| Myrtle, shortly before retiring |
| Life in the exhibition business can be a difficult one. Folks got into it for the money and usually stayed in it for the same. There's a romantic notion that these showfolks enjoyed the business and the camraderie that went along with it but the fact is nobody, and I mean NOBODY, enjoys being stared at because of the way they were born, whether they got paid for it or not. Jos. Myrtle was certainly no exception. Given that she started out as an infant I suppose the whole atmosphere was a little easier to take. But there's no getting around the fact that as a girl matures her sensibilites change. Those who knew Myrtle described her as attractive and of a lovable nature, making friends wherever she went. But this in no wise should be construed to |
| indicate that she was happy in her professional life. The young Miss was, after all, a Southern lady raised in what is now commonly referred to as the Bible Belt. Now, as time went on, in order to prove there was no humbuggery or tomfoolery involved in her claim to truly have four legs, it was required that she lift her dress up and show those extra limbs. This is no small thing to ask of a girl who is maturing into a young lady. To sit down and have to lift your skirt up for an extended period of time in front of pubescent boys and dirty old men who were more than glad to pluck down a dime for a gander was.... well..... what do you think! It is certainly no stretch of the imagination to believe that Josie was getting tired of it all. At what point have you done enough to help out the family? At what point is the family no longer helping itself because they have you to do it for them? At what point do you say enough is enough - I quit! For Josephine Myrtle Corbin that time came shortly after celebrating her 18th birthday. |
| The Corbins and the Bicknells were close families. This author has not been able to ascertain how this came to be but they often lived near each other over the years. And so it was bound to happen: Myrtle's younger sister,Willie Ann, married Hiram Locke Bicknell in 1885. Now I suppose one could argue that Myrtle must have been embarrassed that her younger sister should marry before her (actually she was only two years younger) but it must be remembered that show-women in the exhibition business were always reticent about accepting marriage proposals. One had to exercise caution, as it had to be divined if the intentions of the Intended were honorable or less than. More than a few show-women never were espoused because they couldn't or wouldn't be convinced they were loved for themselves alone. But Myrtle was not one of them. After careful consideration she accepted the proposal of Hiram's brother James Clinton and the two were wedded in June 1886. For Josephine there was no question that she was rightly loved as James was clearly made to know that the Nuptials, once celebrated, would mark the end of her showbusiness career. And so it was. The farming couple lived happily and over time produced a brood of eight children, but sadly, for reasons unknown, half of them died in infancy. The surviving Corbin kids were named Nancy Estelle, Francis Clinton, Ruby, and Lillian J. Meanwhile, in the early 1890's, the families moved from Blount Co., Alabama to Johnson Co., Texas settling near and finally moving to Cleburne City. |
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