Today, Mr. Cooke's story is rich in details of show history with which the general public is altogether unfamiliar.

He briefly sketches the origin and growth of the once famous Sells Brothers' show, which finally became a rival to Barnum & Bailey.

The last great battle between these aggregations is vividly described, the advertising methods which characterized it being pictured in much detail. This is the hitherto unwritten story of the methods by which permanent peace was brought about through a combination which united the Sells Brothers' show with the Forepaugh show, then owned by Barnum & Bailey.

Mr. Cooke Also talks interestingly of the arrangements made for the great continental tour of Barnum & Bailey, dwelling especially upon the railway equipment manufactured in England in which the show was transported safely all over Europe.

No story is complete without all the facts and step by step the records are here unrolled. After the death of P. T. Barnum, Mr. Bailey purchased his interest from the Barnum heirs, as well as their part of the ownership in the Forepaugh show. A few years' later, upon the death of his other partner, J. E. Cooper, he took over and operated both of these shows on his individual account. As a natural consequence we had more or less opposition and I must relate one batle royal that we had with the famous Sells Brothers in the south, which terminated in such a peculiar manner to make it an important event in these reminiscenses.

The Sells Brothers.

The Sells Brothers originally, hailed from Columbus, Ohio. Three of them, Allen, Lewis and Peter, were engaged in the auction business, traveling by wagon from town to town, and as they found their trade more profitable when they could strike a town on the same day with a circus, and noted the methods of the circus men in attracting and handling a crowd, they became somewhat familiar with the circus business and determined upon entering the profession, which, they concluded, afforded greater opportunities the one in which they were engaged. It appeared very evident it was necessary to have a large congregation of people in order to gather in the duckets.

I their first effort in this respect was a small circus which made its initial bow in Columbus, Ohio, equipped with a few lumbering wagons and light outfit to travel over land. After a few months on the road with considerable success, in spite of their lack of experience and indifferent equipment, they continued to make money and their elder brother, Ephriam, who had been following the plain and sturdy occupation of a farmer near Cleveland, became interested in the enterprise, disposed of his farm and joined them as a partner.

In all the varying fortunes of the tented profession the Sells Brothers enjoyed the reputation of being successful, reliable and progressive, and gradually built up the show until it became one of the best-known circuses of the west and south, where it remained almost exclusively, with a single trip to Australia, until after it was consolidated with the Forepaugh name, as I shall relate later on.

War With the Sells Brothers.

It having become an established fact that when once the Barnum & Bailey show laid out its route and completed contracts nothing but disaster or an act of the Higher Power could change its course, about the only hope for a smaller concern was to rush in far enough ahead or steer clear of the leviathan to avoid disaster. On the occasion which I have in mind the Sells Brothers chose the first alternative, as they supposed, in their invasion of our territory, but by switching our route a little and playing the stands in a reverse order we got within close range of them at many points and opened fire in the way of a perfect fusillade of newspaper advertising and bill-posting.

We distributed matter, accused the opposition of all sorts of dreadful things, among others proving that up to the time of their starting south they had been exhibiting all over the country at an, admission of 25 cents, a price which they advertised as a feature; but for this southern trip they had not only reduced the size of their show, as we could and did prove from existing railroad contracts, but proposed to increase the price of admission to 50 cents.

Continuing along these lines of attack upon the enemy and with our overwhelming force, they were completely crushed, although the fight continued brisk until the end of the season or nearly so.

A Strong Advertising Campaign.

I believe that during this campaign I did some of the strongest newspaper advertising in the south that had ever been known - taking as many as four full pages at one time in the Atlanta Constitution and equally as much space in several other cities. In making this liberal contract for four pages in the Sunday edition of the Constitution it was also arranged to have them print 100,000 copies extra as a four-page supplement and have them delivered at all of our exhibition stands in that section of the country the next morning, so they could be distributed broadcast by my own men, whom I had sent to each point to be on hand and receive the supplements as soon as they arrived and see that they were distributed early in the morning, thus appearing to be special editions of that paper. The whole southern country was covered in this manner at once. The effect of such wide publicity in what might be, called "splurge" advertising completed our victory all along the line.

But now comes the turn of the tide and the tale.

