Bandwagon, October-November 1954

Bandwagon, Vol. 7, October-November, 1954. Note: Only some articles are included in this online edition. Illustrations are not included. The Circus Historical Society does not guarantee the accuracy of information contained in the information in these online articles. Information should always be checked with additional sources.

A Civil War Incident With a Circus Flavor

It was just prior to the Civil War that Erastus Beadle brought out a new form of cheap literature that was to become known as the Dime Novel. Easy to read, easy to carry in the pocket, these novels made a hit with the soldiers and were shipped, as one writer expressed it, "to camps baled like cordwood." Yet it is doubtful if any of the tales appearing in these "yellowbacks" were as intriguing as the true life experience of a circus man of that period.

Some time ago, while the writer was in Erie searching through the files of old newspapers for Dan Rice material, the following item caught my eye:

"Charles White, Lion Tamer - Charles White, the lion tamer of Thayer and Noyes Show, was struck down and fearfully mangled by an old male lion while performing with them at Rochester, N. Y., on the 4th inst. He was rescued by the circus men, who fought the lion off with iron bars. His collar bone and shoulder blade are broken. His recovery is doubtful."

The above item appeared in the Erie Dispatch of July 8, 1865. In this issue of August 5, 1865, the following story appeared:

“White, the Lion Tamer - Charles White, the lion tamer of Thayer 8, Noyes Circus, who was so fearfully mangled at Rochester, N.Y., by one of the lions on the 4th of July, is slowly recovering. He is still suffering severely from his wounds, and his attending physician does not deem it prudent for him to attempt a journey at present. It was not until a week ago that Mr. White was able to lie in bed. He rested constantly in a chair. It is doubtful if he ever fully recovers from the injury sustained in the encounter."

Scenting a good Bandwagon story I wrote to the Dean of Circus Historical Society members, C. H. "Dad" White at Fredonia, Kansas. His version of the affair was much more intriguing than I anticipated, and as other members of the CHS would like to know the story, here it is:

The Whites lived at Cortland, N. Y., where the father operated a sawmill. One balmy spring day in the late 50's two sons in their teens, tired of the prosaic life in the village, and foreseeing no future as operators of a sawmill, set forth to seek what lay on the other side of the hill, if the grass was greener there, or, perchance, the end of the rainbow with its pot of gold.

Journeying on foot, with an occasional lift from some friendly farmer, the boys reached Syracuse. They wandered to the canal wharves teeming with activity. Moored at different spots were many vessels. One was the Dan Rice Canal Boat Shows, which intrigued one of the boys, Charles, while his brother cast his lot with a freighter and was never heard from again.

Charles White readily adapted himself to his new life, made friends of both men and animals. There was something magnetic about him that both man and animal recognized, and both accepted Charley White as their friend, and it was but a short time after he joined that young White found himself in charge of animals, later to start training as a wild animal tamer.

The glamorous life young White had dreamed of in the sleepy hamlet of Cortland had become a reality. Every day was circus day; every day the band played; every day he witnessed jostling, laughing, men, women and children at the show. Each day a new town, each day a new throng, but always the happy, smiling faces of circus goers.

The bedizened animals, the performers in their fancy costumes, the happy, carefree clowns bringing smiles to the faces of the oldsters and roulades of laughter from the children, the blatant blare of the band, the thunderous ovation from the spectators at the conclusion of each performance, and then the surge of the throng to return home; the teardown, and the ride to the next town to bring smiles to ever-present throng of patrons; this was living.

The brilliance of the star-spangled heavens seemed dimmed in comparison to the glitter and resplendence of the circus world. The cup of joy of Charles White was filled to overflowing.

And then, dark, ominous clouds gathered. Clouds that followed them at each stand. Men talked in hushed tones everywhere. Fort Sumter had fallen, Southern states had seceded, the Civil War was tearing the nation asunder.

The route of the Dan Rice Show was from New Orleans to Massachusetts. Traveling with the show were men from all sections of the country, and as the call for volunteers ever grew louder men left the show to join the cause they believed right. Young Charles White threw his lot with the Union Army.

In the army, as in the circus, Charles White readily fitted into the scheme of things and rapidly rose to the rank of lieutenant. One day, with a detail of six men, White was carrying a message to another camp, when the detail was captured by Quantrill's Guerilla's. Considering the detail the same as spies, they were ordered shot, when a heavily bewhiskered member of the captors had a whispered conference with the leader. He then came over to Charles White and another of the prisoners and drew them aside.

"You don't recognize me, do you, Charley?" he asked. White answered in the negative, and the man parted his beard so White could get a better look at his features. He was a man with whom White had trouped but two years previous - Archie Seale.

