Photoessay #2002 - You think you know him....

but you don't.

One last look at the Maier Zunder will and I am stumped by this Sixth paragraph.  Here he lists all his brothers and sisters and leaves them each $200.  But where's his brother Seligman, who he was close to all his life and worked in his enterprises with him?  I never saw any indication of a falling out.  And the name circled that's in the same paragraph with the siblings...looks like Bernhard Simon...who's he?  Never heard of him.  A mystery.

I did look around the Gage product of 19th Century Newspapers.  Only found one entry from 1864 when Maier Zunder was a young man (34) listing him as a member of a 5 member "Committee on Arrangements" for a Grand Masquerade Ball given by the Teutonia Maenner-Chor who are

determined that this Ball shall far surpass anything of the kind ever witnessed in this city.  No labor, pains or expense, will be spared, in making it in every respect an amusing attractive and entertaining affair.

Apparently 2000 tickets were sold and 300 people danced at any one time.

At 10 o'clock the police caused the crowd to give room for the dancers, and the eargerly looked for turkeys stepped in the open space, the band of elever pieces playing one of Strauss' popular quadrilles.  The dence excited the closest attention from the many spectators.

The turkey costumes were designed and made by Charles Baibler, an expert marble cutter of this city, They consisted of a framework covered with paste board and lastly with feathers the heads were carved of solid wood, the neads of the gobblers being weightier and more elaborately carved that the others.  These frames were supported upon the person by straps, and the entire weight was not more than forty pounds.

 So what do you think?  Was Maier Zunder wearing a turkey costume and danced for the crowd?

Could have happened!