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Billed as the "Little Georgia Magnet", her
act consisted of feats of weight and motion resistance. Despite her tiny size, large male
volunteers would be unable to lift her or remove a pool cue in her hand. She was most famous
during the late 1800's, taking her act directly from the well-known Lulu
Hurst, but presenting herself as a physical phenomenon as well
as a spirit medium. Mattie Lee Price,
among others, also did a
resistance act.
Annie Abbott
performed from about 1885
until 1906. From her obituary in
the Macon Telegraph: "She appeared before virtually all
the royal houses of the world during the past fifteen years. It
is said that Dixie Jarratt Haygood, whose stage name was Annie
Abbott, had a strange 'power'. She could lift four men on a
chair by simply touching the chair. She could stand upon one foot
and resist the united efforts of four strong men to move her. She
could lift men into mid-air by placing her open hands upon their
heads. She is believed to have performed for the Prince of Wales,
Queen Victoria, the Czar of Russia, and other royalty of Europe."
She also taught her young son to perform
the act; a small boy was as much of a wonder performing the act as a
tiny woman.
The Resistance Act
was so popular that it was performed by a number of others,
including Mattie Lee Price,
Carrie Arnold, Anna Eva Fay, Mrs.
C.F. Coleman, and Mamie
Simpson.
Please
see the excellent information on Annie Abbott and the Resistance Act
written by An Trotter.
Enjoy
the facts here, but please don't copy this information and post it
on your own web site without getting our
permission first. It took many hours of research to compile. If you are doing a paper or project for
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