This almost unbelievable story turned up in my email inbox a few days ago. The accompanying text reads:
'Los Angeles Herald, November 19, 1905. Americans in the 19th and early 20th century were nuts about "wild men," which is why circus geeks were a popular attraction: It was like a chance to see Bigfoot in captivity. Everybody knew wild men were out there in the wilderness: Newspapers at this time would report rural sightings of supposed wild men (or women) all the time. They were always described as being "as fleet as a deer," many could jump 15 feet or more in a single bound (!), and they all lived on raw meat of some sort (cattle, snakes, whatever). Your typical showbiz wild man was probably just a hobo in a fright wig with just enough teeth left to bite the head off a live chicken. But as this story shows, some enterprising carnies were willing to go that extra mile to impress the marks.'
Read more (and see the rest of the clipping)
Saturday, July 24, 2010
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