Reminiscences of a Showman

Today Mr. Cooke acquaints the readers of the Evening Star with some hitherto unpublished history of the methods by which that brilliant showman, Adam Forepaugh, brought things to pass. Two battles between the Forepaugh and the Cole shows are graphically portrayed.

An intimate pen picture of the Philadelphia showman is painted, bringing into bold relief the characteristics and eccentricities which made him at once successful and lovable. The excellencies and foibles of Adam Forepaugh, Jr., are also portrayed as only an intimate friend of the family is capable of doing, and there is a touching tribute to the memory of the father.

As these reminiscences are intended to be a series of pen and pencil pictures taken from the past, with a little prose and poetry thrown in now and then to vary the monotony, I know of nothing more interesting than to recall my first personal acquaintance and years of good-fellowship in connection with the world famous Adam Forepaugh and the great aggregation which he built up. It was in the later 70s that I met the great Forepaugh and his well-established show in opposition with the W. W. Cole circus, which I represented, at St. Joseph, Mo. It so happened that as special agent to the Cole circus I encountered the Forepaugh show at that point in what might be termed close contact single handed.

I was well in advance of our outfit heralding the coming of the two giants - Captain M. V. Bates and wife, whom I have previously described as being the principal features of the Cole show at that time, and as these two gigantic people had been an attraction with the Forepaugh side show the season before, the press agents of that institution naturally took it upon themselves to belittle the importance of the great feature which we were making of these huge people by the simple method of advertising them strongly and placing them as a central figure in our menagerie without extra cost.

The Forepaugh show was then on its way eastward, coming from California, where it had wintered the season before. Consequently it was not equipped as well as usual in point of attractions or agents, and as I was allowed all the time required in any given city against opposition wherever I might find it, I entrenched myself for the fray in the good graces of the newspaper men and the bill-posters in St. Joe by taking liberal space in the advertising columns and on the bill boards.

The conflict waxed warm for a few days, and it was a conceded fact that no show had been better advertised in that section of the country than the Cole circus.

When the Forepaugh outfit put in its appearance several weeks in advance of our advertised date there was little to be seen on the billboards, in the windows or in the newspaper columns except liberal announcements of the "W. W. Cole's Colossal Shows," that being our brief title. In carrying out this campaign of advertising and education I contracted whole pages in the newspapers with the distinct understanding that we were to have a liberal amount of reading notices, and that these notices should be properly written up by myself and distributed throughout the paper from day to day in short paragraphs or otherwise subject to the approval of the editorial department. As this was one of my favorite methods of obtaining publicity, and although it devolved upon me to look after all of the billing, such as posting, distributing, lithographing or window work, as well as the newspaper end of the business, I often found it necessary to burn a great deal of midnight oil. This is literally true, as they had no gas or electric lights in the hotels in St. Joseph at that date, and it was encumbent on me to furnish two or three columns of new matter every day in order to supply the different newspapers with original material, extolling the virtues of our show in pointed paragraphs, descriptive stories, poetry and other material to attract attention. At the risk of being called anything and everything except a poet, I will give you herewith a copy of a few stanzas written after the style of Will Carleton in his farm ballads, entitled:

Matilda's Reason

"Good morning, Deacon Lightheart, give me your hat and cane - Why were'nt I to prayers last night? Well, now, I'll just explain, For we must 'Always tell the truth’ - the mandate you know. Well, Deacon, sister, James and I went down to see the show.

"The circus? Yes, a real one, with girls in fancy gowns; An' they looked just like angels beside those funny clowns, Who made us laugh so hard, the tears came in our eyes; An' I felt so happy I commenced to sing "Mansion's in the Skies".

"But I can't think of all or tell you half I seee, For when the band struck up it quite bewildered me, An’ I rushed right into the place they call the circus tent; An' now I think about, I am more than glad I went.

"It was a perfect sight, an' everything was new, For they filled every promise just as they said they'd do. The little ponies were so funny - they teetered to and fro Just as we used to do some five and forty years ago.

"There was ridin' an' jumpin' by men in spangled clothes, An’ everything was lively from the opening to the close. Oh, 'twas nothing like the circus, Deacon, of twenty years ago, For in these fancy times 'twould be too small, you know.

"You remember the awful pictures that our Sunday books contain? Well, in that there menagerie you'd see them all again; Live alligators ain't nothin', an' tigers, why they're grand, For I saw a man feeding 'em right from his naked hand.

"There was quadrupeds of every kind - elephants and koodoos, Together with the cunning monkeys, parrots and cockatoos; A real, living lion, Deacon, from out the briny seas, And a cassawary an' gnu, more curious than all these.

