Reminiscences of a Showman

New Sidelights Thrown on the Career of P. T. Barnum

Louis E. Cooke here narrates some things in the history of P. T. Barnum and his amusement enterprises, that have not been published before. He also describes some personal characteristics of the noted showman with which the reading public is more or less unfamiliar.

It is safe to say that Mr. Cooke gives a more correct portrayal of the real P. T. Barnum than any who have essayed the task, as his intimate personal acquaintance and long business association with the subject of this story enables him to paint the picture with absolute fidelity to life.

Not the least interesting feature of the narrative is the six column cut with which it is illustrated. This is a reproduction of what is believed to be the only photograph of Mr. Barnum and his entire family in existence.

Phineas Taylor Barnum, who was born at Bethel, Conn., July, 6, 1810, will probably stand as the world's ideal showman, and. right here I want to correct some erroneous impressions of the man and the part he has played in a most eventful career, as I shall show as we progress with the story of his life.

His father was first a tailor, then a firmer and tavern keeper, and. Mr. Barnum himself earned ten cents a day driving horses and oxen as a primary start on the road to fame and fortune. His first visit to New York occurred at twelve years of age, as an assistant to a drover of fat cattle for the market. His rise and fall, in fact several falls, as a showman and backer of different commercial enterprises, both by fire and financial difficulties, did not dismay or deter him from still further and more successful attempts to accumulate a fortune, and Phoenix-like to rise again, as told in his book entitled, "The Life of P. T. Barnum, Written by Himself," (and several other press agents). It is an indisputable fact that he thought more of keeping his biography up to date than he did in having his show-bills absolutely truthful.

However, I shall begin where I found him, in real flesh and blood; the vision of my dreams as a Neophyte in the tented field, but who, it must be admitted, was easily vanquished in the first round, when I secured Madison Square Garden, in the very heart of New York city, and ran [unreadable text] tall tower of that circus stronghold so long a citadel of the Barnum forces. Still, the name of Barnum will, unquestionably, stand as a monument among and above all other men in the arenic world long after the most of them, who really built up and shouldered the responsibilities of his enterprises, have been lost in tradition.

While the writer would not attempt to detract one iota from his fame, the fact remains that he was not a practical circus man or a promoter of big shows in the same sense and degree as were W. C. Coup, Barnum’s first really progressive partner, or James A. Bailey, who later crowned the apex of his renown, or such showmen as old John Robinson and his sons, Jack and Gil, and young Jack, a grandson, who perpetuated the Robinson show for nearly a century. Neither did Barnum rank as an individual showman among such men as Adam Forepaugh, W. W. Cole, Seth B. Howes, L. B. Lent and others who might be named, to say nothing of the Ringlings and Sells Brothers, who, as a unit, were far and away in the lead as organizers and promoters.

It has been claimed by many that Barnum was only a figurehead in the shows which bore his name. To a great extent this is true, but the fact remains that in later years he dominated and lent the power of his presence and personal interest, as well as his knowledge of public requirements to the "Greatest Show on Earth."

The First Barnum Show.

The first circus to travel under the Barnum name was started from Delevan, Wis., under the direction of W. C. Coup, who had arranged with Barnum for the use of his name on a percentage of the gross receipts. The show traveled by wagon and boat, along the Great Lakes and through Northern Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, to some profit, but made the tour and closed the season, as Mr. Coup once related to me, without Mr. Barnum ever seeing the show or having a cent invested in it.

The name of Barnum was then a household word by reason of his having successfully handled the tour of Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale, which would make the reputation of any manager, even at the present day. This classic reputation was enhanced by his museum and Asiatic caravan, although he took no active part in the management of the latter beyond receiving a percentage of the receipts for the use of his name. At the same time he exploited Tom Thumb and wife, Commodore Nut and Minnie Warren on a world's tour, and managed to have them formally presented to nearly all the crowned heads of Europe, an achievement never before accomplished. This made his fame worldwide as the Prince of Humbugs and to this day the name of Barnum stands in the foreign dictionary of slang phrases as a synonym for humbug - "to Barnum," as it were.