"I just couldn't let them shoot a circus man," he said. He then handed them reins to horses, gave explicit directions on how to get back to the Union lines, and started White and his companion on their way. White's partner also was a circus man, but with what show he trouped was not mentioned.

As the two erstwhile circus men rode silently along the route designated by their friend they were sorrowed by a volley of musket fire, realizing that their companions had paid with their lives - a fate that would have been theirs had it not been for their circus connections.

After the end of the war Charles White returned to the show business, and was featured in the Thayer & Noyes Show, which was a subsidiary of the Dan Rice organization. The show was out but a few weeks when White met with the accident previously mentioned.

In the war White suffered a bullet wound in one arm and he was unable to raise his hand above his head; in the conflict with the lion, the other shoulder was broken and so affected the arm that he could not raise that arm either; so his days as a trainer seemed ended. P. T. Barnum thought differently, who hired White because of his knowledge of animals. He still had an animal act, but it consisted chiefly of entering the cage, feeding the tigers raw meat, then sitting upon a stool until the animals finished their meal, and, perchance, putting the cats through a few simple acts.

Came the year 1875 - the year of the Rice debacle - when all the shows in Girard, Pa., the winter quarters of Rice and the Thayer & Noyes Show were wiped out. The Warner, Springer & Henderson Cirk Zalodian also wintered in Girard, but was not connected with the Rice organization. Warner, by the way, was formerly business manager for Dan Rice, and married Rice's first wife following her divorce. Warner and his wife then acquired circus property and billed their outfit as "Mrs. Dan Rice's Show." The show also wintered at Girard, and in 1875, although billed as Warner, Springer & Henderson, the show was controlled by P. T. Barnum, who decided to move the outfit from Girard.

Our illustrious CHS member, Charles H. White, now furnished this part of the story:

"Speaking of my Dad and the Warner, Springer & Henderson Cirk Zalodian that spring of 1875. I had been sick with pneumonia. I had contracted a bad cold in the Garden while watching a rehearsal and was confined to my home in Jersey City. I was getting better when Dad sent word that if I planned on going out I had better hustle.

"When I got there they were getting twenty cages ready and Dad told me they were going to Detroit where they would join with the Warner, Springer & Henderson show. With our group also were Admiral Dot and his mother, and two Fijis, Jime and John.

“When we arrived at Niagara Falls we had to wait for the revenue to check the train. Dad, I and an elephant man were talking, when an excited kid come running up and said our Indians were killing a saloon man. We went to see, and Jime had the man on the floor and John was behind the bar. The saloon keeper had refused to sell them a drink as it was against the law to sell to Indians; so I told the man to look at their hair, which is bushy. My Dad paid the barkeeper and we went to our train.

"When we got to Detroit the first man we met was the Boss Canvasman, Archie Seale, who put his arms around Dad and hugged him, saying it was good to see him again after the war."

Tears glistened in their eyes as both recited their experiences during the war; and relived their days on the Dan Rice show - two circus men, who viewed the rebellion in a different perspective, yet the love for tanbark friends was so great that Archie Seale saved two circus troupers from the firing squad, despite the fact that they fought under a different flag.

"Truth is stranger than fiction."

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Calliopes

Referring to, King Bros. Calliope Floyd King writes:

"The calliope was originally built for Gentry Bros. in Peru, Indiana by Sullivan and Eagle in 1903. Sold to Newman and Austin in 1917. Sold to Jim Patterson in 1923. Sold to King Bros. in 1925. Sold to George Christy, 1930. Sold to Dr. Frischkorn in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1934. Bought by King Bros., Cristiani in 1950."

Here is some information from a circus ad in "The Summit Beacon," Wednesday, September 16, 1857. "The Great Musical Steam Calliope Coming. To be in Akron on Thursday, September 24th. Exclusive right in Ohio given by the patentee to Nixon & Kemp's Great Eastern Circus! The only instrument of the kind in existence! The Calliope is drawn by forty horses four abreast with two superb chariots! One for the steam apparatus and the other for the Grand Instrument! The stupendous and harmonious musical instrument, played by steam pipes, witnessed this season by over one million of persons. The Grand procession will make its public entry in town, about noon, attended by the Calliope. After parading through the principal streets the Calliope will be driven inside the immense pavilion, where it will play a variety of airs, by steam, and the works thrown open for the inspection of the audience. Ladies are invited to play upon the steam instrument."

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Once Busy Circus Quarters Now a Prosperous Farm

PERU, Ind. - It's been 10 years since Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey's winter circus quarters here “folded its flaps," so to speak.