Then came the races, with four wild horses all abreast, Driven by daring ladies, who out and slashed their best; An' an round an' round the track with lightning speed they flew, I just held my breath and breathed a prayer or two.

"Such times an these they say were sports of ancient Rome, An' with these thrilling incidents we have Caesar right at home. Anyhow, the folks were satisfied - it made their blood jist boil - An' every hair stood on end regardless of the oil.

"I know that some will say 'Matilda. has fell from grace;' But if you want innocent pleasure, the circus is the place; An' those who talk again it and give it bad names, May be real good Christians, but what they lack is brains.

"Without a bit of lyin', Deacon, such sights have never been, An' now just take my advice and see what I have seen. ‘Whose was it?' Well, now, as if you hadn't read a single bill; Why, Cole's; no other could run such a show; no other ever will."

On the day of the Forepaugh Show I managed to keep in close touch with all of the newspapermen in town, having cultivated a very intimate acquaintance with them, and we all visited the afternoon and evening performances together. As there happened to be no official press agent with Mr. Forepaugh at that time I took it upon myself to escort the newspapermen and act as a sort of chaperon during the day, taking good care not to let them see the best of the performance or grow overly enthusiastic at any of the sights, and strangely enough the next morning there was not a single line of comment on the circus which appeared in St. Joseph the day before, while the press was still beaming with praise of the "new colossal shows" which were soon to follow.

During the day I had an opportunity to make my first personal acquaintance with Mr. Forepaugh, although I had frequently seen his show at other points, and in my earlier days as a newspaperman I had given most favorable reports on his great exhibition. However, this introduction was sufficient to keep up a friendly acquaintance, and a few years later I again came into spirited opposition with Mr. Forepaugh, at New Orleans.

The Battle of New Orleans.

Matters were progressing nicely until the day before the Forepaugh aggregation was to arrive in that city, when I happened to take up a Northern paper in the exchange room of the New Orleans Pickayune, the amusement columns of which were then handled by my old friend, Colonel Burbank, who was the very prince of good fellows and universally liked by all amusement people. In the Northern exchange, which came from Hannibal, Mo., I discovered a paragraph stating that the Forepaugh show had practically reorganized in that city for a trip South. It was quite customary at that time for all circuses touring the South to reduce their forces and expenses in that section of the country on account of excessive railroad rates and long jumps between stands, high licenses and other obstacles which made curtailment something of a necessity.

In the paragraph which I selected for publication in all of my advertisements, without any comment, it was stated that a number of the principal performers and several carloads of properties had been sent North to Philadelphia and other points, and that the balance of the show in "the divided condition would tour the South." This statement was quite sufficient for my purposes, and I let it go as it lay, occupying a prominent position in a good display type in all of my two column advertisements which appeared the next Sunday morning just after the opening of the Forepaugh show on Saturday night.

It is hardly necessary to remark that on an early hour on Sunday morning I was waited on at my hotel by two or three representatives of Mr. Forepaugh with the statement that I was wanted at the show grounds just as soon as I could get there, as Mr. Forepaugh was in a great rage. I was told that unless something was done to retract and rectify my statement, legal proceedings would be brought, and in all probability I would meet with great personal affliction if Mr. Forepaugh ever got his hands on me. Always having been taught to believe that discretion is the better part of valor, I concluded to wait until the fury blow over and matters quieted down a bit and gave Mr. Forepaugh's ambassadors to understand that I would be out to see their chief early in the afternoon.

A few hours later I was again called upon by a hasty messenger stating that I could not get out to the show grounds any too quickly, as Mr. Forepaugh was growing more and more enraged every moment, which only added to my belief that I had better wait a little longer. However, later in the evening, in time for the night performance, I took two or three of my local newspaper friends with me - as sort of life guard and pacificators - knowing that every one would like to look pleasant and appear agreeable in their presence.

On arrival at the grounds we met Mr. Forepaugh at the door, and after a formal greeting all walked inside of the menagerie tent to discus matters in a pleasant and affable manner. The great showman was not so very rash, after all, and I manage to get close to the warm spot in his heart by complimenting him on his great street parade and the fine appearance of all of the animals in the menagerie, knowing that these features were always his greatest pride. To this he laughingly remarked, "You did not say that in the newspaper this morning," and unless some retraction was made he would have to sue Mr. Cole for saying that his show was "dewided." It was a peculiar trait of Mr. Forepaugh's speech to omit the letter "v" in all of his vocabulary.

The Peace Terms.