However, it cannot be denied that as a showman he always gave the public more for their money than any one else, and he had the faculty of surrounding himself with men who could and did carry out his ideas to perfection without troubling him with the details. He was a silent partner in various amusement enterprises, always willing to take a good percentage of the receipts or profits; but if a loss or disaster occurred he was usually in a position to declare himself irresponsible. His income was carefully invested in valuable real estate, to increase and multiply, until he became extremely wealthy.

W. C. Coup the Real Maker of the Show.

The first circus of any importance to appear under the name of Barnum did not originate in the mind of himself, but was created by the genius of W. C. Coup, who not only conceived the idea, but practically carried out the plan and became its active manager, although Mr. Barnum made some valuable suggestions and added greatly by the use of his name, capital and influence. The show was ready to take the road early in the season of 1871, and it was by long odds the biggest tented amusement enterprise that had ever been seen up to that time.

This organization was officered, as its advance courier, of which I have a copy, states as follows: P. T. Barnum, proprietor; W. C. Coup, manager; Ed Buckley, assistant manager; Dan Castello, director of hippodrome; J. N. Genin, Jr., treasurer; W. C. Crum, editor publication, and J. L. Hutchison, agent for P. T. Barnum's book. It may be added that Mr. Hutchinson's successful handling of this book made such a favorable impression upon Barnum that he was afterwards taken into the fold and in later years became a partner with Barnum, Bailey and Hutchinson. Here he proved a most valuable aid in every respect until he retired from the business to enjoy a life of complete comfort, touring the country in his private yacht or automobile and living as a gentleman should.

Only a few months previous to his death he urgently entreated me to take a few days off and visit him at his summer home on Shelter Island, where we could boat and fish; stating that both of us would not always be here to enjoy life together. And that was the last time I ever saw him.

Mr. Barnum was always very eager to have "a last word" with the public, and these cards were usually written by himself, with a peculiar, direct application appealing to the moral, instructive and innocent side of anything that bore his name, all of which redowned to his credit.

The first circus had the biggest spread of canvas and carried more men, horses and animals than any show that had previously exhibited up to that day. Besides the menagerie, there was the museum department, consisting of some twenty large wagons or vans, containing wax figures and mechanical automatons, showing the Dying Zouave, Sleeping Beauty and various other animated figures, constructed and operated by Mr. Jukes, who traveled with the show to properly operate these attractions. The outfit also included an imitation of the Cardiff Giant, an hoax that had attained considerable notoriety with another show with which Mr. Barnum had been connected - on the percentage basis. Besides the mechanical attractions mentioned, the museum also contained several human curiosities, including Colonel Goshen, the giant; an armless Woman, the Infant Esau, Circassian Beauty, and Admiral Dot, a small man of some renown.

Rail Transportation Inaugurated.

The circus was fairly well organized, although it did not contain any performers of note or recognition as arenic stars of that period or such as have been developed later. It traveled by wagon for the first season, as did all other shows of the period, but because of its great expense Mr. Coup soon realized the necessity of shipping by rail in order to make long jumps of forty to fifty miles to reach towns of sufficient size and importance to warrant a stop. It was thus that the feasibility of transporting the show entirely by train was demonstrated, and the next season this system of travel was put in vogue for the first time.

This season, too, as I was often informed by Mr. Coup, was the initiative in railroad excursion business. As the leading railways in New England and New York State found It necessary to run special trains at reduced rates of fare to accommodate visitors to the show, it soon became a regular part of the business to advertise and work up these excursions for a distance of fifty to seventy-five miles. All of these innovations were worked out by Mr. Coup while Mr. Barnum rested comfortably at his home in Bridgeport, overlooking Long Island Sound.

