Reminiscences of a Showman

Famous circus managers of the past are numerous. While I have confined myself chiefly to those with whom I have come into immediate business relations, there, are many more deserving of the highest honors and, as these recollections may become matters of reference, they would be sadly lacking if the gallery of fame did not contain brief pen pictures or some data of their records as circus celebrities.

With no attempt to place them in chronological order I believe that Bloomer Angevine, Lewis Titus, John June and Jesse Smith were the first combination of circus managers to join forces in the early days. They were known as the original old "Flat Foot Party." Since then a great many circus managers have made their entrance and exits, among them being:

Levi J. North who was born in the township of Newton, L. I., New York, July 16, 1814. He apprenticed himself to Isaac Quick of the circus firm of Quick & Mead, in 1826. Young North made his first appearance as an equestrian at Camden, S. C., and in the years that followed he toured the South, West Indies and South America extensively and achieved great success as a vaulter or as long distance leaper, defeating all contestants. He was also a noted rider and is accredited with having turned somersaults while standing on the back of a running horse at the Bowery Theater in New York in 1840. As an equestrian star par excellence he made many triumphant tours, often directing his own companies. He died in Brooklyn, N. Y., July 6, 1885.

Lewis B. Lent was in the season of 1834 agent with June, Titus & Angevine's menageries, and in the latter part of the year, he purchased an interest in I. R. & W. Howe's menagerie, which at that period was considered one of the best in the country. He afterwards became associated with various. shows, going to all parts of the country, and in 1843 took a circus exhibition to England, returning to America in 1845. During the next few years he was connected with several different enterprises and in 1852-53 he was a partner with Seth B. Howes and P. T. Barnum. From 1865 to 1872, inclusive, in the fall and winter, he managed the New York Circus in the Hippotheatrom, New York, and in 1873-74 he managed the New York Circus museum and menagerie. Mr. Lent was one of the first circus managers to distinguish himself as a route and railroad agent and he served in that capacity with Howes & Cushings's circus, J. M. French's circus and Van Amburg & Co.'s menagerie. In 1879 he was advance director for Adam Forepaugh and at the end of the season revived the New York Circus at the old Globe Theater, New York. He passed away November 29, 1887.

Dr. Gilbert R. Spaulding

Dr. Gilbert R. Sapulding, before engaging in the circus business, was a druggist at Albany, N. Y. Through loaning money to a circus manager he was drawn into the business, and, in association with Charles J. Rogers, became prominent in the arena and theatricals. In 1849 Spaulding and Rogers introduced a parade feature with the North American Circus, consisting of a forty-horse team driven four abreast by one man, a feature copied and improved upon by Barnum & Bailey in later years. This firm also built floating palaces upon which entertainments were given on the Western rivers. In 1856 David Bidwell was admitted to partnership and for several years the trio made a number of ventures of magnitude in the theater and tented field.

Dr. Spaulding was also responsible for sending an American circus consisting of an all-star company to Paris, but the ordinances of that city of pleasure were antagonistic to the venture. It was not profitable arid returned to the United States as soon as possible.

He was also the backer of Dan Rice whom he put on the road under his son, Harry W. Spaulding. His last venture was as the principal backer of the Melville, Maginley and Cooke Circus.

Gilbert R. Spaulding was born January 14, 1812, and died in New Orleans, April 6, 1880.

Isaac A. Van Amberg. [sic]

Isaac A. Van Amburg was a native of Fishkill, N. Y., and was as his name would indicate, of German extraction. He made his first appearance as a "Lion King" at the Zoological Institute, North Boston, and the Bowery Theater, New York, and at once achieved great notoriety which brought him abundant inducements to go abroad. He scored a marked triumph through Great Britain and France and was honored with imperial patronage. At one performance of Van Amburg before Queen Victoria at the Drury Lane Theater, the receipts amounted to 712 pounds, 17 shillings and 6 pence sterling, being the largest amount ever received at that establishment on any one occasion. He died November 29, 1865, one of the foremost, and much to be remembered, as an honored American showman.

Hyatt Frost was born March 4, 1827, in Southeast, Putnam County, N. Y., the home of many shows and showmen.

