do excepting to dress, group themselves, and go on and off the stage at the proper times demanded by the incidents or situations of the play. One night I suddenly found myself short of supernu- meraries to do these subordinate parts, so I sent up to Centre Market for a supply of young men who were willing to be soldiers, Indians, or anything else which the exigencies of Revolutionary times not less than my own immediate necessities demanded. Now, it fortunately happened that an engine company near by, the famous " Forty " of by-gone days, had just returned from a fire, and my messenger proposed to these men to come down and help me out of my difficulty. The boys wanted no better fun. At least thirty of them came headed by their foreman, Mr. William Racey. They were soon dressed, one as a woman, a mother of the Revolution; others as Indians, British soldiers, Hes- sian grenadiers, and Continentals. A very little drilling sufficed to put these new recruits in order for presenta- tion on the stage, for they had little to do but to follow directions as to where they must stand, and when they must go on and off. Numbers, not talent, were needed. They were apt pupils, and did excellently well from the start. But in the very midst of one of those convulsions which threatened the fate of the struggle for Independ- ence, the City Hall bell sounded out the alarm for fire. That was enough. Racey shouted out on the stage : 720 A STORY-CHAPTER. " Boys, there's a fire in the Seventh ! Put for 4 Forty ' " ; and the thirty incontinently fled in post haste for " Forty," and soon after appeared in the street, followed by a jeering, cheering crew, the most motley company that ever dragged a fire engine through the streets of New York. They were in full costume as they left the Museum. The red-coated British troops, the Hessians in their tall bear-skin caps, the Indians in their paint and feathers, and even the ct woman" helped to drag the machine, and at the fire these strange peo- ple, including the woman, helped to " man" the brakes. It is unnecessary to say that they succeeded in creating in the street, what I hoped they would have done on the stage, a positive sensation. I confess that I am fond of story-telling as well as fun, and I inherit this I think from my maternal grand- father, whom I have already chronicled in these pages as a " practical joker of trie old school." One of the best illustrations of his peculiar fondness for this amuse- ment appears in the following : Danbury and Bethel were and still are manufacturing villages. Hats and combs were the principal articles of manufacture. The hatters and comb makers had oc- casion to go to New York every spring and fall, and they generally managed to go in parties, frequently taking in a few 4 ' outsiders," who merely wished to visit the city for the fun of the thing. They usually took passage on board a sloop at Norwalk, and the length of their passage depended entirely upon the state of the wind. Sometimes the run would be made in eight hours, and at other times nearly as many days were required. It, however, made little difference with the passengers. They went in for a " spree," and were sure si GROTESQUE Flft E C O Jff&ai JV T. A STORY-CHAPTER. 721 to have a jolly time whether on laud or water. They were all fond of practical jokes, and before starting they usually entered into a solemn compact, that any man who got angry at a practical joke should forfeit and pay the sum of twenty dollars. This agreement frequently saved much trouble ; for occasionally an unexpected and rather severe trick would be played off, and sadly chafe the temper of the victim. Upon one of these occasions a party of fourteen men started from Bethel on a Monday morning for New York. Among the number were my grandfather, Capt. Noah Ferry, Benjamin Hoyt, Esq., Uncle Samuel Taylor, (as he was called by everybody,) Eleazer Taylor, and Charles Dart. Most of these were proverbial jokers, and it was doubly necessary to adopt the stipulation in regard to the control of temper. It was therefore done in writing, duly signed. They arrived at Nor walk Monday afternoon. The sloop set sail the saine evening, with a fair prospect of reaching New York early the next morning. Several strangers took passage at Norwalk, among the rest a clergyman. He soon found himself in jolly company, and attempted to keep aloof. But they informed him it was of no use, they expected to reach New York the next morning, and were determined to " make a night of it," so he might as well render himself agreeable, for sleep was out of the question. His " reverence " remonstrated at first, and talked about '; his rights " ; but he soon learned that he was in a company where the rights of " the majority " were in the ascendant ; so he put a smooth face upon affairs, and making up his mind not to retire that night, he soon engaged in conversation with several of his fellow-passengers. 