A Unique and Pretty Spectacle

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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Bad News From the Past / We're Old A Unique and Pretty Spectacle

Posted By Cliff Doerksen on 06.02.10 at 06:08 AM

Philadelphia Inquirer, March 18, 1898. Gosh, isn't mental illness is just so adorable, so "picturesque"? The awesomeness here is sent stratospheric by the inclusion of a crazy guy dressed as Napoleon. Few things make me happier than stumbling across a real-life embodiment of a cartoon archetype of this caliber. I'm putting this on special shelf alongside a rich guy who actually lighted his cigars with flaming banknotes, an unfortunate obliged to cover her nakedness with a barrel, some cash-strapped transients who tried to squeak out on their hotel bill by bypassing the front desk using a rope made of bedsheets, and my cherished collection of folks who found themselves tied to railroad tracks by bad guys.

P.S. If anyone out there comes across any verifiable accounts of hobos stealing visibly aromatic pies from windowsills, please drop me a line.

Tags: Insanity, Napoleon, tied to the tracks, cartoon archetypes, lighting cigars with money, wearing barrels, tying bedsheets into ropes, hobos, pies, windowsills, Image