Clico

The Story Of Franz Taaibosch

In the heyday of the American freak show, some exhibitors tried to pass off certain acts as 'educational,' because the people exhibited were from exotic, far-off lands. The educational content was virtually nil, however, as those exhibited were rarely what they were promoted as being. Such is the story of the man known as Clico, the Wild Dancing Bushman.
The story went that Clico was chasing an ostrich through the Kalahari Desert when he injured his leg. Captain Paddy Hepston came to his rescue and nursed him back to health, 'tamed' him by whipping him every day for six months, and then took him to Europe and made him a star. The truth was a little less dramatic, and a lot more believable.