After discussing this subject for a few minutes, and realizing that there was nothing to be gained by a prolonged argument, I cheerfully consented to make any reasonable retraction he might suggest, and stepping over to the cigar case on the candy stand, where I obtained a scrap of paper, I immediately wrote a brief apology. It was such as is usually made by the newspaper men after they have published a column article of a questionable character, by taking a special car to have the apology really stronger than the original story. This I did by stating that the paragraph, taken from an irresponsible Northern paper, which was not familiar with the conditions of shows going South, had made an unauthorized statement which did not in any way signify that the great Forepaugh show had been divided, and as I had now been able to view the great exhibition, I took extreme I pleasure in pronouncing it equal to anything I had ever seen.

This statement seemed to appease and gratify the old veteran immensely, as he remarked to his press agent, who was standing nearby, and suggesting that I ought to make that statement a little stronger, that I had already shown that I was a good fellow and the statement was all right, and if I would only see that it went into the papers the next morning he would be perfectly satisfied. All this I readily guaranteed and we walked over to the "big top" to see the performance.

On my way out of the canvas that evening I was met by Mr. Forepaugh in the most pleasant and affable mood, and stepping over to one side as the crowd was passing out, he offered me an engagement with his show for the next season at any salary I might name. I thanked him in the most sincere tone, stating at the same time that I had been with Mr. Cole for a number of years, and as he had given me great opportunities for advancement, I did not feel that I could accept any proposition until I had first communicated with him. This statement also seemed to make a deep impression on Mr. Forepaugh and we parted with the understanding that I would let him have my decision as soon as I could see or hear from Mr. Cole.

When I communicated the facts to my employer, among other things explaining the circumstances of my apology, Mr. Cole replied that as we had been together so long and our relations so pleasant, he would like to have me remain with him, and that while he could not afford to duplicate Forepaugh's offer to let me name my own salary, he was willing to guarantee as much as I was then was then getting and allow a fair percentage on all profits beyond a fixed amount. We then and there shook hands on the proposition and I remained with Mr. Cole, until he determined to retire from the show business for a time at least.

As the next few seasons proved more profitable than ever, I have always felt that I made no mistake in being loyal to the interest which I represented.

Mr. Forepaugh never seemed to forget our conversation in New Orleans and nearly every season if I did not see him personally I would get a letter reminding me of my promise to join him when I left Mr. Cole. Thus it came to pass that I went over to the Forepaugh show as his general agent in the fall of 1884 and remained to fill his missions until I was induced to join the Barnum & Bailey forces, with his written consent, as I will explain in another chapter.

While associated with Mr. Foreaugh I had an opportunity to study not only his peculiarities and great ability, but also to observe the characteristics and energy of his only son, Adam Forepaugh, Jr., who was at that time an equestrian director and general arenic manager for his father.

Adam Forepaugh, Jr.

Young Forepaugh seemed to have inherited a peculiar genius for handling and training animals of every description, and from his earliest boyhood he took particular delight in pulling the reins over a four or six-in-hand team. With equal self-assurance he would enter a den of lions or handle a herd of elephants. At an early age he bore the reputation of being one of the best elephant trainers in the world, and it was nothing for him as a boy, before he reached his teens, to go into the animal barn and take out a herd of elephants, put them through their stunts and cause them to perform a number of tricks never before thought of.

There seemed to be nothing within the range of animal training or handling that he did not understand. It was remarkable to see him step in when the most skillful drivers or masters of the rein and ring would fail, and accomplish any particular feat without difficulty. I have seen him walk to the ring bank when a herd of elephants were getting a little tardy or unruly with their keepers and with a yell transform them into the most submissive creatures you ever saw, springing to their work with an alacrity that was really amusing. Again I have seen him walk onto a circus lot in the spring or fall of the year, when the ground was soft and miry, and the heavy wagons were up to the hubs in mud and eight or ten horse teams wallowing in their effort to gain a foothold. Viewing the situation for a moment, young Forepaugh, who was always rather inclined to "josh" his employes, would tell them to come down off the wagons and let a man get up there. Then climbing up beside the driver he would take the bunch of reins in his hands, swing the leaders around to the right and left with his familiar cry, which the horses always understood, he would pick up the heavy load and go onto the lot at a dead run. I have seen him repeat this operation with a dozen of these big teams at a time, following each other as fast as he could go from one wagon to another until the last load was properly placed.

He was also particularly proficient in teaching horses or animals of any kind, and in a single winter I have known him to bring out a half dozen or more new acts, and have them absolutely perfect. It was only necessary to suggest a novel trick or feature to have him perfect it and put it in the arena in the shortest possible space of time.

