The Humbugs of the World · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Humbugs of the World by P. T. Barnum.
Chapter 1
Epigraph
The chapter opens with a Latin epigraph, 'Omne Ignotum Pro Mirifico,' which translates to 'Wonderful, Because Mysterious,' setting a tone that explores the allure of the unknown and the human tendency to marvel at what is not understood.
Chapter 2
Publisher's Note
The publisher defends Barnum against the label of 'humbug,' arguing that while he uses unique advertising methods, he is fundamentally honest and has served the public good through temperance lectures, patriotic speeches, and business integrity.
Chapter 3
The Humbugs of the World
This introductory chapter sets the stage for a comprehensive account of humbugs, delusions, impositions, quackeries, deceits, and deceivers throughout history, establishing the scope and purpose of the book.
Chapter 4
Part I: Personal Reminiscences
The author introduces the concept of humbug through personal anecdotes and historical examples, exploring the nature of deception, gullibility, and the fine line between harmless amusement and outright fraud.
Chapter 5
I
This chapter introduces the concept of humbug as a universal phenomenon, exploring its presence in religion, politics, business, literature, science, and medicine. It argues that humbug pervades all human endeavors, from false religions and political exaggerations to business deceptions and scientific hoaxes. The chapter concludes by condemning the cynic who believes all is humbug, asserting that such a person is a fool, and expressing hope that the spread of true Christianity will eventually eliminate humbug.
Chapter 6
Definition of Humbug
Barnum defines 'humbug' as showmanship and attention-grabbing without necessarily implying dishonesty, distinguishing it from swindling or imposture. He illustrates this with examples: Warren's blacking advertising on the pyramids, Genin the hatter's famous hat purchase, and his own attempt to send the first message over the Atlantic Telegraph. He then recounts the story of Monsieur Gosling, the great blacking-maker, whose flamboyant advertising in 1830s New York made him a fortune, which he later lost and regained.
Chapter 7
III
Barnum recounts his encounter with Monsieur Mangin, the eccentric French pencil maker who used flamboyant costumes, theatrical performances, and a faked death as an advertising stunt to sell millions of pencils. Mangin explains his philosophy of attracting the public with 'din and tinsel' while delivering a quality product, and boasts that his 'grand secret' quadrupled his sales.
Chapter 8
IV
The chapter details the final days of Old Grizzly Adams, who, despite being mortally wounded from years of wrestling grizzly bears, makes a wager with Barnum to continue performing for ten weeks to earn an extra $500 for his wife. Adams ultimately wins the bet, but dies shortly after, having tricked Barnum into letting him be buried in a new hunting suit.
Chapter 9
The Golden Pigeons
Barnum recounts how he purchased artificially colored pigeons from a German chemist and used them to expose the tall tales of Grizzly Adams, who claimed all manner of exotic animals existed in California. Adams initially boasts that the golden pigeons are common in California, but when the dye fades and the pigeons revert to white, he realizes he has been humbugged.
Chapter 10
The Whale, the Angel Fish, and the Golden Pigeon
Barnum recounts how he exhibited a living white whale at the American Museum, which stayed hidden at the bottom of its tank, frustrating visitors who accused him of humbug. He tells of a sharp Yankee lady who insisted the whale was an India-rubber contraption, and later a neighbor who believed a Golden Angel Fish was painted, only to be fooled by the same trick with Golden Australian Pigeons that were actually painted common pigeons.
Chapter 11
VII
This chapter discusses Pease's innovative advertising for Hoarhound Candy, which cleverly disguised ads as news articles. It then recounts the story of Tom Simmons, a corrupt Philadelphia alderman who gained office through political manipulation and profited from imprisoning debtors, until a new state law limiting imprisonment for debt undermined his power.
Chapter 12
VIII
Barnum recounts the rise of Dr. Benjamin Brandreth and his phenomenally successful advertising campaign for Brandreth's Pills, which relied on grand claims about purifying the blood. Barnum describes his own gullible consumption of the pills, only to discover that many were counterfeits, yet they still seemed to work due to his faith. The chapter explores the power of advertising, the placebo effect, and the fine line between legitimate promotion and humbug.
