Barnum

Barnum, Phineas Taylor, was born at Bethel, Connecticut, U.S.A., in 1810. After engaging in several lottery and newspaper speculations he came to New York in 1834, and there picked up an old negress, Joyce Heth, whom he showed for some months with much success as "Washington's Nurse." In 1844 he secured the famous dwarf, General Tom Thumb, with whom he made the tour of the world, realising a great sum. Five years later he engaged Jenny Lind for a hundred concerts in the States, and, having earned what seemed to him a fortune, devoted his energies to creating the town of East Bridgeport in his native state. For many years he kept a "Museum" of living and other curiosities in New York, embracing at various times white whales, walruses, a mermaid (so-called), a living "missing link" between man and the ape, dwarfs, giants, and the "bogus baby" - which had been produced as supplying a motive for a celebrated murder, with the actors in which it had no connection in reality. It was not before 1871 that he started the huge circus or travelling show that ultimately proved a mine of wealth, one of his greatest hits being the purchase of the elephant Jumbo from the Zoological Gardens. In 1889 he visited London, but the enormous expense of the enterprise is believed to have entailed a heavy loss. Barnum was a kind-hearted, free-handed humbug, temperate in his habits, full of cheery anecdote, and never depressed by misfortune. He died at Bridgeport on April 7, 1891, leaving a million of dollars, earned by hard work and innocent deception of the public.