With all the eccentricities of genius young Forepaugh had many peculiarities, and was noted for frequent escapades that were always forgiven by his indulgent sire, no matter what the offense. In this connection I must relate a little story which came to my personal knowledge while I was in that employ.

Young Forepaugh Raised Some Money.

Young Adam was sent to Europe during the winter season to look up some novel features and attractions for the show. He was supplied with an abundance of funds for an ordinary purpose, but while abroad seeing the sights and dispensing his bounty with a liberal hand he seemed to have run short of cash. Not wishing to draw on his father at that time, he communicated the fact that he had just discovered two enormous monkeys, or gorillas, and it would be necessary to have $2,000 by cable in order to secure these tremendous attractions. Upon receipt of this wire Mr. Forepaugh could hardly wait to get to the bank to transfer the funds, without consulting any of his agents or managers on the matter. The next morning the elder Adam received a cable reading as follows: "Money received; monkeys died last night. Addie." Talk about the blow that almost killed father. It was not a circumstance to what Adam Forepaugh, senior, felt when he received that cablegram from the chip off the old block.

Among his other pecularities young Forepaugh affected the most striking dress and make up. He was always bedecked in large, flashy jewelry, never wearing a necktie and usually fastening his collar with a diamond-studded button of enormous size, while his watch and chain was of huge proportions, and an eight or ten-carat diamond stud in his shirt front. In the winter time the richest sealskin overcoat hung to his feet; but he was always the same "Addie" at home or abroad.

After his father's death he remained with the show until his health failed, when he retired from the road and is now living at his home in Philadelphia, with an ample income, free from care.

As it was my good fortune to become closely associated with the great Adam Forepaugh and his charming wife, Mrs. M. G., or "Mollie," as he called her, I was a frequent visitor at his home with my wife and children, and during the [unreadable text] get together in the parlors or sitting rooms and listen to the stories, experiences and incidents of his busy and eventful life. Thus from his own lips I gathered sufficient information to more than fill a book. The great showman, whose fame at the time had already reached the limits of every continent, was born in Philadelphia, February 28, 1831. His true name was Forbach, with the real German accent. This was afterwards Anglicized into Forepaugh, and later on, when Mr. Joel E. Warner, whom I have mentioned as the purchaser of Jumbo, was Mr. Forepaugh's general agent, he had it spelled and printed "4-Paw" for the sake of brevity. It was frequently used in this form for advertising purposes. His early education was only such as was at that time afforded the children of the poor.

He began his career as a butcher's apprentice at the meager salary of $4 per month and board. At the age of sixteen he went West and worked in the meat market of Mr. John Butcher in Cincinnati. He remained with his new employer for a year and a half, receiving $50 for the first month and $100 a month the remainder of the time. Returning to Philadelphia, he went into the butcher business for himself and in a little time secured an interest in a stage line. After that he started new lines, and in 1854 was sole owner of the whole business.

While in the omnibus traffic Mr. Forepaugh bought and sold horses and cattle for the army, selling as many as 10,000 horses in one year. There was no better judge of horseflesh than he.

At a single glance he could tell the age the disposition and the good or bad qualities of the horse, and one of his peculiar traits was to remember the town in which he had purchased a horse, with the distinctive features such as the situation of the town, the business done, whether good or bad, and the exact price paid for the animal.

In 1861 he sold $8,000 worth of horses to a showman and took a mortgage on the concern in part payment, at that time having no idea of ever embarking in the show business. This proved to be a turning point in his life.

He Buys a Circus.

The purchaser failed to pay the obligation, and after some months' delay Mr. Forepaugh went to Pittsburgh, where he bought the entire concern to save the debt it owed him. He managed the outfit for a while with some degree of success, but it soon appeared to him that it was too small an exhibition to please the public and win the satisfactory reward. He then bought the well-known Maybie Menagerie, which at that time boasted of having two elephants and a few animals, for which he paid $42,000 in cash. The two shows were consolidated, the property of the Maybie show being delivered to him in Chicago the very day that President Lincoln was assassinated.

He then secured the services of the veteran jester, Dan Rice, the most famous clown and showman of his day, at a weekly salary of $1,000. The business was instantly enormous and Dan Rice was the principal card for three seasons. The entire earnings of the first eight years were appropriated to the enlargement of the the show, with twenty, then forty, and finally forty-four cages, requiring thousands of horses, employes, etc., to handle the outfit. Rival managers insisted that it was absolute and certain ruin, but Mr. Forepaugh was ambitious to have the biggest show in the world and devoted all of his energy to his avocation with no fear for the future.