To increase in patronage caused by the selection of the larger towns for exhibition purposes and bringing excursionists from greater distances necessitated an enlargement of the canvas, a plan which Mr. Barnum strongly opposed. He even urged Coup to abandon the idea of traveling by train and go back to wagon, but his opposition was overcome by Mr. Coups' persistence. The railway trains were [unreadable text] and innovation after innovation followed, until it was found necessary to introduce two rings in order to keep the people seated at the extreme ends of the big canvas, as it was found that with only one ring, crowds on the end seats would become restless, leave their seats and rush to the center, making it impossible for the balance of the audience to see the performance. At the tents were enlarged from time to time, three rings, elevated stages and the hippodrome track were utilized to fill the open space and keep the people in their seats. At the same time it eliminated the old-fashioned talking clowns, as their voices became inaudible and pantomime pranks had to be substituted for what had previously been termed Shakesperean jests.

Building the First Hippodrome.

Mr. Barnum rarely visited the show in person, as he passed most of the summer at Waldemere, his home in Bridgeport, and early in the fall of 1873 sailed for Europe, where he remained for some time. While abroad Mr. Coup discovered an opportunity to lease the old New York and Harlem Railway station, where Madison Square Garden now stands, and after communicating with Mr. Barnum as to the proposed lease and possibility of establishing a hippodrome after the style of the Paris institution of that name, the old hippodrome was projected.

Mr. Barnum, who was then in England, began negotiations with the Sanger Brothers, quite famous as showmen in Great Britain, for the purchase at some of their chariots, trappings and duplicate costumes for the spectacular production of the "Congress of Nations," which they had recently presented in London. But, finding everything very expensive and learning from Coup that it was taking a great deal more money than expected to reconstruct the old railway depot into anything like a hippodrome building, he cabled Coup to abandon the scheme. Matters had progressed so far, however, that it was impossible to do so, and Coup notified Barnum that the project must be carried through.

The success of this venture was proven when the exhibition opened in the spring of 1874 and drew immense audiences for months. Everyone visiting New York from the remote parts of the country considered it a social obligation to visit the hippodrome, that they might tell their friends all about it and advise them to see it. The success achieved in New York induced the management to send it on a road tour in the season of 1875 under the management of Mr. Coup, while the Barnum circus, was leased and put under the management of others. The hippodrome, however, failed to draw in the smaller cities and the tour was not profitable with the attractions of the circus missing and the managerial hand of Coup sadly wanting with the circus. At the close of the season the balance was on the wrong side of the books of both concerns, which resulted in Barnum and Coup parting company and the property of both organizations was sold under the hammer. Most of the property was bid in at auction by numbers of veteran showmen known in the circus world as the "Flat-Foot Party," a name which had been coined and clung to them for more than a third of a century. It is supposed to have originated in the following manner:

Originally it comprised Lewis Titus, John June, Jesse Smith, Thad. and Gerard Crane, and their sons, including Avery Smith, John J. Nathans, Lewis June and George F. Bailey.

The title of "the flat-foots" was bestowed upon these time-honored managers because of the fact in early days, when contesting for territory with other shows for a summer tour, they would openly declare:

"We put our foot down flat, and shall stick to our route."

This they did, and soon became known as "The Old Flat-foots." The name did not originate from the flatfoot of the elephant, as many recounters have reported.

The new Barnum organization was created by Smith, Nathan, June and Bailey with the stock and paraphernalia just purchased, as a nucleus, under the name of P. T. Barnum, in 1876, but he had nothing to do with its activity or management and took no financial risk whatever, being simply paid a royalty for his name.

James A. Bailey Enters the Game.

The Barnum show continued under the management of the "Flat-foots" until after James A. Bailey returned to the United States from his Australian and South American tour and consolidated the Cooper and Bailey [unreadable text] with Howe's Great London Circus, moving rapidly to the front and fighting the "Flat-foots" to a finish, as I have stated in another article. This completes the record of Mr. Barnum's rise and fall, only to rise again to a greater height under the guidance and wise discernment of James A. Bailey, who was first induced to become a partner with Mr. Barnum through the efforts of James L. Hutchinson and later an equal partner at Mr. Barnum’s earnest solicitations. From that time forth the “Greatest Show on Earth” has been recognized as the world’s greatest amusement institution.