Chapter 13
Part II: The Spiritualists
This chapter explores the rise of spiritualism as a humbug, focusing on the Fox Sisters' spirit rapping and the Davenport Brothers' exposure, highlighting the gullibility of the public and the role of showmanship in perpetuating deception.
Chapter 14
IX
This chapter exposes the methods of the Davenport Brothers, who claimed to be spiritual mediums. It details their early career in Buffalo, their move to New York under John F. Coles, and the various tricks they used to simulate spirit manifestations, including the use of a stuffed glove on a boot to fake a spirit hand, and the manipulation of ropes and a cabinet to create illusions. The chapter also introduces Dr. W. F. Van Vleck, who infiltrated the medium community to learn and expose their deceptions.
Chapter 15
Spirit-Rapping and Medium Humbugs
This chapter exposes the origins and methods of spirit-rapping and mediumship, starting with the Fox sisters in Hydesville, New York, who produced mysterious sounds by snapping their toe and knee joints. It details how the Fox family capitalized on the gullibility of the public, moving to Rochester and New York City, and how the practice evolved into a profession with various classes of mediums, including 'test mediums' and the 'Great Spirit Postmaster' J. V. Mansfield, who fraudulently answers sealed letters. The chapter concludes with a challenge offering $500 to any medium who can answer questions without opening the envelope.
Chapter 16
Chapter XI
This chapter exposes the fraudulent techniques used by spirit mediums, particularly the 'ballot-test' method, detailing how a medium deceives investigators by reading their handwriting, palming ballots, and manipulating paper folds to produce seemingly supernatural communications. It includes anecdotes of a medium's failed attempt with an old man who misunderstood 'deceased' as 'diseased' and of Scottish investigators tricking the trickster.
Chapter 17
XII
This chapter exposes the tricks and deceptions used by fraudulent spiritualists, including methods for producing 'bloodred letters on the arm,' the tambourine and ring feats, Dexter's dancing hats, and the use of phosphorescent oil for reading in the dark. The author also mocks the pseudophilosophical jargon of spiritualist writings and calls for exposing such mountebanks.
Chapter 18
XIII
This chapter exposes the methods used by a female medium who claims to produce physical manifestations by the spirit of Samson. It details how she uses her feet to manipulate objects under a table in a dark circle, including sounding an accordion, ringing a bell, moving a dishpan, and operating a spirit-dial. The chapter also recounts instances where she was caught cheating and emphasizes the need for vigilant investigators like Doctor Von Vleck to expose such frauds.
Chapter 19
Spiritual Photographing
Barnum exposes the fraud of spirit photography, detailing how a photographer used scientific tricks to produce ghostlike images that were sold as genuine spiritual manifestations. He recounts the story of Colorado Jewett obtaining spirit pictures of famous statesmen and a lady who received a photo of her deceased son and a brother she thought dead but was alive, yet still believed. Barnum explains the method and vows to continue exposing such humbugs.
Chapter 20
Banner of Light — Messages from the dead — Spiritual civilities — Spirit "hollering" — Hans von Vleet, the female Dutchman — Mrs. Conant's "circles" — Paine's table-tipping humbug exposed.
This chapter exposes the fraudulent practices of spiritualist mediums, focusing on the 'Banner of Light' newspaper's 'Message Department' where Mrs. J. H. Conant purportedly channels spirits. Barnum provides examples of absurd and trivial spirit messages, including one where a spirit claims to have become a woman. He then details the exposure of Paine's table-tipping trick, where a mechanical lever hidden under the floorboards was used to move a table, fooling believers until three investigators forced a confession.
Chapter 21
Spiritualist Humbugs Waking Up
Barnum recounts various exposures of spiritualist mediums, including Foster, S. B. Brittan, the Boston artists selling fake spirit portraits, a Washington medium faking spirit hands with phosphorus, and the Davenport brothers being foiled by a sea-captain's wheat flour and later exposed in Liverpool. He also tells of a shingle that refused to move, stumping the spirits.