During his career he was connected with various shows. He has personally related to me that the first show he ever traveled with had just nine horses and four wagons. Eight of these animals hauled the entire show and one very fine ring horse was lead over the road. The bandsmen and the performers made the ring. The artists dressed at the hotels and made a procession on horseback.

Mr. Frost was one of the most genial characters I ever met and in my early days I enjoyed his friendship and rich fund of anecdote immensely as he had traveled over 100,000 miles in a buggy in advance of the different shows he had represented and knew the country thoroughly from end to end by the highways and byways. For years he was one of the proprietors in Van Amburg & Co's Great Golden menagerie.

His last managerial venture was in association with the Reiche Brothers, animal importers at Hoboken, N. J. He died at Amenia, N. Y., September 3, 1895.

Seth B. Howes.

Seth B. Howes was considered the master showman of his day as proven by his success at home and abroad. He was at one time connected with P. T. Barnum and L. B. Lent and in 1857 in partnership with Joe Cushing, he went to England remaining abroad seven years. The principle feature of the outfit was seventy cream colored horses, the same as were driven on the private equipage of Queen Victoria. The visit of her majesty to the "Great American Show" at the Alhambra in London was a triumph for the Yankee managers and the cause of much dissatisfaction to the English showmen. The queen signified her pleasure by sending her check through the royal secretary for 500 pounds ($2,500).

Mr. Howes died at Brewster N. Y., May 17, 1901, at eighty-six years of age.

"Little" Rufus Welch was little known to fame as a representative American showman, but it is a fact, nevertheless, that he was possessed of as much nerve as any man that ever lived. Early in his managerial career he became a direct importer of wild beast and in this avocation journeyed far and near. He was not limited in his routes which extended to Mexico and the East Indies. In 1843 Welch and his company headed for the Mediterranean, playing at Cadiz, Gibraltar, Malacca, Algiers, the Baleric Islands, Genoa, and then sailed for Brazil, playing at Pernambuco and Rio Janeiro. He also imported a hippodrome from Europe opening in Philadelphia. He was particularly noted as a producer of equestrian spectacles.

The Philadelphia Ledger, an authority in mortuary matters, announced his demise as Friday, November 28, 1856.

Spencer Q. Stokes "played circus" to his heart's content while living on a farm and using his father's plough horses, and afterwards joined Levi J. Smith in Cincinnati to fulfill an engagement. Mr. Smith was himself the embodiment of grace and style and captivated the ambitious boy who was determined more fully than ever to become a circus rider.

It is believed that he put afloat the first steamer used for circus transportation on the Mississippi River, where he continued for some years. in 1851 he disbanded his company and sailed for Europe, taking with him four horses and seven children who had acquired great skill under his schooling and starred with them in London, Paris and the principal cities on the continent. He also gained much fame during his professional career as a horse breaker and trainer. His many pupils achieved great success and his daughters, Katie, Ella, Emma and Bell, won eminence in the profession.

The appliance used in teaching riders and to avoid injury to the novice, known as the "Mechanic," was an invention of his for which he never sought a patent, desiring that its benefits should become the property of the profession without royalty to himself. This device is now used by all teachers of equestrianism throughout the world. His last professional engagement was with Barnum in 187?. He died in New York February 28, 1888, the year I first traveled with the Barnum & Bailey show.

John H. Murray.

John H. Murray made his professional debut as a negro minstrel, performing as such at Barnum's museum in New York, and subsequently traveled with June & Co.'s circus as a performer in the concert. While traveling he practiced acrobatic feats, and, being a man of splendid physique and possessing great strength, he quickly rose to the front rank in that branch of the profession. He "doubled up" with his partner, George Holland, in 1850 and they traveled with Dan Rice's circus and were known as the Roman Brothers, being unexcelled in their specialties. They visited California and South America, appearing in the various theaters, and in the last named country often performing their brother act between the acts of the opera. They also visited England in company with Howes and Cushing, with the United States Circus, and the London Illustrated News gave a full-page illustration showing Murray and Holland appearing in a brother act and globe-perch with Holland and introducing the comic trick mules, Pete and Barney, and directing the movements of the educated horse, Black Eagle.

