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diff --git a/old/62113-0.txt b/old/62113-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8e489c7..0000000 --- a/old/62113-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6401 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of On the Road With a Circus, by W. C. Thompson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: On the Road With a Circus - -Author: W. C. Thompson - -Release Date: May 13, 2020 [EBook #62113] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ON THE ROAD WITH A CIRCUS *** - - - - -Produced by WebRover, MFR, David E. Brown, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - -[Illustration: EAGER THRONG AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE.] - - - - - On the Road - With a Circus - - W. C. THOMPSON - - [Illustration] - - NEW YORK - - NEW AMSTERDAM BOOK COMPANY - - 1905 - - - - - Copyright, 1903, - By W. C. THOMPSON - - Copyright, 1905, - By NEW AMSTERDAM BOOK COMPANY - - _On the Road With a Circus._ - - - - -TABLE OF CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. PAGE - The Modern Circus, 5 - - CHAPTER II. - Arrival and Debarkation, 29 - - CHAPTER III. - Early Scenes on the Lot, 43 - - CHAPTER IV. - The Parade, 58 - - CHAPTER V. - The Side-Show, 67 - - CHAPTER VI. - At the Main Entrance, 86 - - CHAPTER VII. - The Menagerie Tent, 101 - - CHAPTER VIII. - Life with the Performers, 116 - - CHAPTER IX. - Night Scenes and Embarkation, 147 - - CHAPTER X. - The Circus Detective, 157 - - CHAPTER XI. - The Autobiography of a Circus Horse, 164 - - CHAPTER XII. - The Circus Band, 175 - - CHAPTER XIII. - With the Elephants, 181 - - CHAPTER XIV. - The General Manager, 197 - - CHAPTER XV. - American Circus Triumphant, 208 - - CHAPTER XVI. - The Old-Fashioned Circus, 219 - - CHAPTER XVII. - The Circus Press Agent, 233 - - - - -ON THE ROAD WITH A CIRCUS - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE MODERN CIRCUS - - -The faithful recording of daily life with one of the “big shows,” -wandering with it under all vicissitudes, fortunate or adverse, is -the errand on which this book is sent. You and I will travel from the -distraction and tumult of the summer season to the congenial quiet -of winter quarters, and survey operations from the hour when new -and unwonted scenes and sounds startle city quiet or country seat -retirement until the stealthy breaking of the white encampment and -the departure from town. We will scrutinize the entrance of strangers -into strange lands and observe the rising and expansion of the tents -as an army of men stamp their image upon the earth. Our astonished -eye will gaze upon the gorgeous pageant of the parade and returning -to the grounds will peer freely and familiarly about the place of -strange sounds and entrancing sights. We will watch the master mind -of the circus and his associates in counsel and action. We will study -the life, character, and habits of the motley throng of “show” people -and learn of morals and manners, of hopes and fears, of trials and -solicitudes; and we will pass sunny hours on meadows enamelled with -violets and daisies and goldened with buttercups and dandelions, where -the circus is passing its day. - -We circus people have so high an opinion of our good qualities that -we are not ashamed to introduce ourselves to you. As pilgrims with -no abiding city, leading a life of multiplied activities and varied -fortunes amid scenes of din and turmoil, hurry and agitation, our -platform is courage, ambition, and energy, governed by honest purpose -and tempered by humanity. We have our infirmities, our faults, and -our sins, but also our virtues, our excellences, and our standards of -perfection, and a discerning world has come no longer to regard us as -unscrupulous invaders, but as invited and welcome guests. The voice of -joy and health resounds through our ranks; we are united in fraternal -good-will unbroken by dissension, our life of weal and woe is ever -invested with peculiar delightful fascination, and boisterous relish -transports itself from town to town. Memory clings with fond tenacity -to halcyon days with the circus. - -Sometime between 1820 and 1830 (circus annals tell not exactly the -year), near what is now New York City, while a red-coated band blew -forth a merry melody, a round-top tent swelled upward. The parents -of some of the present-day performers remember the day. It was the -first cloth circus shelter erected in this country, and then what was -formerly an open-air show assumed the dignity and importance of an -under-cover performance. A crude enough affair it was, as compared with -the perfection and finish of the modern circus. The flags and streamers -and bunting which add grace and beauty waved no friendly greeting; the -clamorous welcome of side-show orators and ticket sellers was wanting; -no menagerie offered its accumulated wealth of curious and snarling -beasts; human curiosity had not been awakened by the overpowering -splendor and magnificence of a preliminary parade; there was a lack -of sentiment and excitement and appeal to the senses; only din and -confusion and broiling heat. From this mean beginning has come the -marvellous circus of to-day, involving a business so extensive that few -people possess anything but the vaguest conception of its magnitude, -organization, and methods of operation. - -Underlying the pomp and glitter and the odor of sawdust and naphtha -is a system of government and management whose scale and scope are -stupendous and staggering. No human institution is more perfect in -operation and direction. Surely no more flattering tribute could be -paid than that officially given us by the United States Government. -Officers from the army department, skilled veterans in their -profession, critically observed the swift sequence of proceedings -when we showed in Washington--the early arrival of the trains; the -rapid debarkation; the magical growth of the white encampment; the -parade passing with measured tread through deeply lined streets; the -scene on the grounds and at the performances, and the pulling down at -night and the hurried, though orderly, departure. Then Gen. Nelson A. -Miles surveyed the scene and expressed wonder and admiration. Finally -there came a request that two representatives of the department be -permitted to accompany the circus for two weeks. To the Government -had come a realization that the modern circus offered lessons in the -transportation and handling of men and horses, canvas and vehicles. -And when the Barnum & Bailey Show was in Europe, the monarch of one of -the world-powers, visiting under tents incognito, confessed that he -had profited immensely by what he had witnessed, and proposed to put -into immediate effect many of the original working arrangements of the -circus. For instance, astonished at the ease and celerity with which -the heavy circus wagons were run on to the cars by means of a block and -tackle and an inclined plane, he admitted, ruefully, that in his vast -army they had been hoisting their artillery over the sides of the cars. -It remained for the American circus to bring appreciation of the waste -of time and labor. - -So to the humble employee of the circus who wanders with it from -place to place, one day in one town and the next perhaps one hundred -miles distant for a period of more than thirty weeks, is a part of -the strange daily life, witnesses the emergencies constantly met and -dealt with and the perplexing obstacles overcome, comes a forcible and -convincing knowledge that it is not an ungodly thing to be questioned -and looked at askance, but a genial, legitimate, business enterprise, -based upon sound principles and conducted upon the highest lines of -ability and responsibility by men who assumed a risk at which the -nerviest professional gambler would hesitate. The amount of capital -invested is several million dollars; no insurance company will give -protection. The dangers of the road are never absent. A cataclysm of -damage suits is a constant peril. Rainy weather, preventing performance -and profit, may be a companion for months. There must be constant -renewal of costly perishable property. Deaths of costly rare animals -may swallow up the receipts of days. Continual other dangers and -losses, of whose frequency, gravity, and magnitude the general public -has no adequate conception, are encountered. Against these ruining -possibilities the circus stakes. - - * * * * * - -There is a popular misapprehension regarding the profits of the circus -business. Some of the large organizations have continued in existence -for periods of several years without returning a cent on the investment -or at an actual operating loss. Less strongly financed tented shows -succumb. The circus is an infallible register of the monetary condition -of the country. Hard times are reflected in it, and prosperity -fills it with joyous evidence. The daily expenses of our circus are -placed by the management at over $5,000, and a moment’s calculation -discloses that the receipt of this amount of money is not the quick -operation surface conditions often indicate. The average daily free -admissions are eleven hundred. These are largely the tickets given for -bill-posting privileges. This territory embraces, generally, forty -miles on the lines of all converging railroads and a distance of twenty -miles in both directions from the tracks. City officials, newspapers, -and a throng of others claim the remaining gratuitous entrance passes. -Sometimes the number is larger. In one city we have been obliged to -place three thousand free tickets. - -Experienced circus owners reckon that one-quarter of the attendance -comprises children under nine years of age and who pay half-rate, -twenty-five cents. Thus it will be seen that some thirteen thousand -persons, including those with free tickets, must pass the door each -day before a dollar’s profit has been yielded from this source for the -management. Our “big top’s” capacity is ten thousand persons. One -realizes, after consideration of these facts and figures, how necessary -it is that there be few vacant seats at either performance to insure a -profit for the day, and how often the net revenue is supplied entirely -by side-show, peanuts, popcorn, lemonade, and other small departments. -Moreover, when the casual observer convinces himself that the huge tent -is full to repletion, he is often badly mistaken. The circus usher must -perform his duty with great care and systematic thoroughness, else he -will permit the man who has paid for one seat to occupy two or more. - - * * * * * - -The circus does not run its season, dissolve, and disperse. In winter -the entire establishment is maintained. Only the performers and -workmen are dropped, and with the former this is generally a mere -suspension of service, for contracts are frequently made for several -years. Owners, managers, contracting agents, advertising agents, press -agents, treasurer, bookkeepers, and others, find no idle moments. -Rolling stock, suffering from the hard effects of a season’s campaign, -needs painter and carpenter; new acts and novelties must be secured -to keep abreast of the times; the new route must be laid out and -considered; and to do this the management must know the population -and character of every town; have information of the condition of -business, vicissitudes of the year and the prospects for the coming -season; know the national, state, and municipal law and the character -of licenses, and the price of food for man and beast; keep track of -floods, droughts, or disasters to crops or people; be conversant with -the periods of ploughing and harvesting; learn what railroads run in -and out of town, their grades and condition, the extent, strength, and -height of tunnels and bridges and the relative positions of railroad -yards and the show lot; and find out the condition of the soil wherever -the circus is booked in case of rain, and provide in advance for such -a contingency. The circus is a fair-weather show and the management -must have a definite knowledge of wet and dry seasons, to avoid -encountering, so far as human foresight is possible, unpropitious -meteorological conditions. - -The question of transportation is the most careful one involved, and -upon its cost and facilities the route of the circus is in a great -measure determined. For instance, up in agricultural Windsor county, -in southeastern Vermont, nestles the village of White River Junction. -It boasts a weekly newspaper, a public school, and a national and a -savings bank. Its population does not exceed fifteen hundred; yet the -big circuses make annual pilgrimages thither because it is a local -trade centre, the Boston and Maine, Central Vermont and Woodstock -railroads converge upon it, and there the White and Connecticut -rivers merge their waters. Its selection for exhibition purposes is -a good illustration of the important part transportation facilities -play in arranging routes. White River Junction itself would not -turn out patrons enough to pay for the menagerie’s food, but the -throngs conveyed there by train and boat always fill the tents. So -it is all over the country, barring the large cities. It is not so -much the character and size of the place picked for the tents as its -topographical position and drawing powers. - -All through the winter a corps of women is busy on new uniforms and -trappings for man, woman, and beast. There are rich plush and gold -bullion galore in this workshop. The pretty spangles that will glitter -in the ring are being sewed in place, the elephants are getting new -jackets of royal purple and gold, and the camels are being fitted -out afresh for the parade. Some of these gorgeous fittings are very -expensive, but the circus management calculates that they must be -renewed every year. The outlay for hats, boots, and other articles of -attire for the army is heavy and ceaseless. - - * * * * * - -Circus day, to the men who have hundreds of thousands of dollars -invested, it will be seen, means the culmination of long and careful -and systematic preparation. To get ready for the day has been the -work of many months and has employed the talents and attention of men -wonderfully expert in their particular fields. The advance staff of -one of the “big shows” usually consists of a general agent, a railway -contractor, an executive agent, several general contracting agents, -and assistants; car No. 1, carrying eighteen to twenty persons; first -regular advertising car No. 2, bearing the chief press agent, car -manager, and from twenty to twenty-five men; car No. 3, with eighteen -to twenty men; car No. 4, carrying a special press agent and car -manager and from twelve to fourteen men, including “route riders” and -special ticket agents; next and finally, the “layer-out,” who is one -day ahead of the circus. - -The railroad contractor is the first man out. He is familiar to the -finest details with every railroad in the country--its mileage, -connections, yard facilities, bridges and tunnels. He plans, besides -arranging for the transportation of the circus trains, the special -excursions which will converge upon the town on the specified day of -exhibition. The general contracting agent follows. He makes contracts -for feed, lot, accommodations for advance men, livery teams, and -billboards. The contracts of these two men involve many thousands of -dollars every week and must pass the rigid scrutiny of the experienced -general agent. No detail of the business is unfamiliar to him. - -Car No. 1 is professionally known as the “skirmishing car.” It is -most frequently called into service to fight opposition. As soon as -a railway contractor of a rival circus puts in an appearance on the -route the general manager is promptly notified. There is at once a -formidable concentration of forces at the threatened point. No stone is -left unturned or chance overlooked to gain an advantage; and the circus -man is resourceful of schemes and plots. Billboards, barns, fences, -hedges, trees, windows, and all other available space is bought up with -apparently reckless expenditures. Banners, printed on muslin, are swung -from walls and awnings. Sometimes more money than will be realized on -show day is spent in this fight for publicity, but the circus regrets -not a cent of it if the opposition has been taught a lesson and will -not venture again to cross the path. - -Attached to a passenger train and about four weeks ahead of the show, -comes car No. 2. The general contracting press agent is aboard with his -advertising cuts and prepared advertising matter, or keeping pace with -it on the route. Sometimes there is a steam calliope, which produces -marvellous sonorific effects at sundown, to the dismay of all who live -in the immediate neighborhood, but calling obtrusive attention to the -approach of the circus. The force of men bills and lithographs for -miles around. Each team has a native driver who knows every road and -every inhospitable bulldog. Permission is always secured from the owner -or lessee of the spot selected for decoration, for without his consent, -the astute showman knows, a poster becomes soon a thing of shreds and -tatters. In return for the privilege an order is given on the circus -for tickets, which is promptly honored if the agreement has been -honestly kept. - -The men on two other cars see to it that the work of their predecessors -is followed up carefully. Various neglected preliminary work is in -their charge. They replace posters torn down or mutilated and try -to find new points of advantage. They check up and report every -discrepancy of the other advance men, too, and send a detailed report -to the general agent. The last man before the arrival of the circus is -the “layer-out” or “twenty-four-hour man.” He inspects the lot, fixes -the route of the procession, and performs a variety of other final -duties. - -Sometimes a stereopticon man is sent out, but not unless there is -opposition or the outlook for the day’s business is bad. He stretches -a big white sheet on a popular corner and entertains the town for an -evening, adroitly advertising the show and putting the people in good -humor. - -A general agent estimates for me that the score of pretentious circuses -employ, during at least seven months of the year, an average of fifty -bill-posters each, making a total of six hundred men, outside of -agents, contractors, inspectors, etc. To properly transport, supply, -and provide for these employees it requires not less than thirty-six -advertising cars, which, in the course of a season, cover every part -of the American continent and the better part of Europe. These men -post upward of one hundred and seventy thousand sheets of paper daily, -and as their display of paper usually has a thirty days’ showing for -each day’s exhibition, it is safe to estimate that from five millions -to five millions two hundred thousand sheets are in sight for six -months of the year. To-day the public often measures the value of -an enterprise largely by the size and character of its posters. The -development of poster printing and bill posting is due largely to the -demands of the circus. Not all the commercial advertisers put together -use posters so liberally as do the combined circus interests. The -requirements of the circus built the boards and the results obtained -forced the business to become a permanent and recognized factor in -active commercial life. - -One big circus used in a season seventy-seven kinds of posters, varying -in size from one to sixty sheets and let loose on the public twelve -publications, from a four-sheet to a twenty-page courier. They had a -total edition of five million four hundred thousand copies. - -The elevated standard of morality among circus men and women is a -revelation to one who lives with them from day to day and is their -close companion. The atmosphere and environment seem charged with -health and happiness, virtue and vigor. Drunkenness is not tolerated in -any form. Immediate discharge, no matter who or what the rank of the -offender, is its penalty, and except in isolated instances among the -canvasmen there is seldom provocation for punishment. Of other vices -which are prevalent in many walks of life there is no evidence. The -very nature of the business, with its claims on brain and body, forbids -immoral or vicious excesses. Those who indulge in them are looked -upon with coldness by their associates and made to feel themselves -delinquents. Gambling is strictly prohibited, and fines are imposed -upon the employee who is heard using profane or vulgar language. The -women of the circus are not permitted even to engage in conversation -with any one not directly connected with the show. Most of them spend a -few hours each Sunday in church. A fine awaits the luckless man caught -exchanging words with an outside woman. It is the effort and aim of the -management, too, to inculcate a spirit of good-fellowship and enduring -affection, founded upon mutual respect and esteem. It demands that all -be obliging and civil, answer questions politely, assist patrons in -distress, smooth ruffled tempers, in short, make people who go to the -circus feel at home, have a good time, and want to come again. - - * * * * * - -Circus folk, like sailors, are perhaps the most superstitious people -in the world. They have numerous curious beliefs and all possess pet -superstitions. Disease, disaster and death are presaged in their minds -by signs and wonders. Few are without amulets and charms. Four-leafed -clovers, made as pendants in silver or glass, and rabbits’ feet set in -silver are favorites to ward off evil. Many have horseshoes nailed to -their trunks for luck. To see three white horses in succession and no -red-headed woman is a forerunner of good luck. So, too, they declare, -is the sight of a boxed corpse in a railroad station as the train -rolls in. It is an ill omen to catch a glimpse of the death receptacle -when leaving a town. Tapping a hunchback on his hump is sure to result -favorably, and a white speck showing on the finger nail indicates -auspicious things. The appearance of a white foamy spot on the surface -of a cup of coffee or tea denotes “money,” and should be at once -swallowed intact. To open an umbrella in a house is sure to result in a -shower of trouble, and one’s future is risked by going under a ladder. -Breaking a mirror is significant of death and seven years’ ill-luck. If -undergarments are put on wrong side out, it is tempting fate to change -them until removed for the night. A peacock’s presence is fraught with -promise of dire evil, and a stuffed bird or a fan of its feathers bodes -ill for the owner. To eat while a bell is tolling for a funeral will -bring misfortune. The hooting of owls at night is ominous of death. Bad -luck may be expected if a mouse gnaws a gown. To rock an empty cradle -will entail injury to the child who should occupy it. Salt spilt at -the table is a warning of a quarrel, unless a pinch of the mineral is -promptly thrown over the right shoulder. Stray cats have their terrors, -but a black one is welcome. - -Many performers invariably go into the ring putting the right foot -forward. If they neglect to do this they back out and re-enter. All -believe a cross-eyed man should never be permitted inside, the tents; -evil times accompany him. Few foreigners fail to cross themselves -before performing, and nearly all wear strange charms. Many circus -people regard a color or a combination of colors as a hoodoo. None -would venture to cross a funeral, and I have seen those who turn their -backs until a death procession has passed out of sight and hearing. All -believe Friday an unlucky day, and are sure there are fortunate and -unfortunate hours in every day. If Friday falls on the thirteenth day -of a month, it will bring misfortune, for thirteen cuts a wide swath in -the profession. - -In marked contrast to the popular notions of the rank and file of -circus men is the practice of Mr. James A. Bailey, who founds his -business conduct along lines tending to discourage superstition. Friday -is his accepted choice upon which to make an important move--the Barnum -& Bailey show left America on Friday--and he welcomes the figure 13 in -any transaction. His marvellously successful career perplexes credulous -associates. - - * * * * * - -The slang and colloquialisms of the circus form a secret language in -themselves, a collection of jargon, racy, pungent, and pregnant of -meaning, and always used in familiar conversation. “Stall,” as noun -or verb, is a popular and widely employed expression. It indicates -anything tending to conceal real intention, a confederate who diverts -attention, an accomplice under cover. For instance, “I am stalling -for a walkaway,” if I refrain from notifying a customer that he has -forgotten his change. The “walkaway,” a flurried, absent-minded, or -hurrying person who leaves his return money behind, is legion and a -constant source of joy to the ticket-seller. “Nix” is a significant -circus watchword, whose utterance generally is the signal announcing -the approach of some one in authority or who is not a confidant. It is -used, too, as the curt form of request to desist from word or deed. The -exhibition place is never anything but a “lot” in circus parlance, and -the organization itself is referred to as the “show.” A “snack-stand” -is the improvised structure at railroad depot or show ground where a -hasty bite of food can be obtained. The men who sell candy, popcorn, -lemonade and the like are “butchers.” The tents are “tops” in the -circus vocabulary. The canvas under which the performance is given is -known as the “big top,” the eating tent as the “cook top,” and so on. -One might travel a season with a circus and not hear the word tent -mentioned. The side-show is the “kid show,” as the vernacular of the -profession has it. - -Employees are “working” whether driving stakes, throwing somersaults, -or sitting on exhibition as a curiosity. The broad license of the -word is amusing to the stranger who hears the Albino, whose sole -occupation is to receive the stares of side-show visitors, remark -that “she didn’t work yesterday,” but remained in the car all day. -The rallying-cry, “Hey Rube!” has become a vague memory among modern -circuses. Ample police protection is assured nowadays, the character of -circus employees is higher and the discipline is sterner, and the days -of sanguinary encounters among themselves or with town rowdies are gone -forever. The inaugural procession around the tent is the circus man’s -“tournament.” A “grafting” show is the circus with dishonest motives, -as described in another chapter, and its “fixer” or “squarer” is the -man who makes the corrupt arrangement with town officials. In circus -dialect “yap” and “simp” indicate a credulous rustic who is easy prey -for sharpers. - -The policeman in plain clothes is rather contemptuously referred to -as a “flattie.” A trunk is known as a “keester” and a valise as a -“turkey.” Circus dialect for a man is always “guy,” and the proprietor -of the show is invariably styled “the main guy,” or the “main squeeze.” -The former appellation is probably adapted from the fact that the -main guy rope holds the tent in position. To “fan a guy” is to make -an examination to discover whether or not he is carrying concealed -weapons. A pocketbook is a “leather,” a watch a “super,” and a watch -chain a “slang.” “Lid” signifies a hat and a ticket is called a -“fake.” A complimentary ticket or a railroad pass has no other name -than “brod.” An elephant in circus language is never anything except a -“bull.” The showman’s word for peanuts is “redhots,” and their lemonade -concomitant is designated “juice.” “Plain juice” is water. Human eyes -are “lamps,” and heads are chosen “nuts.” - -The posters and lithographs sent out in advance are “paper,” and the -programmes and other literature are distinguished as “soft stuff.” -Side-show orators have the cognomens “spielers” and “blowers,” and the -employee who has charge of the naphtha torches, which are “beacons” in -the circus world, is known as the “chandelier man.” Reserved seats -are alluded to as “reserved,” and all other allotted sitting space -is termed “the blues,” derived from the painted color of the boards. -Clowns are “joys” and the other performers “kinkers.” - - * * * * * - -The history of the circus records many disasters by fire, wind, -and wreck, but only a few solitary instances in which patrons have -suffered. In none of the vocations of life, in times of crisis, are -given better examples of energy, daring, discipline, and power of -command and obedience. For more than a score of years, since the old -method of overland horse and wagon mode of transportation was abandoned -for the swift, modern steam-engine way, hardly a year has failed to -catalogue a catastrophe entailing loss of life and property and human -and animal misery. Yet death and damage are confined to the ranks of -the show people. - -[Illustration: CIRCUS ENCAMPMENT AT EARLY DAWN.] - -Railroads are notoriously indifferent to the interests of the long, -heavy circus trains in their temporary keeping. Accidents in transit -are frequent. A misplaced switch, confusion in running schedules, a -careless engineer or trainman, may bring impoverishing adversity. The -circus is never exempt from peril, when planted for the day in apparent -security, when journeying from town to town or when housed in wood or -brick. Misfortune follows, too, even to winter quarters, where, -perhaps, general impression assumes to the circus owner freedom from -care and apprehension. There are many things conspiring to make him old -before his time. - - * * * * * - -The Southern States generally yield good profits, but the crowds are -more disorderly, often, than in any other section of the country. Guns -protrude from many pockets and their owners are eager for a chance to -brandish or discharge them. Inflamed by whiskey, these circus visitors -are a constant menace to life and property. It is only by an exercise -of great diplomacy that we escape frequent trouble. Mississippi is -greatly accredited among showmen with being the most dangerous State -in the Union, as is the police force of Philadelphia called the most -efficient for their purposes. The New York bluecoats are called upon -for little display of their ability and organization with the circus -established in the stone and wood of Madison Square Garden. Municipal -officers throughout the South have the reputation, whether justified or -not, of being past grand masters in the subtle art of “shake-down,” the -circus man’s parlance for palpably unfair means of extracting money. -Extortionate fees are levied for all privileges, and in many cities -hordes of professional damage seekers await a pretense of excuse for -demanding money. - -In one city, for instance, the owner of the land on which we exhibited -gave plain directions as to its area and they were abided by. At eleven -o’clock, when all the preliminary work of the day had been performed, -his neighbor rushed to the lot and demanded four hundred dollars; his -property, a worthless patch of rocky soil, had been encroached upon six -feet by one end of the “big top!” It was a frank attempt at extortion -and the native nursed the conviction that the circus was powerless to -do aught but pay. Little did he imagine the resourceful energy of the -showman in a crisis! Under the owner’s personal supervision, the big -reaches of canvas were levelled again, while the landholder stood by in -amazement. At noon, an hour and a half after the unreasonable demand, -the circus had moved itself the required distance and taught the -Southerner a lesson he will not forget. - -The incident is an example of the deliberate purpose of many persons -to take unfair advantage of the circus and illustrates how completely -their nefarious plans sometimes go awry. - -Trouble came unceasing that same day. The crowd was ugly and seeking -fight, and some of its members even invaded the rings and insulted -performers. We were told that night that ours was the only circus that -ever left town without undergoing the annoyance of having the side -ropes cut, a playful prank of the place. On the night journey from lot -to cars, the hippopotamus cage tipped over and was righted with great -difficulty, while the huge inmate roared his fright and disapproval. -Later, the big vehicle conveying the side-show paraphernalia collapsed -near the same spot and made more work and delay, and filled the roughs -with glee at our plight. The colored “snack stand” proprietors, who, -of course, are no part of the show, were robbed of their proceeds by -native thieves, amid great wailing, and a colored man was killed by the -cars in the confusion at the loading place. The circus men were the -only witnesses to rush to him in the hope of giving relief. Never were -men, women, and children happier over a change of scene than when our -trains moved to new environments. - -During the night run, a desperate attempt was made to rob the money -wagon. Two men were busily working with brace and bit and hammer and -saw, when the watchman, patrolling his lonely beat along the line -of cars, came upon them. They jumped from the slow-moving train and -escaped in the darkness. - - * * * * * - -The well-organized circus seldom misses a performance. Rain and mud are -its enemies, but their combined endeavors only infrequently prevent -erection of tents, and the parade and exhibition which then infallibly -follow. There are instances in which the elements have upset plans for -two or three successive days, but conditions are seldom so unkind. -Shovel and pickaxe and beds of absorbing straw accomplish wonders. If -denied the opportunity to erect the “big top,” sometimes the show is -given in the less expansive menagerie tent and the animal cages are -kept on the cars. The enforced arrangement is unsatisfactory to circus -man and patron, but to the former it gives the consolation that the day -will not be entirely without receipts. - -The recuperative powers of the circus are marvellous. Many a show which -has been almost entirely exterminated by a railroad wreck or other -disaster has within a few weeks again taken up the thread of dates. The -reason for this quick restoration is that duplicates of almost every -necessity can be obtained. A hurry call brings a new tent to replace -the damaged one. Men who make a business of supplying circus menageries -with animals ship a great new variety at once, and in an incredibly -short time the renewed show is on the move once more. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -ARRIVAL AND DEBARKATION - - -Through the gloom of night and the dusk of early morning the heavy -circus train labors on its journey to transient destination. The -distance diminishes slowly. Sometimes the line of cars is shunted to -one side and stands patient and inert while expresses clatter by; -again, its dragging weight defies the straining efforts of the engine, -and it is left in solitary helplessness while the iron horse scurries -off for aid; often the cars are rattled together with body-racking -violence. Farmers in the barnyards rub their eyes in mute astonishment -at the moving spectacle, and cattle scamper from fright. Other trains -are in hot pursuit. Their burden, too, is man and beast and varied -showy paraphernalia. Four or five sections are required to transport -the vast and wondrous effects of the circus. - -A quiet, unpretending village has already begun to assume an air of -stir and animation. Festal circus day is at hand. Parents and children -line the railroad approach and eagerly seize upon all points of -vantage. Keen curiosity and joyful anticipation are depicted on every -face. The railroad yards are empty of rolling stock, and switchmen and -engines are ready to receive and admit the travelling pageant and pilot -it to a place convenient to its needs. No preparatory arrangement that -human foresight can conceive has been neglected. - -The intuitive welcoming shouts of boys and girls, a blurred slender -outline in the distance, the screeching of railway whistles and the -hurried orders of officials. Then a pressure of brakes, a crunching of -wheels and a rattle of coupling pins. The circus has arrived! - -One of the first to alight is the circus mail-carrier, who hurries off -to the post-office. Important mail may await his coming and there must -be no delay in its delivery. This is the first of three trips to the -government station he will make that day, and between these journeys, -which are frequently long and tedious, he will perform a variety of -other work allotted to him at the lot. He knows by name every employee -of the show, and his prompt and accurate service is rewarded at the -close of each season with a purse of contributed money which invariably -approaches a thousand dollars. At his heels is the general manager -whose multifarious duties require early rising. The circus detective -follows behind, scrutinizing faces and figures, conferring with -railroad officials and approaching by easy stages the local police -station. There are two sleeping-cars carrying performers and business -staff on the first section. A great brushing of clothes and final -completion of toilet, performed generally on the car platforms, precede -their departure from the railroad yards. - -The first section is known as the “baggage train.” It bears the -paraphernalia necessary to the immediate wants of the encampment, -as follows: stake and chain wagons, canvas wagons, side-pole and -centre-pole wagons, side-show wagon, stable wagons, water-tank wagons, -cook-tent and blacksmith wagons, chandelier wagon, about two hundred -draft horses, all dressing-room necessities except the trunks, the two -performers’ and business staff’s sleeping-cars and the cars of most of -the workingmen and their horses. - -In the second train are jack wagon, the tableaux wagons, the elephants -and camels and their keepers, performing, ring and baggage horses, seat -and stringer wagons, “property” wagons, and all the appliances for -performers and their baggage. The third and other sections carry more -sleeping-cars and all the cages. - -Twenty-two horses are allotted to each stock car. There are animals -of all kinds and colors and sizes, from the saucy ponies and fleet, -slender chariot beasts to the big, white ring and the heavily harnessed -draft horses. The circus carries close to half a thousand of these -equines. They are so loaded that they must needs stand erect during -the journey, for injury and perhaps death, experience has taught, -is the inevitable result of one of the brutes disposing himself, by -accident or design, in any other position. The packing of them so close -together that the possibility of this disaster is precluded is a duty -delegated to the “wedge horse” of each car. After every other animal -has taken his accustomed place at night and when to the lay observer -they are as tightly compressed as safety demands, the trained “wedge -horse” scampers up the inclined plane and burrows his way between -the two animals in the centre of the car. He shoves and pushes until -he is accommodated, and not until then is the boss hostler satisfied -that there will be no accident. Although it would appear that they are -crowded to unnecessary extreme, the circus man understands that the -compression in reality renders the railroad trip more comfortable, -for the wrenches and jars incidental to the journey have far less -deleterious effect upon them than would be the case if they were -loosely loaded. - -Each driver has his team of two, four, six, eight, or ten horses -and he makes two trips to the exhibition ground. Each wagon has its -number, and each day and night the same man and beasts have it in -charge. The drivers seem to have an intuitive knowledge of topography. -Often the lot is several miles distant from the place of arrival -and unloading, but these men of the reins are never confused as to -locality or direction. They make the most complicated journeys without -hesitation or mistake, seldom resorting to interrogating the native -residents. Roads curve and wind in a manner most bewildering, but they -keep steadily toward the scene of exhibition. These rides through -pretty suburban streets in the gray light of the morning are often -very delightful and invigorating. Generally, sidewalks are lined and -porches packed with people eager to get their first glance of the -circus, though its beauty and grandeur are hid. Frequently the trains -are shifted during the day, and night, with its blackness, finds the -circus cars awaiting their loads in an entirely different section of -the town. The drivers are informed of the change, but it is left to -their keen perceptions to make the trip by the shortest route. This is -no simple accomplishment, in the gloom of streets and with landmarks -entirely unfamiliar, but it is performed without blunder or inaccuracy. -The number of accidents to man and beast in these nocturnal wanderings -is remarkably insignificant, due, in a great measure, to the skill of -the reinsmen and their coolness in emergencies. Sometimes steep hills, -rough roads, or sharp corners bring disaster, but not frequently. The -wagons progress to their destination behind four-, six-, eight-, and -ten-horse teams as smoothly, safely, and swiftly as the local doctor -goes his rounds. - -The money wagon is early off the train and on its way to the lot. -Inside is the assistant treasurer of the show, who has been shuffled -about continually during the time allotted to slumber, but whom long -service has inured to the racking. He is there to guard that part of -the coin and bills which has not been expressed to New York. There is -not an instance on record of a successful attempt to loot the money -wagon of a circus, although many showmen wonder that the apparently -inviting opportunity offered has not been seized. This immunity, -I suppose, rests on the basis of knowledge that there are no more -courageous, determined fighters than circus employees. For daring, -hardihood, and bodily prowess they have no superiors. The boldest -highwayman may, well hesitate before he takes liberties with the money -wagon. He would find a man inside ready and experienced in gun play, -and a party of circus workmen whose duty it is to be prepared for -invaders would appear like men from the ground. If the marauder escaped -with his life, much less the plunder he sought, the prediction often -made would be inexact. - -Arrived at the lot, the money wagon is a scene of stir and activity. -The press agent is there to receive the money for newspaper -advertising. Then all the bookkeeping which the circus demands in great -variety must be accomplished, for the morning is the only period of the -day which gives opportunity for the work. Later the sale of tickets -and the balancing of accounts engrosses all time and attention. Pay -day comes each week to every employee of the circus. The performers -are paid