Chapter 22
Chapter XVII
This chapter exposes the absurdities and fraudulent practices of spiritualist mediums, focusing on the 'boy medium' Henry B. Allen and his manager Dr. Randall, who performed fake physical manifestations using trickery. It also recounts the ludicrous story of a female medium at High Rock who supposedly gave birth to a 'Motive Force' (a spiritual baby), and includes anecdotes about fake spirit writing and the gullibility of believers, including professors and clergymen.
Chapter 23
Part III: Trade and Business Impositions
This chapter explores various forms of humbug and deception in trade and business, including fraudulent advertising, adulteration of goods, lottery swindles, and other commercial impositions.
Chapter 24
XVIII
This chapter exposes the widespread adulteration of food and drink, from bread and milk to tea, coffee, and spices, detailing harmful additives like alum, plaster of Paris, and red lead. It includes anecdotes about a colonel's whiskey scam and a deacon's hypocritical morning routine, and ends with a call for a 'Humbugometer' to detect fraud.
Chapter 25
Adulterations in Drinks
This chapter exposes the widespread adulteration of alcoholic beverages in the United States and Europe, detailing the numerous toxic ingredients used to imitate and enhance liquors, wines, and beers. It describes the economic incentives driving this fraud, the health hazards posed by poisons like strychnine, cocculus indicus, stramonium, and sugar of lead, and the lack of effective regulation in America. The chapter also illustrates how even supposedly pure imports are often counterfeit, with a chain of dilution and adulteration from importer to local dealer, resulting in a 'homeopathic dose' of genuine brandy.
Chapter 26
The Peter Funks and Their Functions
This chapter exposes the elaborate mock auction scheme known as the 'Peter Funks,' which operated in New York City for twenty-five years, fleecing the public out of tens of thousands of dollars annually. It details the systematic organization of the fraud—including chiefs, salesmen, ropers-in, suppliers, a salaried lawyer, and corrupt politicians—and recounts the story of a country clergyman who was tricked into bidding on a worthless watch, then forced to pay a vastly inflated price with counterfeit money. The chapter concludes by celebrating the efforts of police officer Russell Wells, who, through persistent vigilance and integrity, eventually shut down the operation.
Chapter 27
Lottery Sharks and Swindles
Barnum exposes the fraudulent practices of lottery sharks, detailing how they use deceptive circulars and letters to exploit the greedy and credulous. He presents two sets of examples: one from Boult and his associates using identical lithographed letters, and another from a group of six swindlers who all claim to have moved to 'No. 17 Merchants Exchange' and use identical prize lists. Barnum satirizes the victims' foolishness and calls for honest work as the only remedy.
Chapter 28
XXII
This chapter catalogs various lottery and mail-order swindles, including fake prize distributions, recipe peddling schemes, fraudulent package delivery letters, and a peddler's trick in western New York. It emphasizes the astonishing gullibility of people who send money to strangers and warns against trusting promises without verification.
Chapter 29
XXIII
This chapter recounts several historical humbugs involving fraudulent mining and canal schemes. It begins with a California coal mine hoax where prospectors sold stock based on coal lumps left behind by a U.S. surveying expedition. Next, it describes a Hartford coal mine venture that failed because the investors bored into old red sandstone, which never contains coal. Finally, it tells of a fabricated story about a vast ancient canal discovered in Guatemala, invented to promote a Central American transit route to California.
Chapter 30
Part IV: Money Manias
This chapter explores historical financial frauds and speculative manias, including John Law's Mississippi Scheme, the New York and Rangoon Petroleum Company fraud, and various lottery and book swindles, illustrating how greed and gullibility drive monetary deceptions.
Chapter 31
The Petroleum Humbug
This chapter exposes the fraudulent organization of the New York and Rangoon Petroleum Company by Peter Rolleum and Diddle Digwell, who used bribes, false promises, and deceptive advertising to collect over $100,000 from investors before acquiring any land or oil. The author details the step-by-step swindle as a prime example of the petroleum mania and stock speculation of the era.
Chapter 32
XXV The Tulipomania
This chapter recounts the Dutch Tulipomania of the 1630s, a speculative frenzy in which tulip bulbs reached absurdly high prices before the market collapsed, causing widespread ruin. Barnum uses anecdotes—a sailor eating a priceless bulb and a botanist dissecting another—to illustrate the madness and moral of the craze.