When we arrived in Dixie's land Mr. Bailey was served with notice of a suit for damages by the opposition show, in the sum of $200,000 and appeared to take it quite seriously for a while. During the winter, when we were served with final notice of the commencement of the suit at Columbus, Ohio, the home of the Sells Brothers, I was, naturally, delegated to go to Columbus and protect our interests. Mr. Bailey was particularly anxious at that time and advised extreme caution, but I assured him, on my departure, that he need not worry a bit, as I had every reason to believe that matters could be adjusted a satisfactory manner, although I must confess I did not know just how to do it at that moment and had already secured the services of good attorneys and an abundance of witnesses to the truthfulness of all of our publications.

Upon meeting Messrs. Sells Brothers at Columbus in the most friendly manner, as we had always enjoyed the most pleasant relations, the subject was indifferently discussed and court proceedings opened, which continued for a day or two. In the meantime the Sells Brothers and myself were more or less together, and I even enjoyed the hospitality of the home of Mr. Peter Sells.

The Combination.

One evening when we were all together at the hotel where I was stopping I launched the suggestion that there was nothing to be gained in any of these legal proceedings and had a better way to settle the difficulty by forming a combination which perhaps they had never dreamed of. In response to their inquiry as to what that might be I proposed to bring them and Mr. Bailey together in the most friendly and substantial manner by consolidating the names and material of the Sells Brothers and Forepaugh Shows.

At the first breath there was a gasp, and my opponents were almost horrified as such a suggestion, but I told them to think it over until the next morning, and went on to expatiate upon the advantages to be gained by a combination which would place them in the open field and practically on an equal footing with the "Greatest Show on Earth," as it would be so easy to avoid all opposition and make money without so much trouble and contention. Nothing was determined at this interview, but all promised to give the subject favorable consideration. When I returned to New York and told Mr. Bailey of my conversation he thought that such an arrangement would be impossible; but I still had good reason to believe that all of the principals would be willing to listen to reason and consider their best interests.

Proceedings were dropped for a time, but a little later in the season I met Peter Sells in the West and we talked matters over in the most friendly way. I finally induced him to accompany me to Buffalo, N. Y., as I knew that Mr. Bailey would be there the next day, and I wanted to have them get together. I wired Mr. Bailey to that effect, so that he would surely be on hand to discuss the project. It took only a few moments to get both principals thinking in the same vein, and before noon it was settled that if the other brothers acquiesced in the arrangement the Forepaugh name and menagerie would be consolidated with the Sells brothers' enormous show. The rest is history

Mr. Cole Returns to the Business.

Having thus disposed of all of the Forepaugh outfit in the operation of the Buffalo Bill Wild West and the Forepaugh-Sells combination, we then had the three biggest shows in the world at that time, and it was soon determined by Mr. Bailey that he would undertake a long tour in Great Britain and on the continent with the Barnum and Bailey organization.

This brought us up a point where was hard to determine how to divide our forces and just what to do with the Buffalo Bill exhibition. It was Practically arranged that Mr. Peter Sells and myself should take over the Bailey interest in the Wild West and operate that show just as we had been doing for the last three years under the Bailey regime. This arrangement, however, was not consummated, as in discussing the subject with my confidential friend, Mr. W. W. Cole, who had for a number of years been in retirement from the show business, he intimated that he might be induced to take an interest in one or more of these concerns if I would agree to remain in America to look after the details and not accompany the Barnum and Bailey show to Europe, as it had been intended for me to do.

This plan was submitted to Mr. Bailey who was very anxious to effect such an arrangement, and the figure was quickly agreed upon for a quarter interest in both the Buffalo Bill and Forepaugh-Sells shows provided satisfactory arrangements could be made for a term of years with both of these institutions.

I was immediately instructed to proceed to both of these shows, which were then traveling in different parts of the country, lay the proposition before them, and get an answer without delay. All of which I accomplished after considerable effort, and the contracts were duly executed. Thus Mr. Cole was brought back into the arenic world to direct the movements of these two shows in America while the Barnum and Bailey show was abroad.

Preparing for European Tour.