Stone, Roston & Murray's circus, in 1865 and in later years, became very prominent in New England during the summer seasons and by visiting the West Indies in the winters. On his last voyage out during a terrific storm all of his horses save one were killed. He was afterwards connected with several New York circuses in theaters and other buildings and abandoned his performances of athletic feats at Marion, N. J. He died in New York September 27, 1881.

"Old" John Robinson.

"Old" John Robinson, the head of the family of Robinson, active and famous as circus managers, was born in 1804 and died at his home in Cincinnati, Ohio, August 4, 1888.

In his early days he was an equestrian and entered management in company with Gilbert N. Eldrid. In 1856 Robinson retired, but re-entered his calling in 1857 by the purchase of an outfit which was re-christened the Robinson show. He afterwards formed a co-partnership with Bill Lake, the clown, which arrangement was continued until 1862.

James Robinson, of whom I have written as one of the greatest and perhaps the best equestrians that ever mounted a horse, was a pupil of the elder Robinson. "Old" John Robinson as he has always been known, was a pioneer who blazed the way, being the first to exhibit in many extreme and new portions of the United States. In the South the Robinson show has always been particularly honored because of its early advent and from the fact that it advertised "Southern men, Southern women, Southern horses and Southern enterprise, against the world."

The Robinson name has been before he circus loving public longer than any other, having been handed down to his sons, Jack and Jill Robinson, and then in turn, to his grandson, "Young John" Robinson, covering a period of three generations.

Among others who have added to show history I may mention John B. Doris, who in company with George F. Batcheller, conducted a most prosperous show. Mr. Doris linked his life more closely with the show business by marrying Ella Stokes, the equestrian daughter of S. Q. Stokes, and in later life devoted his attention to theatrical matters.

P. A. Older.

P. A. Older, long since retired from the tented circle, was probably the oldest circus man living up to the time that I last heard from, him when he was residing at Anoka, Minn., upwards of 85 years of age. Mr. Older was at one time a partner with P. T. Barnum and as early as 1840 connected with the Mabie Circus. After retiring from the road he lived at Independence, Iowa, the home of several noted showmen. I have often enjoyed long and interesting conversations with him in regard to the circuses of early days, when they traveled by wagon, with tallow candles stuck in holes bored in strips of wood for chandeliers; often traveling through countries where they had never seen a show, and in some seasons they would never see another circus except their own, which meant no opposition and good financial returns.

In 1866 the Older and Barnum circuses were consolidated. Together they showed throughout the South until Barnum's New York museum was burned and he returned to that city. Mr. Older decided to show in a few more Southern towns and then start North. He reached Shreveport, La., just as yellow fever broke out. The epidemic developed and was one of the most terrible ever experienced. The circus was quarantined and remained there for a period of five months. Mr. Older lost his entire show and buried twenty-six men. He had to sell his animals for what he could get for them. His loss in that affair was about $200,000. Later in life Mr. Older owned a show with "Yankee" Robinson, the partnership being formed in New York. At the time the Great Cardiff Giant fake was having its run in the East, Mr. Older made $70,000 in one season off a cast of the original giant which he had a man make for him.

Denison W. Stone, or "Den" Stone, as he was more familiarly known, ran away from home at Burlington, Vt. He was not only the son of a lawyer, but he was named in compliment of prominent Vermont lawyer, Mr. Denison. Yet this did not confine him to sealing wax, tape and briefs, for he walked twenty-five miles to join the zoological institution of which Seth B. Howes was equestrian director. He relates that in his second season it took him three weeks to travel from New York to Pittsburgh. In 1840 he appeared as a clown in the pantomime of "Mother Goose," where he first wore the "cap and bells."

"Den" Stone was connected with various circuses and took many ventures in his career, having boldly pitched his tents in twenty towns and cities in Vermont, despite a very stringent law which existed in that State for years against equestrian entertainments of any kind - a law which, if enforced, would have bankrupted his company. But being the first circus to visit the State, because of this debarment, he cleared over $30,000 and laid the foundation of a fortune. After the rebellion his company was one of the first to appear in any of the Southern cities, and he was also the first manager to put his circus on boat and railroad and travel from point to point.

His home, where he lived for years with his brother, Eaton Stone, was at Franklin, N. J., where his ring barn was a landmark until after he died, April 20, 1892, at sixty-eight years of age.