Chapter 33
John Bull's Great Money Humbug: The South Sea Bubble in 1720
This chapter recounts the South Sea Bubble of 1720, a massive financial fraud in England where the South Sea Company's stock was inflated to absurd heights through speculation and deception, leading to a catastrophic collapse that ruined thousands and exposed widespread corruption among politicians and directors.
Chapter 34
XXVII
This chapter details John Law's Mississippi Scheme, a massive financial bubble in 18th-century France. It describes how Law, a Scottish financier, gained the favor of the Duke of Orleans (Regent of France) and established a bank and the Mississippi Company, which promised vast wealth from American territories. The scheme led to rampant speculation, inflation, and eventual collapse, ruining thousands and causing widespread economic distress.
Chapter 35
Part V: Medicine and Quacks
This chapter explores the intersection of medicine and quackery, examining how humbug and deception have historically infiltrated the medical field through false remedies, fraudulent practitioners, and the exploitation of human gullibility.
Chapter 36
XXVIII
Barnum discusses the role of imagination and humbug in medical practice, noting that even reputable physicians use placebos and deception to aid healing. He contrasts this with outright quackery, exemplified by the 'Old Sands of Life' scam, and reflects on the limits of medical knowledge.
Chapter 37
XXIX
Barnum exposes a series of medical quacks and impostors, including a Williamsburg clergyman selling a fake consumptive remedy, Dr. E. Andrews who peddles hashish candy with forged endorsements, and the astrological charlatan C. W. Roback, who claims to cure everything from consumption to lying. Barnum criticizes the gullibility of the public and the authorities' failure to stop such deceptions.
Chapter 38
Monsignore Cristoforo Rischio: The Humbug of Florence
This chapter profiles Monsignore Cristoforo Rischio, also known as Il Créso, a flamboyant nostrum-vender who holds a regular clinic on the Piazza della Signoria in Florence. It traces his origins as a failed actor who turned to peddling patent medicines, his rise to wealth and fame through showmanship, exploitation of superstition, and dramatic oratory, and his role as a popular champion of Italian unification. The author reflects on Rischio as a humbug who, despite his deceptions, provides entertainment and some practical benefit to his audience.
Chapter 39
Part VI: Hoaxes
This section explores various historical hoaxes and deceptions, examining the methods and motivations behind them, and the gullibility of the public.
Chapter 40
The Twenty-Seventh Street Ghost
Barnum recounts the widespread public frenzy over the 'Twenty-Seventh Street Ghost' in 1863, a sensational story published in the Sunday Mercury that sparked mass hysteria, police intervention, and international media coverage. Despite being accused of orchestrating the hoax, Barnum denies involvement and notes how the craze eventually faded.
Chapter 41
The Moon-Hoax
This chapter recounts the famous 'Moon-Hoax' published in the New York Sun in 1835, a scientific hoax that captivated the public. It describes the context of the astronomical mania of the time, the content of the hoax itself (including fabricated discoveries by Sir John Herschel), the immense public reaction, the financial success it brought the Sun, and the eventual exposure of the hoax. The author also identifies Richard Adams Locke as the writer and notes the hoax's lasting impact.
Chapter 42
XXXIII
This chapter details the 'Miscegenation' hoax, a literary and political humbug orchestrated by three journalists from the World newspaper. The pamphlet advocated for racial blending and was designed to trick both abolitionists and Democrats into endorsing or attacking extreme views for political gain. The authors used pseudoscience, forged endorsements, and media manipulation to create a nationwide controversy.
Chapter 43
Part VII: Ghosts and Witchcrafts
This chapter explores the intersection of superstition, spiritualism, and humbug, examining how belief in ghosts and witchcraft has been exploited by charlatans and embraced by the gullible.
Chapter 44
Haunted Houses and Superstition Exposed
Barnum recounts the story of Kirby, an actor who spent a night in a reputedly haunted house in Yorkshire, England. Kirby, armed with Colt pistols, investigates the supernatural phenomena and discovers they are caused by an old gardener using galvanic batteries, chemistry, and mechanical devices to scare away the owners so his granddaughter could acquire the property cheaply. Barnum uses this tale to critique the gullibility and superstition that lead people to believe in ghosts.
