The name Bernie Baxter first appears in documents in 1877. It’s etched into a dusty tome from the nascent days of Ellis Island, which at the time was run by the state of New York.
The entry doesn’t say where he came from. The country doesn’t exist today and likely never did. It’s unclear why he came here or who, if anyone, came with him.
At the time, the country was still recovering from the Civil War. It was in a transition, growing from a divided nation into a global superpower that would rise in just a few decades. But where most people saw struggle, Bernie saw opportunity.
Bernie made his way to the south. There, he set up temporary offices in various cities, including Columbia, Atlanta, Jackson, New Orleans, and others. In each town, he ran large newspaper ads that read “Performers Wanted: Misfits, Felons and Orphans Preferred”
Over time, he assembled a menagerie of performers: gymnasts, acrobats, sword swallowers, dancers and more. At first, his shows were little more than glorified busking. They’d set up on a street corner and work for whatever meager change passersby threw their way.
But this was not a hardscrabble life. Bernie clearly had a talent for finding the best corners and drawing the biggest crowds. Whenever he was in town, his cry of “Hurry, Hurry, Hurry” let people know it was time to see the show. His performers were both incredibly talented and fiercely loyal, often defending him and others in the group when crowds grew too rowdy.
Soon, the show was too big for street corners and alleyways. By 1884, He was following in the footsteps of P.T. Barnum and operating a traveling circus. However, he always referred to his show as a “traveling sideshow”, a place where human performers, not circus animals, ruled the stage.
He always treated his performers as family. Even though some may have been classified as “freaks” under a different tent, here they were celebrated for their talents and abilities. It was a place where anyone with a gift, regardless of other facets, could enjoy the limelight. For many performers, it was a place of second chances and new beginnings.
This egalitarian approach made him something of a celebrity among polite society. New Orleans particularly took a shine to him; his eccentricities made him a hit at parties and events.
However, rumors began to swirl. In 1888, one wealthy patron’s daughter claimed to have been attacked by a performer. That turned out to be false, but the standoff between the performers and the police sparked rumors that never fully went away.
Bernie himself was also caught up in the rumors. At the time, New Orleans was fracturing racially. No one could decide where Bernie was from, and he had never said, but everyone seemed convinced it wasn’t somewhere “good.”
In addition to the random racial slurs, he also faced allegations of polygamy, a fact that was supported by the fact that he was often seen with multiple women. Bernie was always coy; his mystery was part of the act. But the bigots filled in the blanks themselves.
The second volley came in 1889, during a show near what is today Gonzales, a riot broke out. Neither Bernie nor the performers were injured, but the property damage was extensive, and a fire destroyed his main tent.
Bernie could have taken his show out of state. But he opted to double down. He added a new attraction to his collection entitled “The True Devils of the South.”
Bernie had always had a fascination with the darker side of humanity and, over the years, had learned a great deal about the various serial killers, mass murderers and other villains of the time. His point was simple: while vigilantes were persecuting him and his group, the real monsters were roaming free.
The message did not go over well. It was seen as a moral outrage. Against the advice of his colleagues, he accepted an offer to take the show back to New Orleans. Though the one-week run in the city went well, after the crew crossed the Mississippi to head further west, tragedy struck.
A mob ambushed the wagon train they were using. All the wagons were burned, many of the performers were murdered, and only a few escaped. Bernie himself disappeared. It was widely believed that he was burned alive, locked inside his flaming caravan.
For over a century, Bernie’s story was largely forgotten. It was just another stain on an already shameful period for the city and the country. His star was eclipsed by Barnum and others. He was less than a footnote.
Without warnintg, in the early 2000s, during another dark time in the city’s history, Bernie returned. However, now his sideshow no longer featured strongmen and acrobats; it featured murders and monsters. His history lesson from over a hundred years before was back, updated, and dangerous.
To be clear, no one knows why or how he’s back. Some say he struck a deal with the devil to get his revenge. Others claim his restless soul was brought back with pure rage. Either way, Bernie is back and wants to make sure that you don’t forget him this time.