Yankee Robinson.

Fayette Lodawick, or "Old Yankee Robinson," as he was more familiarly known, belonged to the old school of showmen and was, perhaps, one of the best known and popular amusement managers of his time, not because of the magnitude of his show, but on account of his versatility and belief that what the people wanted was novelty.

In assisting to compile and write the story of his life and construct a lecture for him entitled "People Who Please," which he delivered on the rostrum in 1876, I had an opportunity to gather a great deal of valuable information in regard to himself and the different shows with which he had been connected or created, I regret that I have not been able to find a copy of the manuscript, which he retained, or get more definite data as to his actual career.

In his early days he traveled with a small panorama illustrating the “Life of Christ” and “The Rising of Lazarus.” This entertainment was managed and operated by himself and one assistant, and in relating his experience of that time, giving an account of the small receipts in school houses or hotel dining-rooms, he confessed that they often found it necessary to leave town after each exhibition with only a promise to return and settle as, soon as Lazarus was risen, and that they were always glad to gather the crumbs from any man's table.

In time "Yankee" Robinson became quite famous in a Yankee play written by himself, entitled "Stand Down the Hall," a phrase often repeated in the comedy and delivered with a peculiar Yankee twang which was readily caught up by the populace. This phrase soon became a sufficient means of identification, and enabled him to stick his head through a bank window, utter the sentence and get his check cashed for any reasonable amount. He was also very ingenious in his methods of advertising, and managed to keep himself before the public, making himself and shows well known. Among other things, he had dies made, with which he stamped every silver half-dollar that came into the ticket wagon, reading: "Admit One to 'Old Yankee' Robinson's Shows," and this slight defacement of the coin was continued until it was finally forbidden by the United States government.

I have already given his experience at the beginning of the Civil War, when he had to abandon his entire show in Charleston, S. C., and his final connection with the Messrs. Ringling Brothers, when he induced them to enter the circus field.

In his time "Yankee" Robinson played many parts, and his last engagement on the theatrical stage he Played Madame Fouchard in "The Two Orphans," a character in which he was particularly efficient. He is also accredited with having introduced as many novelties in the show line as any man living.

George F. Bailey.

George F. Bailey, the son-in-law of Aaron Turner, was one of the last of "The Old Flat-foot Party," and in his day was noted as an agent of much ability. His last venture in the show business was as a partner in the P. T. Barnum show, under the regime of the "Flat-foots," up to the time that it was turned over to Barnum, Bailey and Hutchinson. George Bailey - who was not in any way related to James A. Bailey - has often told me of his experience as an advertiser when he traveled on horseback ahead of the show, followed by one man with a one-horse peddler's wagon, in which be carried the bills and tacked them up on the barns, under the tavern sheds and verandas, and in stores where they would keep in place, as he went along.

I have also heard him relate that the first managerie owned by his ilustrious father-in-law consisted of an elephant and six small cages of animals and a hippopotamus made out of sole leather, which was a great feature of the menagerie. When he had the temerity to order a new bandwagon to take the place of a ramshackle affair which they had been using for some time, at the enormous expense of $238, he was called to account by his father-in-law, who predicted "asolute ruin because of his extravagance." This statement may be offset by the fact that the enormous band wagon, representing two hemispheres, and drawn by forty horses in the Barnum & Bailey parade, entailed on original outlay of over $40,000, including the horses and their equipment.

There are so many noteworthy men among those who have had more or less to do with the development of the circus, it is impossible to give detailed descriptions of their many achievements and they must be dismissed with a simple reference to the part they have played in their different enterprises. Among those whom I particularly recall as close, true and valued friends, I would mention E. D. Colvin, who in his youth was connected with George F. Bailey & Co.'s circus and afterwards with such men as L. B. Lent, Adam Forepaugh, Montgomery Queen, John H. Murray, W. C. Coup, Van Amburg, Cole, Frank A. Robbins and Walter L. Main. A times he was either a partner in some of these arenic ventures or interested in the privileges. Always congenial and well posted on everything pertaining to the show business, he was a veritable store-house of knowledge, making a specialty of supplying the different circuses with horses, animals or anything they might require on short notice and of the best quality.

