PRINCE RANDIAN
WRITHER, LINGUIST, LIMBLESS PERFORMER
Article by Jada Hampton
Prince Randian, also known as the “Human Caterpillar”, was a sideshow performer in the early 1900’s who was born with a congenital syndrome that left him without limbs.
Despite this syndrome, he proved throughout his life that he was capable of his own self -care, mental agility, and the completion of everyday tasks.
Uniquely Born
A young Randian posing for photo
Not much is known about his early life.
He was born into an enslaved family in October of 1871 in Demerara, British Guyana, a former British colony in South America.
With two otherwise normal parents, he was born with the autosomal recessive disorder, Tetra -amelia syndrome, which is the absence of all four limbs (arms and legs).
Those with the disease often develop severe medical abnormalities involving the skull and lungs that can cause stillbirth and death immediately after birth.
It is caused by a mutation in the WNT3 gene which produces the proteins that regulate healthy development of the limbs and body.
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Randian’s survival, despite the odds, is a miracle of its own being that few in history have been known to have the disease, let alone become circus performers.
Standing under three feet tall, he would be discovered by P.T Barnum and brought to the U.S in 1889 at eighteen years old.
The Act
Posing atop table in his wool garment
Going by the name “Prince Randian”, he became a star in the United States as crowds flocked to see him perform tasks such as rolling and lighting a cigarette, shaving, painting, and writing-all with the use of his mouth.
He can be seen in the 1932 MGM film “Freaks” rolling, lighting, and smoking a cigarette, though he was only featured for less than a minute.
He traveled around the country to museums, dime-shows, carnivals, and variety shows showcasing his abilities.
He was mostly seen in a wool garment meant to make him look like a caterpillar, as he would writhe in a worm-like way to move around.
Watch clip from 1932 film “Freaks”
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Prince Randian was also known as “The Living Torso”, “Snake Man”, and “Human Worm”.
The Final Show
Randian and wife “Princess Sarah”
Randian sustained long-time employment at Coney Island for over forty years, as well as Krause Amusement Company since the 1920’s.
An impressive man, he spoke several languages including German, French, and English.
He also fathered four or five normal children with his Hindu wife, known as “Princess Sarah”, and retired to Paterson, New Jersey.
On December 19, 1934, he died of a heart attack hours after his last performance in a Jersey museum.
Randian has the legacy of defying expectations and being the encompassment of charm, intelligence, humor, and wit to those who had the pleasure of knowing him.
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SOURCES
“161 Year Old Nurse to George Washington.” Bethel Historical Society, www.bethelhistoricalsociety.com/index-joice-heth.htm. Accessed 17 Aug. 2020.
Cervone, Vincent. “Joice Heth (c.1756 -1836).” George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Washing- ton Library, www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/ joice-heth-c-1756-1836/.
“Joice Heth Exhibit.” Lostmuseum.Cuny.Edu, American Social History Productions, lostmuse um.cuny.edu/archive/exhibit/heth. Accessed 16 Aug. 2020.
PT Barnum - The Greatest Showman on Earth. “P.T. Barnum.” Biography, 25 Nov. 2017, www.biography.com/business-figure/pt-barnum