on Saturday during the time between the afternoon and evening -performances. On Wednesdays, during the afternoon show, the long line -of workmen forms and several hours are consumed in the exchange of -money. The operation is laborious, for sometimes the coming and leaving -of the men is frequent. Each has a name and number for identification -assurance, and the two men who make the payments are thoroughly -exhausted when the operation is over. - -The owner’s private car is attached to the last section, a position -which makes it certain that the owner be on the scene if there is -accident to the other sections. In case of breakdown or other railroad -misfortune, his section would speedily overtake and he would thus -be soon in personal command. The sections usually halt at the given -point within a half hour of one another, and soon the last employee -has stumbled over ties and rails toward the lot and all the wagons -have departed from the scene. Long lines of empty cars await the -repeated activity of night. These cars, incidentally, are as extended -as safety and convenience permit, for railroad companies charge for -transportation by the single car. The fewer cars drawn from town to -town, the smaller the amount of money the circus is called upon to pay. - -It is easy to distinguish the performer from his fellow employee as -the men leave the cars. The acrobats and gymnasts limp down the car -steps as if every bone and muscle were lame and sore, and progress with -halting tread toward the lot, very different in aspect from the firm, -elastic-stepped men who entered the place the night before. It is an -unhappy condition in which every one of the athletes finds himself the -morning after the violent exercise of the ring or bar. None of them -takes any unusual precaution to guard against physical affliction, and -the wonder is that often they are not more seriously handicapped after -sleep. After a few preliminary exercises their sound, strong, vigorous -constitutions assert themselves and they are ready and eager for any -required feat. - -The veteran circus man is superficially acquainted with the physical -features of most of the towns visited. Alighting from the car, he -surveys the landscape and heads straight for the lot. He has been there -before and he recalls it all. Here a sleeping car was burned two years -ago; in another town two elephants had a thrilling duel to the death; -there is the jail where a ticket taker was locked up without just -cause; “Mr. Lew” remembers the bank where he secured bonds when a man -with a claim for damages attached the ring horses with the mistaken -notion that he would be bought off for a large sum of money; through -that low bridge a heavy pole wagon once crashed. Every place in the -country is associated with some personal incident in the circus man’s -mind. - -I walk often to the lot with a gray-haired man whose form is unbent -by age, whose eye is undimmed, and whose active manner still evinces -readiness to plan and will to execute. He is one of the ringmasters and -has other duties of the arena and the business office. He has dwelt his -long life in circus precincts, and for him the whole circus fraternity -cherishes a peculiar veneration. Honesty and godliness mark his career, -and his is the example pointed out to the circus young. Well may they -imitate his virtues and walk in his footsteps! His presence recalls the -faint memory of overland journey and one ring, and the stern hardships -of the days of long ago. Those were times when his name was familiar -wherever the show tent penetrated, and when his exploits made him the -marvel of the profession and the prominent feature of performances--for -none in all the world could equal his feats of horsemanship and -acrobatic skill. From the haunch of the white circus beast he executed -revolutions which even the modern show has not duplicated, and aloft -he tumbled and turned in dare-devil accomplishments which now only the -reassuring stretches of the net concede. - -Simple modesty characterized his life of spectacular success, and now, -when time has forbidden active participation and a new generation -has entered upon the stage, he accepts with cheerful philosophy his -relegation, to a uniform which bespeaks only the cracking of a whip. -His wife, many years his junior, is one of the conspicuous performers, -for he has taught her all the finish and art of bareback riding, and -made her one of the cleverest wire-walkers with the show. He is always -at her side when she performs, advising, correcting, praising, and, as -she elicits admiring gaze, few in the audience recognize his figure as -the one in whom so much sentimental interest centres. The press agent, -extolling the youth and beauty and grace of the performer, points him -out casually to the reporters as her “father” and flatters himself that -he is subserving the interests of the show; but if the woman knew of -the tale she would promptly put a stop to its circulation. She is proud -of her kindly old husband and wants the world to know it. She boasts -no circus pedigree, as do most of her comrades, and was schooled in -the circus arena after she had reached her majority. She is a living -refutation of the tradition that one must be born to the ring. - -We watch her rehearsals in the spring with curiosity, and the other -performers always profit by the directions and advice the veteran gives -her. Sometimes, to his practised mind, she is awkward and slow of -comprehension. Then I have seen him jump to his feet and leap to the -horse’s back. He forgets his forbidding age, in the emotions of the -past, and would fain give her the benefit of a demonstration. But his -feet have lost their inspiration, his hold is unsteady and his muscles -do not respond. He alights rather shamefacedly. The young athletes pat -him kindly on the back and cheer him with words of his former glory; -and his wife puts her arms around his neck and says he’s a dear old -fellow. Love and loyalty will be his enduring memorial. - -The inherent energy of the circus is never more fully demonstrated than -when there is tardiness in arriving at the town of exhibition. The -fault is seldom the circus’s and generally the railroad’s. Connections -have been faulty, the engines inadequate to the requirements of the -heavy trains, facilities for loading bad, or there has been delay in -ferrying the sections. There are no faint hearts or falterers with -the show and no weakness in these crises. Out of confusion worse -confounded, order and convenience speedily reassert themselves, and -the tremendous amount of preparation for the exhibition is rushed to -wonderfully quick completion. Sometimes it has been nearly noon before -we were able to drag a single wagon from the cars, but the programme -for the day has been followed as implicitly as though there had been -no hindrances. The parade emerged with customary roar and glare, the -performance followed in regular sequence, and left behind was the same -satisfactory trail of desolated pockets that the usual early coming -would have accomplished. - -Sunday is the circus man’s day of rest and relaxation. After the -pitching of the menagerie and the smaller tents, necessary to the -accommodation to the animals, the day is granted for freedom and -enjoyment. The start from the Saturday stand is always made the same -night, and the Sabbath respite is improved for long railroad runs. The -route is so planned in advance that on no one night except Saturday is -the journey so long that, everything favorable, there will be tardy -arrival. It is not deemed expedient to risk a longer “jump” than -eighty or ninety miles unless transportation facilities are unusually -advantageous. The trips of one hundred and fifty or two hundred miles -are reserved for the night which precedes the day of exemption. So -it is that the circus folk, ending their slumber, find the train -still on the move, with a possible prospect of several more hours in -their cramped quarters. The sagacious ones have examined the railroad -schedule the day before and laid in a supply of fruit and food for this -contingency. They preconceive how sorely taxed will be the resources -of the train restaurant, for circus appetites are voracious in the -morning. Chairs are soon placed on platforms and at windows, and the -workingmen gather in groups on car tops or under the ample spread of -the wagons. - -[Illustration: DISEMBARKING FROM THE CIRCUS TRAIN.] - -These Sunday morning railroad pilgrimages carry the circus through all -climates and localities and, unless too protracted, afford a sense of -keen enjoyment. There are inviting expanses of woodland and water, -moor and mountain. Summer verdure clothes the scenery, and the view is -often entrancingly beautiful to the crowd-surfeited vagrants. Smiling -villages and beautiful cities pass in procession. The gazing native is -bombarded with interrogations as to the proximity of the circus train’s -ephemeral goal. Sometimes there are brief stops at wayside stations, -while the engine takes water or gives place to another iron hauler. -Then occurs an exodus from the cars. Men, women and children improve -the opportunity to exercise their cramped bodies, for nothing is more -distasteful to their active persons than restricted movement, or to -invade with hurried dash the humble railroad restaurant. Never before -has its composure been so rudely disturbed. Coffee is gulped down eager -throats, and the return to the train is made with hands and pockets -overflowing with sandwiches. Two sharp warning shrieks from the engine -and the start is made anew. - -Few of the performers or staff members go to the lot for Sunday meals, -although the tent awaits their presence. They register at the local -hotels and spend much time in writing and reading. Many take advantage -of the chance for a change and spend the night away from their -accustomed sleeping apartments. In the evening a large number of the -women attend church and the men pass a few hours in simple pleasures. -At the lot the scene is one of peace and quiet. The canvas of the -“big” and other “tops” which have not been elevated lie passive on the -ground ready for the men who will haul them aloft at sunrise. They are -not raised until immediate necessity demands, for the reason that the -danger of fire or “blow down” is thus minimized in the one and rendered -impossible in the other instance. Curious crowds flock about the -grounds and are permitted free scrutiny. It is particularly a Sunday -assembling-place for women. They desert household cares and domestic -duties for the fascinations which invest the circus in repose. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -EARLY SCENES ON THE LOT - - -The selection of the place of exhibition is a duty which requires -careful study and practical observation and involves a variety of -considerations. Ten acres is the smallest piece of ground on which our -circus can spread itself, and an unoccupied site of this size which -has the requisite advantages is not always easy to find in these days -of rapid-growing communities. A plot which had all the conditions -demanded the year before may be the foundation of many houses when the -show arrives on its next visit. The spot chosen is generally rural -in its situation--the claim on space makes this unavoidable--but -it imperatively must be urban in convenience. Swift-moving trolley -cars have added joy to the circus business, for they make accessible -these remote localities. Obviously when transportation facilities are -awkward, the show suffers. And so it is that usually we find ourselves -settled for the day where stretches of electric wires are a constant -menace to towering chariots and a source of terror to their fair -occupants. Of course, the conformation of the immediate ground and the -condition of the soil are taken into important account in the choice -of the lot, but the difficulties which they offer often submit to the -mastery of the army of workmen. Water must be convenient, abundant and -wholesome. - -Sometimes nowhere in a town can be found empty room for all the big -and small tents, huddle them as we will. Then the “big,” menagerie and -side-show “tops” are given places in the allotted limit, and the canvas -adjuncts are planted down the road, in neighboring back yards or in -distant fields. It is an irritating and inconvenient compromise, but -one that cannot be always avoided. These annoying conditions, however, -do not present themselves as a general rule. Our destination is more -often a fragrant spacious pasture where the air is pure, the sun -brilliant and nature’s tranquil beauty all-pervading. - -The boss canvasman is first on the ground and remains in supreme -control of the horde of brawny men who trail after him. With the -arrival of the chain-and-stake wagon the active work of erecting the -tents begins. The “cook tent” is first placed in position, for food -must await the throngs of men, women and children who are on the way. -This is a simple and expeditiously accomplished duty, as compared -with the elevation of the “big top,” a swelling fabric within whose -folds fifteen thousand persons can accommodate themselves. The boss -canvasman combines with other qualifications a practical knowledge of -surveying. His comprehensive scrutiny of the area determines accurately -boundaries, positions, extent, lines and angles, and indicates to his -experienced mind how best to avoid roughness and depressions and how -to overcome the other resistances the tract offers. Sometimes huge -rocks or spreading trees make the task one of great difficulty, for it -must be accomplished with haste. His examination finished, he unwinds -a metal tape line and traverses the lot. Slender iron rods are planted -where he indicates. These are immediately replaced by strong wooden -stakes to which the “guys” or ropes of the tents will be fastened. Soon -the ground bristles with these pegs, thrust into place with unerring -aim and in perfect cadence by gangs of sledge-hammer drivers. - -Teams of horses pull the towering centre poles into upright position -and the skeleton of the monster is in place. The vast reaches of -canvas are unrolled in sections and laced together while flat on -the ground. Then the mammoth white cloth rises like a canvas-backed -Aladdin’s palace and is attached to the side-poles, which are twelve -feet high and twelve feet apart around the outer edges of the white -spread. The scene is one of bustle and activity. Small boys are -pressed into service, receiving a ticket to the show as remuneration. -Menagerie, side-show, stable, blacksmith, harness, dressing, wardrobe, -and barber tents yield to diligent exertion, and soon the delegated -proprietors of the broad green space have finished their morning -labors. Meanwhile the wagons and apparatus have arrived, and owner, -manager, riders, ringmasters, animal trainers, gymnasts, jugglers, -clowns, ticket-sellers and all the rest of the heterogeneous throng put -in appearance. Curious crowds rivet their attention upon the unwonted -doings. They come from farm and merchandise and from seats of learning -and courts of justice, and find keen enjoyment in the sights and sounds. - -The “cook tent” is one of the marvels of the modern circus. It was the -custom for many years for the circus management to send its employees -to the local hotels for their food. The undertaking of providing -meals for the army on the grounds was so stupendous that the most -comprehensive and well-organized show hesitated to make the essay. -Finally, the objections to the old method made the accomplishment -imperative. As circuses grew in size, the combined resources of the -hotels in many towns were unable to meet the demand made upon them. -There was too much delay and unsatisfactory provisions, and the circus -felt their injurious effects. The arrangement now in vogue does away -with all these difficulties. Advance men see that all the needs of the -commissary department are provided for, and meat, vegetables, water -and the other requirements await the hand of the chefs. There are two -separate and distinct culinary establishments. One is occupied by the -workingmen, whose stomachs are not gratified until the tents are raised -and all the apparatus is on the lot. This is a wise provision which -insures prompt work. There are no laggards in their ranks in the early -morning. - -Under an adjoining canvas are fed the executive staff and performers, -men, women and children. There are three long rows of tables, and -crossing them at one end a shorter set of boards where is the -owner’s place and those of his immediate associates. It is from this -position, his abundant family collected around him, that he makes his -announcements, administers rebukes and extends praise. He surveys the -scene critically and is immensely pleased at the healthy relish which -pervades the place. Curious sightseers peer through the apertures and -he abruptly bids them retreat with the assurance that “we are not -wild animals. We eat just like other human beings.” Outside the tent -rest hogsheads, from which are dipped panfuls of pure, clear water, -for grimy hands and dusty faces. Long towels slung over stretches of -rope are ready for use. Scrupulously clean cloths cover the table, and -no spot or stain afflicts the dishes. The food, cooked in the open, -has its own peculiarly delicious, appetizing flavor. It is served in -abundance, and a happier, heartier party never did justice to a meal. -Skilful waiters do prompt, experienced attendance. Service and quality -could not be improved upon in the large hotels of many cities. As the -“cook tents” are the first to be raised, so they are the first to be -levelled and packed away on the cars. The last meal of the day is -served at five o’clock in the afternoon, and two hours later there is -no perceptible trace of the improvised restaurant, save the coals which -glow in the twilight. - -The harness and blacksmith tents are as complete in their facilities -as any stationary establishments. In the former, waxed thread, needle -and hammer are busy through the day. The showy equine accoutrements -and trappings require constant care, and among the tangled mass of -collars, traces, saddles, reins and other framework of straps there -is always labor of repair. The blast-furnace of the blacksmith blazes -from morning until night, and his anvil knows no rest. There are horses -to be shod, iron pieces to be forged, wagons needing attention, and a -variety of work which must be done with dispatch and thoroughness. - -Across the field in a shady and sheltered spot the ashen cloth of -the circus barber shop shows. No detail of a well-equipped city shop -is missing. Even is seen the pole, striped red and white spirally, -denoting the presence of the profession. Here the men of the circus are -shaved and have their beards trimmed and their hair cut and dressed -with great expedition and much perfume. It is a time-saving convenience. - -[Illustration: CIRCUS COOKS PREPARING BREAKFAST.] - -The whir of sewing machines is never absent from the wardrobe tent, and -seamstresses work with needle and thread from light to dark. Wear and -weather work sad havoc with resplendent uniforms and trappings of human -and brute, and the need of repair or replenishment is always pressing. - -Cages are thrust under the menagerie tent only long enough for the -feeding of the animals, and a hasty burnishing of gilt and cleaning of -wagon wheel and body. Horses reappear soon, now plumed and ornamented, -and drivers don the uniform of the parade. This tent, like its big -canvas companion, will be empty and silent, save for the arranging of -apparatus, until the parade returns from its formal journey to town. - -In the stable tents the Shetland ponies delight the children and -command the admiration of the elders. They come from the wild and -sterile islands between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, where -they run at large. They are very hardy, and their strength is great -in proportion to their size. Rough hair covers them, and their manes -and forelocks are large and shaggy. Very useful in active, sure-footed -work, and very valuable to the show from an artistic standpoint, are -these small breeds of horses, but also are they very vicious and -tricky. They bite and kick at small or no provocation, at keepers -and strangers alike, and frequently engage in violent combat among -themselves. They are the subjects of eternal espionage, but human -vigilance cannot always thwart their mischief. The dun or tan color, -with a black stripe along the back, is prevalent among their shades, -and they compose one of the prettiest scenes on the circus lot. The -tricks they perform in the ring always meet enthusiastic favor. - -In the Southern States, “snack stands” line the limits of the circus -lot. Colored people conduct them, and the food they provide is -wholesome and wonderful in variety. No Northerner who has not witnessed -circus day in the old Confederate section has any adequate conception -of the extent to which these eating places flourish. The appetizing -odor of food pervades the air, patrons are filled with the exuberance -of the occasion, and the scene is one to add a measure to the joy of -living. No dish often has a price exceeding five cents, and the ham and -chicken and cakes and biscuits served have a peculiar charm of flavor, -which sometimes even lures the showman from the canopied canvas of the -“cook tent.” - -Applicants to join the circus come by the score in every town. There -are few changes in the ranks, however, during the season, except in the -cases of canvasmen and hostlers. These desert, are discharged or find -other places frequently. After a spell of rainy weather, never more -wearing on man and beast than with the circus, the less stout-hearted -or robust leave rapidly for easier work. All the performers contract -for the season or longer, and are philosophic and satisfied at all -times. Sometimes the eager candidate for circus honors is awaiting -us at the railroad station, follows to the lot, and often no rebuff -or decided denial of his demand for a position will suffice. This -persistent person we turn over to the head clown and watch the cure. He -is escorted with great deference to the dressing-room, received by the -performers with keen anticipatory delight and ostentatiously welcomed -to their ranks. It is explained that he must begin his career as a -laugh-provoker. His hair is filled with powdered sawdust, he is daubed -with chalk and dye-stuffs, put in tights and ordered to the ring. There -the ringmaster, prepared to do his part, awaits him. The luckless -victim feels the sharp lash of the whip on his almost naked legs, and -is put through a course of sprouts which finally drives him from the -arena, a sorry fun-producing specimen. Desire for sawdust and spangles -has left him. - -An awkward problem which sometimes presents itself is the replenishing -of the horse stables. No stauncher troupe of draft horses can be -found anywhere than the circus carries. Great strength is a prime -requisite, but they must needs be handsome, handy and gentle. These -qualifications are not frequently grouped in one animal. So it is that -great care is lavished upon the circus equine that his condition remain -all that is necessary. Despite all attention of the practised men of -the stables, however, sickness and accidents often send the beasts to -the stock farm or the graveyard. Facilities for their treatment in wet -weather are inadequate, notwithstanding an expert veterinary always is -in attendance upon them, and is on the regular pay roll. The strain of -sleeping in a moving train of cars at night and heavy hauling at day is -tremendous, and strange, rough roads invite misfortune. Ailing animals -cannot be transported, and replacing begins. - -At the outset of the season we were in particularly bad straits. A -rainy night when we first paraded, in New York, caused an epidemic -of pneumonia, which our proficient veterinarian could not stay. The -supply of horses diminished rapidly, and in two weeks it was with some -difficulty that we accomplished unloading, parade and departure without -serious delay. Then were displayed, conspicuously, on the phalanx of -stable tents and at the entrance to the lot, announcements that we -desired to purchase native animals. The show was then in West Virginia. -For a fortnight the scene in the horse quarters resembled a gypsy camp. -The owner and his associates knew just what they wanted, made the -fact plain and were ready to pay spot cash when they found it. But -the farmers and horse traders at once conceived the notion that this -was a heaven-sent opportunity to rid their stalls of the aged, infirm -beasts which had accumulated on their hands. Concealing defects with -adroit craft, they would flourish up to tents and with great gravity of -manner dwell upon the merits of the animal which fitted him perfectly -for circus requirements. They reckoned not upon the familiar knowledge -of the men with whom they dealt. A keen glance or a practised touch -revealed all blemishes. No trick or stratagem, and I am sure every one -known to sharp equine transactions was employed, availed against the -showman’s discernment. A favorite dodge was to exhibit the animal in -the shadow of the naphtha torches at night, but exposure followed at -once. The circus traversed three States before the proper horses were -procured. - -Meanwhile “Boscow” unremittingly consumes snakes in a gaudy canvas -booth at the entrance to the grounds. Clyde, a man of long established -integrity and not deficient in lungs, gives personal assurances of the -progress of the reptilian feast. “Eighteen years old, not married, -pretty; and eats snakes like you eat strawberry short-cake! Eats ’em -alive! Bites their heads off!” is his frequently repeated promise, and -the constant, eager procession passing his stand and into the ophidian -enclosure, testifies to the weight of his forceful eloquence. - -Squatting in a cavernous serpentarium, patrons find “Boscow,” feminine -in appearance only because of long, coarse black hair, surrounded by -coiling, crawling reptiles. “She” has presumably just completed an -especially elaborate animal meal, for to the nostrils comes the breath -of tobacco and upwards winds the suspicion of cigar smoke. But “Boscow” -waves away the muttered insinuations which penetrate even into “her” -wild, untutored mind, and at the word of command eats ravenously of the -amphibian mass which surrounds “her” on all sides. - -“Boscow” was captured in the far-off jungles of Africa, Harry, the -lecturer explains, and in wonderful words he continues of “her” fight -for liberty, the ineffectual efforts to tame “her” savage nature, and -“her” sullen refusal to discontinue snake diet. It is very awesome -and impressive, and the audience, before making way for the clamoring -ones behind, look with renewed interest at the strange creature. -“Her” appearance lends belief to the fluent narrative, and to the -more shrinking ones is proof of the need of precautionary measures in -the dismal clanking of heavy binding chains as “she” springs scowling -about the compartment. Little wonder no credence is placed in the -bold assertion of one who proclaims that he saw “Boscow’s” brother, -or surely a near blood relative, perspiring freely as he helped -in the erection of the booth that morning. Her kin are, of course, -in a remote, uncivilized land, and as ferocious as the girl herself. -The incredulous person saunters off with dim wonder at the remarkable -likeness filling his mind, Clyde’s frantic invitation to go inside -pours out tirelessly, and Harry paints again and again the glowing -picture of the snake-eating wonder. - -[Illustration: TWO HEN’S EGGS, HAMMER, FILE AND NAIL-CLAW PRESENTED A -PLEADING, PENNILESS MISSISSIPPI NEGRO BOY TO SECURE ADMISSION. HE GOT -IN.] - -There is nothing like a spell of rainy weather to breed a feeling of -despair in the showman. The route has been planned with the idea of -evading as far as human foresight permits, unfavorable meteorological -conditions, but it is inevitable that sometimes rain and mud and -wind be encountered. There can then be nothing more mournful and -disheartening than life with the circus. If, for a brief succession -of days, performances have to be abandoned, profits are consumed with -a ruining rapidity. It is not infrequent that this form of misfortune -bankrupts the scantily-financed circus which has started out with -hopeful prospects, for the overwhelming expense of maintaining the -organization is not reduced whether it remains huddled on the cars -or is displaying its glories to lucrative crowds. So resolute and so -prepared for exigencies are the bigger shows, however, that nothing -less than a flood can prevent unloading and presenting some sort of an -exhibition. If the rain is continuous, there is no immediate prospect -of relief, and the lot is a quagmire, the animal cages are often left -on the cars. A staggering march to the marsh is made by the other -vehicles and a semblance of show is given in the menagerie tent. In the -space usually allotted to the animals, seats are put in position and a -gallant effort made to get some financial return. A doleful, drenching -sight it is, horses wallowing in the ring, acrobats and gymnasts -shivering and slipping, and clowns feebly trying to call to life the -smile of pleasure. Straw is littered over the premises in the endeavor -to absorb the moisture, but avails little. Where the stretches of -canvas are sewed together the water penetrates through, and muttering -spectators leave reluctantly or elevate umbrellas. The heavy laboring -of the groaning tent adds to the feeling of misery and melancholy. The -circus people gaze longingly across the empty fields where are houses -snug and tight. Then the heaped-up gloom of the night, the black, wet -journey to the cars and a possible awakening to identical conditions in -the morning. These are times that strain the buoyant temperament and -the rugged constitution. Sunshine, however, restores human spirits, -tarnished gilt and saturated canvas, and drives away the ghastly memory -of it all. Exuberance reasserts itself and the panoplied colony emerges -in all its former order, convenience and beauty. - -It is the first heavy rainfall of the season that brings the most -overwhelming woe. The custom of circus owners is to wash their tents -with paraffine at the beginning of each season. The waxy mixture -renders the cloth waterproof and preserves it from atmospheric -influences. The treatment is not efficacious, however, until the fabric -has been thoroughly soaked with rain and succeeding sunshine has dried -it out. So it is that a dull dread of approaching calamity fills every -professional heart when the initial storm sets in. The water falls -upon showman and patron as if no so-called protection was above. A wan -and spectral “big top” it is at night, sometimes with vivid lightning -filling it with sulphur-smelling blazes, and the frail dressing-room -tent clinging to it like a luminous bulb. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE PARADE - - -Breakfast over, active preparations are on for the parade. Well-fed -horses and ponies in shining harness and waving plumes take their -places before glittering vehicles; the sound of music is heard from -bands perched hazardously high; clowns, charioteers, jockeys, Roman -riders join the line; camels and elephants, some bearing a weight of -feminine beauty in Oriental costume, make appearance, and a picturesque -cavalcade nearly a mile long is in motion. - -One of the managers leads the line down to town and back. He has -already been over the course once, noting its conditions with caution -born of long experience. Sometimes his foresight bids him change the -route. A corner is too sharp for the forty-horse team, a hill may be -dangerously steep, a bridge too low or unsafe, the road too rough, or -perhaps the advance man did not appreciate that at a certain point the -parade would “double” on itself. - -Behind him a drum corps blows and beats, and then Jeanne d’Arc, in -polished armor, with clanking curtains of chain mail. The flush of tan -is beginning to tint ears and cheeks under her helmet and her two -mounted knights are very happy and proud. She is a young woman who was -adopted by a wealthy aunt in Pittsburg, who sent her to Europe to keep -her from entering circus life. Her sudden return, romantic marriage -with a tattooed man, enlistment as a jockey rider in Cedar Rapids, Ia., -and rapid rise to the front ranks of equestriennes is a matter circus -folk never tire of discussing. - -Through densely crowded streets the procession measures its gaudy -passage, a handsome lovelorn young acrobat yearning for the return to -the tent, where an eighteen-year-old girl somersault rider eagerly -awaits him; the stepmother behind, who doesn’t approve of their -devotion; a uniformed marshal, whose thoughts are for his wife, -seriously ill in a Philadelphia hospital; a brother who fears for -his sister; a bicycle rider at the performance, now high on the back -of an elephant whose temper has been bad for several days; Sultan, -a majestic lion, viewing it all calmly from the top of a high cage; -bands playing, horses prancing, wagons rumbling, calliope screaming, -clowns frollicking--truly a fantastic panorama. And sometimes ahead, -then behind, again on the side, a tramp bicyclist, darting up steps and -down, scaling fences, into stores and houses, often one wheel off the -ground, seldom on both, but never dismounting. - -By the side of the band wagons and behind the shrieking calliope a -cloud of boys keeps tireless pace, reeling off mile after mile, but -gorged with happiness. Street cars make time with the procession, -jammed with passengers and scores hanging to platforms, paying no fares -but this eloquent testimony to the passing show. The tigers and lions -look bored, and the hyena yawns with accumulated ennui. Behind, the -gorgeously caparisoned riders, men and women in tights and spangles -and breastplates of shining gold and steel; behind, the richly-decked -camels with riders from the great desert and the elephants swaying to -and fro with monotonous tread, and near the end of the gaudy line, the -fairy outfit of Santa Claus, the old woman of nursery fame, Bluebeard -in decapitation attitude and the other tableau wagons of burnished gold -and flaming red. - -The clowns are very much in evidence. Behind all manner of steeds, from -the camel treading like a dusty spectre with his cushioned feet, to the -proud pony, and from the four-horse teams to the decrepit agricultural -equine; on foot and on elephant and on bicycle; in costume weird and -wonderful, they are an amusement-affording part of the cortege. Boys -flock by their sides, and their ready wit is equal to all exigencies. -Well has the press agent written: - - Clowns on four legs, - Clowns on two, - Clowns the cutest you ever knew; - Clowns on the earth, - Clowns in the air, - Clowns in the water, - Clowns everywhere; - Clowns in seal-skins, - Clowns in hair, - Clowns with whom no others compare; - Clowns in motley, - Clowns with wings, - Clowns that accomplish marvellous things; - Clowns in dress suits, - Clowns in kilts, - Clowns in long skirts, - Clowns on stilts, - Clowns that mimic every fad, - Clowns that make the millions glad, - Clowns that cause the buttons to fly, - Clowns at whom you laugh till you cry; - Clowns of every nation and clime, - Clowns uproarious all the time, - Clowns and more than you ever saw, - Clowns that make the world haw-haw. - -The clowns’ band is near the end. In grotesque attire, the “musicians” -blow and beat on the top of one of the chariots. The production is what -the alliterator of the show calls “a slaughter of symphonies, a murder -of melodies, a wrecking of waltzes, a massacre of marches, a strangling -of songs, a total of terrific tonal tragedies!” - -The inevitable hay wagon is in the column, and nimble acrobats -toss lightly on its fresh-mown burden. Their costumes are bucolic -throughout, but offer no impediment to their agile movements. Country -boys look on and marvel. The clown in dilapidated wagon behind -tottering horse is not absent. His countryman disguise is so perfect -that his identity is not suspected. He narrowly escapes being run -down by the big circus wagons; he is always in the way and impeding -the smooth progress of the parade; he becomes involved in all sorts -of plights, but emerges unscathed. It furnishes great fun for the -spectators. Sometimes policemen threaten and oftener take him in -custody. Then he tells who he is and the crowd roars again, this time -at the bluecoat’s expense. Hilarity reigns wherever is his presence. - -Above the shrill tones of the fife and the blast of the cornet and the -clamor of drums and cymbals, rises the oft-repeated admonition, “Look -out for your horses, the elephants are right behind!” A clarion-voiced -equestrian rides up and down the line of bespangled magnificence with -this warning to those who view the spectacle in wagon or saddle. A -quick, keen, trained glance reveals to him the probable effect the -“led” animals will have on each equine within eye and scent. He knows, -too, what the man who holds the reins is not aware of, that the -animal with the hump alarms horses more than his ponderous companion. -Often the parade is brought to a standstill while this precautionary -person insists that a horse displaying the initial signs of disquiet -be removed to a place of safety, or, while with the skill of long -practice he assists in subduing a beast whom the distant approach of -the procession has already alarmed. Women are his _bête noir_. They -have full faith in their horsemanship, they tell him, and, anyway, -their horses have been thoroughly trained and broken. Then he is gently -but firmly obdurate, accepts with good grace the denunciation to which -he is subjected, but sees that the possibility of disaster has been -removed before he permits the line to pass. He is a saver of life and -limb whose services few but showmen appreciate. - -Once the tents are pitched, no weather can be so unpropitious as to -thwart the parade. Rain may fall in copious measurement; mud, perhaps, -is deep to the knees. But on with the parade! A much weather-beaten and -woe-begone lot of performers, to be sure, and a drenched and blinking -lot of drivers, but all forgotten when the sunshine comes again. This -display is what circus folk call a “wet day” parade. Women and children -are excused, much of the finery is kept in the shelter of the tents, -men wear mackintoshes and rubber boots, and protecting canvas hides the -gilt and glory of the chariots. It has been advertised as “positive,” -however, and the management must keep faith with the public or lose its -confidence. Then, too, it serves to show some of the glory and fame of -the organization, whets public curiosity and the possible return of -clear skies will draw to the grounds the multitude which, without its -promise, would have returned home for the day. Business instinct bids -there be a parade without fail. - -Down in the town the press agent is paying the newspaper bills for -advertising, distributing tickets, and seeing to it that editors and -reporters are put in good humor, and arranging as far as it is in his -power that notices before and after the performances are complimentary. -Sometimes he accompanies a body of reporters to an advantageous -position and they survey the parade together. He buys cigars and -refreshment--at the circus’s expense--and impresses his companions as -being affable, courteous and a good fellow generally. They part company -on fine terms of friendship, and he assures them that he will consider -it a personal affront if they don’t all come to the show and bring -their friends. Sometimes his hospitality has been so affecting that -they will be tempted to write pretty things about him; that the “genial -press agent” is with the circus, or, “the circus is fortunate to have -so efficient an employee” and, following a description of his virtues. -But his prudence begs them to desist, for he knows “the boss” doesn’t -approve. The owner takes the view that newspaper space devoted to the -circus itself is more to pecuniary advantage than an enumeration of the -qualities of the press agent. - -The keen eye of the general manager follows the parade on its tortuous -journey. If there be accident or delay, or any other unforeseen -trouble, he is at the scene promptly and takes command. A two-seated -carriage follows the line. In it he, the press agent, and the circus -detective are conveyed back to the lot. It is a convenience which -dispenses with a hot, dusty walk or an uncomfortable journey in packed -trolley cars. - -The “$10,000 Beauty” was a parade feature of one of the big circuses -for several years. The owner, a man deep in many schemes for -advertising his tented organization, boldly asserted that he paid that -amount of salary to a young woman who proceeded through the streets -striving to live up to her reputation for grace and charm, on the back -of one of the largest elephants. She wore a pained and anxious look -as she clutched grimly to the animal’s canopied hide, and there was -little appeal to aesthetic nature. Later she exhibited her harmonious -proportions in the menagerie tent. She is now embellishing the variety -stage, whence she emerged upon the circus world, and where, perhaps, -her costly beauty is better appreciated. - -Many will remember the telescopic affair which P. T. Barnum exhibited -in his parades for several seasons in the early ’70’s. It was a -massively carved chariot, and he called it the “Temple of Juno.” When -extended to its full height, by means of internal machinery, it -reached an altitude of forty feet. A gorgeous effect was given it by -the precious metals which studded it and by numerous mirrors. Upon an -elevated seat, just beneath a rich and unique oriental canopy of the -most elaborate finish, sat, in perfect nonchalance, the representative -queen, surrounded by gods and goddesses in mythical costume. Elephants, -camels and dromedaries completed the tableau. During that period of his -career, a season of great prosperity, Mr. Barnum used frequently to -lecture on temperance in his tents. He was shrewd enough to appreciate -how much to his pecuniary advantage was his devotion to what he called -the “noble cause.” Crowds came as much to get a glimpse at him and to -hear him talk as for a sight at the circus. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE SIDE-SHOW - - -Order has come out of the confusion at the lot when the parade returns. -All is in readiness for the performances, seats and stands and rings -and trapezes in place, and every man at his post. The cages are dragged -from the parade to the menagerie tent, the horses led to their canvas -stables, and elephants push the red and gilt vehicles into place. Down -drops the sidewall, ropes are set, and the preparation is complete. - -Stolid yokels fill the enclosure in front. Two men are proclaiming with -fluency and skill and oratorical effect the wonders of the side-show, -and a row of huge banners adds weight to their discourse. Pictured -by word and brush are the wild man, the midget, the Egyptian giant, -the woman ventriloquist, the knife throwers, the fortune tellers, the -electric lady, the snake charmer, the others who make up the collection -of oddities, and the group of negro jubilee singers. The band thumps -seductively inside and frequently, as an evidence of good faith, one -of the freaks is called to the front for a moment’s survey. Doubts -vanish and the crowd hesitates no longer, when suddenly as the _pièce -de resistance_ is brandished aloft, impaled on a slender iron rod, a -raw hunk of beef. It is to be the wild man’s dinner! - -By far the most interesting specimen in our side-show is this wild -man. His history is long and eventful. The side-show lecturer tells it -vividly, many times a day, and invariably the same when he is not in -a facetious mood. The narrative, however, is always thrilling, never -commonplace. A curtain shrouds the interior of the cage in which the -creature “lives and subsists in a state of nature.” Pulled aside, it -reveals a gloomy den, half filled with hay, where crouches, clawed and -tusked, and scantily clad in skins, the rude savage. The fleeting and -obscure view of the monster afforded is amply satisfying to the timid, -and the venturesome see the curtain drawn, impressed. A discharged -employee in a spirit of malice spread a tale of unexpected exposures. -The fellow asserted that once the wild man was eagerly “shooting craps” -with a colored canvasman, and a second time had hastily torn a clay -pipe from his mouth and become again a weird, uncivilized being. The -manager was very indignant over the infamous recital; and that very -evening came a full exoneration. The wild man escaped. (Business had -been unsatisfactory for several days.) - -The alarm was sounded throughout the town and spread terror. We all -said we feared the worst. Armed men were sent in pursuit. The fugitive -was captured in a forest back of the lot and returned, shrieking, -biting and fighting fiercely, to his den. Order was restored and the -circus turned away a thousand persons for lack of room at the evening’s -performance. The side-show was not empty of visitors for a month -afterwards. - -We retain the services of our wild man with some difficulty. His wife, -a very indiscreet colored woman from Vermont, has a pernicious habit -of appearing inopportunely and accusing our black prize of gambling -away his wages and not providing for the support of his family. She -is ample of form, emphatic in manner, and prodigal of words, and when -she begins to bellow and boister, side-show proceedings stop abruptly -and the overwhelmed orator hangs his diminished head and yields verbal -supremacy. It is not until she receives from the management positive -assurance of a cash advance that she can be persuaded to retreat. At -these times the wild man is a very meek and subdued person, and no -amount of urging will lure him from the security of his cage until his -wife is well out of town. - -The original circus wild man, the denizen of Borneo, was white, but -his successors have almost invariably had dark skins. “Waino” and -“Plutano,” exhibited together, are now before the public. “Tom” and -“Hattie,” wild children from Australia, are dead. “Wild Rose” and -“Wild Minnie” are still in the field of savage honor, as is “Old Zip, -the What-is-it?” whose head is cone-shaped, and who utters mournful -guttural sounds. - -The life of the professional wild man is an unhappy one at best. The -story is told of a Baltimore, Md., colored man, who, finding himself -penniless in Berlin, Germany, enlisted as an untamed arrival from -Africa with a small American circus then playing abroad. He endured the -torture he was compelled to undergo for a month and then stole away to -a hospital. He was required to explain how and why he came there. - -“You see, boss,” he observed sadly, “I’se been working here, got ten -dollars a week to play wild man. I was all stripped ’cept around the -middle and wore a claw necklace; had to make out as if I couldn’t talk. -’Twas mighty tiresome to howl and grin all day. Then times got hard. I -had to eat raw meat and drink blood. The circus man, he stood off as -if he was afraid of me and chucked meat on the floor to me. I had to -lean over, pick it up in my teeth and worry it like I was a dog. It was -horse meat and pretty tough, boss, but it brought crowds for a while. -Then it got drefful cold for a nigger with no clothes on and they put -a snake around my neck. I couldn’t stand that, so I’se come to the -hospital.” - -He was given clothes and medical treatment, which he sorely needed, and -a kindly American sent him back to Maryland. - -Calvin Bird, a negro who hailed from Pearson, Ga., was a famous wild -man for several years with divers small circuses, and toured most -of the country, mystifying all who saw him and sending them away -impressed with a conviction that he was all he was represented to be. -Not until he appeared at a Syracuse hospital with a request that his -horns be removed was the secret of his unnatural appearance disclosed. -Under his scalp was found inserted a silver plate, in which stood two -standards. Into these, when he was on exhibition, Bird screwed two goat -horns. Thousands of people had paid admission to see the curved bone -projections and hear him bark. The artificial additions were the idea -of a physician in Central America who gave the man an anaesthetic and -inserted the plate. The operation of removing the support was a simple -one and Bird started for home from Syracuse with a normal head a few -days later. The wild man business had got monotonous, he said, and -anyway, he had made enough money out of his deception to maintain him -in idleness for a long time. - -The “electric lady” is one of the phenomena of our side-show, and -a source of great wonder to the gullible visitor. She is saturated -with the mysterious force. A continuous supply passes from her finger -tips to whoever touches her flesh. Scoffers are confounded at the -manifestation, and there is a general feeling among the side-show -sightseers that she is a supernatural being. There is nothing -indicating a violation of natural law in the lady’s appearance, and -nobody appears to enjoy the curiosity she excites more than her own -merry self. A strange feature of the exercise of the invisible agent -is that it generates only for commercial purposes. For instance, the -power leaves her when the performance closes for the night, and does -not develop again until she is on exhibition the following day. Then, -too, the current confines itself to a fixed spot. It passes away -instantaneously if she moves from her chair. - -The “electric lady” in private life is a very domestic and studious -person. She is Mrs. E. N. Willis, whose husband is one of the managers -of the tent and a recognized authority on “freaks.” When I asked her -for a contribution to the story of the side-show she took pencil and -paper and evolved the following product. It was done under the circus -canvas on a hot September afternoon in Illinois, while country visitors -stared in wonder at the sight of the “freak” in the act of composition -and thought. It is attached in the exact phraseology in which it was -handed to me. - -“So much has been written regarding circus life as seen only in the -‘Big Show,’ it will not come amiss to chat a while with a member of the -side-show fraternity. When the parade returns to the show grounds, it -is followed by a large crowd of people, who have been invited by men -with megaphone voices to witness a series of free exhibitions which -are used as a means of getting the people together for the opening of -the side-show, which is the attraction until the ‘Big Show’ is ready to -admit its visitors at one p.m. The side-show presents a most attractive -appearance to the rural visitor, showing as it does upon huge banners -the many wonderful sights to be seen within. - -“As a means of collecting the followers, a platform is erected directly -in front of the side-show entrance. In showmen’s parlance it is known -as a ‘bally-hoo stage,’ where, as promised the multitude, these free -exhibitions are given. - -“Fearing that there may be a few stragglers or sweethearts who have -failed to keep up with the procession, and wishing to give them all -an equal chance, the band is called outside, and with great strength -plays its loudest and swiftest selections. Then the principal orator -mounts the ‘bally-hoo stage,’ and striking upon a huge triangle enjoins -silence. In glowing terms he describes the row of paintings, proving -the truthfulness of his assertions by bringing out a few of the -subjects and dilating upon their merits. After this there is another -‘hurry up’ tune, and then pandemonium reigns supreme, as from their -elevated stands the ticket-sellers, each trying to outdo the other in -lustiness of tone, proclaim the price of admission--ten cents. Very few -resist the eloquence of the orator and the cries of the ticket-sellers, -and in a short space of time the outside workers have a chance to rest -their lungs, as nearly all have passed inside. - -“In the old days of circus business the side-show was justly styled -the annex or museum department, and contained only living curios -and a performance of Punch and Judy. Of late years this has been -greatly changed, there being such a scarcity of freaks of nature that -vaudeville acts, and even minstrel shows, have been introduced to fill -up this vacuum. The interior is in charge of a lecturer, who is usually -either a magician or a Punch and Judy man, he thereby serving a double -purpose. - -“There is always a feature upon which the side-show revolves, either a -giant or some other wonderful freak of nature, and it always occupies -a high platform in the centre of the canvas. The other stages are -arranged in horseshoe shape, and upon these the different curios -are seated. All side-shows have a snake enchantress, this being an -attraction that never fails to please, and the rural visitor stands -open-mouthed, with a look of astonishment as the lady lifts these large -serpents one by one from their boxes and allows them to coil about her -person. She is supposed to answer all questions put to her regarding -the reptiles, and is asked many strange ones, such as ‘Do you keep -them on ice?’ ‘How do you feed them?’ ‘Are they stuffed?’ ‘Did you -catch them yourself?’ As experience has made her quick-witted, she is -ever ready with a reply. The other curios are generally a midget, a -long-haired lady, or a tattooed man. - -“Few would be considered complete without a mind reader or fortune -teller, who by merely tracing the lines of the hand is able to foretell -the future. So, when Mary and John stand before her, the lines of -Mary’s hand always read that John is the favored suitor and is to be -her husband, while those in John’s hand plainly indicate that Mary is -for him alone, and that their union will be blessed with many little -ones; which good news sends them giggling and blushing on their way, -thoroughly satisfied at having parted with their money, as it has -brought them such good results. All curios have the privilege of -selling their photos, which is really a part of their revenue, and many -a stray dime is coaxed from the pockets of the country visitor to that -of the curio who is collecting a ‘pork chop fund’ for the winter. The -initiated photo-seller knows which States will be the most productive. -This calls to mind a remark made by a giant while on a trip through -Canada. One day after a fruitless endeavor to foist his photos on the -public, he demanded: - -“‘How long here? Me want to go back to Yankee-land.’ - -“Thus he proved that the Yankees part with their dimes more readily -than the Canucks. - -“In order to fill the side-show with small circuses there is always -a candy stand, and whenever there is a lull in the proceedings the -voice of the candy ‘butcher’ may be heard calling his wares in this -manner: ‘Strawberry lemonade, ice cold, is five cents to-day. Lemonade, -peanuts, cakes, candies, everything is five cents.’ - -“The space not taken up by stages is usually occupied by slot machines, -and many a stray nickel is dropped into them during the day. The -lecturer, after going the rounds and giving a detailed description -of each curio, concludes the performance with Punch and Judy, which, -though the oldest attraction before the public, is always a source -of amusement for the little folks, and even the grown folks laugh -and cheer as if they had never seen it before. This being finished, -the reed manipulator steps from behind the frame and explains to the -gaping multitude how easily any one can do the same with the aid of a -reed made by himself of silver and silk and ‘only costing ten cents.’ -Children and grown folks alike, in their eagerness to obtain one, push -and almost knock one another down, and within a few seconds old and -young alike have them in their mouths trying to say ‘Oh! Judy, go get -the baby.’ The side-show has been likened to a church fair, there being -something doing every time one turns around. - -[Illustration: BAREBACK RIDERS READY FOR THE RING.] - -“The band is always placed upon a high platform directly behind the -entrance, so that only a thin canvas separates it from the outside -public. This is done in order that its noise may be easily heard by the -passing visitors, whom the ticket sellers are always trying to entice -to part with their dimes to see the many wonders exhibited within. This -band stage is also used for the minstrel and vaudeville performances -which are given as frequently as the occasion demands. The side-show -may be justly termed a continuous performance, as there is always -something going on to entertain the visitors, who are continually -dropping in. When the eloquence of the orators fails to arouse the -many hangers-on who have become listless, a curiosity is occasionally -brought out upon the ‘bally-hoo stage,’ and the huge triangle is struck -upon to stir up those who are still wavering. There is no let-up until -all the people have left the big show and concert. There is then an -opportunity for these hard-worked people to eat supper and get a rest -until 6:30, when the side-show is again opened and remains in operation -until the big show is over, about ten p.m.” - -Hassan Ali, the Egyptian giant, eight feet two inches tall (one has the -orator’s word for it), comes each year from the land of his nativity -to arouse American wonder and earn American money. He is the pest of -hotel keepers on the route, for on Sunday nights he chooses to pass the -time for slumber away from the cramped recesses of the circus car and -in the regulation bedstead of commerce. The view of Hassan, dreaming -of his far-off home, with his brown legs protruding, from the knees -down, over the foot-board and his skull rammed against the headpiece, -is a sight people flock from all parts of the house to witness. About -midnight, generally, there is a noise like an explosion, a rattle, -crash and shimmer. The other circus guests turn over and resume sleep; -they know the familiar sound, it is the shattering of the giant’s bed. -The landlord, hurrying to the apartment, finds Hassan on the floor, -enveloped in slats, sheets, counterpane and mattress. This is almost -a weekly performance and causes Hassan to breathe awful Egyptian -imprecations against modern American furniture. No visitor to the -side-show has ever approached him in height, and only one person, an -aged man wearing a G. A. R. badge, has been able to seize, by standing -on a chair, the photograph guaranteeing circus admission which the -giant holding between upraised fingers and resting on the floor is -accustomed to offer as a reward for the feat. Hassan was much mortified -over the veteran’s accomplishment, but finds balm in the consciousness -that no one else has duplicated the achievement. His favorite exploit -is to spread his extended fingers from edge to edge of the top of an -ordinary waterpail. If you think it a simple digital trick, try it. - -The whole energies of a slender man with a trim figure are devoted to -entertaining the side-show visitors. He talks almost unceasingly from -morning until night in brief but lucid descriptions of the assembly -of oddities. His addresses are delivered with great ostentation and -search after effect. He is a man of easy wit and repartee, and of tact -and practical intelligence; qualifications necessary to the successful -conduct of his vocal calling. Each “freak,” barring the “wild man,” has -for sale personal photographs, the receipts for which the management -lays no claim to. This is an important part of their incomes, and the -lecturer’s failure to call attention to the offering brings upon him -reproach and censure. I attach one of his harangues, exactly as he -delivered it one afternoon before an audience of grinning Connecticut -countrymen. It is interesting as a truthful reproduction of a style of -unique oratory which prevails nowhere else. - -“Now in about five minutes we will start our regular show in here -and have it all over forty-five minutes before the circus commences. -(The band blows hard for five minutes.) Everybody pay your attention -this way. We commence our show here first. I call your attention -to Signor Arcaris and sister. They will entertain you with a -wonderful performance known as the impalement act, better known as -knife-throwing, without a doubt the best act of its kind in the world. -(The act and music.) Now down this way next. I take great pleasure in -introducing Princess Ani, the wonder worker and mind reader. We will -have what is known as spirit calculations on the blackboard. We will -have a number of gentlemen place some figures on the board. The minute -you place a figure on the board she knows what figure you place there, -although she is blindfolded. She can describe anything and tell you -while blindfolded what you are thinking about. - -“Now, ladies and gentlemen, I am going to tell you how this lady tells -fortunes. She reads the lines of your hand. Every line denotes some -peculiar trait in your character. Tells you what you ought to do for -your own benefit; tells you what talent you possess; tells you when -you are going to get married; tells you how many children you are -going to have, if any. The line is there in your own hand, you can’t -get away from it. Tells your lucky day, lucky number, family affairs, -love affairs. Tells how long you ought to live by the life line of your -hand! Now, it is all private. She don’t tell it out loud. First she -explains about the large lines. She whispers so that no one can hear -but yourself. And for the small lines you get what is known as the -number. The rest your hand-reading calls for is all printed on this -slip of paper. No two alike. Every one’s fortune is different. Just -show her your left hand. The price fifteen cents all the way through. -Walk right up and show her your left hand. - -“Now to the stage. I call your attention to the smallest lady ever -placed on exhibition, Miss Bertha Carnihan, twenty-nine years of age, -stands thirty-nine inches in height and weighs thirty-eight pounds. The -most perfectly formed little lady on exhibition. She is well educated; -has been all over the world. Step up and have a talk with her. She will -answer all questions in regard to herself. She also has her photographs -for sale. - -“Now direct your attention to the large stage in the centre. You will -be entertained by Professor Lowry’s Nashville students. (When the negro -concert is finished, the “big song book, words and music, fifty songs, -five cents a copy,” are sold.) Now, fix your interest this way, please. -I call your attention to Miss Millie Taylor, better known as the Queen -of Long-haired Ladies. This lady has without a doubt the longest hair -of any lady before the public. The length of the lady’s hair is seven -feet four inches. Step up and examine it for yourselves. She also has -her photos. Now we come to Miss Julien, the world’s greatest snake -hypnotist. The lady will entertain you with her large den of living -monster reptiles, introducing anacondas, boa constrictors, pythons and -the turtle-head snake of Florida. (The performer coils snake after -snake around her form.) The lady now has one hundred and sixty-eight -pounds of snake around her body, neck and arms. You will find her -entertaining to converse with. She will tell you all about snakes, etc. -She also has her photographs for sale. - -“Over this way next. I call your attention to the crowning feature of -our side-show. The tallest man in human history, Hassan Ali, better -known as the Egyptian giant. Born in Cairo, Egypt, twenty-six years of -age, stands eight feet two inches in height and weighs three hundred -and twelve pounds. To give you a better idea in regard to his height -and reach we will allow the tallest man in the audience to stand on -this high chair. The giant will stand on the ground. If the man reaches -up and touches the photograph Hassan Ali holds up between his fingers, -we will make him a present of a ticket, taking him all the way through -the big show. There (pointing) is a tall man. Would you be kind enough -to stand on this chair and reach with him. All right, you see (turning -to the audience) he comes about six inches from it. This gives you an -idea in regard to the size of the giant’s hand. Here is a good-sized -water pail. See how far you can span it Goes about half way. The giant -spans it. His fingers go two inches over the rim. Now, he has no thick -soles on his shoes, no high heels. There’s his foot, No. 18. He also -has his photographs for sale. - -“Now pay your attention over that way. That’s Neola, the electric -lady. By shaking hands with her, you will receive a slight current of -electricity, the same as you would from a battery. Don’t be backward, -walk right up and shake hands with her. She won’t harm you. She also -has photos. - -“Now, the wild man! Down this way for the wild man! Now, stop that -crowding there! Take your time, remember there are ladies and children -in the crowd. (He pulls the curtain aside and pokes at the inmate with -an iron bar.) There he is, with flat head and low forehead, showing he -has very little brain. You notice the maniac look of the eyes, just -the same as a beast. He has teeth just like a lion, arms four inches -longer than our arms and walks on all fours. Captured in the everglades -of Florida, a little over four and a half years ago. Handcuffed and -shackled ever since he was caught. Now if you stop to think, you know -there is a cause for a monstrosity of that kind. Just before he was -born his mother was frightened by a beast. It left the mark on that -freak of nature, just as you see for yourselves. Half Indian, half -negro, don’t understand a word, don’t talk, growls like a beast, eats -nothing but raw meat. (He draws the curtain.) - -“Now pay your attention there. You will be entertained by musical -Swarts. (A man gets melody from bells and various instruments.) Over -this way next. The old-time funny Punch and Judy. (He enters a booth, -gives the familiar show and reappears.) Now, I will show you how I -change my voice. It is done with a reed, made of silver and silk. All -you have to do is place it on your tongue and talk right. The sound -of the words goes through the reed just like this. (He illustrates.) -That’s the way to do it. There are full directions how to use it. Ten -cents, three for a quarter. If they don’t blow as I represent, hand -them back and I will give you back your money. (When the sales are -finished he concludes in loud tones:) The big show commences in five -minutes. All over in here.” - -The lusty-lunged orators on the outside make a great clamor as the -crowd passes out, and one of them shouts: “The gentlemanly lecturer -will now pass around again, explaining the curiosities, monstrosities -and freaks of nature. Come on! Come on!” The heartless band lures with -brazen notes and the scene is repeated without variation. - -No feature of the side-show is more keenly relished in the country -towns than the Punch and Judy show. The lecturer works the figures -and carries on the dialogue. The movements of the puppets are managed -simply by putting the hands under the dress, making the second finger -and thumb serve for the arms, while the forefinger works the head. -Punch’s high back, distorted breast and long nose give an increased -zest to his witticisms, and his career of violent crime is followed -with absorbed attention until he is dragged away to expiate it, and -the curtain falls amid the shouts of his conqueror. - -The freak business is divided into about three varieties, foreign, -domestic and fake. In the first class, the collectors travel all over -the world in search of rarities, but the very best freaks come from -India and the Malay peninsula. In those countries there are people -who breed freaks. They buy young children and animals and deform them -while their bones are soft, by all manner of means. Then they are -constantly on the lookout for genuine, natural freaks, and in those -lands the birth of a freak occurs very frequently. The headquarters -of this business is at Singapore. There are, too, a number of men who -devote themselves to the discovering and placing of freaks of all kinds -and varieties, and scarcely a day goes by in winter that we do not -receive photographs and illustrated circulars from some freak merchant -or other. Of course, there are faked freak men--a perfect host in -themselves. If the proprietor of some little show needs an additional -attraction and does not have any money to hire something good--for, -like everything else, freaks have their price--he can get something -for little money that will serve his purpose. The real, genuine, live -freaks always command high prices--from $50 to $800 per week each--and -travel all over the world in order to exhibit themselves. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE - - -I have always regarded the two men who sell tickets with a feeling -of profound awe and solemn wonder. There is something almost uncanny -about their daily exhibition. Their flying hands put to shame the -clutching display of the octopus. No quicker-brained, more resolute or -more peculiarly gifted men are with the show. They face, undaunted and -calm, twice a day, a scene of confusion, disorder and clamoring demand -which would put to his heels one not fitted perfectly by nature and -experience for the part. To see them working their hands with lightning -rapidity, directing, advising and correcting, is to me as interesting a -study as the whole passing show affords. - -When the crowd begins to gather about the ticket wagon ready with the -price of admission, it would make infinitely easier the work of the men -inside if the sale began then. But business astuteness bids delay. The -throng grows fast, fills the enclosure and swarms over the grounds. The -side-show orator, meanwhile, directs his seductive eloquence at the -perspiring mass and reaps a harvest. This is an advantage gained by no -undue haste in distributing tickets. - -While this preliminary maneuvring is very gratifying in its results to -the management, the burden it accumulates upon the two anxious men in -the ticket wagon grows every minute. When finally the signal to begin -operations is given, they face a sea of upturned, distorted, perspiring -faces, and aloft the air is peppered with hands brandishing admission -money. Everybody is irrational, unreasonable and excited. Children cry, -women are on the verge of collapse, and men push and strain and mutter -strange oaths. Uniformed employees strive in vain to maintain order. -The wheels of the red wagon have been buried to the hubs, or it would -be swept away in the rush. The mad, violent struggle continues for -an hour, and thousands force their path or are carried bodily to the -window and labor away with the cherished strips of printed pasteboard. -A mountain of bills and coin grows and is toppled into baskets at their -side. Soon these are filled and money litters the floor. There is no -chance to assort or collect it now. With eyes fixed steadily before -them, fingers and hands never lingering or sluggish, but intercepting -a counterfeit offering like a flash, they work as if human automatons. -Not until solitary arrivals denote the end of the rush do they relax. -Thousands of dollars have changed hands in the brief period, yet the -scene will be duplicated a few hours hence and the day will record a -balance as correct in detail as the most exacting banking institution’s. - -There is a popular misapprehension about the moral purposes of the -men in the ticket wagon. The impression seems to prevail among many -sensible persons that they are modern highwaymen, lurking there for -prey. An intimate knowledge of their character and conduct makes a -definite denial only fair to them. In the swift shuffle of money, there -is no intention on their part to take advantage of the circus’s patron. -It is the fixed design of the management to inspire a feeling of -security and confidence, and the selection of ticket-sellers has this -end in view. Dismissal and possible criminal prosecution would be the -penalty of detected “short change” or other swindling methods. - -There is only one legitimate source of outside profit, and that is -furnished by the “walkaway,” circus vernacular for the person who -unconsciously leaves his change behind. He is legion, strangely enough, -and more remarkable still, it seldom seems to occur to him to return -for his own. When he does it is promptly given him. Ticket-sellers -insist vehemently that the “walkaway’s” contribution is not more than -enough to reimburse them for mistakes in count which are unavoidable -in the tumult, and more frequently than not to the benefit of the -purchaser. Whether their comrades accept this assertion without -reservation is not a subject to be discussed here. - -Rates of admission are conspicuous everywhere. Children under two -and a half years of age are admitted free; from that age to ten a -half-ticket is required, and older persons must pay full charge. -Wonderful and varied are the devices resorted to in the effort to -evade legitimate payment. Children who at home are in their teens have -dwarfed to babyhood at the circus entrance. Parents glibly insist -that robust offsprings are under nine years, and panting fathers and -mothers present themselves, in the palpable attempt to deceive, with an -armful of boy or girl who has reached the full-rate limit. Watchful and -inexorable door-keepers receive them, demand and finally are handed the -correct sum, and composedly hear themselves styled “a pack of villains -and swindlers.” Ill-grace characterizes those who would cheat the -circus. - -To the main entrance come the hundreds of written orders for tickets, -issued by the advance agents who have covered the district with bills -and posters. As a precautionary measure against imposition, two sets of -keen-eyed employees have subsequently prowled over the routes and made -note when storekeeper or householder has not kept faith. If the flaring -advertisement has been removed, disfigured, or hidden under that of a -rival show, a memorandum is made. Thus a list of those who are and -who are not entitled to recognition is in the hands of the management -when the doors open. Each claim presented to the ticket taker has a -corresponding number on the large sheet of paper which the general -manager holds, and whether or not the holder enters free depends on its -report. Very crestfallen and embarrassed, generally, is the man who -thought he could profit without rendering service in return. He had -not calculated on the thorough business system with which he was in -contact. If the applicant has kept his promise he is welcomed to the -show, given what his order calls for in the way of seats and number of -admissions, and passes inside. - -Each one of the men at the main entrance understands his manifold -duties perfectly and there is no confusion. Annoying problems enough -present themselves, but the quick-witted, ready circus man solves them -without hesitation. Complaints innumerable flow to the main entrance, -but everybody receives a fair hearing and just treatment in so far as -human effort can bring it about. Fault-finding women are the bane. -There is almost no extreme of compromise to which the showman will not -go to rid himself of the presence of a member of the other sex when she -is wrought up over a conviction that she has been imposed upon. She -blocks the passage way, gesticulating madly, protesting volubly and -threatening all manner of things. She is generally tall and angular, -wears spectacles, carries a cotton umbrella, has a crying child by the -hand and is famous in the town as a virago. Dutch and Curley cower -before her outburst, and the general manager promises her all she -demands if she will only pass on. With a parting volley of abuse she -flaunts into the menagerie tent and a feeling of great relief pervades -all. Her reappearance, with a lament about the unsatisfactory locality -of her seat, may be confidently expected later. - -[Illustration: BEFORE THE CROWD COMES.] - -Vigilant canvasmen picket the stretches of cloth, alert lest the -small boy or his older relative crawl under the fabric and gain free -admission. The duty is one demanding keen eye and active body, for -once the canvas folds after the invader he is generally secure from -capture; a scamper under the low rows of seats or into the crowd eludes -successful pursuit and recognition. So watchful, however, are these -patrolmen and so obdurate against pleading juvenile persuasion that -surreptitious entrance is effectually barred. The circus-fascinated -but impecunious youngster must needs vicariously satisfy his longing -by turning handsprings outside the barrier. The stirring band music -carried to his ears conjures immeasurable pleasures in his mind and is -madly irritating. - -The press agent receives his newspaper guests at the main entrance. -They have been provided with tickets bearing his name. To the reporter -assigned to write up the circus and to the responsible heads of the -newspaper he gives slips of paper passing them into an enclosure from -which is afforded an undisturbed survey of all that is transpiring, -and brings to closer view the excelling features of the performance. -Later he joins them there, explains the show’s superiority over all -competitors and is generally entertaining. He presses peanuts and -lemonade upon them and sends them away in friendly mood. - -That manly young fellow who appeared from the inner recesses of the -festive tent for a whispered conversation at the main entrance with -the general manager is Fred Ledgett, equestrian. He is one of the -principals in the season’s romance of the circus. Dallie Julian, -eighteen years old, who turns back somersaults from the broad, rosined -haunch of her horse Gypsy, is the other party to the charming affair. -What they dared and suffered before they could win the countenance and -support of management and relative and carry out their matrimonial -longing, only those who know intimately the prosaic circus institute -can appreciate. If there is one thing frowned upon more than all others -in tented life, it is adventures of the heart. But Fred and Dallie -emerged triumphant and conquering, and the seed of love sown in April -came to golden harvest in Iowa, many miles transplanted, where an -earnest, curious company of show people witnessed the wedding ceremony -and participated in the celebration. - -My mind reverts to the early spring when little Dallie, done up in -a heavy coat and sitting on one of the tubs which served as a seat -for a trick elephant, was holding an informal reception in Madison -Square Garden. Preparations for the opening of the circus were in full -swing--literally in some instances--for the acrobats, practising for -the first time in a new place, were suspended by “mecaniques”--the -leather belts with rope attachments that made living pendulums of them -when they missed their try. Even one of the bareback riders, forming a -pyramid on her husband’s shoulders, while he went around the ring on -three horses, had the life-saving apparatus around her waist. For she -was new at the business and her husband was not letting her take any -more chances than he could help. And while father and mother were doing -their great aerial act on horseback, both of them looking as though -only boy and girl, their two-year-old baby cooed down at the ringside, -brought over from Boston to spend three weeks with them. She thought it -was fine when her mother jumped and balanced, but her mother thought -of nothing except not to fall off and not to hang her husband with the -rope that was her safeguard. They were in the middle ring and beside -it, swathed in top coats and wrappings of all kinds, were performers -waiting for their turns to go in. From beneath their street clothes -came glimpses of pink and white fleshings with slippers to match, and -over the slippers were clogs, wooden-soled shoes, with leather tops, to -prevent their feet from being injured while walking in the ring. - -The circus was getting ready to open and everybody was practising to -start in a blaze of glory. In one of the end rings a woman was riding -bareback, “the best hurdle jumper in the business” said one of the men. -It looks easy to run and jump on a horse, but it requires work and -practice. Not being a dress rehearsal, every one was in working togs, -and the women were wearing bloomer suits, with waists of red, pink and -blue, and with that innate sense of decoration that is part of the true -artist in the ring, each wore a rosette in her hair that matched the -suit. - -Dallie’s interest was centred on the ring where her aunt, who is also -her foster mother, was breaking in a new horse. - -“Many of the people use the company’s horses, but my aunt has her own -and so have I,” she explained. “She always breaks them herself and this -one is new to the business; that is why there is a rope on him and the -ringmaster hangs to it. You see the horse might get frightened and bolt -over the side or try to go through the doorway,” pointing to a niche -that served as an entrance; “there is a man standing at the door to -prevent the horse from going out.” - -The horse was perfectly well aware of the fact and not altogether -reconciled, although he was fast approaching that state. Ropes swinging -from all sorts of corners where trapezes and “looping-the-loop” -contrivances were being put up disconcerted him, but the rope and whip -were arguments that appealed in inducing him to stay. - -“He will be all right before the performance,” Dallie went on with the -air of a connoisseur. “There will be two more rehearsals to-day and -some chance to practise to-morrow. I am riding the same horse I ride -always,” she went on, tucking her small feet out of the way of dirt and -draught, “and it is lucky for me because I have only been practising -two weeks this season. You see I was in the hospital last winter, and -all I got of the circus was hearing the band play as I lay in bed while -all the others were getting ready for this season. But I practised a -lot this year and now I do better than I did last year.” - -In the upper ring the Rough Riders were putting their horses through -their acts and the horses were not altogether pleased. The thing they -hated most was being made to lie down when they did not feel the least -bit tired, and many of them were inclined to argue the matter until the -whip convinced them that really they preferred to do what was wanted. -The whip as a convincer in a circus is a great ethical force. At one -end of the course were the acrobats doing a complete double shoulder -twist. They were swinging by ropes attached to their belts when they -missed a leap. - -“You see,” said Dallie, shedding the great white light of information, -“they have never done their turn here before and they are used to a -smaller place, so they are practising to get distances. If one of them -should miss and fall it would hurt, for they haven’t any net under, -but the ‘mecanique’ will keep them swinging clear from the ground. You -ought to see the ‘mecanique’ in the rings of the winter quarters. They -are put on people just learning to go bareback. Sometimes they miss a -horse and the persons go swinging round and round the ring until they -land on their horses again. It is awfully funny. Some of the people -are scared this season because they are new and there are a lot of new -horses and so they are nervous. My aunt told me the other day she could -not sleep nights for worrying about me and how I would get through, but -I told her she was silly. I will get through all right and there is no -use any way in worrying, even if anything does happen.” - -“And isn’t it remarkable that some persons do not get hurt?” she went -on. “Now, here are all of us and there hasn’t a thing gone wrong to -hurt any one. Why, yesterday one of the walking tight wires broke when -there were five people on it. There was not one of them hurt; but a -little boy that was on the end had every one fall on him and it scared -him pretty bad and bruised him a little, but he is practising to-day as -usual.” - -Her aunt’s horse by dint of much persuasion was taking some baby -hurdles while the aunt hung on behind clinging to a strap, for the -horse did not seem to care about having a person perched on his -haunches, but he accepted it for the same reason that he had all -the rest. But at last he was led from the ring and some one called -“Dallie!” She jumped down from her tub, dropped off her long skirt, -danced into the ring and up to a big white horse. She wore a short -skirt over her dark bloomers and in her hand was a very weather-beaten -little whip. - -“I have tried a lot of others,” she said, as she bent it, “but I cannot -turn somersaults with any other. I am so used to this and the way it -feels in my hand that I cannot get along with any other. I have lost -this several times but some of the men always find it and bring it back -to me.” - -Her horse, with its tightly checked head, waited for her and she felt -the head strap with the air of an old professional. - -Dallie stood up like a bit of thistle-down and, poised lightly on her -horse, went riding around. First one of her feet and then the other -went forward to balance, and then suddenly both went tight together and -she took several preliminary leaps in the air to get herself limber. -Having stretched her muscles, she gave a little cry. Three men, lined -up together to catch her if she fell, got ready, and up and over in the -air she went like a little human ball. The first time she did not land -on the horse but in the ring. But after that she did her turn all right -and was driven out to make room for others needing practice. - -Cupid had picked the little horsewoman out for his mark in these early -days of the circus, but so closely guarded was the secret that it -was days before we knew that her heart had taken up its lodging in -young Ledgett’s breast, and his breast had become the cabinet of her -affections. Shy glances and low and tender voices in secluded spots -finally told a revealing tale and we watched the progress of the -devotion with intense interest and some concern. We knew the stern -traditional circus antipathy toward affairs of the kind and wondered -whether the fixed opposition of the aunt could be overcome. No comrade -was so disloyal and unchivalrous as to carry the story to those in -authority, but soon the love-making conveyed itself to their very eyes. -Then began a systematic effort to end it abruptly, and the memory of -the courage and faith and hope which forced surrender to Hymen’s cause -will linger with us long. - -The burden of obstructions was directed at the girl--he was too -strong and self-reliant; and when her aunt was not advising against -her conjugal plans, the ringmaster engaged himself in telling that -marriage would jeopardize her future. So it was that between the -prodigious shakings of the head and the love that absorbed her, Dallie -grew thin and pale and unsteady in her work. Her judge of distance, so -necessary in her dangerous aerial revolutions, became bad, and often -she alighted on wooden ringbark or horse’s head or tail when her feet -should have been fixed to Gypsy’s moving back. She became a bruised and -humble maiden, but with purpose unwavering. Her aunt’s vigilance was -unrelaxing and unrelenting; she vowed that the two should not have each -other’s company. - -To the casual circus goer, this determined disapproval of innocent -attachment may seem brutal and unreasonable, but there are reasons -underlying which those directly involved feel justify their course. It -is the history of circus love affairs which progress during the active -season that they impair performances. Once the yearning enters show -persons, indolence and indifference characterize them in the ring. It -is not a desire to oppress, but a warning instinct of professional -deterioration, that causes sardonic smiles and harsh flings. To the -relative who has acted as mother for years, the prospect of premature -separation is naturally obnoxious. - -It was not until summer was on the wane that we saw signs of -approaching capitulation. Dallie had risen supreme over her temporary -weakness and was again the skilful mistress of the ring. Fred, patient -and artful, had won first an enduring place in the aunt’s esteem and -then her permission and encouragement. The management yielded before -their combined eloquence. - -So it was that one Sunday afternoon, Dallie, swaying under a great -breadth of silk, and her sweetheart, awkward in encumbering black, but -looking very proud and joyful, started hand in hand down the long road -of life. A very glorious supper was served that evening in honor of -the event. The owner gracefully proposed the health of the bride, and -the tent resounded with the enthusiasm of the response. Fred expressed -his thanks in well-put words, and Mrs. Fred blushed prettily in her -happiness. And best of all, about the corners of the aunt’s lip there -rested a smile of pleasure, of approval and of contentment. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE MENAGERIE TENT - - -Into the menagerie tent, with its great variety of animals caged and -unconfined, streams the open-mouthed human parade, stopping to comment -and observe on its way to the “big top.” The lions and tigers pace up -and down their cages with hungry eyes that gleam in green and gold. -They stare steadily through the iron bars but take no heed of the pigmy -humans who stare back. There is something in those shining eyes that -tells of thoughts far from the circus, perhaps of a jungle in far-off -Asia. The insatiable elephant swings his greedy trunk tirelessly, and -the black leopard sulks in the darkest corner of his den. Watching -closely the scene in all its aspects is a jovial, deep-voiced man who -urges the immediate necessity of securing advantageous seats under the -adjoining canvas. He controls the peanut and lemonade privilege. Long -experience has taught him all the arts and devices of his business. -He appreciates that his sales will not begin in any volume until -the audience is comfortably settled inside. Then he displays his -commercial craftiness by overwhelming the big area with peanut and -popcorn vendors. No lemonade is in evidence. Thirst comes on apace. -Throats become dry and salty, and there is clamor for liquid. When its -assuaging presence is finally seen in the hands of dozens of hawkers, -the sale is invariably tremendous. If sudden rain comes on during the -performance, he varies his sales with the disposal of umbrellas. He is -ready for any meteorological condition. - -He has been associated with red wagons and white canvas for many years, -and there is no department of circus life in which he has not at some -time excelled. As a clown his fame covered all parts of the country. -He was, an old-time programme before me tells, “a grotesque, whimsical -satirist. A wit brimful of ridiculously extravagant, fanciful mirth and -eccentric humor, comic attitudes, funny songs, derisive sayings, quaint -arguments and pleasant drolleries; entirely devoid of low jests and -vulgar tricks and postures.” - -The monkey cage is the most popular institution in our menagerie -tent. We have outgrown the “variety cage” of old days, which was a -collection in one den of monkeys, pigs, cats, dogs and rabbits. It -was an interesting collection, I suppose, to country people, but an -insufferable nuisance to the showman. Circus monkeys die in droves. The -show which starts the season with one hundred and fifty of the animals -and returns to winter quarters with twenty-five is fortunate. The -climatic changes act with quick fatality upon the sensitive creatures. -Tuberculosis, animal doctors call the killing disease. There is always -a bully in the cage and always an inmate ready to give battle for the -honor. The privileges of the bully are alluring. He takes for himself -the choicest morsels of food, chooses the most comfortable perch or -corner, gives orders and demands instant obedience, and cuffs and -bites and annoys his fellows until one, rendered desperate, turns -and administers a thrashing and succeeds to the position. The monkey -cage at nightfall is a sure register of the degree of generosity of a -community. In some towns they are gorged with food; the audience has -fed them lavishly. Again, they give pleading indication of hunger; the -place has probably a reputation for penuriousness. Those who believe -in the Darwinian theory assert that the resemblance between the human -race and the monkey is most marked in sick monkeys. Several scientists -who watched our sick chimpanzee noticed many peculiarities of a child. -It coughed like a child and made wry faces like one when asked to take -medicine. Doctors felt its pulse and it received all the care and -attention of a child of the rich. - -Natural history is one of the most interesting and absorbing of all -studies, and the visitor to our menagerie finds much zoological -gratification. The hippopotamus, sleeping or floundering in his tank, -and raising his head at intervals above the surface of the water for -the purpose of respiration, is never without a wondering audience. His -is a harmless disposition and he is a pet with the animal keepers. His -den is too small for the water to cover him completely and frequently -he is scrubbed with soap. He enjoys the operation immensely unless -the soapsuds enter his cavernous mouth, which surely is annoying -enough to provoke the most mild-mannered being. His skin is of a dark -reddish-brown color, full of cracks, chaps and cross-etchings, with -dapplings of irregular dark spots, and is probably two inches thick. -He is more than ten feet long and nearly six feet high. When he gives -voice, the lions are humiliated and the tigers acknowledge defeat. It -is a deafening kind of interrupted roar, between that of a bull and -the braying of an elephant. His daily diet is bushels of potatoes, -apples, carrots, oats, bran, hay and salt. Keepers say that the only -hippopotami born in captivity are in the zoo of one of the big cities. -Ignorance permitted the first one which saw the light to die. Keepers -feared to put it in the water, thinking it would drown, and tried to -nurse it with a bottle. It was dead in ten days. Then it was decided -not to interfere when the mother brought forth its next young. The -result was the discovery that it nursed under water. The first genuine -hippopotamus ever seen in America was exhibited by Barnum in his New -York museum in August, 1861. He advertised the animal extensively and -ingeniously as the “great behemoth of the Scriptures,” and thousands, -including many biblical students, flocked to see it. - -[Illustration: A “MAN KILLER,” PHOTOGRAPHED HALF AN HOUR AFTER HAVING -SLAIN AN ANNOYER.] - -Circus people will travel miles into the presence of a giraffe. They -want the animal with the elongated neck to rub their hand with its -tongue. They say that good luck is sure to follow the operation. The -privilege is one rarely accorded, for giraffes are very costly and -delicate, and, though popular menagerie inmates, are infrequently seen -nowadays. The first one born in captivity in America saw the light of -day in Cincinnati on October 20, 1889. It was five feet high. Daisy, -measuring eighteen feet from the ground to the tips of her ears, and -the last giraffe then on exhibition with any travelling show, was -killed during a voyage to Europe--a lurch of the ship broke her neck. - -Circus owners are vainly searching the jungles of India and the wilds -of Africa for rhinoceroses. There are none in the open markets and the -world’s visible supply is limited to twelve specimens. The market value -of the beast ranged from $4,000 to $5,000 until the present shortage -set in. Now a large circus would willingly pay many times that sum. The -rhinoceros has always been a problem to animal keepers, for captivity -generally results in early death. He is a beast so essentially of -the wilds that all efforts at breeding in captivity have failed. Old -showmen remember the attempt to take performing liberties with one of -the spike-nosed monsters in a small town in Illinois in 1872. He killed -two men, upset four dens of animals, tore down a museum tent, stampeded -people for blocks and finally brought up in a vacant house, the door -of which stood open. No fixed desire to exhibit a rhinoceros has ever -since been displayed. - -To many persons who go to a circus there is probably nothing that -causes more wonder than to see the keepers of the lions, tigers, -leopards, panthers and other wild beasts sitting in the cages among -them, patting them on their ugly heads, slapping them on their -saliva-dripping jowls, or fearlessly lashing them with their whips if -necessary. Mastery expresses better than training what the keepers have -accomplished with the beasts. - -“There is a tremendous amount of work to be done in winter quarters, of -which the public knows nothing,” explained our keeper, as he surveyed -the scene in the menagerie tent early one August evening. “We are -getting new wild animals all the time, and as they come to us there is -not a man living who would dare go into the cages with them. During -the winter we have to break those beasts so that we can handle them -on the road. When they come to us they have thick leather collars -around their necks, with heavy chains attached. The beasts are then -more savage than they were before capture, that having served only to -bring out all that is ugly in them. They will spit and growl at anybody -who comes near their cage, and jump at the bars until they exhaust -themselves. We begin to teach them manners the very day we get them, -and they take a lesson in etiquette every day after that until the show -starts out. My men catch the end of the chain fastened to the collar -and secure it in such a manner to the bars that the beast can move only -a short distance. Then I take a stout rawhide whip and strong club and -enter the cage. I take a chair and sit down in a corner. The instant I -get in, the beast will give a roar and spring for me. I would be torn -to shreds if I were within reach; but the chain holds and instead of -getting at me, the lion, tiger, panther or leopard is brought up with a -shock that sends him in a heap to the floor and I give him a lash with -the rawhide. - -“The beast is at me again in an instant; again he goes down and again I -lash him. I always keep the club handy, but never use it unless it is -absolutely necessary. I keep drawing my chair a little closer to the -animal as this goes on until I get so close he can touch me with his -nose but cannot bite me. Then I just sit there and talk to him and you -would be surprised at the power the human voice will finally be made to -exercise over wild beasts. They seem to understand much that is said to -them. - -“While I am talking just out of reach of their teeth,” he went on, “if -they get ugly and attempt to spring at me I give them the rawhide. I -keep this up, and after a dozen or fifteen lessons they get so they -only snarl and growl at my entrance to the cage. As soon as I think -it is safe I try the beasts without a chain. It is a little ticklish -business at first but I have plenty of help ready for the first effort. -If it is a success the first time, you generally have your beast -mastered, although once in a while a brute that has been tractable -enough will break out and go for his keeper. We had such a case once -when an experienced lion tamer was clawed by a lioness and nearly -killed. We usually cut the claws of the cat species, however. Lions -will not stay in the same cage with tigers. We tried this once, putting -a lioness in with a Bengal tiger. There was a fierce fight and the -lioness nearly killed the Bengal.” - -Our keeper takes very little stock in the theory of the power of -the human eye over wild beasts. The organ plays an insignificant -part, he thinks; it is the power of the man behind the eye and the -qualifications he possesses that are efficacious. - -[Illustration: REHEARSING IN WINTER QUARTERS.] - -“It is a pretty thing to say, and that is all,” he said. “The man who -wants to subdue a wild beast has to be fearless and go about his -task in a courageous way, and of course the eye plays its part. The man -who attempted to handle a wild beast that was not chained, with nothing -else than a fearless eye would be in a pretty bad hole, though. What -the man must have is a good heart, plenty of pluck and lots of sand. -The secret of successfully handling wild beasts is to become imbued -with a confidence that all wild beasts are really cowardly, especially -if they belong to the cat family. If you are not afraid and you know -how to do it, it is easy enough. - -“A circus man once determined to put the question whether the human eye -has power over wild animals to the test. Approaching a large ostrich -he gazed fixedly at it, and to his delight the mesmeric glance seemed -to meet with instant success. The bird crouched and flapped its wings -nervously. Some hours later, however, the man’s body was found with the -ostrich alternately sitting and jumping upon it. The negro guide of -a circus expedition, it is told, was more successful, although there -is some doubt as to whether it was the power of the eye that gave him -victory. He surprised two lion cubs at play and began to play with -them. They liked it so much that when he would take his departure they -refused to let him go. Their cries of enjoyment finally brought the -mother lioness. The negro was paralyzed with fear, and kept his eyes -glued to those of the lioness. Man and beast kept steadily watching -each other. The lioness moved around the negro several times but he -never shifted his gaze. Several times the lioness crouched as if to -spring, but finally after what seemed an age to the negro she called -her cubs to her side and disappeared in the forest. This is the story -brought home from Africa. - -“A man once experimented with a wildcat in our circus, and only the -bars of the cage prevented him from being badly scratched for his -pains. As soon as he looked into the eyes of the wildcat the animal -sprang fiercely at him. - -“Some interesting experiments were made at our winter quarters in -Bridgeport one year with the object of ascertaining the exact influence -of music on animals. That animals like to hear a violin played seems to -be clearly proved. A zoologist played in the menagerie many times, and -found that the music pleased them. A puma, at the sound of the violin, -stretched himself at full length in his cage and listened quietly as -long as the music was soft and low, but the moment it became loud and -fast he sprang to his feet, lashed his sides with his tail and began to -pace nervously up and down his cage. A jaguar at the sound of lively -music showed great uneasiness, but became quiet when soft music was -played. He thrust his paws through the bars of the cage to detain -the violinist. On leopards the music made hardly any impression. A -lioness and three cubs seemed somewhat disturbed, but as soon as the -player started to go to the next cage they came forward and lay down. -He then played soft music which seemed to please them. He followed it -with a lively dance, at the first sound of which the cubs sprang up and -gambolled wildly about the cage. On the other hand, two striped hyenas, -when they heard the music, drew back to the other end of their cage and -tried to get out through the bars. - -“I remember well the year 1889,” he continued, “because then the -question of electrocuting, instead of hanging, prisoners condemned to -die came up. A party of scientists came on to our winter quarters and -conducted a series of electrical experiments upon the animals. Mr. -Bailey placed the entire menagerie at the service of the scientists, -and twenty of us keepers assisted in the work. The instruments employed -were a powerful battery of forty-two Leclanche cells and a resistance -box of one hundred thousand ohms. The experiments began at eleven -o’clock in the morning and continued until nightfall. - -“The first animal experimented with was a savage baboon, which fought -furiously before he was tied. He bit one keeper severely and tore the -clothing off another. A sponge, that was used as the end of one wire, -was forced into his mouth. A second sponge was fastened on one of -his paws. A current of two cells was then passed through the simian -and was promptly resented by a fierce attempt to break his bonds and -escape. The baboon’s irritation increased with the current until -twenty-eight cells had been used. When forty cells had been used, the -animal became lethargic and almost comatose, looking for all the world -like a man overcome by strong drink. The highest point of resistance -was eight thousand ohms, a surprisingly large figure. When finally -released, the baboon became wild with rage and attacked the nearest -keeper, inflicting a dozen scratches on him. A tame seal was next -operated on. It allowed the experts to fasten one roll of copper wire -around its neck and a second around its tail flippers. The moment -the current was applied it snapped viciously in every direction. The -savants sprang right and left, upsetting chairs and writing materials -in their haste to get out of reach. When the current was increased the -seal gnawed at the wires and succeeded in disengaging itself from both. -The resistance could not be ascertained on account of its wet coat -acting as a conductor to the electric fluid. - -“The gnu or horned horse, did not take kindly to science. When one of -the savants entered its cage it attacked him so savagely, that three -keepers were obliged to go to his assistance. The animal showed a -resistance of eleven thousand ohms and seemed paralyzed the moment the -current was turned on. The small monkeys behaved very much like little -children. The moment they felt the current they screamed and seemed to -be undergoing agony. When the wires were removed, they appeared puzzled -and three of them took up the electrodes as if to study them. A large -blue monkey was so interested that when released he seized the large -sponge and began to tear it apart as if to see what it contained that -hurt him so. The monkeys offered a resistance of from five thousand to -seven thousand ohms. The hippopotamus and sea lion took the full force -of the current without wincing; but a dog, after having a moderate -current passed through his brain, showed signs of hydrophobia and had -to be killed. The wild carnivora showed much sensitiveness to the -electric current, manifesting every symptom of rage and distress when -only a single cell was employed. A wolf to which a mild current was -applied, stood upon its haunches and cried piteously. - -“But the elephants proved the star attractions. They actually enjoyed -the sensation in every instance, except when a strong current was -passed through the trunk. When only a few cells were employed, the huge -beasts did not seem to observe the fact, but when the full battery was -employed, they rubbed their legs together, caressed savant and keeper -alike and squealed their pleasure. No odder sight was ever seen than -an elephant with mouth wide open, with one scientist holding a sponge -to the huge tongue and a second another to the root of his tail, and -manifesting every sign of glee. - -“The manner in which animals endure pain always awakens our sympathies. -Horses in battle are a striking example of power of endurance and -unyielding courage. After the first stinging pain of the wound, they -make no sound, but bear their agony with mute, wondering endurance. -Elephants also suffer agonies without flinching. When they are shot in -a vital spot they sink down on the ground with a low cry, and silently -pass away. A dog will go for days with a broken leg without complaint, -and a wounded cat will crawl to some quiet place and brood silently -over agonies which humans could not endure. A stricken deer will go to -some thick wood and there in pitiful submission await the end. Lions, -tigers and other beasts will do the same. Seldom do they give utterance -to cries of pain. Cattle will meet the thrust of the butcher’s knife -without a sound, and a wild dove, with shot from a hunter’s gun burning -in its tender flesh, will fly to some high bough or lie on the ground -to die, and no sound will be heard save the dripping of its life blood -upon the leaves. The eagle, stricken high in air, will struggle to the -last, but there will be no sound of pain, and the proud defiant look -will not leave the eyes until the lids close over them and shut out the -sunlight they love so well.” - -Sunday is fast-day in the menagerie tent, and every occupant, caged -or uncaged, knows when the day arrives. When the week-day feeding -hour--five o’clock in the afternoon--approaches, not one of the animals -betrays the feeling of eager desire on Sunday which characterizes them -all the other six days. They understand instinctively that there will -be no meal. Then on Monday the “cat” animals begin to pace their cages -nervously and peer through the bars awaiting the coming of the keepers. -They are well aware that liver, which they relish keenly and which -keeps them in good physical condition, will be the food. The Sunday -abstinence is deemed by the trainers an aid to good health, as copying -to some extent the habit of beasts in their native haunts, where food -is not obtainable every day. There is little sickness in the menagerie. -The animals are studied closely and given assiduous attention if the -slightest indisposition is manifested. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -LIFE WITH THE PERFORMERS - - -The art of seating the audience in the big tent plays a prominent part -in the receipts of the day. “Fill the highest rows first,” is the -instruction forced upon each usher, and censure or dismissal is the -penalty of disobedience. By skilful and systematic arrangement of the -crowds, it is possible to utilize every inch of seating space in the -vast enclosure. Indifferent or careless performance of the duty leaves -the tent, to the casual observer, packed to completion, but in reality -here and there are spots not occupied. Hence all ingenuity must be -brought to bear to prevent this condition and its consequent financial -loss, for the sale of tickets stops when no more seats are available. -Sometimes a prosperous day has not been confidently expected and the -management orders a four- instead of the usual five-centre-pole tent -raised. The difference in seating capacity is several hundred. Then, -but not often, for circus foresight is keen, people flock to the lot in -thousands and there is no room for their accommodation. The owner is -shame and mortification personified. - -On the hippodrome track one of the clowns, clad in sober black and -looking to be all he represents, waits with imitation camera and -tripod for victims. He is an experienced master of human nature. -With exaggerated politeness and scrupulous care of detail he poses -unsuspecting new-comers, to the boisterous amusement of those already -seated. Sweethearts stand in affectionate attitude, mightily pleased -and unsuspecting, while he pretends to impress their likeness upon -photographic plates. Sometimes he turns their faces from him, tells -them not to move until instructed, and then moves quietly away. Very -infrequently they take the joke seriously. When anger and retaliation -are manifested, he is agile enough to escape punishment. - -A boy sings on the topmost seats. His voice is powerful, but pure and -sweet, and the tent is filled with the sounds of approval when he -finishes. The musical director discovered him in Rochester, N. Y., and -has great hopes for his professional future. - -The military band is discoursing popular selections, and the equestrian -director makes a last critical survey of the network of suspended bars, -trapezes, rings, perches and wires. Finishing touches are being added -to the “loop-the-loop” apparatus. A score of men have been putting it -together since early morning. Now the band is at the dressing-room exit -and the cornet sounds a melodious call. The inaugural tournament is -on, comprising, the press agent is telling his guests, “spectacular -pageantry, zoologic, equestric, hippodromatic and aerial elements, -indicative of the limitless resources of this colossal consolidation of -circus chieftains, collection of celebrities and congress of champions; -a comprehensive, kaleidoscopic and illustrative review upon the ellipse -of the hippodrome, upon the two stages and in the three rings.” - -Then the clowns’ carol, the herds of trained elephants and the circus -performance that is familiar to the young and old. The ringmaster’s -whip cracks merrily; ponies and dogs show the results of patient -teaching; slack wire equilibrists, head balancers and daring horizontal -bar heroes are innumerable; there are graceful flights upon flying -trapeze and swinging rings; living classic statuary pleases the eye; -hurdle riding, a hazardous form of equestrianism, gives the audience -a thrill; prancing thoroughbreds engage in a cakewalk, and the -clowns burlesque it; a crowd of acrobats and jugglers fill the rings -simultaneously, while a septette of men and women engage in fancy and -trick bicycle riding, and the most intrepid wheelman rides down a -ladder which stretches to the dome of the canvas; a performing bear -shows almost human intelligence, and some one dressed like a monster -rooster evokes general mirth; a young man, standing on the pedals of -a single wheel with no support save his nerve, makes his perilous -journey up and down a spiral arrangement, which has a curious effect -upon the snare drum; an eighteen-year-old girl turns somersaults upon a -moving white horse’s back, and the onlookers read that she is the only -one of her sex accomplishing the feat. - -So the show progresses to the rushing hippodrome races, contests -between women on fiery thoroughbreds, double standing Roman bareback -races, tandem hurdle races, jockey races, pony races with monkey -jockeys, clowns in comical competition, and the breath-taking chariot -race. It is now that the country crowd perhaps gets a thrill that -is denied the New York city audience. In Madison Square Garden the -hippodrome track is dry and firm and smooth and true. The country -course offers none of these conditions. No time is granted to make it -perfect. And so it is that sometimes there is a wild cry from rider or -driver, a confused heap of hoofs, legs, wheels and dust, breathless -silence from the thousands of onlookers and then, generally, a loud -burst of applause as horse and human struggle to their feet, not -seriously damaged. The danger of disaster is especially great when -the four fleet horses are dashing with the heavy, low Roman chariots. -Great skill is required to prevent collision or collapse on the -abrupt course; and rough, uneven grounds make serious strain upon the -vehicle. The accidents seldom have disastrous endings. I remember -vividly when an axle broke in a Pennsylvania town. The woman driver -jumped and escaped with a sprained wrist. The band instantly stopped -its thumping. The horses, racing madly and unguided to the finish post -came to an abrupt standstill. The audience, on a verge of a panic, -resumed their seats, marvelling. They did not understand, that as a -precautionary measure against just such accidents, the fiery animals -are trained to run with the music. They have been taught not to move -rapidly until the band begins and to stop whenever its melody ceases. - -It will be observed that the women who rush around the hippodrome -track in the jockey races ride in an opposite direction from that of -the other sex, and the reason is not apparent to the lay visitor. -The explanation is that thus their feet swing on the horse’s side -not exposed to the supporting quarter-pole, as would be the case did -they follow the course of the men. Disregard of this precautionary -measure has resulted in serious injury in many circuses, for the circus -woman makes light of danger in many forms which would appall her -unprofessional sister. The natural route is the men’s, and she would -take it every time did the equestrian director permit. - -[Illustration: RING “STARS” LINED UP FOR INSPECTION.] - -Of course, most skilled performers “stall.” That is, in the execution -of a particularly dangerous or difficult feat, they pretend to -barely escape a serious fall or make an unsuccessful attempt at -accomplishment. It gives the audience an exaggerated idea of the -extreme peril or difficulty of the undertaking, and ensures an outburst -of applause when finally triumphantly done. It is a sidelight on the -mild vanity of the circus man, but incidentally serves a commercial -purpose, for he knows that public approval carries with it renewal of -engagement at no smaller salary. - -Nearly all on the list of circus performances have inherited their -strength and skill. They have been literally born to the arena. Some -of them represent the third and fourth generations of famous circus -families. The boys and girls of our circus, comprising two tiny concert -dancers, a smart young bicycle rider, several acrobats and gymnasts and -two Japanese boys, are a modest, healthy, honest party of playmates -whose parents find time each day to hear lessons and give advice in -manners and morals. They are “chums” in all the word implies, and an -occasional clash with words or fists always ends without the call for -parental adjustment and serves to cement the juvenile friendship. Of -young men and women, those who have not yet reached their majorities, -we have half a dozen, all of whom have conspicuous parts in the show. -One of the girls, a skilled acrobat, took up riding recently and bids -fair to achieve fame, the veterans say. The act does not interfere with -her other performance and she is in receipt of a handsome income. The -most finished tumbler among the lads is a boy who also participates in -a wire-walking act. In this performance he is disguised as a girl, for -the feminine sex always lends interest to any feat. The deception is -perfect, but it was very annoying to the management and embarrassing to -the youth when his blonde wig dropped off one afternoon and he stood -revealed in his masculinity. So it is with a “family” who do a graceful -and dangerous aerial act. The youngest member of the troupe is a boy, -although appearance indicates the other sex. They are both eagerly -biding the time when age will do away with the disguise. - -The training of these children begins almost at birth. Indeed, in -the vast majority of cases there is the powerful effect of heredity, -which exercises an influence upon the child and helps it to overcome -obstacles to others well-nigh impossible. The chief effort is to create -courage and daring, to develop those qualities where they already -exist. The lungs are expanded and broadened by hearty exercise, and -the muscles are hardened and developed by athletic work. At the same -time it has been found by the modern gymnast that the body, to perform -this extraordinary work, must be well nourished. The necessity for a -clear head, a steady eye and unflinching hand requires that the brain -shall likewise be well nourished; so the education of the little pupils -is not neglected; indeed, many a gymnast has mental abilities often -lacking in the ordinary man. He has to understand some geometry and -mathematics, else how can he calculate the exact distance of a jump, a -fall, a somersault? He very often is the inventor of his own apparatus -and this has to be exact in shape, size and strength. The suppleness -of the limbs and joints comes from long practice, not, as is usually -thought, from straining the soft joints of a child. The result of such -straining would be weakness, not strength. Only those whose business -it is know or understand what can be done with those joints, how much -strain they will bear and which will endure the greatest strain. When -to hold on and when to let go are important items, too, in an acrobat’s -training. These can be learned only when young. It is natural for a -child to “catch at something” when it thinks it is falling. It must be -taught to do the catching only at precisely the right moment, and to -turn at the instant when required. - -In these days, the net is an element of safety in all mid-air feats. -But so fearless and confident do gymnasts become that they hardly know -and certainly do not notice whether it is in place. There is a piece of -apparatus largely used among circus riders when training or learning -new feats called the “mecanique.” It consists of a belt, which goes -around the waist of the performer, to which is attached a strong, -elastic rope, which is again fastened to a wooden, gibbet-like arm. -The tyro knows that he cannot possibly fall beyond the length of the -rope and that, therefore, no matter how many times he fails, he cannot -by any possibility come to physical grief. The use of this machine -is deprecated by some performers as reducing the nerve training to -a minimum. It is, however, in great favor with all whose nerves are -already steadied by experience and who are trying new tricks. In the -case of women and children the “mecanique” is very frequently employed. - -There is no phase of work that requires more patient and faithful -study, more steadiness of nerve or a greater command of the muscles -than feats of balancing on trapeze, rings and slack wire. To balance -well, one must be systematically developed, and each muscle must be -ready to act instantly and do its work with certainty. The legs must be -strong and firm to sustain the body in its various poses. The back must -be sinewy, so that the recovery may be made quickly and the upright -maintained without a chance of failure, and the arms and hands must be -hard and strong; for when a man, falling from a trapeze, grasps at the -bar, he must catch it and hold to it if he desires to emerge unhurt. -Balancing on the slack wire is essentially different from trapeze -balancing. On the slack wire the balance must be kept by working the -body from the waist down, and is mainly done with the legs. It is the -reverse on the trapeze, where the legs must be kept rigid and the -balance worked from the leg up. The slack wire is harder to learn at -first than the trapeze, as it is radically different from a person’s -natural balance, which is kept more with the arms and body and less -with the legs. - -The triple somersault has slain its scores, yet as long as men tumble -over elephants in the circus, and as long as springboards are made, the -acrobats will be trying to accomplish this most difficult of feats. -There have been acrobats who have done it. They are dead now. They -were carried out of the ring to a hospital immediately thereafter, -and lived for the various periods of from one to three days. There -have been men who have asserted that they can turn the triple. They -are generally the acrobats who have left the circus ring forever and -are devoting the last years of their lives to the sale of cigars or -some other stirring occupation. The men who have followed the circus -all their lives say that no man has ever turned the triple from a -springboard and lived to boast of his triumph. The triple somersault is -done from a flying trapeze, but it is simply a series of revolutions -in the air as the performer drops. Even then it should be called two -and a half revolutions, for the acrobat falls on his back in a net and -depends upon the rebound to hurl him to his feet. He can make these -two revolutions and a half from a springboard, sometimes, with the -difference that nine hundred and ninety-nine times out of a thousand -he alights on his head or on the back of his neck which brings instant -death. A man who even falls that way in a net is a subject for the -coroner. - -It is circus tradition that in 1842, when even the double somersault -was deemed a difficult and dangerous feat, a performer tried the triple -turn. It happened in Mobile, Alabama, and the rash acrobat broke his -neck. W. J. Hobbes, a tumbler, was killed attempting the trick in -London four years later. John Amor, a Pennsylvania circus leaper, who -was a famous double somersault revolver, paid with his life for his -ambition in 1859. He was travelling with an English circus, essayed the -death-dealing act, struck on his forehead and died. - -The somersault, whether it be single or double, is a feat which -requires the most assiduous practice and the most accurate calculation. -The first thing which the tumbler learns is to jump from a springboard. -The sensation of springing through the air is an uncanny one. Next is -the “stock” somersault, which consists of merely springing up in the -air and slowly, and with practically no muscular exertion, turning -over. The motion is so slow that the spectators hardly realize that -the man has revolved. Then begins the drill for the real somersault. -The acrobat learns the “tuck,” which consists of grasping both -legs tightly half way between the knee and ankle and pressing them -closely together. At the same time the acrobat puts the muscles of his -shoulders and back into play. This muscular force acts like the balance -weight of the wheel. It aids him to complete the revolution. The taking -of the “tuck” requires the nicest calculation. The acrobat must wait -until he has sprung as far in the air as the force of the springboard -or his legs will carry him. If he “tucks” too soon he will fall like a -coffee sack. If he waits until too late he finds himself cast, a human -wheel at a dead centre. He is likely to have broken bones in either -case in spite of carpet or mattress. The double somersault requires -more muscular force. The trained acrobat knows exactly where he is at -every point in the revolution. He has a strange sense which makes him -feel it. It is when he summons his almost exhausted energies for a -third turn that he feels like a ship without a rudder. Harry Costello, -Wm. Kinkead, John Armstrong, Arthur Mohring, and “Little Bob” Hanlon, -well-known circus performers, have broken their necks and died in -executing the double somersault within a score of years. - -The dressing-rooms--the “green room” of the circus--are as convenient -to the centre of the tent as the topography of the lot will permit. -Passing through the canvas connection, the women of the show enter -quarters to the left and the men’s accommodations are on the other -side. Between, stand the horses and wagons and other “property” which -for various reasons cannot be stored near the rings. Very cosy and -comfortable are the two canvas compartments, although room is at a -premium. Trunks replace chairs, and mirrors are of a dimension to -discourage vanity. The process of “making up” is a laborious, and -tedious undertaking, but accepted as one of the conditions which are -unavoidable. Of cold water there is a plenty, and soap and towels -abound. Naphtha lights furnish illumination. Electric experiments have -never been successful. - -The music of the band furnishes the circus man’s cue. He knows by -its brazen notes when to leave the dressing-room for the ring. If -the musical director changes an air, the dressing-room inmates must -be thoroughly informed to avoid delay and confusion. No performer -is permitted to leave until the entire show is over. The danger of -accident in the ring is never absent, and as many do several “turns” -others must be ready if one becomes incapacitated. When the nights grow -cold in the early and late season, the chill air which penetrates the -canvas would drive any but the hardy circus folk to a sick-bed. Their -trained systems are equal to all demands the elements put forward, -however, and a cough or a cold are almost unknown. A miserable enough -place it is when the rain falls freely. Scant as is the dressing-room -protection, the journey to and from the rings is infinitely worse. -Performers return to their trunks wet in the feet and generally -bestrewed with drops from the head down. Pretty costumes are spotted -and the effect is very depressing. There is peril to life and limb, -too, when bars and trapezes and rings and other apparatus becomes -drenched. Hands may slip, feet may not hold, a horse may stumble, -and there are numberless other chances of misfortune. The equestrian -director decides whether or not the possibility of disaster is too -great for the act. If he deems the risk not too venturesome, the -performer accepts cheerfully, no matter what is his own conviction. -Sometimes he enters upon the