The major part of the 1,600-acre showground was acquired in 1944 by Charles Ballard and now is a highly productive 1,100-acre farm. The balance was purchased by Emil Schram, former president of the New York Stock Exchange and a Peru native.

There remains little of the color of the world's largest circus quarters that once drew countless thousands of visitors to Peru, county seat of Miami County.

Some of the mammoth buildings remain, but instead of elephants, giraffes and "cats," there are chickens, cattle and hogs.

The quarters was inactive after 1940, but John Ringling North retained posession of the farm until March, 1944, when Sarasota, Fla., became the winter home of the big show.

North made frequent business trips to New York and always found time to visit Schram, who then was the president of the world's largest stock exchange.

When Schram contracted in 1944 to buy a portion of the winter circus quarters in his home town, North wanted to insert a clause in the contract that Schram could never go into the circus business. Schram balked and the 10-year limit was set.

Today he assists in the management of the farm, now incorporated into a family operation. Robert is manager of the Peru farm; James is manager of the Schram Farm at Carrolton, Ill., and Dan is a junior at Indiana University.

For five years after North sold out to Schram, he continued to visit the stock exchange boss in New York, expressing the comment that "I wish I hadn't sold you that farm."

There were times, according to Schram, that he felt like replying:

“I wish you had it back."

Today, however, the farm is an a paying basis. The 400 acres of river bottom according to Robert Schram 'is as good a soil as you'll find anyplace.''

There isn't much left to give the impression the farm was once a famed circus winter home. Some of the buildings are standing and in a good state of repair; a single figurine graces the once majestic entrance to the quarters.

The Schrams still get letters from people all over the world wanting wagons and wagon wheels - just any souvenir of the world famous circus.

“The circus people took everything that was suggestive of a circus and burned it," Robert said.

The giraffe barn was lost in the 1948 tornado and several other structures were sold for scrap lumber.

The horse training ring barn once was used by the Schrams as a circular hog farrowing barn. It is standing idle now and will be torn down. Other buildings are used for grain storage, work shops and chicken houses. The "cat" barn now has 15,000 broilers and a storage barn another 10,500 birds.

There's one building erected by the circus people made from old circus seats, complete with hinges. Now, every time the Schrams need a hinge, they find a big source of supply in this barn.

The entire circus quarter was acquired by Ben Wallace back in the 1880's. Wallace, who operated a livery stable, took over the land when an animal show couldn't pay its board bill at the stable.

Later a merger expanded Wallace into the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. Other circuses merged and the American Circus Corp. was formed. Ringling bought it out in 1929 and operated the Peru winter circus quarters until 1944.

Schram was president of the New York Stock Exchange from 1941 to 1951.

"I'm a farmer now and have no intention of going into the circus business," Schram said.

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Circuses That Toured Canada in the Past

1879. The Adam Forepaugh Circus.

That year above I wonder if the Forepaugh Circus train passed through this district. According to their route they played Detroit, Mich., Saturday, July 5th, and Buffalo, N.Y. on July the 7th. I'm inclined to think they either passed through this city via the Grand Trunk Railway (now C.N.R.) or 16 miles south of here on the New York Central. Also a possibility they took the Wabash Line 23 miles south of here through my hometown of Simcoe to Fort Erie across the river from Buffalo.

Which ever line they took, I wonder if there could possibly be in that year of 1879 fans (nuts, as some people say Cripps is) nuts about circus as I am to sit in my car at the local station to just watch the "big one" high ball through here in the wee small hours of a morning in 1950 when that show was moving from Toronto to it's next stand at London, Ont.

Anyway that Forepaugh should have been something for us modern fans to see. I can just sit back and roll it over in my mind of just such a show would be like from what I've read about the old time shows and see it all. However, I started this write-up to give those that may be interested the number of years this great show played Canada. Of course if any of you folks would like to write of some of my circus dreams I'd be glad to do so at some future date. Don't all rush now.

It wasn't until 1880 that we were honoured with a visit from this great show, which was titled as Forepaugh's Zoological & Equestrian aggregation and their opening season stand was in Philadelphia, April 12 to 24th combined with London & Sanger and Cooper & Bailey and in Washington May 1st, they gave no performance but gave a night parade and then performances from 3rd to 5th.

The show played Buffalo, N.Y., June 2 and 3, and jumped into Canada for their first stand June the 4th at St. Catharines then to Brantford on the 7th and played my old hometown, Simcoe, on the 8th.

They played 14 stands in Ontario from June 4th to 21st. Then 7 stands in Quebec, three in Montreal and swinging back into Ontario with the final stand at Stratford, and going out to play Port Huron, Michigan, July 22nd.