46 722 A STORY-CHAPTER. The clergyman was a slim, spare man, standing over six feet high in his stockings ; of light complexion, sandy hair, and wearing a huge pair of reddish-brown whisk- ers. Some of the passengers joked him upon the superfluity of hair upon his face, but he replied that nature had placed it there, and although he thought proper, in accordance with modern custom, to shave off a portion of his beard, he considered it neither unmanly nor unclerical to wear whiskers. It seemed to be con- ceded that the clergyman had the best of the argument, and the subject was changed. Expectation of a speedy run to New York was most sadly disappointed. The vessel appeared scarcely to move, and through long weary hours of day and night, there was not a ripple on the surface of the water. Nevertheless there was merriment on board the sloop, each voyager contributing good humor to beguile the tediousness of time. Friday morning came, but the calm continued. Five days from home, and no prospect of reaching New York ! We may judge the appearance of the beards of the passengers. There was but one razor in the company ; it was owned by my grandfather, and he refused to use it, or to suffer it to be used. " We shall all be shaved in New York," said he. On Saturday morning " all hands " appeared upon deck, and the sloop was becalmed opposite Sawpits (now Port Chester) ! This tried the patience of the passengers sadly. " I expected to start for home to-day," said one. " I supposed all my combs would have been sold at auction on Wednesday, and yet here they are on board," said another. A ST011Y-0HAPTEK. 723 M I intended to have sold my hats surely this week, for I have a note to pay in New-Haven on Monday," added a third. " I have an appointment to preach in New York this evening and to-morrow," said the clergyman, whose huge sandy whiskers overshadowed a face now completely covered with a bright red heard a quarter of an inch long. " Well, there is no use crying, gentlemen," replied the captain; " it is lucky for us that we have chickens and eggs on freight, or we might have to be put upon alloAvance." After breakfast the passengers, who now began to look like barbarians, again solicited the loan of my grandfather's razor. " No, gentlemen," he replied ; " I insist that shaving is unhealthy and contrary to nature, and I am determined neither to shave myself nor loan my razor until we reach New York." Night came, and yet no wind. Sunday morning found them in the same position. Their patience was well nigh exhausted, but after breakfast a slight ripple appeared. It gradually increased, and the passengers were soon delighted in seeing the anchor weighed and the sails again set. The sloop glided finely through the water, and smiles of satisfaction forced themselves through the swamps of bristles which covered the faces of the passengers. ki What time shall we reach New York if this breeze continues ? " was the anxious inquiry of half a dozen passengers. " About two o'clock this afternoon," replied the good- natured captain, who now felt assured that no calm would further blight his prospects. A STORY-CHAPTER. " Alas ! that will be too late to get shaved," exclaimed several voices — " the barber shops close at twelve." "And I shall barely be in time to preach my afternoon sermon," responded the red-bearded clergyman. " Mr. Taylor, do be so kind as to loan me your shaving uten- sils," he continued, addressing my grandfather. The old gentleman then went to his trunk, and unlock- ing it, he drew forth his razor, lather-box and strop. The passengers pressed around him, as all were now doubly anxious for a chance to shave themselves. " Now, gentlemen," said my grandfather, " I will be fair with you. I did not intend to lend my razor, but as we shall arrive too late for the barbers, you shall all use it. But it is evident we cannot all have time to be shaved with one razor before we reach New York, and as it would be hard for half of us to walk on shore with clean faces, and leave the rest on board waiting for their turn to shave themselves, I have hit upon a plan which I am sure you will all say is just and equitable." " What is it?" was the anxious inquiry. " It is that each man shall shave one half of his face, and pass the razor over to the next, and when we are all half shaved we shall go on in rotation and shave the other half." They all agreed to this except the clergyman. He objected to appearing so ridiculous upon the Lord's day, whereupon several declared that any man with such enormous reddish whiskers must necessarily always look ridiculous, and they insisted that if the clergyman used the razor at all he should shave off his whiskers. My grandfather assented to this proposal, and said : " Now, gentlemen, as I own the razor, I will begin, and as our reverend friend is in a hurry he shall be next — A STORY-CHAPTER. 