Schlitze

Biography

Schlitze's actual birth date and name remain unknown. Schlitze suffered from the condition microcephaly and mental retardation, commonly referred to as a "pinhead". It is also rumored that he had a sister, who also was a microcephalic. He was exhibited by Barnum as Maggie, the last of the Aztecs. Because the Mayans and other Meso-American cultures bound the heads of their elite to give them a cone shape, it is easy to see how Schlitze and the so-called Aztec children got their show names. For most of his career, Schlitze was dressed and exhibited as a girl, mainly because dresses simplified his bathroom needs. Schlitze was placed in an institution after 30 years in the sideshow business, where his health began to decline sharply. Mr. Sam Alexander, a Canadian promoter, took Schlitze back on the road, where he remained on the sideshow circuit until he died at age 70 in 1971.