The image of this creepy, but at the same time cute freak is familiar, probably, to everyone. Someone puts him on avatars, and someone writes comments under his photo like: "the boss has a new secretary." But not everyone knows - who is he, this ugly, but always laughing and incredibly good-natured person?
his name is Schlitzi Surtis or simply Schlitz. Perhaps his real name was Simon Metz. No one knows for certain about this, just as it is unknown where he was from and who his parents were. It is believed that Schlitzi was born on September 10, 1901 in New York, although some sources claimed that his homeland is Mexico. Today it is known that this is not true - the legend of Mexican origin was invented in order to represent him before the performances as "the last of the Aztecs." Schlitzi, like many freaks of that time, performed in the circus. Probably, he was bought or simply taken from his biological parents, information about which has not been preserved.
Schlitzi had an incurable congenital malformation - he was born with microcephaly, in which the growth of the skull, and with it the brain, stops in the baby while still in the womb. Because of which microcephaly have a very small brain volume and an underdeveloped skull, most often they are a little more than a meter tall. Schlitz, too, was clearly not a tall guy, his height was 122 cm, he suffered from myopia, moderate or severe mental retardation, and according to some reports, urinary incontinence. From which, according to some sources, he was often dressed in Hawaiian colorful clothes called "muu-muu", reminiscent of a women's loose-fitting dress (this type of clothing supposedly simplified its care). However, the people who knew him never mentioned that Schlitzi suffered from incontinence until old age, in addition, under the "dress" he often could see puckered trousers,therefore, the opinion about it is probably wrong.
Slot was dressed like a woman in order to add even more mystery to his image.
Most likely, Schlitzi wore effeminate clothes because he was often portrayed as a woman or androgyne - for the greater mysticism of his image. In general, Schlitzi, like many other monsters, was presented as "pinhead people" or "missing links of evolution." Schlitzi has also been shown to the public under the aforementioned name "The Last of the Aztecs", "Monkey Girl" or simply "What is this?" He performed in circus arenas along with other microcephalics, people with extra limbs, midgets and bearded women, but it was he who was remembered by the audience for his smile and cheerful laughter that never left his face. The life of the freaks of the circus can hardly be called happy, so Schlitzi can be called a real "ray of light in the dark kingdom." Schlitz's level of intellectual development was comparable to that of a 3-4-year-old child, he could speak individual words,a few simple phrases and, nevertheless, could perform various simple actions. It was believed that he was able to understand most of what he was told, had a quick reaction and had a great ability to imitate. Everyone who knew Schlitz described him as a sweet, lively and sociable person.
It is believed that the approximate number of microcephalic births is about 8 people per 5000 newborns. It is believed that children with microcephaly appear, first of all, in mothers who have consumed strong alcoholic drinks or, for example, cocaine during pregnancy. Microcephaly is incurable, patients with this disease are doomed to live by utter fools, but at the same time they are gentle, affectionate and friendly. These little people with a small head were always boldly taken to the streets and introduced to others, because they are simply unable to offend or frighten someone.
Throughout his long life, Schlitzie managed to perform on the arenas of all famous US circuses at the beginning of the last century. However, Schlitz made a truly famous role in the film of American filmmaker Tod Browning "Freaks" ("Freaks", 1932), where Schlitz played himself. Schlitzi played in some other films, for example, in an episode of the horror film "Island of Lost Souls" (1933), but only "Freaks" brought him great success.
A scene from the movie Freaks.
Promotional video:
Schlitz's "owners" were constantly changing, he wandered from one person to another, but in 1936, the monkey trainer George Surtis became Schlitz's legal guardian. Until his death in 1960, Surtis carefully took care of the little Slot, but after Surtis's death, the little and already elderly man had to be sent to an insane asylum in Los Angeles.
Circus troupe, which included Schlitzi.
Being in the madhouse, Schlitz stopped smiling, he was constantly sad about the circus - he really missed the fun carnivals, performances, circus friends and public attention. But soon he was lucky. At the hospital, he was recognized by the sword swallower Bill Unks, who set out to return him to the circus. The doctors readily agreed that their patient would be better off in the circus arena than in the ward of the insane asylum, so Schlitzie returned to the arena and joined the Unks troupe, whose employer was showman Sam Alexander.
Schlitzi was probably happy - he returned to his former glory and adoration of the public. He was often seen in city parks in Los Angeles, where he walked with his curator and fed buns to pigeons and ducks. And as soon as a few people gathered around the smiling fool with a bow on his head, a cheerful performance immediately began. This was until the very death of Schlitzi, when, at the age of 70, he died of bronchial pneumonia in September 1971. His grave in California remained unmarked for many years, until in 2009 Schitz fans managed to raise some money for a decent headstone.
Microcephaly are very good-natured people, reminiscent of young children in communication.
After his death, the already famous Schlitzi became a legend. Many souvenirs were issued in honor of him, many paintings were written.
Olga Fadeeva