Chapter 45
Haunted Houses, Ghosts, and Superstitions
Barnum explores the nature of superstition and its relationship to humbug, arguing that an inherent love of the marvelous makes everyone susceptible to deception. He recounts historical and contemporary examples of haunted houses, ghost stories, and supernatural frauds, from ancient times to modern New York, illustrating how easily people are fooled by clever tricks and their own credulity.
Chapter 46
Magical Humbugs: Virgil, Agrippa, Faustus, and the Devil's Tricks
This chapter explores the history and nature of magical humbugs, including sorcery, witchcraft, and necromancy, as manifestations of humanity's tendency to believe in supernatural powers. It recounts legends about Virgil as a magician, Cornelius Agrippa and his black dog, Doctor Faustus's tricks, and other tales of conjurers and enchanted objects, illustrating how such deceptions have persisted across cultures and centuries.
Chapter 47
Witchcraft
This chapter examines witchcraft as a baseless and absurd humbug, detailing its historical prevalence, the brutal witch trials in Europe and America, and the persistence of vulgar witchcraft practices in modern cities like New York. It highlights the irrationality of believing in witches and the horrific scale of executions carried out under the guise of justice.
Chapter 48
Charms and Incantations
This chapter catalogs a wide array of magical charms, incantations, and superstitious practices from various cultures and historical periods, including Roman, Greek, Hebrew, Mohammedan, gypsy, German, Irish, and Scottish traditions. It details specific spells for curing ailments, raising the devil, transforming into animals, and cursing enemies, while emphasizing that such beliefs are pure mummery and that similar humbug persists in modern times.
Chapter 49
Part VIII: Adventurers
This chapter explores the lives and schemes of various adventurers and impostors throughout history, detailing their deceptions and the gullibility of their victims. It covers figures such as the Count of St. Germain, Cagliostro, John Law, and others, illustrating the universal nature of humbug and the human tendency to believe in the extraordinary.
Chapter 50
The Princess Cariboo; or, The Queen Of The Isles
In 1812, the city of Bristol is captivated by the arrival of a mysterious and beautiful woman claiming to be Princess Cariboo from a wealthy Eastern island. Accompanied by an exotic retinue and an agent who speaks broken English, she is lavishly entertained by the local aristocracy and press, who publish fantastical stories about her wealth and romantic quest. After a fortnight of extravagant receptions and gifts, she departs for London but never arrives, revealing the entire affair to be an elaborate hoax. The princess is later discovered to have been a local actress who netted £10,000 from the deception, and her death is reported years later.
Chapter 51
Count Cagliostro
This chapter details the life and exploits of Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, born Joseph Balsamo, a master humbug who traveled across Europe and the Middle East, using alchemy, false titles, and elaborate schemes to deceive the wealthy and powerful. It covers his early crimes, his partnership with his wife Lorenza, his claims of immortality and the Philosopher's Stone, his involvement in Egyptian Masonry, and his eventual imprisonment and death by the Inquisition.
Chapter 52
Chapter XLI
This chapter details the infamous Diamond Necklace affair, focusing on the roles of Cardinal Louis de Rohan, the charlatan Cagliostro, and the cunning adventuress Jeanne de St. Remi. It describes how Jeanne manipulated de Rohan into believing the Queen desired the necklace, using forged notes, a hired impersonator, and Cagliostro's occult influence to orchestrate a grand swindle.
Chapter 53
XLII
This chapter profiles the Count de St. Germain, a mysterious figure who claimed to be thousands of years old, possessed supernatural powers, and was a master of alchemy, prophecy, and music. It details his origins, his rise at the French court, his travels across Europe, and his eventual death in 1783, while also noting his influence on Cagliostro and his reputation as a magnificent humbug.
