From the Big Top to Oz

From the Big Top to Oz: The Bio of a Local Munchkin.

   Miss Cynthia Nickloy was born on August 12, 1902 in Mayfield, New York to parents of normal stature, William and Katie Lavoi Nickloy. She was the third of four children. She weighed 6 and 1/2 lbs. at birth and grew normally until her fourth year. Her schooling did not start until she reached her teens. The school board determined and claimed that her presence in the classroom would be a distraction.

    On March 25 of 1916, when she was 15 years old, her father took her to see a troupe of midgets managed by Leo Singer. They were performing at the Darling Theatre. A this time, Cynthia was 27 inches tall and weighed less than 25 lbs. After seeing the tiny girl, Mr. Singer opened negotiations with her father to join the troupe. He made a very generous offfer, however, Mr. Nickloy declined as Mr. Singer refused to let her father accompany her on the road saying he could not afford to pay for both Ms. Nickloy and her father.

    In 1921, Cynthia, age 19, was exhibited for the first time with the Sells-Floto Circus in a side show as "Tiny Atom". Her father travels with her. She has been provided special quarters and has her own furniture. In March, 1924 she tired of the circus life and decided to not renew her contract with Sells-Floto. She then had a brief stint with the Palmer Circus and where her father worked as an elephant man. She plans to help at home with the housework and sell photographs of herself as a means of support.

    Her retirement, however was short lived. She joined a vaudeville troupe in 1925, had her name changed to Princess Marguerite, and met her first husband. His legal name was Matius Mattina, of Budapest, Hungary, better known as "Ike" of the duo, Ike and Mike. As reported by the Associated Press, and the Savannah Herald, they were married in Savannah, Georgia at Forsythe Park on the bandstand by the Mayor of Savannah on April 10, 1925. Newspaper accounts say that the ceremony was attended by 1,000 people. They were given the bridal suite at the Geiger Hotel fitted with furniture to accomodate their small size.

   Dates vary as to when she joined Ringling Bros. Barnum and Baily Circus, but apparently, it was in the late 1920s - early 1930s. This circus last played Gloversville in July, 1931 with Princess Marguerite as a headliner.

    The Princess met Judy Garland at a Hollywood gathering of producers and actors who were meeting to discuss the "Wizard of Oz" idea. In the film she acted as Judy's coachman and frequently would shout......."Where is the wicked witch ?". A treasured memento of her time on the film is a photograph of Judy which says "To Marguerite, Love, from Judy. When the Glove Theatre showed the film, Ms. Nickloy made a personal appearance on stage. She had come home to rest and recover from a bus accident. While returning from Hollywood. she suffered a dislocated hip and other injuries when the bus collided with a gasoline truck.

    The end of her circus career came in Hartford, Connecticut with the Ringling Bros. Circus. Known as the Hartford, Conn. Circus fire on July 6, 1944, She was one of 487 injured in the greatest disaster in American Circus history. 169 people died in the fire. In her own words......"I was on a ladder getting ready to perform " (on the highwire) "I heard the crackling of fire and turned around. Someone shouted "Look out, the tent is falling down ". The rope she used to secure herself to the highwire caught fire. Unable to extricate herself from the rope, she crawled on her hands and knees to reach safety. "There was quite a panic" she said. In an attempt to get away from an elephant she fell, but somehow managed to escape and was treated on scene. For the remainder of her life she bore burn scars on her arm from the flaming rope.

    In 1945 the Princess married "Harry" a man of normal height and in 1946 gave birth to a baby girl who died a few months later. Shortly after, Harry disappeared. While dancing in the Silver Dollar nightclub in New York City, she fell and broke her leg. She returned to Gloversville and took up residence with her uncle, Harvey Woodin at 35 Orchard Street.
Cynthia Nickloy died on April 29, 1961 and, as she was indigent, the county buried her in the pauper's cemetery. Her grave remained unmarked for several years until the Mayfield Historical Society raised funds to place a marker at her grave in 2005.

Article by Judy Marcoux