My personal acquaintance with Mr. Barnum was always most pleasant and congenial. I remember that after the union of the Barnum and Forepaugh shows for performances in Madison Square Garden, and under canvas at Philadelphia, whereby we settled all controversies and opposition, I frequently met Mr. Barnum and sat in his box with him to view the performance. We had many very pleasant chats on the subject of shows and peculiarities of people who had to be entertained.

After I came in closer touch with him, as one of the agents of the Barnum and Bailey Show, I was frequently detailed as his personal escort and to make arrangements for his visits to the show or for journeys to various parts of the country on pleasure or otherwise. In this manner we came together on a very friendly footing and I had an excellent opportunity to study his personality, which never failed to impress me with his true value as a man who understood the requirements of the public and was alert to everything that might add to his advantage or personal publicity.

A Great Press Agent.

Like all great men, he realized what it was to be forced into the limelight, and was equal to every occasion. While he never tried to make himself prominent, he never attempted to avoid publicity or recognition of strangers. In fact, he was rather flattered to be readily recognized. On one occasion I remember we were riding in a street car in a rather democratic manner, when two ladies sitting opposite looked at Mr. Barnum quite intently, holding a whispered conversation which we could overhear, stating that the man looked like Barnum, and in various ways commenting on the gentleman. On rising from his seat to leave the car, Mr. Barnum raised his hat and remarked:

"Ladies, you are quite correct, I am the man; I am Barnum, good-day."

Again on being approached by a total stranger who extended his hand, remarking:

"Is this the great Barnum - I mean, Mr. Barnum?"

"Oh, that is all right, do not stand on ceremony," said Mr. Barnum. “No one would ever think of saying Mr. Washington, Mr. Napoleon; just speak it trippingly on the tongue - Washington, Napoleon, Barnum - that is all right, and I am glad to meet you."

Still it was a mental, moral or physical impossibility for him to let an opportunity pass to get his name in the newspaper. I recall an instance 'at Madison Square Garden as he was wandering around the arena between performances when he happened to trip and fall over a rope lying on the ground. Some of the attendants rushed toward him, but on rising to his feet he brushed the sawdust off his trousers, exclaiming in his peculiar, squeaky voice, "Oh! I am all right! Is there any press agent around? I cannot afford to take a tumble without getting it in the newspaper. Will some one attend to it?" And he walked off as serenely as ever.

I have often been asked whom I considered the best press agent in the business and my reply has always been, Barnum and Buffalo Bill, as they were always good for a column or more every time they met a newspaper man.

An Interesting Picture.

With this chapter I am going to offer probably the most interesting picture ever taken of P. T. Barnum and his immediate personal family, including his second wife (nee Nancy Fish, an English. lady), his daughters, sons-in-law and all of his grand-children. This photograph was discovered in a small art store in the downtown section of New York by Frank L. Pearly, one of the Barnum and Bailey agents and a great personal friend of mine, who brought it to me in a rather dilapidated condition with [unreadable text] he just happened to run across it and he knew of no one in the world who would appreciate the relic more than myself. As I had for years been a sort of librarian and animated encyclopedia for the show, he turned it over to me to be placed in the gallery of fame among my other relics.

In this picture, which was taken in the early seventies, will be found his two grandsons, Herbert and Clinton Barnum Seeley, who somewhat notorious during the famous Seeley dinner given at Sherry’s restaurant in New York, the occasion being the bachelor dinner tendered by Herbert to his elder brother, Clinton, on the eve of his marriage. From all reports it was a rather warm affair. In fact, the police deemed it necessary to raid the establishment and stop the dinner before a conflagration took place. Things were getting so warm indeed that some of the entertainers considered it necessary to disrobe and high jinks were holding a great carnival on top of the tables and elsewhere when the captain of the police broke into the sanctuary and the sensation created, filled the columns of the press for some time.

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