Barnum’s senile efforts for publicity were not always judicious. When Cleveland was nominated for President, Barnum wrote a letter to the press, without consulting either his partner or his press agent. He wrote that “should Cleveland be elected, I will sell all my real estate at 25 cents on the dollar.” This statement cost the circus many thousands of dollars, for Cleveland was very popular in the South, and the circus that year was compelled to restrict its tour to anti-Cleveland territory. Even a few years later rival showmen in the South reproduced Barnum’s letter on Cleveland in the newspapers as his show approached each town. On another occasion a woman approached Barnum outside the Murray Hill Hotel, where he always stayed when the circus was in New York, and asked him where was 125th Street. “Is it too far to walk?” she asked in a tired voice. The wealthy old man genially gave her five cents. The same day, a few hours later, the same woman approached him with the same questions. He handed her over to a policeman, and he forced the press agent of the circus against his better judgment to send the story of this experience to all the newspapers for its publicity value. In his account for the newspapers Barnum wrote that “he had done the community a service.” When he was at Chicago, after the return of the circus from Europe, Barnum suggested to the newspapers that the World’s Fair should place on exhibition the mummies of Pharaoh Rameses II and his family, and also the mummy of the daughter of Pharaoh who had saved Moses from the bulrushes. “Every Hebrew in the world,” said Barnum, “would go to see them out of hatred. Every one in Christendom would go to see them out of curiosity. I instructed one of my men to offer $100,000 for them for a year.” But the offer was not accepted. Barnum also said that he liked the idea of showing every man, woman, and child in the free country of America, “the face of the despot,” but a thoughtful reporter pointed out that if the face were shown, free from its casings and wrappings, it would crumble into dust. The World’s Fair did not consider Barnum’s suggestion worth attention.