It was necessary for me to accompany Mr. Bailey to England to complete arrangements for the opening of the Barnum and Bailey show at Olympia, London, and to follow up and complete the construction of the railway cars which we were then having built at Stoke-on-Trent, so they might be ready to transport the outfit through Great Britain the following spring. After the show opened In London I was to return to America to work with Mr. Cole.

In this connection, and as a matter of some importance, George O. Starr, J. T. McCaddon and myself went to London in November, 1895, to investigate the possibility of making satisfactory arrangements with all of the railways of Great Britain and have special cars built on the American plan to operate over the English railways. We took with us plans and specifications for all of the different kind of cars, the same as we were using in this country, but designed to meet the requirements of the English railways, which I had studied on our first visit to that country.

Upon our arrival in London I immediately submitted our proposition to the different railway managers, requesting that the plans be studied and passed upon. Before anything could be done I was informed by the various managers that they would have to call a special meeting at the clearing house before they could give a decided answer as to rates or the practicability of handling such long and heavy cars, as this subject had often been taken up by the Pullman people and others without meeting with their approval, but as we proposed to operate independent and special trains they could not see any objections to giving us the most favorable consideration.

Announcements of the special meeting were sent out by wire, giving ten days' notice. In the meantime, I got the different engineering departments together, had my plans passed upon so far as they were concerned, and their report to the heads of the different railway presidents and managers was decidedly in our favor, as there were only one or two minor changes to be met to allow our “railway vans and wagons" - as they are called in England - to pass through various tunnels, under the bridges and along the concrete platforms existing in that country.

When the meeting was called quick action was taken and a rate named to handle our show trains, consisting of sixty-two cars with the show and two advertising cars, upon which it was specifically stated that we were "to carry upon these special cars all of our horses, animals and people connected with the show, numbering about 500 persons, such as performers, drovers, workingmen, etc., etc. Also about 300 head of horses and ponies and from twenty-five to thirty heads of loose or lead animals, with the specific understanding that all carnivorous or ferocious animals shall be confined in substantial cages, to be secured with iron bars and covered with wooden frames and doors, and then loaded upon the various flat cars in wagons on their wheels.”

In just twelve days from the time we landed in London I had completed all these arrangements and obtained figures from different car builders for the construction of the trains. I left the details in the hands of my colleagues, Messrs. Starr and McCaddon, while I took the first steamer back to New York to report to Mr. Bailey.

The New Cars Tried Out.

While the show was exhibiting at Olympia in London during the winter season it occurred to me that it would be a good advertising scheme to get the railways in England to run some of our cars, which were then completed and lying on the tracks at Stoke-on-Trent over their lines an a test in handling them around curves, through the different yards and giving a practical demonstration of their utility, safety and convenience. The railway managers were unanimous in agreeing upon this experiment and we succeeded in getting them to run free of charge a passenger car, a flat car and a stock car in their work trains over the principal lines and even to bring them down into London along the docks, picking out the most difficult parts of the line over which to operate them. The cars not only met with every requirement, but created a decided sensation because of their novel and substantial construction. They also proved to be one of the best advertising mediums we had been able to discover.

When the show left London for Manchester on the north, traveling on all of these "Yankee" cars, they commanded unusual attention. Special schedules were made for all four sections in which they were operated and every attention was given to the movement and handling of the trains after they were placed in the yards for unloading. They were operated in Great Britain for two years, which enabled the show to exhibit at every important town and city in England, Scotland and Wales. Afterward the cars were loaded on board steamers and transported across the channel to Hamburg, Germany, to tour the continent for three years, and then again transported back to Great Britain to handle the Buffalo Bill Wild West, which followed the Barnum & Bailey Show abroad, when it returned to this country. They were again shipped across the channel for a tour of the continent with the Buffalo Bill Show, thence back to England, without a break or a single accident of any importance.

When the Forepaugh-Sells Show was disposed of by selling a half-interest to the Messrs. Ringling Brothers, thus bringing them in harmony with the Bailey interest, and the Buffalo Bill exhibition shipped to Europe, Mr. Cole relinquished his interest in these shows, but after Mr. Bailey’s death he was again induced to take directorship of the Bailey interests in all his shows until such time as a final disposal could be made. He then retired permanently from the show business.

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