"Doc" Colvin, as he was commonly known, was born at Clyde, N. Y., in 1843, and I was with him only a few hours before he died at the old Sturtevant house, in New York, October 3, 1901. When I saw him last he was perfectly rational but in bidding me good-by stated that he felt he was never going to leave his bed alive.

James L. Hutchinson.

James L. Hutchinson of whom I have spoken many times and who retired from the show business when he disposed of his interest in the Barnum show to his former partner and associate, James A. Bailey, was a man of vast experience and a fellow of infinite jest, as well as a warm and conscientious friend. Being of a thrifty turn of mind and with an eye to business as a boy, he gave entertainments to his schoolmates for which buttons and pins were accepted as a price of admission. Later he became proficient as a printer, and, with a gift of speech that carried with it strong conviction, he made a great success in selling the book entitled "The Life of P. T. Barnum,” made a great impression on the great showman, and "Hutch," as he was familiarly known by his companions, gathered the sheckels and stored, them away until he had enough cash to handle an interest in the concern, whereby he accumulated an immense fortune. He afterwards lived in retirement and enjoyed all the luxuries of life for a number of years up to the time of his death.

James De Mott.

James DeMott, a man of considerable importance, because of his connection with various shows and the remarkable family of riders whom he reared, was born at Troy, N. Y., in 1838, and was apprenticed to William J. Smith, a famous four-horse rider with Seth B. Howes's circus. In his time he traveled in this and foreign countries with different shows, making a trip to the West Indies with Lent and Sloat. He was married to Miss Josephine A. Tourniaire, a daughter of the well-known Madame, Louise Tourniaire, and his daughter, Josie DeMott, was practically born on a horse's back, to become one of the most fascinating lady somersault riders America has ever produced.

His son, Willie DeMott, was also an accomplished equestrian and probably one of the best all-around principal and jockey riders we have ever had, while his second daughter, Louise, was also an accomplished equestrian and has filled important positions in nearly all the leading circuses.

In his varied experience “Jimmy” DeMott passed through many trying ordeals. During the Civil War, while traveling by boat on the Mississippi river just after the fall of Vicksburg, with George F. Bailey and Company’s Circus, they were fired upon by a gunboat and forty shots were put through the cabin in which the performers were quartered. It was only be a sudden turn in the bend of the river that they escaped entire destruction.

There is also a long list of agents and managers that linger in my memory, many of whom have been directly connected with me or in close association, among them being my old friend "Kit" Clark who was general agent for the Adam Forepaugh Show long before my time, and has since occupied positions of trust and usefulness with many circuses and theatrical attractions. He has always been noted for his ability as press agent, manager and all round hustler. He is now in retirement, but always ready to tell a good story on himself or anyone else that may have been connected with the show business for the last half century.

I also remember with pleasure such as Andy Haight, the clerical-looking railway contractor, who was often taken for one of the cloth although not piously inclined, but be had a faculty of making his point even if necessary by a copious flow of tears.

Andy Springer, the tall Sycamore of the Wabash, was likewise a man of record with various shows, and the irrepressible Saint Joseph, who so long heralded the coining of "John Wob-Inson's great shows," as he pronounced them, was an undisputed master in his calling. The elderly J. A. Ferguson, who for years was a partner with Hyatt Frost in the management of the Van Amburg shows, filled various positions with different troups. His last circus management was with Adam Forepaugh, jr. He, too, stood on the records as one of the most experienced men in advance work.

Charles H. Castle, "The Hero of Piety Hill," was perhaps one of the most famous general agents of his day, when circuses moved by wagon and found it necessary to have a man who knew every cowpath and cross-road in the country through which he traveled. Being aggressive and full of fight, or ready to tell a good story at any moment, he seldom failed to make his presence known. He had a following of the best men in the business, who were always ready to render him assistance whether they were connected with him or not. I remember that his winter headquarters, room No. 1, in the old St. Charles Hotel, on Broadway, just above Bleecker street, was the rendezvous of all important press agents, bill writers and showmen who happened to visit New York during the winter, and long before I was identified with the circus world I gathered a great deal of information from these associations, which stood me in good stead as years rolled by.

William C. Coup.

