Letter: To Editors of the Mercury from P.T. Barnum, May 10, 1879

Letter to Editors of the Mercury from P.T. Barnum, May 10, 1879 In this letter to the editors of the Mercury, Barnum writes as follows: \An impostor is preceding my show some ten days ago, who represent himself as my agent, obtains advertisements(paid in advance) and falsely promises the advertisers that he will insert them in my programme, and circulate them in my show tents. The scoundrel ought to be arrested for obtaining money under false pretenses. If you expose him in your columns you will protect your citizens from imposition and oblige, P. T. Barnum.\ P.T. Barnum wrote a large number of letters in his time, and as a public figure, received many in return. These manuscripts offer insight into his personal life via correspondence with friends and family, his business interests including the American Museum and the circus, and his personality. The various correspondents demonstrate how vast his social circle was, and the space he occupied as a public figure during his own lifetime.