725 but off shall come one of his whiskers on the first turn, or he positively shall not use my razor at all." The clergyman seeing there was no use in parleying, reluctantly agreed to the proposition. In the course of ten minutes one side of my grand- father's face and chin, in a straight line from the middle of his nose, was shaved as close as the back of his hand, while the other looked like a thick brush fence in a country swamp. The passengers burst into a roar of laughter, in which the clergyman irresistibly joined, and my grandfather handed the razor to the clerical gen- tleman. The clergyman had already well lathered one half of his face and passed the brush to the next customer. In a short time the razor had performed its work, and the clergyman was denuded of one whisker. The left side of his face was as naked as that of an infant, while from the other cheek four inches of a huge red whisker stood out in powerful contrast. Nothing more ludicrous could well be conceived. A deafening burst of laughter ensued, and the poor clergyman slunk quietly away to wait an hour until his turn should arrive to shave the other portion of his face. The next man went through the same operation, and all the rest followed ; a new laugh breaking forth as each customer handed over the razor to the next in turn. In the course of an hour and a quarter every passenger on board was half shaved* It was then proposed that all should go upon deck and take a drink before opera- tions were commenced on the other side of their faces. When they all gathered upon the deck, the scene was most ludicrous. The whole party burst again into loud merriment, each man being convulsed by the ridiculous appearance of the rest. 7*26 A STORY-CHAPTER 44 Now, gentlemen," said my grandfather, 44 1 will go into the cabin and shave off the other side. You can all remain on deck. As soon as I have finished, I will come up and give the clergyman the next chance." 64 You must hurry or you will not all be finished when we arrive," remarked the captain ; " for we shall touch Peck Slip wharf in half an hour." My grandfather entered the cabin, and in ten minutes he appeared upon deck, razor in hand. He was smoothly shaved. " Now," said the clergyman, " it is my turn." 64 Certainly," said my grandfather. 64 You are next, but wait a moment, let me draw the razor across the strop once or twice." Putting his foot upon the side rail of the deck, and placing one end of the strop upon his leg, he drew the razor several times across it. Then, as if by mistake, the razor flew from his hand, and dropped into the water! My grandfather, with well-feigned surprise, exclaimed in a voice of terror, 44 Good heavens ! the razor has fallen overboard ! " Such a picture of consternation as covered one-half of all the passengers' faces, was never before witnessed. At first they were perfectly silent as if petrified with astonishment. But in a few minutes murmurs began to be heard, and soon swelled into exclamations. " An infernal hog ! " said one. 44 The meanest thing I ever knew," remarked another. *44He ought to be thrown overboard himself," cried several others ; but all remem- bered that every man w Thir l. The mDst careful endeavor and accurate scholarship have been enlisted to avoid re- pro lacing the errors which crept into the English edition. Fourth. English authorities differ widely from American in the pronunciation of propernames. In this edition our standard lexicographers have been followed so as to adapt the work to the American people, and give it an invaluable merit — and one which is possessed by no othir rtprint. An intelligent reader or student of the Bible will appreciate this excellence, and be satisfied only with the Dictionary that gives him the Scriptural proper names (of which there are hundreds) with the accentuation according to the best usage in this country and the recognized authorities in lexicography. This work has the high commendation of Christian scholars, and is needed in every house- hold, aud by every student and reader of the Bible. J CONDITIONS. The book will be printed from new Stereotype Plates, on good paper, and will be appropri- ately illustrated with over One Hundred and Twenty-five Engravings of beautiful Scenes. An- cient Cities, and Memorable Places of the Holv Land," descriptive Figures and valuable Maps. 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WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF ANCIENT CITIES AND VENERATED SHRINES. By CHARLES W. ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE NEW ENGLAND HISTORY, ETC., ETC. WITH ORIGINAL ARTICLES BY Theodore D. Woolsey, LL. D., President of Yale College. Joseph Cum- mings, D.D., LL. D., President of -Wesleyan University. Rt. Rev. Thomas M. Clark, D. D., Bishop of Rhode Island. The Rev. Henry Ward Beeciier. The Rev. Charles A. Stoddard. The Rev. IS. F. Smith, D.D. The Rev. Wm. Adams, D. D., Grace Aguilar, &c, &c. In the preparation of this work, some of the best pens and most accomplished scholars have been selected, as the table of contents will show. No pains or ex- pense has been spared to make it a work of great and permanent value, acceptable to old and young alike, — a household book. , It is not a work of Theology, but of Human Life full of remarkable characters, strange events, Lofty Poetry and Startling History. THIS WORK CONTAINS CAREFUL AND ACCURATE ACCOUNTS, I. 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