Mad Hatter having a cup of tea at Beauty's grave

 

This week’s photie taken by Tommy Robertson of Backtracks shows the Mad Hatter having a cup of tea at Beauty’s grave in Piershill Cemetery.

 

Harry Houdini presented the Great Lafayette with the puppy when they were both appearing at a theatre in Nashville, Tennessee. The illusionist invented a pedigree for Beauty, calling her a Gheckhound, after the imaginary Azorean island of Gheck.

 

In addition to buying Beauty a gold and diamond collar, the showman had a contract drawn up stating that Beauty was entitled to stay at the same hotels and even eat from the same table as the illusionist when they went on tour.

 

The Great Lafayette had a sign on the outside of his house which read ‘You may drink my wine, you may eat my food, you may command my servants, but you must respect my dog.’

 

In 1902 the showman was taken to court when he verbally attacked a manager who had asked him to remove Beauty from a theatre where he was topping the bill.

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