William C. Coup, the Chesterfield of the arenic world, of whom I have written quite extensively as being the active manager of the Barnum show, before Mr. Bailey came into its possession, came from Delavan, Wis., where his remains now lie. Whether Mr. Coup was born in that village I am unable to say, but it is an established fact that his early days were spent in that vicinity on a farm, and before his embarking in the circus business he was interested in the manufacture of cheese and other dairy products.

His first venture in the show business was with a small affair which started from Delavan under the Barnum name, as I have previously related. His next important move was in connection with the Barnum Hippodrome in New York which I have also described in another chapter. After the termination of his connection with Barnum he went into retirement for a couple of years with ample means to live a life of peaceful comfort. But his nature was too active and his volatile temperament made it impossible for him to remain long in idleness.

Conceiving the idea of an aquarium, which New York, up to that time did not possess, he got in touch with Messrs. Butler, Robertson and Damon, all of whom were previously connected with Barnum when he had his museum at the corner of Ann street and Broadway, in which he had a line of small tanks containing live fish, under the supervision of these gentlemen.

The aquarium, when completed on leased land, at the northwest corner of Thirty-fifth street and Broadway, formerly occupied by the Coliseum and more recently by the Herald Square Theater, was a two-story structure known as "The Great New York Acquarium" of which our old and familiar friend, R. F. ("Tody") Hamilton, was press agent and business manager. I am quoting him as authority for these facts.

The aquarium was formally opened to the public in 1876, the centennial year. The opening was preceded by a magnificent “fish banquet” to which nearly 2,000 persons were invited, the menu containing every variety of fish to be found and served in every conceivable manner.

The enterprise was not a financial success, although it was one of the wonders of the metropolis. In addition to a great number of small tanks containing live fish of every description from salt and fresh waters, there was a large central tank, which at one time contained five live whales, each over fifteen feet in length. A peculiar Japanese fresh water fish called the "King Kio," was one of the piscatorial attractions.

The fish exhibit proving unprofitable or rather too slow in its action for the active-minded Coup, he sold his interest to his partner, Mr. Reiche; and, with Robert Fryer, a celebrated horse and animal trainer, and Charles Fuller as a business manager, started the “Equescurriculum,” the principle and almost sole feature of the performances, being trained horses under the direction of Professor Bartholomew. The success of this venture determined Coup to re-enter the regular circus field, and he financially interested such men as George Middleton, W. D. Hager, Andrew Haight, Ad. Nathans (a brother of John J.) And G. A. Farini, previously manager of the London aquarium, and W. A. Jukes, formerly with Barnum.

This new show was known as “W. C. Coup’s Monster Four-Ring Circus and Paris Hippodrome,” and its chief sensational feature was “Lulu,” the man bird, hurled from a catapault across the entire length of the tent, where he was caught in a net. During its first season it encountered violent opposition from all other shows on the road, principally by the Barnum show, which was rather jealous of Coup’s success and activity in securing the Paris Hippodrome outfit. The expenses of the opposition were tremendous and the magnitude of the show really a marvel for a new organization.

It managed to hold its own against the combined opposition but unfortunately it selected a route through the South in the late summer, which proved disastrous, and the show went into winter quarters at Atlanta, Ga., where it opened in the spring of the following year. Again encountering opposition, and being badly routed, it managed to get as far as Detroit, Mich., where an attachment was put upon it by one of the performers. When the effects were sold, Mr. James A. Bailey bought everything of value, particularly the hippodrome outfit, and added it to his own exhibition, where it has remained to this day a chief feature. Besides buying the hippodrome, Bailey engaged both Hager and Hamilton.

Coup never recovered from this financial blow, although he did organize two or three smaller shows, one of which was designed to travel and exhibit entirely in railway cars standing on the side tracks. It was a very unique and attractive affair and was quite successful in a small way for a couple of seasons, but his health finally failed and his remains were laid away in the home churchyard at Delavan, where a monument was erected by his numerous friends and a committee of which I had the honor of being chairman. I remember that a part of the inscription on his tomb reads as follows:

“Erected to the memory of William C. Coup. Born August 4, 1836. Died March 4, 1895. A simple tribute from his many friends to one whose entire life was devoted to the pleasure of his fellow men."

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