The Human Ostrich, an inversion of his self-denying cousin the Hunger Artist, could not stop eating even when good sense should have prevailed, and it wasn’t just food he devoured. Entertaining others for a paycheck or to win bar bets, such a turn-of-the-century performer would down any metal item he was egged on to swallow, from pocket-watch chains to sharp knives to skeleton keys. One such foolhardy soul was John Fasel (also sometimes spelled “Fassel” or “Fassell” or “Sasel”), a Brooklyn man who was semi-famous for his deeds and took ill more than once. When his life was threatened by his profession in 1904, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle covered the story with the same zeal they invested in the Spanish-American War, spitting out a series of articles about Fasel’s condition. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any closure to the tale, as the Ostrich’s life was hanging in the balance when the reportage abruptly ended. Let’s think good thoughts.
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From April 12, 1904:
