P.T. Barnum Will Speak From Beyond

There's probably at least one group of people interested in talking to the late P.T. Barnum (pictured here in 1871), but it doesn't look like PETA's going to get a chance to chew his ear off during a private seance next week. According to the Brooklyn Paper, psychic Gemma Deller will be channeling the deceased showman at a private event on his birthday, July 5th. You know what the man himself said, “There’s a sucker born every minute."

Deller believes the circus contacting her means Barnum is ready to talk, however, and declared to the paper, "It’s time to communicate with him—I don’t think he’d want it any other way because Barnum did things in a grand and fabulous way. It’s very possible that he is the one orchestrating the meeting—I think that P.T. led Ringling Bros. to me.”

What would you ask if you could talk to the legendary entertainer? We contacted to PETA to hear about what they would have to say (we'll update when we hear back, but spoiler alert, it's probably about elephants). As for Deller, she says she doesn't have an agenda, and will just "act as a telephone of sorts between a client and the spirit. Barnum will have his own agenda ready."

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By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on June 30, 2010 1:42 PM

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SuburbanAntiChrist

You know what the man himself said, “There’s a sucker born every minute."

Acutally no, he didn't say that although it's often (incorrectly) attributed to him. It was said about his customers/audiences by a rival.

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...

"Some sources claim the quote is most likely from famous con-man Joseph ("Paper Collar Joe") Bessimer, other sources say it was actually uttered by David Hannum, spoken in reference to Barnum's part in the Cardiff Giant hoax. Hannum, who was exhibiting the "original" giant and had unsuccessfully sued Barnum for exhibiting a copy and claiming it was the original, was referring to the crowds continuing to pay to see Barnum's exhibit even after both it and the original had been proven to be fakes."

So there's your arcane trivia nugget for the day! Alright, back to what you were doing... As you were...