Chapter 54
XLIII
This chapter recounts the audacious imposture of Riza Bey, a false Persian envoy who deceived Louis XIV and the French court in 1667. The imposter, likely a former barber and bandit from Leghorn, exploited the king's vanity and the court's fascination with the exotic to extract lavish gifts, credit, and favors before vanishing with his plunder, leaving behind only worthless colored glass as supposed precious stones.
Chapter 55
Part IX: Religious Humbugs
This chapter explores the intersection of religion and humbug, examining how superstition, prophecy, and spiritual deception have been used to exploit human gullibility throughout history.
Chapter 56
XLIV Diamond cut diamond; or, yankee superstitions—Matthias the impostor—New York follies thirty years ago.
This chapter details the story of Robert Matthews, who called himself Matthias, a religious humbug who convinced wealthy New York merchants like Elijah Pierson, Benjamin H. Folger, and Mr. Mills that he was God the Father. It describes his appearance, his absurd doctrines, his abusive behavior, and his eventual downfall, including the suspicious death of Pierson and Matthias's trial for poisoning and assault.
Chapter 57
XLV
This chapter details the life and religious humbug of Joanna Southcott, a Devonshire farmer's lass turned prophetess who claimed to be the destined mother of the second Messiah. It describes her rise from washerwoman to leader of a large sect, her prophecies, the sale of 'seals' guaranteeing heaven, and the failed prediction of the birth of Shiloh on October 19, 1814, which led to her death and the eventual dissolution of her following.
Chapter 58
XLVI
Barnum traces humbug back to the Garden of Eden and then examines ancient heathen religions as early forms of deception. He describes the mysteries of the Cabiri, Eleusis, and Isis, arguing that they relied on fear, secrecy, and empty spectacle—much like modern humbugs. He concludes that only Christianity offers true moral reform, while all false religions are built on gammon and deception.
Chapter 59
XLVII
This chapter continues the examination of heathen humbugs, focusing on oracles, sibyls, and auguries as side shows of heathen religion. It describes the mechanics of various oracles (especially Delphi), the role of priests, the fee structure, and the ambiguous answers that allowed for multiple interpretations. The chapter also touches on augury in Rome and reflects on the universal human longing for divine guidance, which these practices exploited.
Chapter 60
XLVIII
Barnum surveys a wide range of contemporary heathen humbugs, including Fetishism, Obi, Vaudoux, Indian powwows, Lamaist prayer mills, and Sandwich Islands death prayers, arguing that these superstitions mirror ancient beliefs and demonstrate the universal human tendency toward deception and self-deception.
Chapter 61
Ordeals—Duels—Wager of Battle—Abraham Thornton—Red Hot Iron—Boiling Water—Swimming—Swearing—Corsned—Pagan Ordeals
This chapter examines the historical practice of ordeals as a means of determining guilt or innocence, rooted in superstition and the belief that God would intervene miraculously. It details various forms such as trial by battle, fire, water, swearing, and corsned, highlighting the case of Abraham Thornton (1817) who exploited the obsolete 'assize of battle' to escape conviction for murder. The chapter traces the evolution of these practices from religious ceremonies to brutal absurdities, noting their eventual abolition in England in 1819, and draws parallels to pagan ordeals still in use, ultimately critiquing the corruption that arises when religion meddles in secular justice.
Chapter 62
Apollonius of Tyana
This chapter recounts the life and exploits of Apollonius of Tyana, an ancient sage or charlatan from Cappadocia, born about four years before Christ. It describes his miraculous birth, his education under the Pythagorean system (including a five-year vow of silence and abstinence from beans), his residence in the temple of Aesculapius, and his subsequent lecturing tours through Pamphylia, Cilicia, Antioch, Ephesus, and beyond. The narrative highlights his confrontations with grain speculators, his journey to Babylon and India, his encounters with demons and kings, his miraculous feats (such as ending a plague by stoning a beggar who turned into a dog), his conversation with the ghost of Achilles, and his clairvoyant announcement of Domitian's assassination. The chapter concludes by noting that Cagliostro later claimed to have traveled with Apollonius, who would then have been nearly 1784 years old.
Chapter 63
Endnotes
The author provides a brief note explaining that the following sketch, while not strictly a humbug, concerns an original genius whose traits are relevant to other passages in the book.