1884

The show was now billed as "The Great Adam Forepaugh Show." The show played Defiance, Ohio, August 30th, and jumped to Windsor, Ont. The show played 18 stands in Ontario. (Brantford, Sept. 9) 6 days in Quebec and back into the states from Sherbrooke to Greenfield, Mass.

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Circus Chronology, 1953

OCTOBER

EDITH CONWAY RINGLING, chairman of the board of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows, Inc., died at Sarasota, Fla.

CHARLES PATTERSON SIEGRIST, veteran outstanding flyer and acrobat, died at Normal, Ill.

RINGLING-BARNUM made two weekend stands in Los Angeles, moving out to other towns for the intervening week days. The novel two-in-one routing proved highly successful in the city, where big business is limited to weekends.

FINAL WEEKS for Clyde Beatty Circus brought poor business.

WALLACE BROS.' Circus was offered for sale.

HUNT BROS. returned to quarters after a successful season.

KING-CRISTIANI escaped damage when a hurricane hit Panama City, Fla.

TENNESSEE BUSINESS was proving good for Kelly-Miller, but the season as a whole was off and Manager Obert Miller sent some trucks home.

RINGLING, MILLS AND KING shows were in closest opposition as numerous circuses concentrated on Louisiana. Advance agents and billers also were clashing in Florida for later dates.

SOUTHWESTERN STANDS proved good for Ringling-Barnum.

NOVEMBER

FILMING OF THE new Beatty movie began at Galveston, Tex., last stand on the show's route, where new tops were used and a parade was staged.

ANNUAL OPPOSITION of football games hit circuses, but Ringling was able to change the date of a game at Shawnee, Okla. Then weather forced cancellation of the stand. Texas business was good for the show.

CLYDE BROS.' INDOOR CIRCUS opened its season.

POLACK WESTERN scored well in Los Angeles despite a change in dates.

ROGERS BROS. ended its season and prepared to sell all equipment.

FRANCO RICHARDS' Ring Bros.' Circus was closing a winning season.

D. R. MILLER bought his brother's share in Cole & Walters and then sold additional share to Herb Walters, making them co-owners.

TOM PACKS CIRCUS opened strong at Natchez, Miss., a new date.

MRS. ELIZABETH HANNEFORD, 83, mother of George and Poodles Hanneford and Mrs. Ernest Clarke, died at North Hollywood, Calif.

RINGLING'S NEW ORLEANS stand was a bloomer.

HAMID-MORTON closed its fall season at Atlanta.

LOYAL - REPENSKY CIRCUS was playing Panama.

MILLS, KING AND RINGLING were in opposition in Florida, with some paper being covered and some wait banners used.

THE CARL HAGENBECK CIRCUS of Germany closed and equipment was sold to a Spanish group.

FLAMANTE CIRCUS closed its successful tour of Latin Communities in the Southwest.

CLYDE BEATTY was given the Frank Walter collection of parade wagons.

RINGLING-BARNUM'S business in Florida was good thru the closing in Miami (22) but the season as a whole was weak. Plans for a holiday show in Cuba were being made.

MILLS BROS. ended its season with its first tour of Florida.

KING-BROS. & CRISTIANI closed (28) and returned to Macon, Ga.

MRS. JESSIE SUN, widow of George K. Sun, former circus owner, died at Lexington, Ky.

ARTHUR M. CONCELLO announced his resignation as general manager of Ringling-Barnum following a conference with John Ringling North in New York. North named Frank McClosky manager and went to Sarasota to take personal charge of his circus.

JACK MILLS described 1953 as the best season in Mills Bros.' history.

CLYDE BEATTY CIRCUS moved from Deming, N. M., quarters to Phoenix, Ariz., to continue motion picture work.

TONY DIANO bought some Cole Bros.' equipment for use with an animal unit he would have on World of Mirth in 1954.

TOM PACKS' CIRCUS did big business in New Orleans.

PAUL NELSON, only member of the Famous Nelson Family remaining in the performing end of the business, announced that he would retire.

FLOYD KING AND LUCIO CRISTIANI announced they would end their partnership in 1954, and Arnold Maley joined King in a new enterprise to operate King Bros.' Circus.

FRANK ORMAN confirmed that Beatty planned a street parade in '54. A wind storm interrupted movie work at the Beatty quarters in Phoenix. William Moore remained as agent of the circus.

POLACK BROS. announced its Eastern unit bettered 1952 while its Western unit equalled that year's business.

TERRELL JACOBS signed with Kelly-Miller for 1954.

IRA WATTS, veteran manager, owner and superintendent, was named superintendent of King Bros.

LOYAL-REPENSKY CIRCUS moved from Panama to Florida by cargo planes.

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