The wonder book of freaks and animals in the Barnum & Bailey greatest show on earth : 1898.

Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The wonder book of freaks and animals in the Barnum & Bailey greatest show on earth : 1898. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    6/40 (page 4)
    Copyr;ght,-\ THE SKELETON DUDE. ^Registered. which he speaks as fluently as he does Russian. He rearls the latter, chiefly, however, and spends long hours at home with the Russian novelists and writers of stories of adventure. His peculiar facial decoration has made him shy about appearing in the street, because he arouses so much curiosity that he finds the attention of the crowd irksome. Therefore, he has developed a great interest in social games, which he plays in his room with his friends. Casino, a card game, very popular in America, and draughts or checkers, are his two favorites. He is a member of the Greek Catholic Church, and although his travels have given him little opportunity of attending the services of that faith, he is a devout student of his prayer book. JAMES COFFEY, the Skeleton Dude, attained the distinction of being the most attenuated man alive after he had reached the age of 19. He was normal at birth, and came from normal parents. At the age of 19, 27 years ago, a peculiar disease seized upon Coffey, which seemed to destroy his power of assimilating food, and also to impair the muscular and nervous power of his limbs. He then acquired the degree of tenuosity that permitted him to be called a living skeleton ; but this did not satisfy him, for lie wished to be a very Beau Brummel of living Copyright,'\ HERMANN, THE EXPANSIONIST. IRegistcred.