duty with grim forebodings as to the -outcome, for he appreciates that perhaps the director, in his desire -not to disappoint the audience, has imposed a critical undertaking. -The circus concert offers opportunity for a display of talents other -than those presented in the ring. Many performers with nimble foot or -tuneful voice add to their incomes by this extra work. - -Circus performers are persons of large and unwearied charity and -compassion. No comrade is deserted in affliction or distress. -Contributions of money and sympathy flow in upon him, and none fails to -subscribe. If the situation requires more money than one circus is able -to provide, word of the need is sent to friends with other similar -organizations and there is always prompt and ready response. I know of -a dozen invalids who are to-day being supported solely by the liberal -benevolence of comrades. - -Two benevolent societies are with the Barnum & Bailey circus, the -B.O.S.S. and the Tigers. Each makes a weekly collection from the -members and pays $15.00 weekly to the sick or disabled. Last year -$9,000 was collected and $8,000 disbursed. The balances remained in the -treasurers’ hands for this year. - -Many of the people of the circus accumulate competences after a few -years’ work, and there is no reason why all who live prudently should -not soon be financially independent. Their expenses of travel, board -and bed are all borne by the management, and other requirements of -a circus campaign are few and small. It is a common practice with -some to draw only a small share of their salaries each week. The -accumulated balance awaits them in the money wagon at the close of -the season. Then, there is the “mother” of the circus with whom many -of the unmarried men and the boys deposit a weekly stipend. No plea, -however piteous, will force her to disgorge, they know, until the last -stand has been played. Then the amassed wealth is handed to them with a -parting kindly injunction to be moderate through the winter and return -next year with as much unspent as consistent. This interest in his -welfare has started many a circus man on the road to prosperity and -fortune. - -The “mother” is one of the most interesting characters of the -circus. Her life is devoted particularly to the welfare of the woman -performers under tents. Her official duty is as matron of the women’s -dressing-room. She it is who supervises their wardrobe, mends sudden -breaches in the tarlatan and bespangled skirts and cares for her -charges in case of illness or accident. Should an equestrienne fall -from her horse, it is the “circus mother” who brings the cup of black -coffee, which is the only stimulant ever given to gymnasts and acrobats -in such an emergency. - -At night, after the performance, she presides over the performers’ -luncheon of sandwiches and tea, which the circus women enjoy in the -sleeping car. In short, she is a general chaperon, hospital nurse, -friend and counsellor in one. Our “mother’s” long experience in circus -life has made her familiar with every detail of the business and she -knows what to do, without any prompting, whenever any emergency arises. -Men and women alike come to her with the petty troubles that are bound -to occur in the uncertain and strenuous existence they lead. She is -cheery, sympathetic or admonitory as the occasion may require, and no -one leaves her presence without being the better for having come into -contact with the motherly matron. It is an axiom among circus people -that the good-will of the “mother” is equivalent to lasting favor with -the management, and that to incur her ill-will is to stand an imminent -risk of losing an engagement. - -A large part of her duty is the care of the circus wardrobe, and during -the winter she devotes her entire time to it. With her deft fingers and -the judicious use of naphtha she makes old circus costumes look like -new. Trappings which are worn by the animals in the grand entry are all -made by the “mother” and her assistants during the idle winter season. -She is as expert at cutting a pattern for the costumes of the animals -as a Fifth avenue modiste is at cutting those for her smart clientele. -She is, in short, the Worth of circusland. Although nearly sixty years -old, she is as lively as a woman half her age. - -The domestic instinct is very strong among the circus women for the -reason that they are deprived of home life, a great part of every year. -It finds an outlet in many little ways, one of which is an appeal to -the chef in charge of the dining car to be allowed to bake a cake. If -he is in a mood to give them permission they are pleased as children, -and begin a hunt for eggs and milk. The train may be standing just -outside of some village, and they run out and buy the things and come -back and cook as though it were the greatest fun in the world. When -their cake or pie is done, it is passed through the car, and no matter -how small it may be, there is always a bit for everyone. Sometimes the -cook is ill-tempered and won’t let them fuss around, but that doesn’t -always stop them. It isn’t at all unusual for them to go to one of the -houses along near the track and ask the woman who lives there to let -them use her kitchen. Almost always they get permission and afterwards -pay for it. - -They sew, too, and many do exceedingly pretty fancy work. They don’t -have to keep their circus clothes in order. The “circus mother” does -that, but they do all the mending of personal garments, and besides -keep some sort of pickup work on hand. There isn’t a home of a circus -woman that is not furnished with the covers of some sort she has made -during the season. One seldom sees a circus woman in a city after the -season is over. She flees from it. She detests the noise and bustle, -and, almost without exception, they all live in little country towns, -where they practise during the winter, go early to bed and are in fine -condition when the season opens. - -I know that it is a common thing to believe that a circus woman has -no modesty, but the impression is a mistaken one. She can dress as -she does and perform, and still be a perfectly good, pure woman. -That is because no town has any identity to her, nor any person any -individuality. It makes no difference to her whether the show is in New -York City or Kalamazoo. There is simply a performance to be given, and -she is not playing to any one person. There is no “he” in the audience -who may be attracted to take her out to supper afterwards. He wouldn’t -have the chance to speak to her, if he wanted to, and if she seems to -him an earth-born fairy, she never knows it. No women could live more -protected lives. The performance isn’t over until eleven o’clock, and -all must be in the cars of the circus train by midnight, when the cars -are usually locked for the night; and when one remembers that a circus -woman is almost invariably married, and that her husband is with her, -it can be appreciated that the moral standard of the profession is -high. Most of the circus women support families, and their leisure -between performances is spent in sewing--perhaps garments for younger -children at home, or, as a matter of economy, for themselves; for they -save every possible penny, finding incentive and practical aid in the -fact that they need not consider the expense of living in the necessary -outlay. - -After the night performance, they return to their private cars, which -are by that time prepared to start for another town as soon as the -tents and other paraphernalia are aboard. Week after week of this -routine, as regularly carried out as the work of a factory, requires -physical stamina as well as the actual gymnastic or acrobatic circus -faculty, for which a clear brain is the most requisite. These things -are not maintained except by regular living. The motto of the circus -acrobat, therefore, might be “plain living and high jumping.” Beneath -the white canvas, as under the brick and iron of city office buildings, -there is no room for those who complain. “Headaches” and similar -excuses for a non-appearance must for disciplinary reasons be frowned -upon by the equestrian director--the stage manager of the circus. It is -the “circus mother” who pleads with him to excuse the women who are not -able to appear. She it is to whom they go with griefs and complaints -and upon whose sympathy in their concern they may rely. - -Frivolity, even in the innocuous guise of a waiting maid, is -discouraged in circus life, and no woman performer, be she ever so -celebrated, is allowed to carry a handmaiden to aid in dressing her. -“No room for ’em,” is the terse but eloquent excuse of the management. - -Circuses of the better class look after the welfare of their woman -performers with a surprising regard to detail. They are provided with a -special car in which they live while on the road, except when the show -plays a three-night or week’s stand; in that case they are quartered -in a hotel. How very comfortable their travelling quarters may be they -are nevertheless pleased when an opportunity is had to spend a few -days in a room which affords sufficient space to allow of unpacking -and repacking trunks, for in one-night stands the trunk containing -personal belongings is never moved except from car to lot. Woman riders -frequently own their own horses. It is indeed considered a breach of -circus etiquette, or more particularly speaking a lowering of one’s -“caste” to be content to ride an animal owned by some one else. The -sharp little vibrant “clucks,” with which the equestrienne commands -her horse in the ring, are “cues” which he understands as well as he -does the swaying of the ringmaster’s whip from left to right, or the -pressure of his rider’s satin slipper. Each of these is a suggestion to -his memory that brings instant response in some change of movement. - -The disadvantage under which a circus woman “makes up” would drive an -actress to despair. She sits upon a small stool before the stationary -mirror in the upraised lid of the trunk, and “makes up” as best she -can in the big dressing tent. There are perhaps thirty other women in -the tent, and a wardrobe mistress in charge, prepared to mend suddenly -acquired rents in emergencies. The use of alcohol for spirit lamps is -not allowed unless with a special permit from the “mother.” Many of -the woman acrobats, gymnasts and jugglers are foreign. They have homes -abroad, perhaps, and work industriously in leisure hours to beautify -them. One woman who travelled last season with us completed during -the tour an entire bed set of renaissance lace, cover and pillow -shams. This same woman who is one of a troupe of acrobats, when twitted -for her “stinginess,” was wont to reply: “Well, it is another brick in -my house--very dollar I save.” She was buying a home for her mother and -sister. - -[Illustration: PRACTISING TRICKS IN THE OPEN.] - -Any one who witnesses the performance of these professional female -athletes must marvel at the strength, skill and endurance that a woman -is capable of. There are on both sides of the Atlantic more than two -thousand women who earn their living in this way, and of these nearly -one half are found in America. They like the West best; for they tell -you the Westerner is the most ardent admirer of muscle and nerve as -displayed by the gentler sex. The women like their business. They have -no special dietary. They eat when they feel like it; eat heartily, too, -and of anything they crave. Their remuneration varies from fifty to one -hundred and fifty dollars a week. The best of them and, of course, the -few, command the latter sum. - -A woman performer with whom I talked one afternoon gave it as her -opinion that women are more proficient as animal trainers than men. She -said: “One need not seek far for a reason for this. In the first place, -women are more patient, and it is quite a mistaken idea to suppose -that rough methods are necessary in training animals. One sees many -more woman animal trainers abroad than in this country, but a number -of them have been celebrated in the United States. I think it is the -mother instinct in women which enables them to command the obedience of -animals. It is a well-known fact among circus people that monkeys are -particularly fond of women. Horses, too, are readily trained by women. - -“Some years ago I trained successfully a number of sheep, supposedly -the stupidest of animals. I cannot say that I found them overweaningly -intelligent, but with much patience, the virtue which I insist makes -a woman capable as an animal trainer, I succeeded in teaching them -a series of tricks both original and clever, such as are usually -performed by a dog circus. Dogs and horses have the best memories, -though some trainers contend that the elephant has. A dog or horse will -respond to a nod or the slightest swaying motion of a whip from side to -side. Elephants, being more ponderous of body, naturally require more -time to train.” - -Few people distinguish between the gymnasts and acrobats of a circus, -yet there is a distinction with a decided difference. The acrobat is -he who tumbles and turns somersaults, and usually “starts the show” by -running from a springboard and jumping over the wide backs of elephants -in line. The gymnast is an aerial artist, and his work has little in -common with that of the other performer. Some people, according to -an authority on circus matters, are born with a balance. Presence of -mind has not only to be a habit but an exact science, as it were, with -the man or woman performer who would master the art of the flying -ring. This is one of the reasons for the abstemiousness of the circus -fraternity. No drugs or alcohol are permitted inside the circus tent. -This is a law the violation of which means inevitable dismissal for any -performer. Perhaps the very obvious necessity for its enforcement is at -the same time the reason why it is so seldom broken. Performers must -needs be springy of step, clear of head, keen of eye and sound of liver. - -Perhaps few in a circus audience who have many times admired the -graceful gesticulations of the tight rope and slack rope walkers -realize the utility of the small Japanese umbrella which they wield -with apparently careless grace. As a matter of fact, the umbrella and -other paraphernalia thrown to them by the attendants and which they -manipulate for no apparent reason save that of adding effectiveness to -the act, are in reality used for balancing purposes. Many a wire walker -has been saved from perhaps fatal accident by a dexterous swerving of -the light parasol from right to left, readjusting the balance just in -the nick of time. - -Most of the circuses abroad are enclosed indoor affairs, and as the -buildings in which such attractions are seen are of much greater height -than anything we have in this country, the opportunity for daring -gymnastic acts is far greater than here. At the Crystal Palace, the -Olympia and the Royal Aquarium and also at the Alhambra, many feats -are performed which it would be impossible to duplicate here. Children -are oftener seen as acrobats and gymnasts in the old country than in -America. They begin to train as early as three years of age and many -tots of six and seven are wonderfully accomplished circus performers, -in lands where the Children’s Society holds not sway. These children -are in many instances apprenticed out to old performers who train them, -and are repaid in return by their services for a certain number of -years. - -Few of the members of the so-called acrobatic families bear any -individual relationship to one another, and the name taken by the -troupe is usually that of the trainer or leading acrobat. - -Of late years costumes for acrobats have changed considerably. It used -to be the fashion to wear tights and blouses which would be as little -impedimental as possible to the free swing of the body. Now, however, -the latest acrobatic actors imported from Europe are affecting evening -dress, the women in decollete gowns, full-skirted, and the men in -the black and white habiliments prescribed by convention for dress -occasions. Needless to say it is much more difficult for both men and -women to perform acrobatic feats thus attired, but the fashions of the -circus world like those of society are inexorable. - -Nothing could be more incongruous than the devotion existing between -our French animal trainer and his performing grizzly bear. The -animal is the largest of the bear species and the most powerful and -formidable, yet this owner has taught his specimen gentleness and good -manners. He is its constant companion and attendant. Its long and -shaggy brown coat is brushed and combed at frequent intervals, and food -is proffered in bare outstretched hands. It obeys commands with all the -sagacity of a well-trained dog and gives an exhibition of wrestling, -pugilism and other difficult displays which interest and amuse. Its -enormous paws and long sharp claws are a menace against which pads -and gloves sometimes avail nothing and the foreigner is ever a sorely -wounded person. Bruin has been elevated to a state of intelligence -which seems to give him keen enjoyment of bear humor. Thus it is that -the circus folks declare that whenever the beast slaps or hugs its -human friend with unusual violence, great glee is depicted in every -characteristic. No matter how the resentful trainer exerts himself, he -cannot retaliate with any effect. The sight of the Frenchman chattering -angrily at the unconcerned furry humorist after their performance is a -weekly source of merriment in the menagerie tent. - -The “rooster man” is one of the novelties of the show and of the -dressing-room. He is an Englishman who costumes himself like a -monstrous fighting cock, gaffed and ready for the fray, and astonishes -the audience with an exhibition in which an audacious little natural -game cock participates. It concludes with a battle between the -pseudo and the genuine bird in which the one engages eagerly and is -impressed with an exultant, strutting conviction of victory when -its huge antagonist flops fluttering to the ground. The diversion -is as entertaining as any in the sawdust precincts and to the show -persons the most remarkable for patience in training and endurance in -execution. How little the onlookers imagine that after the act the -human rooster frequently drops in a state of collapse and exhaustion! -The feathers which envelop him are of necessity fastened to stiff and -smothering supports, and their encumbering weight on a hot day is -tremendous. This is one of the secrets of the arena which probably no -one who has witnessed the unique performance ever divined. - -For intrepid bravery and wild exploits I doubt if the equal of the -trick bicyclist can be found. In the parade, the chances of injury -he gleefully assumes fill the sightseer with horror and dread. Under -the canvas the greater the risk the more enjoyment it accords him. -He rides, in one exhibition, down an ordinary ladder which stretches -to the dome of the tent. Down the smooth rungs he dashes, like a -spectral flash, and his comrades wonder what the final end will be. -Nothing can prevent the feat. When wet weather makes other performers -hesitate or they are directed not to try their acts, he mounts merrily -to his perch and trusts to luck and skill. Water drips from the -apparatus and his mad flight seems impossible of safe accomplishment. -He emerges unscathed. He is, too, the dare-devil of the “cycle whirl,” -a cup-shaped apparatus made of wooden slats. He has four companions, -but the neck-breaking scorching is delegated to him. Around the -inclined track he rushes, with hands spread out and arms upraised, the -contrivance shivering and rattling. Faster and yet faster he whizzes -until he no longer looks like a man on a bicycle; he is a blurred line -drawn around the track. Within an inch of the rim and disaster, down -the drop to the very edge of the floor he rumbles with no power of -guidance over his machine save his wonderful balance, and spectators -catch their breath. Then a wild jump and he is bowing and smiling in -the centre of the cup. - -The invention of new acts engages the attention of acrobats and -gymnasts most of the winter. Many of them rehearse in the gymnasiums of -large cities, although aerial performers have difficulty in finding -sufficiently ample quarters. They tell, in dressing-room conversation, -of many queer experiences with the flabby-muscled, hollow-chested men -who seek their aid and advice to attain better physical condition, and -find much amusement in relating their observation of methods employed -in this effort. A very rich weakling who patronizes one of the New York -city gymnasiums is a never-ending source of hilarious reminiscence. He -is ridiculous in all his body-building plans, but firm in his belief in -their efficacy. One of his practices is to run for hours with a bag of -shot tied to his head. He has persuaded himself that it will develop -and strengthen his chest! - -It is in the knees that the evidences of age first manifest themselves -in the acrobats. The strain on this part of the body is always -intense. Suddenly the veteran finds accustomed life and spring have -left them. Then he knows the end of his active career has come. Many -of these men, barred physically from somersaults and the like, become -“understanders,” that is, they are the members of troupes who catch and -support their twisting comrades who alight on shoulder or ground. Their -strength is still in shoulder and arm, but agility is a wistful memory. - -Circus rehearsals are delayed until two or three days before the -formal opening, which affords ample time for guaranteeing a smooth -performance. The reason that no more preliminary time is required -is due to the fact that each performer appears for the season’s work -perfect in his individual act. There remains only the necessity for -blending into a harmonious whole. Minor details are speedily adjusted -by the equestrian director. The celerity with which intelligent order -is evolved from chaos is amazing to the inexperienced observer. - -The pretty and pleasant and picturesque part of daily life under canvas -comes after the substantial meal at five o’clock, when for two hours -there is rest for all save the hard worked side-show establishment. -The woman performers, busy with fancy work and sewing; the men talking -over the gossip of the ring; the children playing among themselves, and -with the pet ponies, form a charming picture on the greensward back of -the tents. Down from the southern hills steals the softly descending -darkness, swift shadows move through the lingering twilight across the -big tent and hang about the lot, and color comes into the white moon -above. A breeze, long desired and grateful, sweeps through the place. -Naphtha torches flare as the wind blows them about. Inside the “big -top,” the long stretches of seats barren of spectators, the equestrian -director is disciplining an obstinate “cake walking” horse; the cycle -sextet perfect a new pose; the clown is acting as ringmaster, while -his wife rehearses her riding act, and ten gymnasts in the high white -dome of the canvas plan more breath-taking aerial flights. Suddenly the -shrill shriek of a whistle, a scampering to dressing-rooms, ushers in -place and the evening audience pours into the seats. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -NIGHT SCENES AND EMBARKATION - - -Active preparations for the departure from town begin with the setting -of the sun. When the naphtha torches spread their fluttering glow and -when the men in the ticket wagon lift up its end and are ready for the -evening sale, then canvasman, driver and porter swarm from the comfort -of hay couch or from idling group, and are ready for the night’s work. -Team horses feel again the weight of harness, and the march to the -railroad yards is on. Horse, cook, wardrobe, blacksmith, barber and -the other tents spread over the lot drop to earth, are quickly rolled -up and packed away. The sound of loading stakes, chains, ropes and -poles resounds through the premises. Heavy wagons are soon rumbling -through the streets and left convenient to the man at the cars. Then -the teamster, returning leisurely to the lot, finds his second vehicle -awaiting final transfer. - -Ten minutes after the performance has begun, there is a scattering of -the executive force at the main tent entrance and the canvasmen take -possession. The ropes and stakes holding in position the marquee and -menagerie tent are loosened, and the doorkeeper moves to the open fly -in the big tent, called the back door. The evening exhibition programme -is arranged with the view to finishing with the trained animals as -soon as possible that they may be placed safely away for the night. So -it is that the elephants, camels, zebra, ponies and other led animals -are off with measured tread for the cars before the show is well under -way. Then cages are closed, horses hitched, side walls lowered and -the caravan passes out into the night. The order “lower away!” rings -sharply, and the menagerie tent drops with a heavy puff and sigh. The -denuded centre poles follow it to the ground and, where a few hours -before was a white encampment is now a dark, bare area, rutted with -wheels, trodden by many feet and littered with peanut shells and -sawdust. Only the noisy “big top,” glowing like a mammoth mushroom, -and the side-show canvas, where the band thumps and the “barkers” roar -with tireless energy, remain to mark the spot. The work of stripping -the larger tent continues throughout the performance. As fast as a -performer finishes his act his appliance is deftly conveyed to a -waiting wagon. The entire arena has been divested of its maze and mass -of apparatus before the audience have reached the open. They stare in -amazement at the changed scene, as revealed in the lights and shadows -of the torches. So expeditious and so smooth has been the work of the -circus men that no knowledge of the magnitude of the accomplishment -was conveyed to the crowd inside. The side-show orators receive the -outgoing throng with renewed clamorings. To take this last advantage -and let no chance for profit escape, the tent has been kept open. The -inmates yawn with the weariness and monotony of it all and eagerly -await their last call to the front. Then begins a dash for the freedom -and privacy which has been denied them since morning. - -In the “big top” the concert band is fiddling valiantly and a woman in -skirts tries to raise her voice above the noise of falling wood and -stentorian command. Workmen are lugging the seats away, and tugging -at ropes and stakes. The side-walls peel off as the last spectator -emerges and performers hurry from their dressing-room. Then the thin -white cloth roof comes tumbling from above like a monster bird; the -encampment is no more. Through dark, deserted, silent streets the last -man and wagon make their way. Nothing is left behind in the hurried -leave taking. Everything large and small must be individually accounted -for by its custodian. - -At the railroad yards the blazing torches show a picturesque, animated -spectacle. Here again orderly precision prevails. The wagons are drawn -on to the cars by horses and a block and tackle, while a man guides the -course of the vehicle by its pole as it is passed to the far end of -the car. There is a “skid” or inclined plane at the end of the first -car, and an iron plate bridges the space between the other cars, making -a continuous platform. Each wagon has its number and allotted place -again, and is placed to the best advantage for convenience of unloading -and for utilizing space. A wrongly-packed vehicle would cause endless -confusion and delay. It is seldom later than one o’clock when the three -sections are on the move. Rain and mud annoy and retard, sometimes, -but extra efforts nullify, in a great measure, the effect of their -presence. Working-man and beast are slumbering deeply when the engines -couple for the journey, and only the watch-men, patrolling the long -stretches of cars, give sign of life and wakefulness. At one end of the -line of Pullman sleepers, where are placed the performers and members -of the business staff, is the most ornate piece of rolling stock, the -Thelma, named for the general manager’s daughter, a tot who is eagerly -awaiting her father’s winter cessation from toil. Here is a queer -little lunch room where gather each evening, for a bite, after the -show, the men and boys of the circus. An hour or two passes with much -laughter and jollity and with many innocent jokes, intermingled with -serious discussion. Ice-cream is the popular dish, and plateful after -plateful vanishes down dusty throats. The frozen mixture is a nightly -requisite of the body-weary circus colony. It is to them what the -night cap of liquor represents to the toper. No headache or clouded -brain or dulled body is its concomitant, only health-giving properties. -Strong drink is tabooed in the Thelma, as is its fate elsewhere with -the circus, and no demand for its presence has ever been manifested. -The scene is one the most approved moralist would endorse. - -[Illustration: PERFORMERS AT THEIR MIDDAY MEAL.] - -Hassan Ali, the giant of the side-show, is the most unwelcome -visitor. Room is at a premium, and he occupies about double space. -Somebody is always stepping on his protruding feet, to his intense -disgust, but to the ill-concealed amusement of the others. There is -a general feeling of impending disaster when Hassan is seen stooping -into the room. If his huge bulk doesn’t shatter a chair, his awkward -movements seldom fail to break a dish, crush a by-stander or scatter -food indiscriminately. Colonel Seely, the privilege man, grumbles -vigorously, and none of us are at ease until the giant has retired to -bed and the nightly ordeal is over. Through it all Hassan never loses -his temper or composure. His good nature knows no bounds. - -A veteran of the ring tells of railroad accidents and other circus -disasters and reverts to the days of P. T. Barnum. “That man certainly -had his troubles,” he observes. “His pecuniary catastrophes and fiery -ordeals would have utterly discouraged a man less stout-hearted than -he. Three times his museums were burned to the ground. The number -thirteen he always considered ominous, for the first of his buildings -was consumed on that day of the month, while the thirteenth day of -November saw the opening of the second establishment, which was -likewise subsequently destroyed by fire. On July 13, 1865, while he -was speaking in the Connecticut legislature at Hartford, the American -Museum was consumed. Nothing remained but the smouldering debris when -he arrived in New York. It had been probably the most attractive place -of resort and entertainment in the United States. Here were burned up -the accumulated results of many years of incessant toil in gathering -from every quarter of the globe myriads of curious productions of art -and nature. The indefatigable showman immediately began the erection of -new buildings at Nos. 535, 537 and 539 Broadway, New York, and started -a new chapter in his career. The place was levelled by flames in March, -1868, completely frustrating his plans for the future. The loss did not -disturb his tranquillity and he established a “museum, menagerie and -hippodrome” in Fourteenth street. Four weeks after the opening, it, -too, was ablaze and no effort could prevent its total loss. - -“Fire did not, either, confine its devouring presence to his -professional enterprises. On December 18, 1857, his home, ‘Iranistan,’ -at Bridgeport, became the prey of flames. His assignees sold the -grounds to Elias Howe, Jr., inventor of the sewing machine, for fifty -thousand dollars, which went toward satisfying the Barnum creditors, -for the showman was at that time in one of his periodical financial -difficulties, from which, however, he finally extricated himself. His -faculty for making money always successfully asserted itself. - -“I was in his employ for many years and wonder that I escaped alive. -I was in a dozen crashes on the railroad, and was in Bridgeport both -times the winter quarters were swept by flames. Fire first came in 1887 -and destroyed the main building. The white elephant and two others, -Alice and Sampson, were burned, and nearly all the other animals except -a rhinoceros, one lion and a white polar bear, perished. The blaze was -of incendiary origin, for the watchman told me he saw a man coming down -the outside stairs of the paint shop and a few moments later was struck -on the head from behind and knocked down. Immediately after, the fire -burst out and illuminated the horizon for miles around. The flames -spread so rapidly that the firemen could do nothing more than save the -adjoining buildings, cars and wagons. The rhinoceros made his escape -through a window but was so badly burned that he died. An elephant came -as far as the door of the building, then turned back into the flames. -Alice and Sampson also made an attempt to escape. One large lion ran -out into the yard and the spectators fled in all directions. It took -refuge behind a car and a policeman fired several shots into his body. -This partially disabled him and a keeper succeeded in caging him. Many -of the museum and menagerie curiosities were in the burned building and -were destroyed. One of the engines on the way to the fire was stopped -by a large elephant on the streets. There was a panic among the people -and they tumbled over each other trying to get out of the way. An -escaped tiger also caused a great commotion. The elephant trainer was -out of town and the other keepers were unable to quiet the frightened -animals. Thirty of the elephants and one large lion started across the -country in the direction of Fairfield and Easton, scattering the people -right and left. It was several days before they were all recaptured. - -“The other fire was in 1898 when Barnum was dead and the show was in -Europe. The loss was one hundred thousand dollars. We got most of the -animals stored there out safely. Fifty green horses, I remember, broke -from their stalls and ran mad through the streets. The townspeople were -pretty frightened, for they thought some of the wild beasts were loose.” - -The husband of “the mother of the circus” drops in for a sandwich. His -wife has retired, longing for the happiness of all and full of plans -to promote it. He has been twitting the unicycle performer because -the latter’s wonderful feat has been made almost insignificant by -comparison with the “loop-the-loop” accomplishment. The equilibrist -retorts that for next season he has arranged an act that will discount -anything ever seen under tent. He proposes to hoist the “cycle whirl” -apparatus thirty feet from the ground and ride on its track with -nothing between him and earth. There is a general protest that he -hasn’t the nerve or skill; but he smiles knowingly. - -The discussion turns to feats of agility; it is agreed that the tight -rope walker is the best tumbler with the show. The clown laments -because he hasn’t received the usual daily letter from the little woman -he married in New York in the spring. The equestrian director tells -of the circus as it used to be, and all enjoy his stories. One of the -trick bicyclist’s arms is in a sling; he had a bad fall during the -evening performance. The family of Italian acrobats jabber tirelessly -in the corner; they know nothing of our language, but their superior -skill commands a big salary. A somersault rider dashes in after a -sandwich for his wife, with whom he does a carrying act. The Japanese -juggler and his son retire together; they are never apart. There is -a laugh at the expense of the two horizontal bar performers who lost -their way in the sombre village streets and were an hour in finding -the car. A partial exodus begins when the word goes forth that the -first section is ready to move. Those whose berths are on one of the -other divisions bid good-night. So the scene and its actors shift. At -midnight or soon after, the Thelma lunch-room is deserted, save for the -busy porter. Dusty clothes and shoes that show inconsiderate treatment -occupy his time until the yawning cook appears. Then the delicious odor -of coffee pervades the quarters, and breakfast food awaits the hearty -order of hungry men. They are far removed from the scene of a few hours -before and gaze curiously at the surroundings. To-morrow morning the -setting will be new and strange again. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE CIRCUS DETECTIVE - - -To the circus organization with honest purpose the problem of dealing -with the horde of “guns,” “dips,” “grafters” and others of their -criminal ilk, who would fain be its daily companion, is perplexing and -formidable. Next season the duty of protecting the person and pocket -of our patrons will be a duty entrusted to new hands. Frank Smoot, for -many years the circus detective, is resting a long sleep in an Illinois -graveyard. A hemorrhage took his life as the circus was folding itself -away for the winter. The record of his acts and his virtues will ever -be inscribed upon the fleshly tablets of our hearts. - -No person was ever more thoroughly equipped by nature and experience -for the hidden but tremendously valuable part he played in the daily -life with the circus. It was confidently averred of him that he was -familiar with the figure, face and method of almost every crook in the -circus world. No person of doubtful or dishonest purpose could remain -for more than a few hours in company with the circus without being -singled out and summarily dealt with. The treatment varied materially. -Its mildness or ferocity rested entirely with the wicked one’s conduct -after he received the order that he take quick passage out of vision -and return no more. - -Mr. Smoot possessed great coolness of nerve and quickness of hand and -eye. In the smaller cities his appearance at the local police station -was almost simultaneous with the arrival of the circus train. He found, -generally, a commander whose criminal experience had been confined to -the peaceful country borders, who was entirely unaware whether or not -the community had been invaded by those who would profit by the lack -of worldly knowledge of the thousands of show-day visitors, and whose -precautions consisted of the swearing in of numerous deputies, who wore -conspicuously a bright badge of office in the happy assurance that it -would permit them free entrance to the tent. But the police chief was -always alive to the responsibilities of his position, offered aid, if -not advice, and was ready to act when his duty was pointed out. - -Then the circus detective hurried to the railroad station and -scrutinized the passengers on all incoming trains. Here he sometimes -found the railroad watchdog. Many of the big railroads send their -detectives wherever the circus uses their lines. Their aim is to see to -it that those who patronize their service do so at no financial risk. -The peripatetic crook is quickly given to understand that he must use -other means to travel. - -The thick crowds which awaited the coming of the parade was the next -scene of Mr. Smoot’s activity. Here was frequently uncovered the first -prey of the day, and seldom a morning passed that at least one cunning -lawbreaker did not feel the weight of a heavy hand on his shoulder, and -hear, sullenly, the word to march to the police station and undergo -the damp solitude of a county jail cell for twenty-four hours. Then, -when the circus was miles away on its course, he passed out to freedom. -Where were yesterday the throng of sightseers, which had filled him -with promise of great profit, were only the trodden peanut shells -and the accustomed monotony of the country town. The venturesome -crook who invaded the circus lot proper, was an especial object of -vigilance. Sometimes Mr. Smoot stood for hours on the top of the ticket -wagon, a stalwart figure outlined above the crowds, watching for his -professional enemies, where he could see on every hand; again he was -at the main entrance with a steady, critical survey of all who passed -under the broad spread of canvas. - -A promise made to him in good faith by a crook had never been broken, -he used to say. I remember an interesting demonstration I witnessed of -his confidence in the word of a man to whom no crime was unfamiliar. He -had been discovered loitering about the grounds, and had been ordered -off with a threat of immediate arrest. He resembled much a country -gentleman of ample means and genial nature. - -“Well, you got me quick,” was his ready remark, “but seeing as I came -all the way from Pittsburg and can’t catch a train back until night, -won’t you let me see the show? I pledge you I won’t do any ‘business,’ -no matter how tempted.” - -His ingenuous request was granted with a feeling of security in his -word by the detective, which the day showed was not misplaced. - -The work of the circus detective, which calls for all his shrewdness -and courage is in dealing with the dangerous, determined characters who -disregard the warning to part company with the show at once, and who -rejoin the organization as soon as released from a preceding day behind -bars; men of plausible manners and engaging address who are ready for -any desperate chance. Upon these recalcitrants swift retribution is -visited. Formidable machinery which exercises a vague and terrible -power is put in motion. And thus it is that the moon, rising over a -country district, sometimes shines on the circus train speeding on -its journey, and its clear rays stream over a deserted lot, casting -strange shadows from a figure which lies as it has fallen, huddled in -an ungainly heap upon the wet grass. Dawn brings animation to the form -and to a hardened criminal a feeling of thanksgiving that he is still -alive, and a deep conviction that hereafter his world of “graft” will -be far removed from the circus and its primitive punishment. - -The personality of circus men has changed materially for the better in -recent years. Time was when they invariably wore high silk hats and -clothes of many checks and hues. To be without diamonds on fingers -and in shirt and necktie was a standing reproach to the profession. -Nowadays the circus man affects little jewelry, and that unobtrusive, -or none, and in his attire and speech he differs none from the man -of ordinary commercial pursuits. He has established a reputation -for honesty and sobriety and is an element of order and decency. He -surrounds himself with associates of good character and business -integrity, and cherishes highly his good standing in the community. - -The increased police vigilance and protection accorded has helped to -bring about this happy condition of affairs. In the past it was often -necessary to save life and property by meeting the attacks of roughs -and rowdies with equal violence and disorder. Circuses expected and -received little or no help from supine or frightened police, and -learned to fight their own battles. It has never been charged that -any circus was not fully capable of meeting force with force, and the -lawless affrays of the circus lot would form a bloody narrative. No -show in the old days dared venture forth without a squad of picked -fighters, and if the occasion demanded the whole encampment was -eager and ready for the fray. The war cry “Hey Rube!” had forceful -significance then. The circus man’s favorite weapon was the guy stake, -a shaft of wood used to support chains and ropes. An iron ring circled -one end, the other was pointed enough to penetrate the hardest ground. -Wielded by brawny workmen, experienced in its manipulation and skilled -by long practice in the art of rough combat, the instrument mowed down -the ranks of the enemy with deadly execution. Fists, knives and pistols -availed nothing against the onslaught. Fear and mercy were unknown in -those lawless times. - -Years ago if murder was done the guilt was not always fixed upon the -circus employee. The hasty concealment of a body in the hay behind the -cages in the menagerie tent temporarily hid evidence of the crime. In -the darkness of the departure, there was a surreptitious burial. The -lifeless form was hastily conveyed under ground where had been the -circus ring and where the chances of discovery and disinterment were -remote. Many a victim of savage circus warfare rests in these unmarked -graves, and pick and shovel would solve the mystery investing scores -of circus day disappearances. Particularly in the Southern States, -soon after the war, were these sanguinary battles waged and with -fatal results. In justice to the circus men, let it be said that their -consciences gave no reproof and they felt no sense of moral guilt for -the reason that they were never the instigators of riot, that they -strove to quell trouble in its incipient stages and that they fought -for their lives and their employer’s property. They knew, too, that -public prejudice would prevent a fair legal trial and saw to it, if -human ingenuity could prevail, that no serious charge could be laid -against them, much less that of homicide. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CIRCUS HORSE - - -When the circus bill posters swarmed over the farm a month ago and -garnished my stable with products of their pot and brush, a shadow of -sadness and melancholy oppressed me. Curiosity urged me to approach, -but a sense of mortification over my ignominious fate bade me restrain -myself. I kept in seclusion under a distant apple-tree and hoped to -escape detection. However, I was doomed to disappointment, for soon I -observed my owner, whom I detest, coming with halter and whip. Then -I knew that he had revealed my identity to the showmen and they had -expressed a desire to view me. At first I was disinclined to enter -their presence, but the master cornered me and adjusted straps, despite -my protestations. How shameful a spectacle, Tom Keene, who made for -himself, at home and abroad, a place among the greatest horses in -circus history, being led by a New Hampshire farmer--for the vulgar -scrutiny of a group of cheap posters! - -They inspected me with many evidences of interest, although I am -convinced I would not have been recognized had not one of the visitors -called attention to a scar on my flank and recalled the incident of -a train wreck in which it was received. Then I remembered him as one -of the stable men of my professional career. He called me by name and -stroked me tenderly, but I was too ashamed at my position to respond -to his greetings. He handed the master an order for circus seats and -I felt more miserable. I knew it was inevitable that my old comrades -spy me hitched to the old carry-all, along with the nags of the -neighborhood, as they paraded by amid the joyous flourish of trumpets -and proud and plumed. I loathed myself in the contemplation. - -The succeeding days were a period of dismal foreboding. Adding to my -sorrows and regret was the scarlet paper which confronted me when I -entered the stable. It depicted the performance of one “Senator,” a -low-born pony, of whom I had a vague memory. He had displaced me with -my associate of many years, Frank J. Melville. He was represented in -all sorts of accomplishments, which I secretly feared were really -carried out. A wave of emotion and sentiment overcame me whenever I -permitted myself to gaze at the familiar figure of the man. My mind -reverted to the time when he was one of the champion bareback riders -and I contributed to the brilliant artistic results. How I longed to -feel his slippered feet on my broad back, and hear again the plaudits -of onlookers! I shall always have a warm, deep feeling for him. -Perhaps, after all, he had no other recourse than to dispense with my -services. I know he was much affected at the parting, and exacted a -promise that I should always be given kind treatment, and that every -consideration be shown my impaired leg. - -Instinct told me when the hateful day was at hand. The master was up -and about early and I could hear the glad shouts of the children. I had -little appetite for the bountiful breakfast he spread before me, and -he seemed much concerned over my want of spirit and worn appearance. I -had wasted appreciably in anxiety over the ordeal before me and felt a -faint sympathy for the man. I appreciated that he would feel that Mr. -Melville would decide that I had not received proper care and would be -angry. For myself, I was in that desperate condition of mind which is -the recklessness of despair. - -I was guided, to a hitching post in the main street of the town, where -eager crowds awaited the arrival of the parade. We were a shabby enough -outfit, the farm wagon and I, and I could summon no interest in the -scene. I heard, with listless feeling, the master confide, boastfully, -to all who would listen, that once I had shed great lustre upon the -circus ring, and felt no humiliation when they scoffed at his words. He -seemed to find great exultation in dwelling upon my former renown and -my downfall, and in his present proprietorship. I caught a glimpse -of several familiar faces in the throng, notably the circus detective -and the commissary department man, but gave no sign of recognition. -If they observed me at all, they doubtless saw nothing not in common -with my neighbors from the rural districts. The crowd wondered at -the tardiness of the parade, and I felt a silent contempt for their -ignorance. The cages had just passed on the way to the lot and they -come on the last section. The man who leads the procession passed in -his carriage, inspecting and familiarizing himself with the route. I, -of all the throng, alone knew him and his mission. - -[Illustration: TEACHING HER HORSE NEW TRICKS.] - -Soon the faint music of the bands and the distant shriek of the -calliope. The cortege was approaching. I braced myself for the trying -experience. Some one shouted: “Look out for your horses! The elephants -are right behind!” A policeman grabbed my bridle and I gazed at him, -indulgently. I afraid! I who lived for years among them! I remembered -the solemn joke of my former loved master, who used to cry, when -the crowd wouldn’t make way: “Keep back! A drove of loose lions are -coming!” Then there had been no further pushing; everybody scampered -to sidewalk or doorstep. I think it was the third uniformed horseman -who recalled in me their old acquaintance. He called the attention of -the rider behind, was corroborated and then the word seemed to pass -instantaneously back through the parade. Some reached over and patted -my sides, others spoke words of encouragement and praise, and all had a -look of profound veneration. I tried to look very spruce and sprightly -through it all, but candor confesses that the attempt was a feeble -imitation of the old days. My blood stirred for the first time since I -was in the foremost circus ranks and I lamented bitterly. Oh, for the -staunch, true leg of a few years ago and Mr. Melville on my back! Again -we would make all other performances appear commonplace. - -The man I sought everywhere with my eyes was not in the procession and -a fear possessed me that I might not be permitted to feel his hand -and hear his voice. But it developed that this was farthest from my -master’s thought. Up to the circus grounds we progressed and I ambled -to the horse tents and stopped mechanically. I was living again in -former glories. Then my eyes were blessed with the appearance of my old -comrade. How he kissed and hugged me and looked me over critically and -asked about my welfare! And how ineffably proud and happy I was when -he insisted there was never my equal in all the requirements of the -ring, and there was none to say him nay! I fancied there were tears -in his eyes as we hopped away toward the farm, and I gave him a last -beseeching plea for a return to the old life. My three sound legs are -as gifted, I’ll warrant, as any four in the circus stables. - -Thus was broken, for a little space, the dull tenor of my sombre life. -I often assure myself that death will be brighter than the contemptuous -existence I am leading. Of one thing I am convinced, the history of -the circus can never be written without mentioning me, the pioneer of -horses born with all the true circus instincts. I first saw the light -of day in Keene, N. H., not far from the spot where I am passing my -last days in oblivion. I was distinguished by a strong frame, was -hardy, gentle and active, and could properly be called handsome. Mr. -James A. Bailey singled me out when his circus came to New Hampshire, -and my career certainly justified all the prophetic things he said -about me. I was disappointed when they attached me to the pole-wagon, -but felt confident that I would soon rise superior to the rather humble -position. The work was long and arduous, and it was several weeks -before I became accustomed to the nocturnal train rides, jammed erect -among a score of other equines, but I endured it better than many of -my companions. Some of them contracted a disease of the foot, caused -by continued rain and mud, and in many cases it resulted fatally. I -was patient and hopeful through all vicissitudes and arrived at winter -quarters in physical condition that attracted general attention. -Mr. Melville happened upon me soon after arrival and stopped short -in admiring wonder. I knew him as a noted rider and connoisseur of -horseflesh and was much elated. Next day Martin Welsh led me to new -quarters. He was Mr. Melville’s groom, and the delicious consciousness -came that I was in their famous hands. Soon practice began as a ring -animal and a great future opened before me. I meditate over the past, -here in my loneliness, and wonder if mine is not a career which no -other circus animal has equalled. Some of its striking features occur -vividly to me. - -I remember first, with pardonable pride, that it was generally conceded -that I was the best “broke” horse in the history of the ring. There -seemed to be a vein of harmony in the feeling existing between Mr. -Melville and myself. Nothing ever made me nervous or shy. I trusted my -master implicitly and I was as accurate and certain in my movements -when he was turning somersaults or leaping through fire rings or -balloons as when we made the preliminary canter. My broad, muscular -back was ever waiting for him to alight just where he planned. Many -said much of the credit for his feats was mine. Modesty prevents an -expression on my part. We toured America a season and were everywhere -received with warm approval. Then we set out for England. Bessie, a -fine, gray horse, also from New Hampshire, accompanied us. She was a -wonderfully intelligent animal, and the only horse, I understand, who -ever was trained to trot in the circus ring. She used to circle the -ring at a forty gait, with our owner doing all sorts of tricks upon her -back. Poor girl, she died in Hamburg and I missed her sorely for years. - -Our itinerary, as I recall it, was about like this: From London to -Hamburg, to Russia, to Poland, to Liverpool, to France, to Holland, -to France again, to Belgium, back to Hamburg, returning to London and -Liverpool, once more in Hamburg and then aboard ship for our native -country. Here we visited all states and territories, toured Mexico and -passed on to Cuba. Ten years were consumed in our travels and nowhere -did we fail to achieve emphatic success. It is a record I contemplate -with a feeling of great elation, and which I have heard circus men say -is entitled to unique distinction. We gave eleven private matinees -before the royal family of Russia, and some of the prominent persons -who witnessed our performances during our professional career were -Grover Cleveland, President of the United States; the late Queen -Victoria of England and her son, the present king; the Marquis of -Salisbury, prime minister of England and the great leader in the House -of Commons; Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and his wife and their son, -Prince Fritz; the late Prince Von Bismarck, the “man of iron;” the late -Count Von Moltke, field marshal and chief of staff of the German Army, -one of the world’s greatest soldiers; President Carnot, of the French -Republic, since assassinated; Queen Emma of Holland and her daughter, -the present queen; King Leopold of Belgium; the last three Emperors -of Russia, Alexander I., Alexander II., and Nicholas II; and Francis -Joseph, emperor of Austria, and his accomplished wife who was later -stabbed to death. What other lowly horse ever helped to enthrall the -attention of such a galaxy of notables? - -Many ludicrous and many sober incidents of my eventful circus life come -to my mind. I was in many train wrecks. Once my car caught fire on the -journey from St. Petersburg to Warsaw. There were four of us in the -place and I was the only one to escape alive. Martin Welsh, my devoted -friend, helped me to safety. Again, when twenty-five horses were packed -in one of the circus cars in Indiana, it rolled down an embankment. I -was one of five to emerge unhurt; most of the others had their necks -broken. I remember, too, when I was thrown with four carloads of equine -companions into the Ohio river. It happened on a Sunday run from Cairo, -Ill., to Detroit, Mich. Many were drowned or perished from exposure. -I floated about eight hours before being rescued and never felt any -ill effects. Mr. Melville and I were on the steamer Stork which became -waterlogged during the trip from Hamburg to England. We were nine days -at sea, and I passed most of the time in water above my knees. I was -ready for the ring when we finally landed. - -I am sure that I have travelled more miles in my life than any other -horse ever born and have displayed through it all more hardihood than -any, save perhaps Mayfly, whose famous career has been recited many -times in circus camps. He antedated me many years. They tell of his -standing trip of one hundred and ninety days from Sydney, Australia, to -Valparaiso, Chili, and his subsequent rough overland journey to various -parts of the republic and back again to the Pacific Ocean. Then he was -taken by water to San Francisco, a three months’ trying experience, and -later around the southern continent to New York. It was enough to wreck -the finest constitution, but he never flinched. He and his sister, -Black Bess, were of pure Arab extraction, and some of the finest horses -in California to-day date their parentage from them. As bareback -performers they have had few superiors. - -Then I remember, too, many renowned animals of my time. The Russian -horse Zib, who was poisoned in Mexico, achieved fame more for his -tricks than his ring exhibitions. Dan Rice’s horses Excelsior and -Excelsior, Jr., although both blind, were wonderfully intelligent. -Obeying their master’s directions, they would grope to a pedestal, -place the left foot on its staff, bend the right leg gracefully and -incline both ears forward as if in the act of listening. How often -have I, in an adjacent ring, seen the veteran clown turn proudly to -the audience and heard him announce: “Mark well the beauty of the -curve of the right leg, which strikes the eye of the sculptor. Horace -Greeley calls them the horses with souls of men!” Levi J. North’s horse -Cincinnatus was probably the first “dancing” equine, and Stickney’s -Tammany was the best jumper that ever came to my knowledge. Wicked -Will, owned by Spalding and Rogers, eclipsed most animals in difficult -feats of various kinds. Rarey’s horse Cruiser, although never a circus -performer, was invaluable to his owner in horse “taming” exhibitions, -and seemed to execute his duties with human intelligence. - -Thus I live again the days of old and unfold the roll of my eventful -history. My thoughts travel fondly back to the scenes I am to behold no -more, and my heart throbs with emotions excited by their reminiscences. -I remember those gone to their rest and shed a tear to their memory. -For myself, only ignominy and mental anguish. I, who have been an honor -to my birthplace and an ornament to my race, wearily await the final -summons. In the array of names of illustrious circus horses, may my -memory be cherished faithfully is the hope of miserable - - TOM KEENE. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE CIRCUS BAND - -BY BANDMASTER WILLIAM MERRICK - - -Few people who watch the circus parade as it comes down the street -and who, almost invariably, cry, “Strike up the band!” “Why don’t you -play!” “Let her go!” etc., have ever given a thought to the amount of -work that falls to the circus musician, and the experience, care and -patience it requires to organize and successfully conduct this nowadays -necessary adjunct to the big tent enterprises. The earlier circus bands -were far from being the complete affairs of to-day, and perhaps nothing -gives a more striking example of the growth in civilization and culture -of our country than the evolution of the circus band. - -The bands carried by the first circuses and menageries were necessarily -limited in size and not always composed of the best talent. Travelling -as they did by wagon, and being forced by lack of transportation -facilities to curtail the number of their people, and the accommodation -of the performers coming in for first consideration, the band was -looked upon in those days much in the light of a disagreeable -necessity. Often the engaging of the music was left to the last moment, -and frequently the earlier shows were content with picking up a roving -gypsy band, similar to the ones we now see playing for pennies, under -the windows of the residential quarters of our large cities. - -As might have been expected, the first really military bands that were -introduced into the circus business were of European origin, but even -they were not so complete in numbers and so especially adapted in -character to the purpose as the present circus military band. Still -among them were occasionally musicians of exceptional ability, and many -of the better soloists of our metropolitan bands and orchestras were at -one period of their career members of a travelling circus band. But it -is not the intention of this article to attempt a history of all the -musical notables connected with the circus, but rather to contrast the -circus band of to-day with that of the past. - -Let us take a glance at the repertoire of the old time circus band. -The overtures and grand entree were played by brass instruments alone, -the usual instrumentation being three cornets (generally two E and -one B), two E horns, one B tenor, baritone and bass, the drums being -played by such performers as could (to use a slang expression) “fake” -a little. Two to four overtures, and perhaps one or two selections or -pot-pourris, composed their entire libraries in this respect. The -incidental music for the various acts was almost invariably played with -string instruments, the orchestra being composed of two violins (first -and second), flute or piccolo, clarionet, two cornets, trombone, and -bass. - -I recall an amusing incident connected with the piccolo player of one -of these travelling orchestras. The leader, a very good violinist by -the way, had occasion to correct the piccolo player, and asked in a -very pompous manner, “Bill, why don’t you play that last strain an -octave higher?” To which Bill nonchalantly replied, “Professor, I am -now playing higher than my salary goes.” As the company was not noted -for its liberality in the way of salaries, the retort was highly -relished by the balance of the orchestra. - -The numbers that could be produced by a small number of instruments -were exceedingly few, so the libraries of the travelling leaders were -of a consequence limited. - -Now all this is changed. The extreme competition between the music -publishers of to-day and the practicability of our experienced modern -managers, render it possible for a leader who is at all enterprising -to obtain not only all the standard and classical overtures and -selections, but an almost endless programme of popular music for the -promenade concert that now precedes the performance with every large or -well regulated circus. - -But to be thoroughly efficient and “up-to-date,” the latter-day circus -leader must not rest content with a pleasing or popular concert -programme. There is the performance or incidental music to be looked -after, and for this purpose the leader, to suit the varying tastes of -the performers and public, must frequently draw on his own powers of -composition. Every act, or series of acts, requires music exactly in -keeping with its character. Nor will it do to keep one programme on too -long; the performer grows tired of it, the musicians become careless, -and the music itself (so fast is the age in which we live) becomes -mildewed, and out of date. - -By this it will be seen that the circus leader’s life, if he keep -abreast of the times, is a very busy one, nor is the improvement -confined solely to the augmentation of the musical library. The -band, instead of being confined to the poorly balanced and limited -instrumentation that we have just mentioned, is composed of sufficient -reed to soften the natural harshness of the brass instruments, and the -individual performers are selected from the youngest and best talent -our country affords. I say “youngest,” for the rising generation -having had the advantage of the experience and teaching of their -predecessors in the “art divine,” possess in a marked degree that -mobility of temperament, accuracy of attack, and facility of execution, -so necessary in rendering properly the circus music of the present -day. Then they must begin young in the circus business to acquire the -proper embouchure for playing almost an unlimited amount double forte, -over rough streets, and still be able to render pianissimo in the -concert programme following the parade. - -No amount of practice in the conservatory or concert room can obtain -this embouchure. It must be acquired by actual experience, on the -circus band wagon. A band composed of the better class of musicians -that have “come up” in the circus business will render almost -double the volume of tone of the same number taken from the theatre -orchestra or concert stage, and if they have been properly handled by -a painstaking and efficient leader, the quality will be also be found -superior. - -The life of the circus musician, filled as it is with plenty of hard -work, is not without its sunny side. The constant change of scene -incident to travel alone is a great factor in dispelling weariness. The -open air life renders it the most healthful of occupations, while the -antics of the rustic who comes into town to see the parade and hear the -band, are an endless source of amusement. The music for the parade, -played as it is in a very lively tempo, causes all manner of grotesque -movements among the listeners on the streets. This is particularly -noticeable on the southern tours. It is no uncommon thing for a number -of “darkies” to start at the circus grounds and dance through the -entire route of the parade; and when in doubling back on the main -street, which is often necessary in the smaller towns, the band passes -the steam calliope, which brings up the rear, the din caused by the -mingling of the band-music with the shrill whistle of this instrument, -seems to throw them into a veritable frenzy. During one of these -parades the following colloquy was overheard between two of these -over-excited “darkies”: - -“Jim,” yelled a particularly dusky individual, “look at dat man up -yonda with dat slip ho’n!” - -“Deuce wid de slip ho’n,” replied Jim, “look at dat steam fiddle!” - -I remember an astonishing but blessed effect the music of our circus -band had on a woman in Grand Island, Nebraska, in 1882. She had been -blind for years and was sitting dejectedly at a window as we approached -in parade. When opposite her, we burst suddenly into brazen harmony, -and the woman gave a scream of great joy. The shock of the music had -caused her to regain her eyesight. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -WITH THE ELEPHANTS - - -“Jumbo was the biggest elephant ever in this country, and few are in -the secret that the tremendous success of the animal’s tour was an -accident of fortune,” observed our elephant man. “He was an African -animal and very stupid, but always good-natured. An agent of the big -American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity -and that London was anxious to sell him. The man closed the sale for -two thousand pounds with no conception of the money-making prize he -was securing. The beast had been a pet with the children in the London -Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans -was received with no especial expressions of regret. It required two -weeks to build a van-like cage for the journey by sea, and then keepers -went to the zoo to lead Jumbo to the ship. He strode along all right -until the gate of the garden closed behind them and then lay down -in the street. It was a pure case of elephantine obstinacy and the -animal wouldn’t budge. There he measured his length in the dust for -twenty-four hours despite all urging and entreaty, to the despair of -his custodians, who little realized the wonderful effect the incident -would have on the owner’s pocketbook. - -“The English newspapers soon heard of the occurrence and promptly -seized upon it for an effective ‘story.’ ‘Dear old Jumbo,’ they said, -‘refused to leave the scene of his happy days with the children; his -exhibition of protest was one of remarkable sagacity; they hoped he -would continue to defy the Yankee showmen and remain in London; he was -the pet and friend of the little ones and ought never to have been -disposed of, any way.’ The elephant when in repose or resistance rests -on his knees, and one of the newspaper sagely remarked that Jumbo -was in an attitude of prayer. The Humane Society was appealed to and -someone made a sympathetic hit by telling how lonesome and melancholy -was Alice, the abandoned ‘wife.’ The pathos of the thing was very -affecting, on the surface, but a phenomenal advertisement. - -“The animal finally got on his feet and marched to the boat. Weeping -women and children lined the way. The circus owners were then alive -to the possibilities and, concealing their identity, got out an -injunction, ‘in the interests of the London public,’ attempting to -restrain the brute’s departure. Of course, it was dissolved, but it -kept feeling at high pitch up to the time of sailing. I remember the -Baroness Burdett-Coutts and a party of distinguished companions -visited the steamer to say good-bye and left a big box of buns, of -which Jumbo was very fond, for his use during the voyage. - -[Illustration: ELEPHANT HERD “AT ATTENTION.”] - -“The story of the brute’s reluctance to leave his young friends in -England was judiciously spread broadcast here and he became the feature -of the circus, whereas otherwise he would probably have attracted -only passing attention. It was his own fortuitous conduct and not -the superior skill of the showman that made his circus career so -profitable. Jumbo was killed by a train at St. Thomas, Ontario, in -July, 1885. A dwarf elephant with him escaped injury, and the show made -some capital by asserting that the big elephant sacrificed his own life -in shielding his small companion. As a matter of fact, he was seized -with another fit of unyielding stubbornness and wouldn’t step down an -embankment out of an express’s path. He was never south of Louisville -or west of Omaha. Matthew Scott was his keeper. He shared not only his -bed, but his bread and tobacco with his charge. After the brute’s death -he followed the circus wherever it went, and during the winter visited -almost daily the preserved skin and bones of his late companion. - -“There was, of course, a Jumbo II., but he was nowhere near the size -of the original beast. Harnessed with electrodes and other apparatus -he stood in the middle of the Stadium at the Exposition Grounds at -Buffalo, N. Y., on November 9, 1901, and gave the world a practical -demonstration that an elephant can take twenty-two hundred volts of -electricity with apparent unconcern. If the electric current reached -his nerves he manifested no sign of it. Electric wires had been run -from the Exposition power house to what was to be Jumbo II.’s death -platform, and when the signal was given, twenty-two hundred volts were -turned on. It merely tickled the beast. Jumbo II. was unharnessed -and taken back to his home in the Midway. Explanations made by the -electricians were that the elephant’s hide had the resistance of rubber -and formed a non-conductor impervious to electricity. Others said the -voltage was not sufficient. He had developed man-killing qualities, but -is still alive. - -“When Jumbo was brought into this country, Adam Forepaugh made great -claims for his elephant Bolivar. He insisted in large type and in many -newspapers and on the billboards of his route that Bolivar was bigger -than the elephant from London. W. W. Cole, then conducting a show of -his own, claimed, too, that his animal, Samson, was no smaller than -Jumbo. Bolivar attracted great attention through the country while with -Mr. Forepaugh. Finally he became so vicious that he was given away to -the city of Philadelphia, where he could be more closely watched. I -remember the story of the narrow escape of two lumbermen in Michigan. -They came to the show very drunk and wanting to fight. They threatened -Mr. Forepaugh, who stood at the door, but he said he wasn’t a fighting -man and sent them on into the menagerie tent. They were stalwart -fellows, with muscles hardened by rough out-door work, but I doubt not -the owner of the circus could have bested either one in a pugilistic -encounter. Mr. Forepaugh was a man of tremendous strength and, when -aroused, a match for the most skilful slugger. The boasting visitors -had not been under canvas five minutes before the sound of lamentations -penetrated to the door. Hurrying inside, Mr. Forepaugh found one of the -men, he who had been particularly bold and aggressive and threatening, -crying like a baby. Tears dropped from his eyes as he explained that -he had sought out Bolivar and challenged the huge beast to personal -combat. The elephant appeared to have relished the joke keenly, for he -had swung his powerful trunk at the man and deftly plucked his soft -felt hat from its uncombed resting place. The beast’s eyes had twinkled -merrily, it was averred, as he conveyed the headpiece to his capacious -mouth and swallowed it at a gulp. The terrorized victim, his swagger -changed to cringing fright, was too overcome to even ask for the price -of a new hat as he fled toward home. Mr. Forepaugh laughed gleefully. -Bolivar’s digestive powers were equal to the demands of the morsel. - -“Bolivar had a long and eventful history. Probably his most thrilling -experience was a terrific fight with an untamed Nubian lion named -Prince at circus winter quarters in Philadelphia, in December, 1885. -The lion escaped from his cage, chased a keeper out of the building -and proceeded to the elephant quarters. Bolivar stood nodding where he -was chained to a stake near the door. Prince hesitated for a moment -and then lay back on his haunches. He crept slowly forward until he -was within reach of the elephant. Then he raised his paw and struck -at the supine trunk. The tough skin was somewhat torn and Bolivar -became instantly fully awake, and raising his trunk made a blow at the -lion. The latter escaped by jumping backward, then crouched again and -prepared to spring. Quick as a lightning flash was the movement which -landed him on the elephant’s head. But he had to deal with a power -greater than his own, over which his only advantage was his agility. -Bolivar easily shook him off and tossed him some distance. The contest -was then quickly decided. The lion prepared for another spring. With -ears flattened against his head and eyes gleaming like balls of fire -he crept forward stealthily, cautiously measuring the distance. With -a suppressed growl the lithe, tawny form shot through the air. The -elephant’s trunk was then turned over his back and his little black -eyes were snapping viciously. With a motion so quick as to be almost -imperceptible, the proboscis was lowered and elevated twice and then -descended with terrific force, striking the lion as he was in mid-air. -The beast of prey fell stunned, and before he could recover the -elephant dealt him a terrific blow in the side, and reaching forward -the full length of his chain he drew his antagonist toward him. Then -lifting his free foot he leaned his entire weight on the fallen foe. -The effect was to crush the ribs of the conquered monarch of the -forest. In this manner he trampled all over the lion until life was -gone. Then he raised it with his trunk, and tossed it contemptuously -to the other end of the room. Bolivar sustained no serious injury in -the affray. There would have been general relief among the employees if -the lion had killed him, for all were in fear of their lives near the -monster. - -“The white elephant campaign in the ’80s was about the fiercest bit of -circus rivalry I was ever mixed up in,” he continued. “The Barnum show -was the first to get one of the brutes. Their agent bought him from -King Theebaw, the erratic sovereign of Burmah. The elephant was not -white, but a leprous-looking shade of flesh color. It was really the -first time one of these Albinos had ever been brought out of Asia. All -that the king had done in the extravagant execution of his autocratic -power was as nothing compared to the sale of the white elephant, and -his subjects were furious. You see, the white elephant is a sacred -emblem. It is addressed as the ‘Lord of Lords.’ Priests prostrate -themselves as it passes by and all the honors of worship are paid to -it. A noble of high rank has to be its chamberlain. Its retinue is -fit for a prince of the blood royal. Sickness in the sacred animal is -ominous of coming evil. Its demeanor and gestures afford auguries, -auspicious or sinister. For three years the Barnum white elephant made -a lot of money for the show. Crowds flocked to see it, serene and -placid and gently fanning itself with its wide ears, under a large -Japanese parasol, native keepers meanwhile playing their queer musical -instruments. It was burned to death in 1887. - -“The history of the Forepaugh white elephant is more picturesque and -eventful than that of the rival circus. The boss was taken all by -surprise when the other show sprang the natural curiosity, but he -was quick to act. Before the Barnum animal had reached this country -from London, a dispatch in the newspapers from Algiers announced the -purchase there by Forepaugh of a white elephant for ten thousand -pounds. Its entry into America must needs have been accomplished with -great secrecy and haste, for the beast was on exhibition in less -than a month after the story of the sale. Then the competition for -white elephant supremacy began, and it continued bitterly during the -existence of the two animals. We made all sorts of charges of deceit -and trickery against the Barnum elephant, and that show advertised us -all over the land as cheats and impostors and swindlers. Our elephant -was almost pure white. He had a car all to himself and on the way -to and from the lot was swathed in cotton cloth. Only his eyes were -visible and public curiosity was heightened considerably when was -observed the pains we exerted to prevent a free view of the curiosity’s -hide. In the menagerie tent we had a performance of religious rites -before the animal by reputed Burmese priests, clad in shimmering robes -of yellow, red and white silk. Some observing visitor once remarked -unkindly that the religious act terminated suddenly when the menagerie -tent was empty and was resumed with wonderful alacrity when spectators -approached. It is true that the elephant was a more snowy white on -Monday than at any other time of the week, although sometimes the skin -had been spotted and stained on Saturday. To prove that it was no -artificial color, Forepaugh used sometimes to send the brute into the -water. He was rubbed and scoured without affecting his shade. The boss -was sure that there could be no charge of disguise or pretence after -that, although suspicious onlookers sometimes said something about -waterproof paint. Any way, we got an international authority on zoology -in Philadelphia to endorse the white elephant. His sponsorship made the -Barnum people furious and their circus followed us west, denouncing -us everywhere. We made them madder still by buying a white monkey and -making it the elephant’s companion. - -“In Chicago we came across an embassy from Siam which was touring this -country. Forepaugh had the audacity to invite the heir-apparent to -the Siamese throne, who was one of the party, to visit the show and -inspect the white elephant. The royal person came, accompanied by other -dignitaries, looked the beast over and muttered to the interpreter -something which was apparently not complimentary. The press agent saw -to it, however, that the newspapers said that the prince had declared -the animal the genuine article. - -“Our white elephant died from pneumonia, the newspapers told, at the -winter quarters in Philadelphia. There were no details of the burial. -White elephants are delicate in constitution, any way. Certain persons -who thought themselves wise said that the ‘dying’ experience was a -cessation of ‘dyeing,’ but they were inspired by the Barnum show. The -following season a dark, natural beast, in form much resembling the -white elephant appeared as ‘John L. Sullivan,’ the boxing elephant. -He wore a glove on the end of his trunk and swung gently at ‘Eph’ -Thompson, a colored trainer. His career as a pugilist continued for -five years, when he became so big and strong that no human being could -withstand his blows. He is now one of the Forepaugh herd which perform -a famous dancing act. - -“As a matter of fact, I know that R. F. Hamilton, the accomplished -director of the Barnum & Bailey press department, has in his possession -affidavits from the Forepaugh employees whose duty it was to see that -the white elephant never faded, in which they confess their perfidy. A -brush and snowy liquid were the only requirements.” - -Our circus carries a herd of twenty-five elephants and most of them -are trained in all sorts of difficult elephant performances, a task -requiring patience and perseverance, and a close and continuous study -of the nature of each individual animal. Of all beasts, the elephant is -probably the most sagacious. He never forgets. Trainers aver that after -a lapse of half a century the elephant will conduct his performance as -perfectly as if but twenty-four hours had gone by. Their value to a -circus rests not merely upon the attraction of their ring exhibition. -Their great strength makes them useful when heavy wagons defy the -straining efforts of horses, and they are frequently called into other -service which requires unusual power. The application of the broad head -gives motion to the most obstinately stationary vehicle, and often -extricates the show from annoying plight and delay. - -There are two distinct species of elephants. The Asiatic differs from -the African, not only in its greater size and in the characteristics -of the teeth and skull, but also in the comparative small form of the -ears, the pale-brown color of skin and in having four nails on the hind -feet instead of three. The intelligence of the former class is greater, -too, than that of the African brute, whose head is much shorter, the -forehead convex and the ears of great breadth and magnitude, covering -nearly a sixth of the entire body. - -The average term of an elephant’s life is probably about eighty years, -and he is not in possession of full vigor and strength until more than -thirty years old. An approximate idea of the age can be gained by the -amount of turn-over of the upper edge of the ear. The edge is quite -straight until the animal is eight or nine years old; then it begins to -turn over. By the time the beast is thirty the edges lap over to the -extent of an inch; and between this age and sixty the droop increases -to two inches or more. Extravagant ideas are held as to the height -of an elephant. Such a thing as an elephant measuring twelve feet at -the shoulder does not exist in India or Burmah. An authority on the -subject says the largest male he ever met with measured nine feet ten -inches, and the tallest female eight feet five inches. The majority of -elephants, however, are below eight feet, and an animal rarely reaches -nine feet, the female being slightly shorter than the male. The carcass -of an elephant seven feet four inches tall, weighed in portions, gave -a total weight of thirty-nine hundred pounds; so an elephant weighing -two tons should be common enough. The skin was about three-quarters of -an inch to one inch thick. - -The training of elephants for exhibition purposes is accomplished by -a block and tackle and harness, so arranged as to force them into -required positions. They learn easily, as compared with the cat -family of animals. It is only by the most constant surveillance by -the keepers, however, that the elephant is kept in good humor and not -tempted to display the ferocity which is one of his natural attributes. - -The first elephant ever born in captivity in this country saw the -light at the winter quarters of Mr. Bailey’s Show, at the corner of -Ridge avenue and Twenty-third street, Philadelphia, on March 10, 1880, -at twenty-five minutes to three o’clock in the morning. The event -attracted a great deal of attention among scientists and students of -natural history. From the time the circus went into winter quarters, -several of the most distinguished physicians of the city regularly -visited the prospective mother, and the diet and conduct of the animal -were studied with great care. Crowds of people flocked to see the -baby. Its birth disproved a great many theories which scientific men -had accepted as facts of zoology since the days of Pliny. The chief -of these were that the period of gestation is twenty months and -twenty days, and not from twenty-two to twenty-three months as had -been supposed, and that the young does not suckle the mother through -the trunk but through the mouth. The baby, whose mother, Hebe, was -oftener called “Baby,” weighed one hundred and twenty-six pounds, was -thirty inches high and measured thirty-five inches from the tip of the -trunk to the crupper. It was of a pale mauve color. The trainer of -Hebe explained to the scientists that the other animals in the herd -were aware of Hebe’s condition for months and exhibited their form -of elephantine courtesy to her. Upon one occasion, he asserted, Hebe -was about to fall from a broken pedestal in the ring when the other -elephants rushed to the rescue. With their huge bodies they formed a -cushion against which she fell, sliding gently to the ground. Whenever -Hebe called, the other elephants invariably rushed to her side, and the -man who tried to abuse her would have met instant death. So great was -the interest aroused in the baby elephant’s birth that Stuart Craven, -manager of the circus, received telegrams from all parts of the United -States suggesting names for her. One man offered to buy a robe for her -if given a name he suggested. A lady wanted the baby called after her. -The name Columbia was finally selected. After the birth of her infant, -Hebe tossed the little one around like a shuttlecock, and in her frenzy -twisted off a large beam with her trunk. It was found necessary to -secure her with chains. - -[Illustration: ELEPHANTS “WORKING THEIR WAY.”] - -The next baby elephant came to life at the winter quarters of Barnum’s -circus at Bridgeport, Conn., at eight o’clock on the night of -February 2, 1882. It was another female, and the mother was Queen, a -fifteen-year-old animal. The event was expected, and at six o’clock in -the evening indications of its coming were noticed. Queen was carefully -chained. After fifteen minutes of laboring the baby was born. Mr. -Barnum and others who were summoned did not arrive in time. The baby -weighed forty-five pounds, or eighty-one less than Columbia. It was two -feet six inches high and three feet long, exclusive of the trunk which -was seven inches. It was perfect in form and quite strong. Its color -was bluish, and it was covered with shaggy black hair an inch long. -An hour after its birth it was sucking. Mr. Barnum offered fifty-two -thousand dollars for an insurance on the life of the baby for fifty-two -weeks. He was jubilant and said three hundred thousand dollars would be -no temptation to sell her. The sire of the baby was Chief. - -A woman mastering the leviathans of the animal kingdom was one of the -wonders of a circus in 1887. She was Mrs. William Newman, wife of -“Elephant Bill,” who had grown up with the circus. She was a matronly -looking person, quite stout and pleasant-mannered, devoid withal of -the masculine traits that her occupation might seem to require. -At her command the elephants, eight in number, marched, wheeled, -countermarched, halted promptly and “grounded arms” by lying on their -sides. Then, like schoolboys, delighted at a release from what they -deemed duty, the huge beasts broke ranks and assumed different postures -and occupations about the ring. One of them stood on his head, another -turned a grind-stone with his trunk, a third walked on a revolving -barrel, and several others respectively engaged, to their own apparent -amusement, in dancing on a pedestal, ringing a bell and “clapping -hands.” Mrs. Newman gave few public exhibitions, and there has never -since been a successful woman elephant trainer. For some reason, they -fail in this branch of circus work, whereas in other departments they -are fully the equals of the other sex. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE GENERAL MANAGER - - -The brisk and bustling person who predominates in the stir and -activity, hurry and excitement at the main entrance, is the general -manager. Nothing seems to escape his watchful eve and alert ear. - -He answers questions innumerable and all-embracing, settles all -disputes as to admission, conveys advice, makes suggestions, gives -orders, sends lieutenants all over the lot with instructions, sees -to it that the crowd gets in safely but without delay, watches -ticket-seller and ticket-taker, and is in general active charge of the -“door.” - -His is a very important department of circus life, requiring peculiar -natural talents, wide experience, correct knowledge of law and logic, -familiarity with affairs, and ability to manipulate men and mayors. The -grave responsibilities of the circus are his and they are enough to -weaken brain and body. - -He is one of the first men off the cars in the morning and his day -frequently ends when all his comrades are sleeping with the peace -and vigor perfect health and a clear conscience afford. There is no -working hour when some one of his multifarious duties does not claim -his attention. He is first of all a license and contract specialist. -There is nothing about their force or character or price in any part -of the country he has not at his finger ends. The pecuniary cost to -the show of the privileges it enjoys is entirely in his keeping. His -morning is devoted to municipal and county officers and office holders. -His long service has made him personally acquainted with many of them -in all parts of the country. He belongs to nearly all secret societies -and social organizations, which helps his purposes; he distributes -admission tickets with lavish freedom where they will “do good;” his -instinct tells him how long to entertain and not bore, and his errand -over, a favorable impression remains. The result has been the promise -of gratuitous official favors and almost invariably a reduced rate for -permits. - -The policing of the grounds and the protection of the show and of -its patrons are in the general manager’s charge. In this the circus -detective is his ally and adviser, but the burden of results is his. He -assures the chief of police of the honest motives of the organization, -tells him no thieves or criminals are tolerated, promises that there -shall be no disorder or violence on the part of the circus people, and -asks in return protection and cooperation. How inadequately the police -of many towns can meet the needs of the occasion is told in another -chapter of this book. - -The circus is subject to a system of plunder, blackmail and robbery -en route that is unheard of in any other business. All classes of -people seem ready to render a hand in the nefarious game, considering -the circus fair prey. It requires the most diplomatic management -to extricate the show without financial loss or legal proceedings, -and frequently, after all, it must submit to extortion to escape -attachments. These are usually levied upon the ticket wagon just before -the evening performance or upon a pole wagon as the tents are being -pulled down. This sort of legal robbery occurs in many towns. The show -may think it is getting off all right when suddenly some accident, some -chance injury to property or persons, affords an excuse for a levy. - -An amusing incident among the varied pretexts for “hold up” was that -we encountered in Biddeford, Maine. The day had progressed without -untoward incident and at nine o’clock we thought the chance of legal -trouble was past. Then, suddenly, appeared an irate resident, whose -home adjoined the lot, with the declaration that our monkey cage cat -was his wife’s, and with a demand that we return her forthwith. He -may have been laboring under a truly mistaken impression, but his -subsequent conduct made us believe not, for upon our decided refusal, -he made an attachment. The general manager decided then to grant the -visitor’s claim; the feline wasn’t worth legal bother and expenditure. -The proceeding cost the circus nine dollars in fees and left the -monkeys in mourning. It had been their playful practice to convey -struggling tabby to the top of the cage and then hurl her violently to -the floor. - -I recall the case of a Westerner who insisted that one of our elephants -had eaten his pig. Neighbors swarmed to the scene, ready with a tale -of having seen the huge beast’s trunk encircle the squealing victim -and thrust him into a capacious mouth. The owner wanted twenty-five -dollars. A canvasman, sent to investigate, found the porker under an -adjacent house. - -It is the solution of these and far more serious similar problems, -that are a highly important branch of the general manager’s work, and -upon his management and disposition of them depends much money and -annoyance. If the grievance is just and fair, he is ready to make ample -financial reimbursement. He expects and receives imposition, but if not -carried too far, he settles for cash and gets a full legal release. -If the demand made is outrageous in amount, and the claimant stubborn -and menacing and uncompromising, then, to his astonished dismay, he is -told to carry out his threats as he sees fit. Of course, the delay of -a trial or even a hearing would cost the circus thousands of dollars, -but the general manager has provided against this contingency. In every -town the circus exhibits, there, too, is the representative of the -American Surety Company, prepared with surety for any amount. The levy -is made, accepted with unconcern, financial pledge is given, and the -show moves to the train and away. It is all very perplexing and painful -to the man with the exaggerated sense of affliction, and he wishes he -had been more moderate in speech and demand and not so hasty in action. -If an amicable settlement be not made out of court, he finds that the -circus will fight him to the bitter legal end. - -The general manager appears like magic when there is an accident -or injury in which the circus is involved. These are of almost -daily occurrence. The lion or tiger may gleefully claw the too -far outstretched hand of the curious boy; a horse perhaps kicks -or bites; there are runaways and runovers, and a variety of other -mishaps extending from cars to lot and from arrival to departure. The -general manager always strives to be at the scene ahead of the artful -lawyer, who would fain share in the damages. He is apologetic and -regretful, offers cash remuneration and receives a written statement of -satisfaction. Not until then does he breathe freely; but rest assured -that in the transaction he has given no outward indication of his -troubled mind and that in the bargain he has made the circus has not -come out second best. The show people who watch him daily grow to look -on him as ubiquitous. - -Many and marvellous are the tales told him with the design of securing -free admission. The street commissioner is a permanent applicant. -The general manager knows the story by heart. The heavy pole wagons -have damaged the highways; a few tickets will wipe out the injury. -He generally gets in. The man whose land has been encroached upon by -the tents; the policeman with the small army of eager children; the -householder who avers the elephant’s prehensile trunk mutilated an -inviting tree; the alderman’s brother; the clergyman who declares -he has always heretofore been a welcome guest, and the long list of -others with claim to recognition, get a hearing with varying success. -The policeman is the most persistent. The circus is in a measure at -his mercy and he is insatiable. He becomes a numerous husband and his -relatives are legion. It is for the general manager to get quarter -and he must go about it without offending; for there may be need for -blue-coated service before the day is done, and the show must not lose -official favor. - -“Plain-clothes” men, the policemen assigned to duty at circus in -ordinary street attire, are usually a nuisance. In the smaller towns -they have little or no conception of their duties--to watch out for -crooks without exciting suspicion--and they hover about the entrance, -proud to be on familiar and confidential terms with the management, -“passing-in” acquaintances, bothering with questions and generally -obstructing the smooth progress of things. Their detective instinct -and experience are nil, and their questionable value to the circus is -confined to knowing the town drunkard and the tough of local notoriety, -whose demeanor is sober and demure enough when opposed to the ready -rank and file of the show. - -Numerous special officers and sheriff’s deputies have been sworn in -for the occasion. These throw wide their coats, displaying to the -ticket-taker their badges of office fastened to suspender or waistcoat, -and are permitted to enter the tents. Their presence is needed, -the general manager has been gravely assured, to aid in the police -arrangements in the contingency of riot or panic. The circus knows, of -course, that they are the friends and relatives of the official heads -of the town, who manage, with the immunity from payment the badge -conveys, to see the show free. In case of trouble or a call for their -services not one of them would respond. - -When the general manager is in a facetious mood and has an idle moment, -we have a stock joke ready for the “plain clothes” arrayed at the door. -I bustle up to the ropes, throw open my coat as if revealing a hidden -badge of office; the doortender, who enjoys the diversion immensely, -nods assent and I pass in. Then the stolid wits of the detectives -operate and they move in a body to the serious-visaged manager and -whisper that he has been imposed upon, that I am a stranger and not -a special officer as I represented, and therefore not entitled to -admission. My friend waxes very indignant, I, agitated and crestfallen, -am led back to the entrance, lectured sternly and threatened with -arrest as an impostor, and ejected. The detective force, glutted with -pride over the masterly accomplishment, receives profuse thanks. Later -the manager and I have a hearty laugh together. - -The canvasmen and teamsters, hearty, brawny fellows, and peaceable -unless inflamed with liquor, all respect and esteem the manager and -appreciate that, while he is unrelentingly severe when there is an -infraction of rules, his discipline is always fair and impartial. He -plays no favorites. For profanity and vulgarity he will accept no -mitigating excuse. In Johnstown, Pa., we were walking to the lot one -beautiful Sunday morning when the loud oaths of a driver attracted our -attention. He was directing his foul expressions at a child, who in its -curiosity to see the gorgeous wagon, had narrowly escaped being run -over. Residents, sitting at windows or on piazzas, were shocked at the -vile outpouring. They had never before appreciated the resources of the -language. - -“Come down off the seat!” sternly commanded the manager, his face grim -and hard with anger. “Now, go get your pay. You are discharged.” - -Then he mounted the red and gilded heights of the vehicle, clucked to -the eight horses and drove like a veteran to the show grounds. The -staff detective was instructed to see to it that the culprit was not -permitted on the lot. - -We showed two days in Pittsburg and there was afforded an opportunity -to witness the wealth of resource, the courage, the tactful skill and -the untiring energy of the man. All went smoothly and serenely the -first day. Then came Saturday, when the workmen of the circus received -their weekly pay. Across the street from the tents was a combined -saloon and hotel, which at once became the focus of dissipation. A -wave of inebriety seemed to sweep in upon teamsters and canvasmen. One -by one they became extremely drunk and reduced new-found friends to -the same condition. By night all order and decency had been abandoned -and they stood about the bar or lot shouting and swearing, and making -threats with knives or clubs. The season was just beginning and time -had been too short for a discovery and weeding out of the tough -characters among the help. The owner was making a hurried visit to his -home, three hundred miles distant, and the general manager met the -critical situation alone. How he managed to conduct the performance, -to break camp with the few employees who remained staunch and true, -and to load the trains and move out of the city, none of our feeble -brains could ever grasp. But he accomplished it without serious delay, -without an affray of consequence, and with a finish and skill which -veiled from the public the fact that anything out of the usual was -happening. Before the start from the railroad yard there was a careful -and systematic count of men, stock, wagons, baggage and apparatus, for -some of the drivers, continuing the debauch, had deserted their horses -and vehicles in front of saloons. All were finally rounded up. The -transgression cost seventy-five men their positions, and for the rest -of the season other circuses marvelled at our state of grace and piety. - -The general manager is rich in worldly possessions and free with cash -and credit. When one’s supply of money runs short, from “butcher” to -man of high rank, he turns for temporary relief to his more fortunate -and more provident comrade. His wants are always supplied, except in -isolated instances, for not to pay a just debt entails the blight -of universal condemnation and loss of confidence and honor. It is -in winter, when the general manager is hiding from mankind in a -Florida shelter, that the demands come fast and urgent and never pass -unheeded. For then it is that the thriftless circus man, who knows no -business except that which warm weather provides, is in a pecuniary -predicament. The manager’s bounty extends to his friends in all parts -of the country, but a few weeks of the next season sees it returned to -him with grateful appreciation. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -AMERICAN CIRCUS TRIUMPHANT - - - OFFICIAL ROUTE - CIRCUS - - [SAMPLE ITINERARY] - - ----------+---------------+-----------+--------------------+------ - DATE | TOWN | STATE | RAILROAD | MILES - ----------+---------------+-----------+--------------------+------ - Apr. 2-19 | New York | N. Y. | | - | Sunday | | | - “ 21-26 | Philadelphia | Penn. | Penn. R. R. | 99 - | Sunday | | | - “ 28-29 | Baltimore | Md. | “ | 113 - “ 30 |} | | | - May 1 |} Washington | D. C. | “ | 50 - “ 2 | Hagerstown | Md. | B. & O. R. R. | 77 - “ 3 | Cumberland | “ | “ | 124 - | Sunday | | | - “ 5 | Clarksburg | W. Va. | “ | 124 - “ 6 | Fairmount | “ | “ | 32 - “ 7 | Connellsville | Penn. | “ | 70 - “ 8 | Washington | “ | “ | 96 - “ 9-10 | Pittsburg | “ | “ | 42 - | Sunday | | | - “ 12 | Johnstown | “ | Penn. R. R. | 79 - “ 13 | Altoona | “ | “ | 39 - “ 14 | Lewistown | “ | “ | 75 - “ 15 | York | “ | “ | 97 - “ 16 | Reading | “ | “ | 89 - “ 17 | Pottsville | “ | “ | 36 - | Sunday | | | - “ 19 | Wilkesbarre | “ | “ | 118 - “ 20 | Scranton | “ | C. R. R. of N. J. | 18 - “ 21 | Allentown | “ | “ | 103 - “ 22 | Easton | “ | “ | 17 - “ 23 | Elizabeth | N. J. | “ | 62 - “ 24 | Jersey City | “ | Penn. R. R. | 14 - | Sunday | | | - “ 26-31 | Brooklyn | N. Y. | Ferry | - June 2 | Paterson | N. J. | Erie R. R. | 17 - “ 3 | Newburg | N. Y. | “ | 47 - “ 4 | Kingston | “ | West Shore | 32 - “ 5 | Schenectady | “ | “ | 70 - “ 6 | Gloversville | “ | W. S. F. J. & G. | 37 - “ 7 | Utica | “ | N. Y. C. & H. R. | 61 - | Sunday | | | - “ 9 | Poughkeepsie | “ | N. Y. C & H. R. | 165 - “ 10 | Danbury | Conn. | N. Y. N. H. & H. | 63 - “ 11 | Ansonia | “ | “ | 30 - “ 12 | Meriden | “ | “ | 31 - “ 13 | Holyoke | Mass. | N.Y.N.H.&H.-B.&M. | 49 - “ 14 | Greenfield | “ | B. & M. | 38 - | Sunday | “ | | - “ 16 | Gardner | “ | “ | 40 - “ 17 | Lowell | “ | “ | 13 - “ 18 | Lawrence | “ | “ | 13 - “ 19 | Concord | N. H. | “ | 45 - “ 20 | Manchester | “ | “ | 18 - “ 21 | Haverhill| | Mass. | “ | 33 - | Sunday | | “ | - “ 23 | Portsmouth | N. H. | “ | 33 - “ 24 | Biddeford | Me. | “ | 43 - “ 25 | Portland | “ | “ | 15 - “ 26 | Lewiston | “ | Grand Trunk | 35 - “ 27 | Berlin | N. H. | “ | 74 - “ 28 | Sherbrooke | Quebec | “ | 99 - | Sunday | | | - “ 30 | Montreal | “ | C. P. | 102 - July 1 | “ | “ | “ | - “ 2 | Valleyfield | “ | C. P. & C. A. | - “ 3 | Ottawa | Ont. | C. A. | 52 - “ 4 | Cornwall | “ | N. Y. & O. | 85 - “ 5 | Kingston | “ | Grand Trunk | 57 - | Sunday | | | - “ 7 | Belleville | “ | “ | 51 - “ 8 | Peterboro | “ | “ | 64 - “ 9 | Barrie | “ | “ | 88 - “ 10 | Toronto | “ | “ | 64 - “ 11 | Hamilton | “ | “ | 39 - “ 12 | Brantford | “ | “ | 27 - | Sunday | | | - “ 14 | Guelph | “ | “ | 36 - “ 15 | Stratford | “ | “ | 40 - “ 16 | Woodstock | “ | “ | 23 - “ 17 | London | “ | “ | 29 - “ 18 | St. Thomas | “ | L. E. & D. R. | 15 - “ 19 | Chatham | “ | Grand Trunk | 62 - | Sunday | | | - “ 21 | Buffalo | N. Y. | “ | 186 - “ 22 | Rochester | “ | N. Y. C. & H. R. | 69 - “ 23 | Geneva | “ | “ | 51 - “ 24 | Auburn | “ | “ | 26 - “ 25 | Cortland | “ | Lehigh V’y | 43 - “ 26 | Binghamton | “ | D. L. & W. | 43 - | Sunday | | | - “ 28 | Ithaca | “ | “ | 55 - “ 29 | Elmira | “ | “ | 70 - “ 30 | Williamsport | Penn. | Penn. Line | 78 - “ 31 | Lock Haven | “ | “ | 25 - Aug. 1 | Dubois | “ | “ | 101 - “ 2 | Butler | “ | “ | 122 - | Sunday | | | - “ 4 | Wheeling | W. Va. | B. & O. | 110 - “ 5 | Zanesville | Ohio | “ | 83 - “ 6 | Mansfield | “ | “ | 87 - “ 7 | Lima | “ | P. Ft. W. & C. | 86 - “ 8 | Springfield | “ | D. S. | 67 - “ 9 | Columbus | “ | Big Four | 45 - | Sunday | | | - “ 11 | Piqua | “ | P. C. C. & St. L. | 73 - “ 12 | Richmond | Ind. | “ | 47 - “ 13 | Indianapolis | “ | “ | 68 - “ 14 | Anderson | “ | Big Four | 36 - “ 15 | Marion | “ | “ | 33 - “ 16 | Logansport | “ | P. C. C. & St. L. | 40 - | Sunday | | | - “ 18 | Springfield | Ill. | Wabash | 195 - “ 19 | Jacksonville | “ | “ | 34 - “ 20 | Quincy | “ | “ | 87 - “ 21 | Keokuk | Iowa | Burlington | 43 - “ 22 | Burlington | “ | “ | 43 - “ 23 | Galesburg | Ill. | “ | 40 - | Sunday | | | - “ 25 | Kewanee | “ | “ | 32 - “ 26 | Sterling | “ | “ | 92 - “ 27 | Aurora | “ | C. & N. W. | 70 - “ 28 | Elgin | “ | “ | 27 - “ 29 | Racine | Wis. | “ | 72 - “ 30 | Waukesha | “ | “ | 42 - | Sunday | | | - Sept. 1 | Marinette | “ | “ | 205 - “ 2 | Green Bay | “ | “ | 52 - “ 3 | Oshkosh | “ | “ | 48 - “ 4 | Janesville | “ | “ | 103 - “ 5 | Freeport | “ | C. M. & S. P. | 50 - “ 6 | Rock Island | Ill. | “ | 93 - | Sunday | | | - “ 8 | Peoria | “ | C. R. I. & P. | 100 - “ 9 | Lincoln | “ | C. & A. | 93 - “ 10 | Pontiac | “ | “ | 64 - “ 11 | Bloomington | “ | “ | 35 - “ 12 | Danville | “ | Big Four | 80 - “ 13 | Lafayette | Ind. | Wabash | 47 - | Sunday | | | - “ 15 | Huntington | “ | “ | 84 - “ 16 | Defiance | Ohio | “ | 84 - “ 17 | Toledo | “ | “ | 29 - “ 18 | Findlay | “ | T. & O. C. | 44 - “ 19 | Bellefontaine | “ | Big Four. | 63 - “ 20 | Dayton | “ | “ | 58 - | Sunday | | | - “ 22 | Chillicothe | “ | C. H. & D. | 81 - “ 23 | Athens | “ | B. & O. S. W. | 60 - “ 24 | Charleston | W. Va. | T. & O. C. | 103 - “ 25 | Huntington | “ | C. & O. | 50 - “ 26 | Mt. Sterling | Ky. | “ | 107 - “ 27 | Lexington | “ | “ | 33 - | Sunday | | | - “ 29 | Chattanooga | Tenn. | I. & C. | 254 - “ 30 | Tullahoma | “ | N. C. & St. L. | 82 - Oct. 1 | Nashville | “ | “ | 69 - “ 2 | Paris | “ | “ | 117 - “ 3 | Jackson | “ | “ | 80 - “ 4 | Memphis | “ | “ | 85 - | Sunday | | | - “ 6 | Tupelo | Miss. | K. C. S. F. & M. | 105 - “ 7 | Birmingham | Ala. | “ | 146 - “ 8 | Anniston | “ | Southern | 64 - “ 9 | Rome | Georgia | “ | 62 - “ 10 | Atlanta | “ | “ | 74 - “ 11 | Athens | “ | S. A. L. | 73 - | Sunday | | | - “ 13 | Augusta | “ | S. A. L.-C. & W. C.| 119 - “ 14 | Anderson | S. C. | C. & W. C. | 103 - “ 15 | Greenwood | “ | C. & W. C.-S. A. L.| 63 - “ 16 | Greenville | “ | Southern | 59 - “ 17 | Spartanburg | “ | “ | 32 - “ 18 | Charlotte | N. C. | “ | 70 - | Sunday | | | - “ 20 | Wilmington | “ | S. A. L. | 187 - “ 21 | Florence | “ | A. C. L. | 110 - “ 22 | Columbia | “ | “ | 82 - “ 23 | Sumter | “ | “ | 43 - “ 24 | Charleston | “ | “ | 94 - “ 25 | Savannah | Georgia | “ | 115 - | Sunday | | | - “ 27 | Jacksonville | Florida | A. C. L. | 172 - “ 28 | Waycross | Georgia | “ | 75 - “ 29 | Valdosta | “ | “ | 59 - “ 30 | Thomasville | “ | “ | 45 - “ 31 | Albany | “ | “ | 58 - Nov. 1 | Americus | “ | C. of G. | 36 - | Sunday | | | - “ 3 | Macon | “ | “ | 70 - “ 4 | Columbus | “ | “ | 100 - “ 5 | Montgomery | Ala. | “ | 95 - “ 6 | Selma | “ | W. of Ala. | 50 - “ 7 | Meridian | Miss. | M. & O. | 73 - “ 8 | West Point | “ |Ill. Ct. Y. & M. V. | 9 - | Sunday | | | - “ 10 | Kosciusko | “ | Y. & M. V. | 70 - “ 11 | Greenwood | “ | “ | 73 - “ 12 | Greenville | “ | “ | 132 - “ 13 | Vicksburg | “ | “ | 82 - “ 14 | Ft. Gibson | “ | “ | 30 - “ 15 | Baton Rouge | La. | “ | 116 - | Sunday | | | - “ 17 | New Orleans | “ | “ | 89 - “ 18 | “ | “ | “ | - “ 19 | “ | “ | “ | - ----------+---------------+-----------+--------------------+------ - - Home Sweet Home 1,015 miles via I. C., B. & O., S. & W., and B. & O. - R. R. - - Summary: Number of miles travelled, 11,569. Number of States and - Provinces visited, 26. Number of towns visited, 167. - -[Illustration: TRANSFERRING FROM WATER TO RAIL.] - -The conquest of the Old World by the Barnum & Bailey circus will live -forever in the stirring history of tented organizations. It made -the enterprise an object of international interest. There is now -practically no country in the world that does not know the Barnum & -Bailey Show and recognize that it and its ally, the Forepaugh & Sells -Brothers Show, enjoy a happy, undisputed monopoly. - -As America reaches out for commercial predominance, so the American -circus challenged competition abroad, and foreign rivals quivered and -shrunk. England found and felt herself laboriously behind hand, and -other nations yielded pre-eminence. For five years crowned heads showed -gracious appreciation and vied with one another to express generous -sentiments of welcome and appreciation to the American envoy, and that -period records uniform success and not a single failure. This profound -impression made in other lands is one of the proudest achievements of -American sagacity, resolution and ambition, and directly stimulating to -the pride of all Americans, whose great good fortune it is now that the -Barnum & Bailey circus has returned to contribute to the happiness of -humanity here. - -Few, probably, appreciate the tremendous undertaking involved in this -picturesque invasion, and the difficulties met and overcome. All -methods had to be adjusted to new surroundings and new demands. The -manner and matter of work bore no resemblance to those here. The extent -and nature of changes affected all departments of the organization. -Every inch of the territory travelled was unfamiliar. Languages and -people were strange. Yet the campaign was instituted without prolonged -preparation and with no twinges of misgivings, so accustomed was this -great circus to demonstrating possibilities and so perfect was it in -planning and directing. It can truly be said that it caters for the -world. - -A volume in itself would be required to tell the story of how the -Barnum & Bailey circus, in the stern test of competition, forced all -others into insignificance during its travels abroad. Incidents grave -and gay, of life, action and adventure, crowd the history of those five -years. The then Prince of Wales, now King Edward VII., I recall, after -witnessing several performances, sent the personal message: “The circus -is justly deserving of the title ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, for it -not only is certainly the greatest amusement enterprise ever organized, -but also the most wonderful example of organization and discipline one -can hope to see.” - -Even more signal an honor was that conferred by Emperor Francis Joseph -I., during the visit of the circus to Vienna. Following an afternoon -under tents, his delighted imperial majesty sent to Mr. James A. -Bailey, managing director, accompanying a letter of thanks for his -entertainment, a gold cigar case, relieved on one side by the royal -crown and the initials “F. J. I.” Twenty-five scattered brilliants -enhanced the intrinsic value of the gift. Later the royal household -requested a complete set of circus lithographs for the Emperor’s -library. - -The transportation of the show from London to Hamburg is noteworthy -from the fact that it was the first time railway cars sixty feet long -had ever been loaded on board ship without being taken apart. And they -were taken from the vessel and deposited on the tracks in Germany -just as they were removed from the tracks in London, wheels and all, -and were the first English-made cars ever operated in the Kaiser’s -domain. The Barnum & Bailey circus was the first tented institution -allowed to spread a canvas in Berlin. After a rigid examination of -the show in every detail, the officials signed permits with the frank -expression that they had no apprehensions of disaster in any form. -The city is the headquarters of the German army, and the discipline, -precision and business common-sense of the circus civilians so -impressed the principal officers that they were in constant attendance. -On the evening of departure members of the General Staff witnessed the -breaking of the encampment, taking copious notes, while another body -put in the night at the scene of embarkation at the railroad yards. - -Tributes like these to the enterprise and energy and superior skill of -the American circus men covered the almost continuous period of their -foreign wanderings. Of difficulties overcome, there was one whose -extraordinary character I feel certain would have caused any other -than Mr. James A. Bailey, the director of the Barnum & Bailey circus, -to have abandoned the project entirely. A few days before the opening -of the show in the Olympia in London, the County Council decided that -more precautionary fire measures were necessary, and ordered the -erection of a giant curtain of iron and asbestos, to cover one entire -side of the vast amphitheatre. The required outlay was $90,000, but Mr. -Bailey, not a bit dismayed, went at the task with characteristic vigor -and without delay, and accomplished it with a celerity which filled -the English mind with astonished wonder. Moreover, when it came to -hanging the tremendous area and the workmen in the employ of the firm -to whom the contract had been given feared to go aloft, he called his -own picked body of employees to the scene and they did the job without -friction or flinching. - -I can truly say that no one is more honored in circus history than Mr. -Bailey, the presiding head of this remarkable institution. It would -be a grateful duty to the world to rescue from self-imposed oblivion -the events connected with his life, but the unusual modesty of the man -forbids. While others boast and glorify themselves, the admitted “king -of circus men” chooses personal obscurity. All publicity attaching to -his movements is strangely distasteful; he wants the world to know -and approve only the enterprise to which his life has been devoted -and which his sagacious efforts have solely borne to supremacy. No -imagination save his was once bold and radical enough to grasp the -future, and no other prophet could foretell the rapid and enormous -development of the American circus. - -Only his old-time intimate associates know how visionary were once -accounted the broad methods which have won him success, and the -rebuffs and hindrances of no common sort which were his experiences. -Through them all he worked ceaselessly, patiently, resolutely, with -the courage and confidence of personal conviction, resigning personal -convenience, ease, social enjoyment and other valued privileges, and -the result has marked him as the one dazzling genius of the profession. -To his employees he is like a father who sympathizes with his children -in their varied circumstances of joy and sorrow. His benevolences -are large-hearted but judicious, and his integrity of the rugged, -old-fashioned type. He has shed a lustre upon the profession which -has won universal recognition and admiration, and little wonder that -his return to his native land, his rightful circus heritage, has been -hailed with a burst of cordial welcome and enthusiasm. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -THE OLD-FASHIONED CIRCUS - - -“The size of the tent was rather staggering at first, as the greatest -length of the oval is nearly two hundred feet, and standing at one end -it is impossible to distinguish with the naked eye the features of -those on the crowded seats at the other end.” - -I quote the foregoing paragraph, taken from a newspaper of 1877, as -illustrating by comparison the physical magnitude of the circus of -to-day. Our “big tent” could stow away in its capacious depths half a -dozen of the canvas arenas of twenty-five years ago, and our “menagerie -top” covers more area. The scanty side-show cloth, an insignificant -detail of the encampment, is not much smaller. - -Is the modern circus, with its bewildering array of man and beast -marvels, an improvement from the public standpoint over the -old-fashioned show wherein the clown predominated and one ring -sufficed? Has there come with the expansion more skill and hazard -of performance? Do patrons relish the relegation to oblivion of -some time-honored circus accomplishments, and the interpolation of -vaudeville? The circus performer of former days will invariably answer -these interrogations in the negative; the circus owner and manager -makes no hesitation in disagreeing on all points, and his conviction -is that backed by the weight of ticket wagon receipts. Whatever the -artistic merits and the drifting away from things traditionary, -certainly the opportunities for profit have multiplied with the years. -Everything favorable, there is no more wonderful a money-maker than -the modern circus. Despite frequently expressed longing, it is not -likely that the public would receive with favor the return of the -old-fashioned circus, no matter how alluring the performance in its -meagerness. The case of the small circus of to-day bears this out. It -is ignored if a “big show” is headed its way. - -After retrospective talks with many old performers I cannot discover -that the modern generation of athletes has kept pace with the progress -of the business department of the circus. There are few legitimate -circus feats executed nowadays, so far as I have been able to learn, -which were not equalled in years gone by, and there are instances -where supremacy is yielded to the men now retired; many of their -accomplishments have not been duplicated. I cite the case of George -Bachelor, who was accustomed to single somersault over ten elephants, -and of “Bob” Stickney, who without apparent exertion turned two -somersaults in his flight over twenty-three horses. Oscar Lowanda -has been the only person to improve materially upon former equestrian -acts. He succeeds in doing a back somersault from the haunch of one -moving horse to that of another. In aerial performances few new -individual feats are in evidence. The strides forward seem solely in -the employment of more persons in a single act. The Potters perform ten -in number, an unheard-of achievement a few years ago. The strain of -planning and successfully carrying out the act, however, is so intense -that the head of the troupe had decided to partially disband it when I -talked with him. - -The life of the circus man of to-day is a continual round of ease and -luxury as compared with the strenuous, haphazard existence of his -brother of a few decades ago. The memory of this generation can shed -no light on the origin of the circus in this country, and there is no -literature definitely disclosing when the first travelling organization -reared its canvas. Seth B. Howe was the first circus owner of note. -“Bob” Stickney, still a vigorous reminder of former days, remembers the -stories told of that time by his father, Samuel Peck Stickney, who was -a member of the company. The advance agent made his lonely journey on -horseback. His saddle-bags bulged with circus “paper,” which he tacked -wherever his judgment suggested, for it comprised a welcome addition -to the community’s supply of reading matter. He was a smooth-tongued, -polished man of the times and full of wonderful tales of the -approaching circus. Curiosity and excitement were at high pitch when -the caravan put in its appearance a fortnight later. The line halted -on the outskirts of the town, uniforms were donned and a parade made -to the scene of exhibition. This was frequently in the spacious yard -of the local tavern. The centre pole of the tent was cut daily in the -abounding woods, trimmed and dragged into place. The tavern provided -chairs and the church was drawn upon for benches. An extra charge was -imposed for the use of these resting places. Admission to the circus -carried with it only the privilege of viewing the performance standing. -At night, candles furnished illumination. - -Trained horses and ponies composed much of the show. The feats of the -equestrian were amazing in their daring, to the onlookers of that -period. The ringmaster made a preliminary announcement. The rider, -he proclaimed, would stand erect on a horse in full motion_!_ This -accomplished, amid wild enthusiasm, the hero of the hour balanced -himself on one foot and concluded by playing a violin as the horse -cantered around the ring. This was before the broad saddle pad had gone -out of circus use. The rider who first jumped over banners was given a -fabulous salary, and he who dared plunge through the familiar paper -balloon became rich in a year. - -The night overland journeys of these old-time circuses were full of -dire peril. Highways were dark and dreary and places of pitfalls. Each -circus wagon bore a flickering candle torch, showing the route to -the driver behind. Soon menageries were added, and then an elephant. -Hannibal, the “war elephant,” was one of the first. There were few -nights when his services were not required to extricate a wagon from -mud or gully, or to urge it up some steep incline. The old Van Amburg -circus transported a giraffe, a mournful beast which few modern -circuses are possessed of. Wood choppers went ahead to clear the -road with their axes and permit the passage of the high cage. Then -came, in order of time, the side-show, with the free exhibition in -front--wire-walking, a balloon ascension, a high-diving performance, or -feats on the “flying” trapeze. - -Probably the most noted knight of the sawdust ring was Dan Rice, -who died in Long Branch, N. J., on February 22, 1900, at the age -of seventy-seven years. His history was practically that of the -circus--the real old-fashioned circus--in America. Daniel McLaren, -his father, nicknamed him Dan Rice, after a famous clown he had known -in Ireland, and the name clung to him. He touched the heights and -depths of circus luck, making in his life three independent fortunes -and losing one after another. He died comparatively poor. As acrobat -and later clown, he travelled every portion of the United States and -extensively in Europe. He first appeared as a clown in Galena, Ill., -the home of U. S. Grant, in 1844, and from that time his popularity as -a circus clown increased amazingly. He retired in 1882, a hale old man -of sturdy frame and resonant voice, whose hearty handshake it was a -pleasure to feel. - -Bobby Williams, Sam Lathrop, Sam Long, Joe Pentland, Billy Kennedy, -Jimmy Reynolds, William Wallett, Frank Brown, Nat Austin, Herbert -Williams, Dan Gardiner, Bill Worrell and Tony Pastor were other noted -clowns and “Shakespearian jesters” of his day, and most of them are -hale and hearty to this day. A press agent of their time, not behind -his lavish-languaged modern brother, called attention to this group -as “jolly, jovial representatives of Momus, whose fund of wit and -humor has given them the proud titles of America’s greatest wits and -punsters; scholarly, refined and every one fit to grace the proudest -court as its greatest jester. Merrier men within the limits becoming -mirth live not upon man’s footstool--this greatest earth.” - -[Illustration: HUMILIATION OF THE KING OF BEASTS.] - -In the old days of the clown, when one ring furnished satisfying -enjoyment, his was a very important and conspicuous part of the -performance. His efforts of entertainment occupied the sole attention -of the audience at times, as with voice or action he provided fun -and folly. It was as a songster that he was at his best. Perched on -a stool in the centre of the ring--thrown up of soil and not the -portable wooden, forty-two foot diametered affair of to-day--his vocal -enlivenments were a source of much laughter and merriment. Here is a -type of the old-time clown song, which none who ever witnessed one of -the shows will fail to recall: - - I don’t mind telling you, - I took my girl to Kew, - And Emma was the darling creature’s name. - While standing on the pier, - Some folks did at her leer, - And one and all around her did exclaim: - Whoa, Emma! Whoa, Emma! - Emma, you put me in quite a dilemma. - Oh, Emma! Whoa, Emma! - That’s what I hear from Putney to Kew. - - - I asked them “what they meant?” - When some one at me sent - An egg, which nearly struck me in the eye. - The girl began to scream, - Saying, “Fred, what does this mean?” - I asked again, and this was their reply: - Whoa, Emma! etc. - - I thought they’d never cease, - So shouted out “Police!” - And when he came he looked at me so sly - The crowd they then me chaffed, - And said “I must be daft,” - And once again they all commenced to cry: - Whoa, Emma! etc. - - An old man said to me, - “Why, young man, can’t you see - The joke?” And I looked at him with surprise. - He said, “Don’t be put out, - It’s a saying got about,” - And then their voices seemed to rend the skies: - Whoa, Emma! etc. - -After a round of jokes and other buffoonery at the expense of the -ringmaster, who retorted with threatening crackings of whip, he was -ready with more melody. Sometimes he appealed to the tender emotions. -“Baby Mine” was a favorite. It ran thus: - - I’ve a letter from thy sire, - Baby mine, Baby mine; - I could read and never tire, - Baby mine; - He is sailing o’er the sea, - He is coming back to me, - He is coming back to me, - Baby mine, baby mine; - He is coming back to me, - Baby mine. - - Oh, I long to see his face, - Baby mine, Baby mine; - In his old accustomed place, - Baby mine; - Like the rose of May in bloom, - Like a star amid the gloom, - Like the sunshine in the room, - Baby mine, Baby mine; - Like the sunshine in the room, - Baby mine. - - I’m so glad I cannot sleep, - Baby mine, Baby mine; - I’m so happy I could weep, - Baby mine; - He is sailing o’er the sea, - He is coming back to me, - He is coming back to thee, - Baby mine, Baby mine; - He is coming back to thee, - Baby mine. - -The clowns of the modern circus must needs possess, they confidently -assert, more vivacity, wit and observation than their predecessors. -The magnitude of the spread of canvas almost entirely precludes -the possibility of effective oral utterance, and their drollery is -confined to gesture, movement and posturing. This dumb acting places -the funmaker at a decided disadvantage, and the problem of creations -that will meet public favor is one requiring unusual natural aptitude. -Frank Oakley (“Slivers”), fitted by nature for the part, sprang into -wonderful public favor in a season. - -In the grateful shade of the “big top,” during the period between the -two performances, I sat one afternoon with an old-time performer whose -age keeps him from the ring, but the memory of whose famous feats -retains him in the employ of the circus. The seductive fascination and -charm of the life has never dulled within him, and until accumulated -years finally forbid, he declares he will be a member of the -organization. He was in a reminiscent mood and began: - -“In the old days I remember a feature of our circus was Nettie -Collins’s lilt ‘Dance me on Your Knee.’ The band played the flowing -melody, and she bowed and waved as she sang on a little platform in the -ring. It made a great hit for several seasons. Here’s how its lines -went, and many an old-time circus goer will call them to mind: - - When I was a little girl and full of childish joys - I used to play with all the girls, but oftener with the boys; - And with them climb the apple trees, and races, too, we’d run, - I’ll tell you, oh, ’twas then, my boys, we had such jolly fun; - But now those days are past and gone, no more them I will see, - If I could only call them back, how happy I would be. - You may dance me, darling, dance me, - You may dance me on your knee. - If there’s such a man among you - As can recommend himself to me, - Be sure he’s brave and strong enough - To dance me on his knee. - -“Then ‘Dick’ Turner, comedian, in bucolic attire, would stand up in a -conspicuous place in the reserved seats, gesticulate emphatically and -shout: ‘I’ll dance you on my knee, girl.’ Most of the audience would -be deceived as to his identity, supposing him to be a rural visitor to -the show, and there was great hilarity. ‘Come down here, then,’ the -ringmaster would respond, and amid shrieks of laughter ‘Dick’ would -make his way to the ring, where the fun continued. Oh, it was easy to -entertain in those simple old days! - -“‘Al’ Meaco was a favorite with his songs and jokes. He was one of the -first general clowns, and did a drunken act on stilts that convulsed -the house, but was a hazardous performance, withal. One of his idiotic -stories which afforded great amusement in the country districts was: -‘I’ve got a beautiful girl. Went to see her the other night. Met her -on the woodshed. Oh, the tears I would shed for her and the tears she -would shed for me would be shed more than the wood shed would shed -for me.’ Then he did some fancy steps, the band played and everybody -laughed. What a ghastly proceeding with the modern circus! - -“‘Al’ did an act with his brother ‘Tom’ which was considered a marvel -then. ‘Al’ swung head down from a trapeze, attached his teeth to a -strap which belted his brother and whirled him in circles. The act is -an old one now and vastly improved upon. I remember once ‘Al’ forgot -himself, opened his mouth to speak to ‘Tom’ and the latter revolved -forty feet through the air to the earth below. He broke four ribs and a -collar bone. - -“Here’s another joke which one of our clowns got off with success. -Nowadays it would be received with grief and shame. ‘I had a girl named -Sal Skinner. I called at her house one Sunday. She wasn’t home. Her -mother said she’d gone to church. I started out looking for her. Went -into the church and walked down the aisle, but didn’t see her. The -minister spotted me. “Are you looking for salvation?” he says. “No,” -I says, “but I’m looking for Sal Skinner.”’ The audience howled with -mirth. - -“Sam Lathrop used to make mock political speeches, with flings at the -politicians in the town we were playing. The best received of his -assortment of jests was this one, given as the ring horse halted: -‘Well, you stop, the horse stops, the music stops, I stop, but there’s -one thing nobody can stop.’ - -“‘What is the one thing nobody can stop?’ followed the ringmaster. - -“‘Why, a woman’s tongue!’ - -“The ringmaster, in apparent retaliatory discomfiture, would crack his -whip at the legs of the clown, who uttered ‘Ouch!’ as if in pain, and -the onlookers thought it all very funny. - -“Trained animals formed an important feature of our programme, and we -gave exhibitions which have not been repeated since. One of our men -drove a troupe of buffaloes in tandem line around the ring. ‘Grizzly’ -Adams had performing bears, a dozen of them, and never was greater -courage required. Dick Sands put a herd of camels through tricks and -raced with a hippopotamus. Dan Costello showed the full-blooded Spanish -bull, Don Juan; and John Hagenbeck taught a company of zebras difficult -paces. George Arstinstahl, I think, was the first to group different -animals. He bunched elephants, bears, lions, tigers and dogs before -astonished audiences without ever a suspicion of fight.” - -Three noted old-time circus riders, whose fame was world-wide a few -years ago, are members of our organization this season, assisting the -management. They are “Bob” Stickney, whose equestrian and acrobatic -feats are still fresh in the minds of all circus goers, and Frank J. -Melville and William E. Gorman, who were comfortable on any part of a -horse’s body, barring, perhaps, the ears. They will live forever in the -annals of the circus. Timothy Turner was the first to somersault on a -horse’s back. The thing was done in the old Bowery Theatre in New York -City in the ’50’s. Levi J. North, who was performing in an opposition -theatre, heard of the accomplishment and successfully imitated it the -same night. John Glenroy followed with a somersault--performed without -the presence of the pad then in general use and which his predecessors -had alighted upon. Then James Robinson, creator of many bareback -tricks, duplicated the act. Charles Fish, Frank Pastor, Romeo Sebastian -and David Richards were other celebrated circus horsemen of that -period. Billy Morgan inaugurated the now common mule riding act. - -Mrs. Walter Howard was the first circus equestrienne of public -prominence. Sixty years ago, her simple performance fairly dazed -spectators. She gave lessons in her art to many of the later woman -riders and made a sensation by being the only woman at that time to -cast herself through paper balloons. Alice Lake was a remarkably -skilful horsewoman. Of the foreigners who came here, Madame Tounaire -was easily the best performer. Her daughter, Molly Brown, was the first -woman in this country to somersault on a horse, and few women since -have accomplished the trick. Mrs. William Roland, Madame Dockrill, -Adelaide Cordona, Louise Rentz, and Pauline Lee attained prominence. -Linda Jeal was famous for several years and taught her niece, Dallie -Julian, seventeen years old, the somersault. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -THE CIRCUS PRESS AGENT - - -The wily press agent’s method of gaining publicity for his show varies -with the size and moral disposition of the cities in which he finds -himself. In executing his publicity-provoking designs in populous -centres there is in him no serious purpose to avoid an arrest. In the -smaller cities he must needs exercise his ingenuity to prevent the -action of the law. The notion that showmen are moral delinquents is -firmly settled in rural communities, especially in the East, and if in -the excess of his enthusiasm to bring to wide attention the presence of -the circus the press agent commits what an obdurate policeman considers -a public wrong, and there follows an appearance before a magistrate, -resentful townspeople look on him and his companions as lawbreaking -intruders, rudely defying the local government, disturbing the peace, -and ready, perhaps, to commit some more flagrant offence. A clergyman -may make the incident a text of protest. It is bound anyway to arouse -animosity and have a calamitous effect. - -But in New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and cities approaching -them in character and size, the standing of the circus is affected -neither one way nor the other by an ingenuously-explained legal -interruption, and the notice it attracts if it has unusual features -shows gratifyingly at the box office. It isn’t always easy to -accomplish the thing. “Splash” Austin, whose first name, Paul, was a -boyhood memory, was the high diver with one of the big circuses. He -performed for the free edification of the crowd which gathered on the -lot after the parade, which is the side-show harvest time. Later he -was one of the features of the show itself. “Splash” was always at the -press agent’s service. The circus arrived in Chicago on Sunday for a -week stand, and the press agent was ready with an elaborately planned -venture. He and his aquatic accomplice drove to Lincoln Park bridge, -where, by a coincidence which is not remarkable, a band of newspaper -men were in waiting. The performer shed a few garments and plunged -headforemost from the railing’s height into the water. The feat was a -simple one to the skilled acrobat, but its appearance was hazardous and -spectacular, and the reporters marvelled and interviewed at length. - -The beaming press agent’s ingenuity had not been exhausted. Two -frowning policemen intervened. Their pockets, the press agent alone -knew, bulged with circus tickets. They were accommodatingly indignant; -the law had been violated. “Splash” was put under arrest, and the -party started in a body for the station house. On the way, the -delighted author of the proceeding secured permission from “Splash’s” -captors to stop at a drink dispensary. The bluecoats waited outside -while the circus man entertained. All were thirsty and happy, and the -newspaper guests, in their innocence, cheerful over the unexpectedly -“good” story which had developed. They have never known they tarried so -long that one of the policemen called their host outside and whispered -that there must be haste, two posts had been left vacant too long -already, and they were half inclined to throw up the whole thing. - -The day was eminently successful from the circus standpoint. The -newspapers told at great length of the accomplishment of the daring -dive and its tragic ending, and the public curiosity to see the -performer added materially to receipts. And best of all none of the -reporters was so wanting in human charity as to reveal that, at the -police station, the captain had refused to hold the prisoner, remarking -grimly that no offence had been committed; and that the press agent, -searching frantically through the book of ordinances that his scheme -not miscarry at the end, had found that a penalty attached to the crime -of disturbing the fish in the lake, and patient “Splash” was locked up -on that charge. A small fine was promptly paid next day. - -Read one press agent’s circus literature and begin to understand that -the resources of the language are less limited than you suppose. He is -the world-renowned alliterator of the show business. He is better known -in the profession than Shakespeare, although Shakespeare never did much -for circuses. He has no acknowledged rival in the successive use of -the initial letter. The advance matter which he sends abroad for his -“moral” enterprises where presumably only moral people are admitted, -forms an extraordinary narrative. - -During each winter he writes, writes, writes, writes, whether he feels -right or not, but the annual incessant drain does not subtract from his -elaborate eloquence. He tells of “real and royal races for reward, -huge heroic hippodromes, genuine contests of strength, skill and speed, -superb struggles for success and supremacy between the short and the -stout, the tall and the tiny, the fat and the frail, the mammoth and -the midget, the adipose and the attenuate, the large and the little, -the massive and the minute, the swift and the slow; elephants in -ponderous, pachydermic progress, camels in cross and comical cantering, -horses in hurricane hustling for home, donkeys in deliberate, -dragging, droning pace, monkeys in merry meanderings on meek and mild -mules, whippets in whirlwind dashes swifter than a horse, runners in -record reducing running in rivalry, ponies in carts with clowns for -conductors, and the celebrated charioteer contestants of the Coliseum.” - -[Illustration: FAIR EQUESTRIENNE ON HER FAVORITE HORSE.] - -Proceeding in his product, after this gaudy prologue, this -adjective-millionaire is impressed with the “astral array of aerial -artists. The very air is filled with their flying forms, describing -the most intricate figures, far flights, swallow-like sweeps, gymnic -gyrations, castings and catches, revolutions and returns, swings -and somersaults, leapings and lightnings, soarings and sailings, -altitudinous ascensions, diving descensions, keeping the dizzy heights -of the lofty canvas dome alive with activity. Never before have the -satiated public seen a spectacle to so surely stir their sluggish -blood, arouse their admiration, excite their enthusiasm and command -their applause.” - -The clowns appeal to him. As phrased by him they are “a phenomenal -phalanx of phantastical, phuriously phunny phellows; silly and sedate, -short and stout, smile securers set scot free; loyal legion of long -and lean laugh liberators let loose. These extraordinary experts in -the creation of laughter have invented this year a new, novel, unique, -irresistibly comic, excruciatingly funny and simply surprising series -of skits, scenes, screaming sallies and silly situations.” - -Danger is “defiantly defied by one audacious aerial athlete, whose -deed is daring, desperate and death deriding, a fearless, fearful, -fascinating feat, the veritable pinnacle of perillous performances.” - -“Whirling Wonders of the World on Wheels” are “cycling champions in -clubs and coteries, in single, double and tandem teams, in wheeling -fads, fancy and freakish, in pictorial and picturesque peripatetic -posturings.” - -Proceeding, he describes the elephants as “mountains in motion, -ponderous and perspicacious pachyderms, in marvellous, military -manoeuvres.” - -The districts remote from New York are assured that “every element and -entity that enthused, excited and enthralled in the enormous Madison -Square Garden will be a part and parcel of the prodigious performance.” -And as a “super-splendid spectacular suggestion of greater, grander -glories yet to come, early in the forenoon of the day of exhibition -there will pass through the principal streets of the city the most -mammoth, monster mass of moving magnificence that ever fell athwart the -delighted, gratified, entranced vision of the human eye, the nearly -all new free street parade, including an interesting and instructive -illustration of the progress of our glorious Republic, showing in -correct uniform the soldiers of all American wars; gorgeous tableaux, -many massive, open dens, glittering cavalcades of knights and ladies, -representatives of the regiment of Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, comic -clowns and grotesque grimaldis, rollicking rubes and jolly jays, herds -of ponderous elephants, droves of camels, floods of music from military -bands, etc., etc.” - - * * * * * - -“Some circus owners never appreciate the valuable services we render -them,” lamented a veteran press agent who has toured two continents -under a tent. “The ignominious end of my graveyard specialty is an -example of the palpable lack of sentiment and business astuteness -sometimes disclosed when one least expects it. I observed that almost -every town has turned upon the public a circus man of high or low -degree, who finally returns to his native spot to pass his last days -and be put away in the local cemetery. With the arrival of the circus -his career becomes a topic of conversation among the townsfolk and -invariably newspaper reporter, hotel keeper or some other resident -engaged me in talk about the man. I always unblushingly remembered -him vividly and was able, after a few leading questions, to shed much -entertaining light upon his circus life, to express well-feigned -surprise that the body of so well-known a character was buried there -and to express a deep feeling of sorrow over the loss the profession -had sustained in his death. Sometimes I would urge the erection of a -more suitable monument and reproach townspeople for their neglect. - -“Not infrequently the subject of my solicitude had been a four-horse -driver, a trombone player or a stake driver. But his professional -insignificance was not appreciated by the friends of his life time, -my tender expressions made good feelings toward the show, and I let -no opportunity pass ungrasped. Sometimes the newspapers quoted my -sentiments, and it helped business. - -“If I had only been content with my own perfidious eloquence I wouldn’t -have got disgusted and quit. But I was ambitious and wanted to throw -away no chance to boom the show. So, soon, in every town in which -I could locate an appropriate headstone, I put on black clothes, a -countenance of becoming sadness and marched the band to the graveyard. -They played dirges all the way. Frank Morris, the orator of the circus, -accompanied us and I had him make an address at the grave. I wrote -out three non-committal speeches and there was no dead man whose life -didn’t fit one or judiciously selected parts of the three. They were -all very affecting, and made the women cry. On the way back to the lot -we always got a loving ovation. The newspapers spoke approvingly of the -proceedings and the residents thought it a great compliment. I was very -proud of myself. - -“The thing went along swimmingly for several weeks and my motives were -never openly assailed, although I think once or twice there lurked -a suspicion in the minds of shrewd townspeople that their departed -brother wasn’t all in life that we represented him. Anyway, I know -it brought money to the circus, and I could never understand the -boss’s secret disapproval. He never offered any sensible, legitimate -objection, but I could tell by his manner that he was afraid of some -kind of a boomerang finish some day. I persevered aggressively, -nevertheless, and was confident he would never get a valid excuse for -forbidding us to continue. I knew the experienced old man of affairs -was waiting warily for a chance. - -“The success or failure of the concert depended in a great measure -upon Morris’s oratory. When in good voice and spirits, he could fairly -glue his auditors to their seats. They wouldn’t budge until they had -seen all the concert attractions about which he had so insinuatingly -roared. So it was through him that the boss found opportunity to base -a complaint, put an end to my practices and lower my estimate of his -business intelligence. One unlucky day Morris caught a bad cold. He was -hoarse and depressed, and his announcement was received with little -favor. The concert attendance was small and the head of the show was -quick to seize his advantage--and strike at my burying-ground plot. - -“‘Morris got that cold in one of your graveyards,’ he addressed me, -reproachfully, ‘and we’ll have to give him a rest from this double -duty. Let those fellows rest in peace in their graves after this!’ - -“I left the show a month later, disgusted and discouraged, and found a -place where my fine art received support and confidence and gratitude.” - - * * * * * - -In the Southern States several years ago a circus now disorganized was -in high popular favor, and it was with great difficulty and at heavy -expense that the “big shows” of to-day succeeded in convincing the -population that its confidence had been misplaced. Finally, however, -they were welcomed and accepted. The colored public was the last to -forsake its cherished tradition. - -An advance press agent strolling past the flaring billboards announcing -the approach to an Alabama town of the metropolitan organization he -represented, observed an aged, tottering darkey, supported by a small -boy of his race. They were scrutinizing the posters. - -“Read it to me, son,” directed the old man. “What dey say about dis new -circus?” - -The lad stared ruefully at the polysyllabic collection and began -slowly: “Of all magnificent and master consolidations of rare, varied -and illustrious menageries, circus and hippodrome possessions and -possibilities this is greatest. Sept. 1, ----.” - -“Dat’s enough, my boy, dat’s enough,” interrupted the attentive old -listener, shaking his head grimly and chuckling, “’cept one, eh, ’cept -one. I know dat one. It’s de circus I’s been seein’ for years. Dis -false show don’t git none ob my money.” - -A free ticket, produced on the spot, helped to shake his faith, but -history does not record whether the performance made him a thorough -convert. - - * * * * * - -Adam Forepaugh was as ready a man in an emergency as circus life ever -developed, and was noted in the business for his skill in avoiding -legal entanglements. A resident of Auburn, N. Y., does not know to -this day how neatly the showman escaped a claim for damages at his -expense. The man had been drinking heavily, and in the menagerie tent -before the performance had begun offered Bolivar, an elephant noted -for his size, a bottle filled with whiskey. The smell of the liquid -always infuriates the beasts. In the spring of 1902, Tops, a usually -good-natured elephant, stamped the life out of a man who offended -her with whiskey, in Brooklyn, N. Y. The Auburn man was chased away -unharmed by the watchful keepers, but Bolivar’s small eyes gleamed -vindictively and he did not forget. The performance was well under way, -and the menagerie tent was being rapidly emptied of its collection of -animals and cages, when the man returned. The elephants and camels -were lined up preparatory to the march to the cars. The scene was -one of confusion and excitement, and the man was not observed by the -attendants. Bolivar, however, had his eyes fixed on his persecutor and -as the luckless stranger came within reach the big beast trumpeted, -struck with his trunk and prepared to stamp upon the victim. Keepers -rushed to the spot with pitchforks, subdued the angry elephant and -dragged the unconscious form away. An examination showed no serious -injury. - -Visions of a sheriff, attachment and suit for heavy damages oppressed -Mr. Forepaugh at once, but his quick wit suggested a way out of the -trouble. - -“Take this fellow to the cars,” he shouted to “Dan” Taylor, boss -canvasman, “and keep him locked there. Don’t let him out when he gets -his senses again, but bring him to me in the morning in Syracuse.” - -The bruised and wondering man was taken like a prisoner, according to -instructions, before the owner of the show next day. Mr. Forepaugh’s -attitude was that of a judge on the police court bench. A withering -frown was on his face. - -“You’re a nice specimen to hire out as a driver,” he observed -severely, “you were so drunk you fell off the wagon. You are -discharged. I can’t tolerate intoxication with my circus. It’s -fortunate you were not killed and the horses didn’t run away.” - -The effects of drink and the blow he received had driven memory from -the unfortunate man’s brain, and as Mr. Forepaugh perceived it a load -was lifted from him. He talked kindly but firmly to the penitent -before him, dwelt on the evils of intemperance and finally offered him -a day’s pay if he would promise not to drink liquor for a year. The -pledge was solemnly given and, I have been told, the man was ever after -consecrated to sobriety. - - * * * * * - -A good story is told by a former press agent of one of the big circuses -of how Samuel D. Clemens (Mark Twain) was out-humored at his home in -Hartford, Conn., by an untutored savage. The enterprising agent decided -it would be a good advertisement to get an interview between Mr. -Clemens and one of the Indians who were then a feature of the show. He -called on the humorist and laid the matter before him. Mr. Clemens said -that he didn’t care for the Indians, he was very busy, and didn’t see -what Indians had to do with him, anyway. - -“Why, the fact is,” replied the circus man, “they have heard of you in -the far West and want to see you.” - -Still Mr. Clemens was indisposed to grant the request until the press -agent swore solemnly that a big Sioux Chief had said that he would -never die happy, if compelled to return to his reservation without -seeing and speaking with the man whose fame was world-wide. - -“All right,” finally assented the humorist. “Have him here at six -o’clock this evening, but make it short.” - -Mr. Clemens sat on the broad porch of his home in Farmington avenue -at the appointed time. The house was a fine, long, rambling red -brick structure standing near the top of a green breezy hill. To the -astonishment of the man he perceived an immense cavalcade of mounted -warriors, more than half a hundred of them, tearing along the broad, -airy boulevard in a mad exhibition of horsemanship. They swept in -on the lawn, breaking down the shrubbery, wearing off the grass and -devastating the whole place like a destroying army. A crowd of boys -were at their heels, trampling flower beds and shrubs. The spokesman of -the party was a mighty hunter who had been previously told that Mark -Twain was famous for his slaughter of wild beasts. - -The Indian laid himself out for a game of brag. The interpreter, who -was in the deal, instead of repeating what the chief said, made a -speech of his own, extolling Twain’s literary achievements. - -“For Heaven’s sake, choke him off!” ejaculated the sad funny-man, with -blanched face. The cracking of boughs in the choice trees in which -the small boys had ensconced themselves were punctuating the Indian’s -remarks. - -The interpreter turned to the red man and soberly remarked that the -White Hunter wanted more talk, and on he went. Every time Twain cried -for quarter the chief was told to give another hunting story. Finally -his Indian vocabulary was exhausted and he quit. - -Twain made a brief reply which the interpreter translated into a -marvellous hunting yarn. The Chief listened stolidly, and when he got -away grunted contemptuously and muttered: - -“White man heap big liar.” - - * * * * * - -Adam Forepaugh, in the latter years of his circus life, carried with -his show a “Wild West” department. He had Indians, cowboys, Mexicans, -Cossacks, Arabs, scouts, guides, detachments of regular soldiers from -the armies of several nations and all the others that go to make a -spectacular rough-riding production. I remember an amusing incident -which illustrates that the veteran tented-amusement purveyor did not -allow sentiment to interfere with the ticket wagon end of the business. -One of the features of the exhibition was a representation of Custer’s -disastrous battle with the Sioux Indians under Sitting Bull. The -_mise en scène_ was correct in most particulars, and carried out with -fidelity to the subject. It was a graphic illustration of the Indian -mode of warfare. The cowboys who participated were true children of the -plains who had faced danger in many of its deadliest forms. They were -very proud of their records as scouts, plainsmen and warriors. - -Along about the middle of the season Mr. Forepaugh picked up a famous -addition to the show in Mt. Vernon, O. He was Sergeant George C. -Wagner, “representative frontiersman of the past.” He came unannounced, -looking for a job in the Wild West department, hopping on to the lot -like a clumsy bird. A wooden prop replaced the flesh and bone of his -right leg below the knee. He explained to Mr. Forepaugh that he was -the sole survivor of Custer’s immediate command; he had escaped death -in the last rally, because at the time of the fight he was riding the -plains with a message to Major Reno, seventy-two miles away. During -his lonely journey he had encountered Indians, and a poisoned arrow -received in the running conflict had necessitated amputation of his -leg. He looked the figure of romance and adventure, impressed the -circus owner as sincere and was hired on the spot. - -[Illustration: ACROBATS PRACTISING NEW FEATS.] - -As the days went by the sergeant became more and more a conspicuous -part of the show. He was a skilful horseman, despite his abbreviated -limb, although we all wondered how he was able to hold his seat. His -name appeared in black type on the programme, and he always got a -tremendous ovation when he scurried on a big bay horse around the -hippodrome amid the blare of trumpets, after a highly complimentary -introduction by the announcer. After the show, Grand Army posts -frequently gave him informal receptions, at which he regaled the -veterans with thrilling stories of life on the trail and of incidents -of the excitement and turmoil of the unsettled West. He drank whiskey -with great freedom and frequency, but it seemed to affect only his -tongue. His encounters with red men then became innumerable and his -life history was written all over with blood. His knowledge of Custer’s -campaigns was comprehensive to a detail. - -Mr. Forepaugh was mightily pleased with the acquisition, but not so -the cowboys, the true sons of the frontier. All the honors of the show -were Wagner’s and they were jealous. One day one of them suggested -a systematic review of their gallant comrade’s past in the hope of -uncovering an act of cowardice or crime, and the proposition met -general favor. They hired a lawyer to investigate and his report was -received in a surprisingly short time. The man who had represented -himself as cradled amid pioneer surroundings had never been out of the -Ohio county in which he revealed himself until the circus adopted him, -and he had lost his leg by a premature anvil explosion at a Fourth of -July celebration. - -It was at this juncture that Adam Forepaugh lost, in a great measure, -the respect and admiration of the cowboy fraternity, and proved, as I -have observed, that noble emotions and lofty ideals cannot always rise -supreme in the circus business. The cowboys, with many strange oaths -and threats, presented their damning narrative, confident that the hour -of retribution was at hand and that the owner of the show would express -sympathy and gratitude for the disclosure. Wagner, they thought, would -be clubbed off the lot. - -Mr. Forepaugh listened intently to the story of the imposition. He, -too, I know, had been as thoroughly deceived as the rest of us, but he -wasn’t willing the show should suffer. - -“What do I care,” he remarked quickly, and the expectant faces of the -cowboys blanched, “whether the fellow’s a fakir or not? He looks the -part better than any of you, he’s got a wooden leg to confirm it, he’s -the finest liar under the tent and he’s made a big hit. He stays with -the troupe.” - -“Sergeant” Wagner continued as hero, guide, and scout until the -season’s close, when he disappeared and the Wild West department heard -of him no more. The memory of his dare-devil appearance, long golden -locks floating in the wind, wide sombrero, buckskin breeches and -protruding guns will not be effaced for many years. - - * * * * * - -The gnawing fear of attachments is never absent from the circus owner’s -mind, and with all his mental wealth of resource, acquired by hard -experience, he cannot always escape imposition. The sheriff becomes -an object of hate and dread. His appearance with a levy, the showman -knows, is a portend of extortion. So it is that sometimes he submits to -injustice rather than bring about a conflict with the law. Unscrupulous -people appreciate this, with its fine opportunity for blackmail, but -sometimes the instigator comes as a shock and a surprise to the circus -owner and helps to shake his faith in the general honest impulses -accredited to human nature. - -We were playing the Ohio towns. Business was big, weather fine and -everybody was happy. One day a negro preacher, hat in hand and -apologetic in manner, approached the owner and explained a grievance. -His church edifice, eight miles outside the town, had been posted with -our glaring show bills, the congregation was angry and mortified and -threatening to go over in a body to another parish, and the church -receipts had fallen to nothing. One hundred dollars would set things -right. A lawyer who fingered a bunch of legal papers ominously was with -the outraged clergyman. The circus compromised for fifty dollars and -got a release. - -We showed next day in a town fourteen miles distant. Before the parade -had formed, the colored minister of the day before again confronted -us. He was humble and devout enough in appearance, but the same lawyer -was his companion, and a man whom we knew was the sheriff hovered on -the outskirts of the lot. The man of religion lamented his complaint -of the preceding day without a variation, and concluded the narrative -again with a demand for pecuniary balm. - -“Why, I settled with you yesterday,” the astonished owner retorted. “I -gave you fifty dollars, and hold your paper of satisfaction. You have -no further claim.” - -“You see, Mr. Circus man,” was the ready answer, “my church is on the -county line. Yesterday you paid for desecrating the house of God in -Lorain county. But you also profaned our sacred worshipping place in -Cuyahoga county. I want damages now for the actual and religious injury -done there.” - -If we hadn’t been so prosperous, I know the owner wouldn’t have -yielded. As it was, the unblushing effrontery of the thing appealed to -his sense of humor, and he gave the man another fifty dollars. He told -of the proceeding at dinner as a good joke at his expense, and remarked -that, after all, he was not sorry to have had the chance to contribute -to the finances of the struggling congregation. It might bring him good -luck. - -About three o’clock in the afternoon he told me to ascertain the -whereabouts of the church--he had become curious about the shrewd -preacher’s affairs--and we would drive out there. The church was about -six miles away, through a lonely country district. We lost our way once -and the circus owner was not in the best of humor when we arrived. The -sight that greeted him knocked out all the exalted sentiment that had -stirred him. The steeple of the building was on a level with the eaves, -two cows browsed off the pulpit, there was evidence of the nocturnal -presence of hens in the amen corner, and the whole edifice was in a -state of dilapidation and decay. Along the entire front was an inch -and a half accumulation of circus bills. Ours were the outside strata. -The minister couldn’t be found, fortunately for his physical welfare. -He was probably spending his booty. His wife told us the congregation -had dissolved months ago, and our adroit questioning disclosed that the -couple’s income consisted in a great measure of the money extracted -from the circuses who, innocently, utilized the inviting stretch of -ecclesiastical boards. The memory of the colored clergyman is still -green with the circus man, and religion is at a discount with the show. - - * * * * * - -P. T. Barnum, in the early years of his life, had no modern press -agent, but it is doubtful if the interesting person could have aided -the showman in advertising his enterprises. No one knew better than he -the value of printer’s ink, and of the men who made printer’s ink the -vehicle of news and information. Old circus men recall an illustration -of his unique but impressive way of attracting public attention in -1849, which would have done credit to this enlightened generation. He -sent an expedition to Ceylon, a formidable undertaking then, to capture -elephants. They returned to New York with ten of the animals, harnessed -them in pairs to a chariot and drove up Broadway. Not content with this -advertisement, he sent one of the elephants to his Connecticut farm and -engaged the beast in agricultural pursuits. A keeper, clad in oriental -costume, was the companion. They were stationed on a six-acre lot which -lay close beside the tracks of the New York and New Haven railroad. -The keeper was furnished with a timetable of the road with special -instructions to be busily engaged in plowing, with the animal dragging -the implement, whenever passenger trains passed. The proceeding made -a sensation and the showman gravely announced that he intended to -introduce a herd of elephants to do all his plowing and heavy draft -work. After the six acres had been plowed over at least a hundred -times, he quietly returned the animal to his museum. - -It is related in the circus world that the “Feejee Mermaid” was the -stepping-stone to Barnum’s road to wealth and circus renown. The thing -was made in Japan with an ingenuity and mechanical perfection well -calculated to deceive. Barnum bought it in 1842, when he was unknown, -modified by printer’s ink the general incredulity as to the possibility -of the existence of mermaids, and aroused great curiosity to see -and examine his specimen. Then, too, he persuaded some naturalist -to endorse it as genuine. The fame of his museum and its preserved -curiosity was wafted from one end of the land to the other. Money -flowed in rapidly and the notoriety he attained he never permitted to -fade. - -In the museum, the ladder by which he rose to fortune, Mr. Barnum a -few months later perpetrated another humbug which arrested public -attention. He purchased in Cincinnati, O., a well-formed, small-sized -horse, with no mane and not a particle of hair on his tail, while -his body and legs were covered with thick, fine hair or wool, which -curled tight to his skin. The animal had been foaled in Ohio and was a -remarkable freak of nature. The astute showman immediately advertised -the beast as “The Woolly Horse.” The news had just come that Colonel -John C. Fremont, who was supposed to have been lost in the snows of -the Rocky Mountains, was in safety. Mr. Barnum grasped the opportunity -and asserted that his horse had been captured by the explorer’s party. -The curiosity was a great attraction for many months, and no definite -exposure of the imposition was ever made. It added immeasurably to the -reputation and pecuniary success of the establishment. - - * * * * * - -The circus press agent is a welcome visitor to the country newspaper -office. In his gratitude over the influx of tickets and advertising, -the editor generally devotes space to a eulogy of the social and -professional merits of the visitor. Here are some truthfully reproduced -specimens, taken at random from a collection: - -“The bustling press agent of the vast concourse is the most popular man -with the circus.” - -“The press agent is built for a gentleman from the ground up, and he -acts it with the ease and dignity of a Chesterfield.” - -“The management is fortunate in having for its press representative -----, who is a gentleman in every way, and who understands his business -thoroughly.” - -“The press agent is one of the most genial gentlemen in the profession, -and he is much liked by the newspapers wherever he goes, not only -because he is liberal with the pasteboards, but because he is a hale -fellow well met.” - -“---- leaves nothing undone on his part to make the grand show popular.” - -“---- is a mighty clever gentleman. He called at our office to-day and -made himself agreeable.” - -“The press agent of the circus is undoubtedly an element of strength -in that big institution. He is a mighty pleasant gentleman and knows -exactly how to make himself popular with the newspaper men.” - -“He is the right man in the right place.” - -“The show has four aces in ----, the press representative, who is such -a thorough gentleman that his kindness to the press boys issues his own -patent to nobility.” - -“The press agent treated us nicely yesterday. Several little attentions -he gave us made us feel more than kind to him.” - -“The circus is lucky in having him for press agent. He is a refined and -courteous gentleman to whom much is due for the success and popularity -of this great show.” - -“The press of this section will always welcome the coming of this -genial gentleman.” - -“But probably the most versatile artist of this great aggregation was -----, the press agent of this enormous aggregation. He deserves special -mention.” - -“On last Thursday evening of the circus, the editor of the ----, upon -invitation of the pleasing and wide awake press agent, went ‘behind -the scenes’ on a tour of the dressing-rooms of the great institution. -We were first introduced to the great and only ----, just preparing -to mount the twenty-three bareback horses, which he rides to the -consternation of all who see him. Going to the left, the curtain was -raised and Trunktown was seen, that is, about one hundred and fifty -people sitting upon, diving into, standing or beside their trunks, in -various stages of deshabille, preparing for their various acts. Taking -off his plug, the press agent announced the presence of the editor, -and everybody came forward and shook us by the hand--for a little -while we thought we were running for President of the United States. -A chair was brought for us and a little chat indulged in with those -near, among whom was the great bareback rider. We had a chat with the -gladiators, also, who were making up for their act, one of the most -pleasing and artistic of the show. In shaking hands with those chaps we -got some white powder on our left shoulder, which they use to powder -their faces. After returning to our wife in the circus auditorium, we -had great difficulty in explaining the powder away. But the press agent -bore testimony that we had not visited the ladies’ dressing-rooms, not -being the right gender.” - - * * * * * - -An old-time press agent, writing a brief list of a few men met with -in the circus’s transitory career and who will continue to exist when -showmen of this generation have passed on, mentions: - -The man who travelled with Dan Rice. - -The man who when a boy carried water for the elephant. - -The man who knew the man who sold his cook stove to secure the price of -a circus ticket. - -The man who knows how many thousands of dollars the circus takes out of -town. - -The man who is anxious to know when “show folks” sleep. - -The man who sympathizes with us because of our “hard life.” - -The man who asks: “Where do you go from here?” - -The man who knows the show is “split up” in the smaller towns. - -The man who is sure “this is the best show town of its size in the -United States.” - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - - Archaic or alternate spelling has been retained from the original. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's On the Road With a Circus, by W. 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