He was the first showman to erect two distinct tents - one for the menagerie - and one for the circus, it having previously been the custom to utilize one large tent for both departments, placing the seats on one side and around the ends and leaving the opposite side for the animals, with a rope stretched in front of the cages. The people holding cheap admissions were allowed to stand in front of the animals while the performance was going on. Business grew so big that it was finally decided to utilize all of this space in the big top for seats and to erect another canvas to accommodate and cover the menagerie. This was something that met with the hearty approval of the public, and the profits grew to such tremendous proportions that the proprietor concluded to abandon his travel by wagon and originate a more efficient mode of transportation. He had railroad cars expressly built to his own plan to accommodate the show, which thereafter traveled exclusively by rail, visiting nearly every important city in the United States.

It was always Mr. Forepaugh's proud boast that he owned and exhibited more wild animals than any other one man in the world. I am sure that he was quite right in his assertion. He was the only man, too, that I ever knew, outside of the rahjas of India, who was ever in the habit of giving away elephants and other valuable animals to friends, parks and zoological gardens in his own country. His colossal winter quarters in the great Quaker City occupied several entire blocks and broad acres. The animal quarters, wagonworks and training barns were in one section of the city and his car shops and railroad trains in another direction. It was his daily habit to drive to and from all of these departments, making his own purchases and superintending all the work.

During the traveling season he was always to be found with the show, looking after every detail and putting his "O. K." on everything to be paid for. Then, seated in an armchair behind his doorkeepers, with ruddy face and genial smile, he welcomed every visitor and took particular pride in having the farmers, boys, and men about town greet him as Mr. Forepaugh, the showman.

Only those who knew him intimately could possibly realize the extent and unselfishness of his labors. From earliest boyhood, single handed and alone, he fought the battles of life to fortune. His professional career was known to many, but one had to be closely associated with him in order to comprehend the remarkable traits of character which had so much to do with his success. A firm, resolute man, robust in physique, a friend to those who held his confidence and a bitter warrior when opposed, always on the alert, cautious in his dealings and secretive in his purpose, he accomplished much and planned more. Paradoxical as it may seem this sturdy and easily excited gentleman was always in sympathy with the weak and had a corner in his heart for all in distress. No man in the profession had a more generous hand or so many pensioners upon his bounty. Often harsh to those who imposed upon his generosity or credulity, he would in turn bestow most gracious gifts and overlook the unkindest acts. Forgiveness seemed to be a part of his nature, and this admirable trait was often imposed upon.

In speech and manner he was somewhat crude, but his frankness and kindly expression at once disarmed suspicion and criticism.

Like many who had made their mark, he had a hobby, in fact he had several of them. As an example he considered the smallest detail of his show the most important. He would intrust transactions to his agents involving thousands of dollars, but no one except himself could be at all satisfactory in purchasing meat for the cook tents or the animals. His pride extended no farther than the enormous show and it was his cherished desire to leave it to his only son "Addie," whom he loved and looked upon as the light of his life. No matter how dark the storms that might gather upon the veteran's brow a word of praise for "Addie" would dispel the clouds. It was a study to watch the warm glitter in his eye and the kindly smile that always spread over his countenance as he related the early escapades of "My Addie." In the excitement he would relate every incident of his life from infancy, telling how he used to harness up the chairs and drive them tandem or four-in-hand, and winding up the narrative with tales of how he corrupted his tutors or his wonderful achievements in animal training and feats of horsemanship.

Frugality, caution, and shrewdness were the strong characteristics of the man. He never smoked, chewed or drank. There was always a quaint humor mingled with his most absorbing business and no one enjoyed a joke better than he. It was his great delight to "work up" a humorous point on one of his employes, and he prided himself upon his great physical strength and endurance. The fact that he could manage and direct his entire show pleased him immeasurably.

In mental mathematics he was a versatile "lightning calculator," solving the most difficult problems without any apparent effort while carrying on an ordinary conversation. He had a wonderfully retentive memory, and when counting receipts or disbursements he was always precise to the fraction of a cent. In purchasing his supplies in bulk at wholesale prices, for which he invariably paid cash, and by doing his own banking he saved all discounts and added to his income.

At the time of his death he owned over two hundred dwelling houses in Philadelphia, as well as other real estate running into millions in that and other cities, and he often laughingly remarked that he wanted just two hundred houses - one hundred for “Mollie" and one hundred for "Addie." When the end came he was busily engaged in building a new home for himself and Molly just above their old residence on Green street. But the grand old man had made his last stand and performed the last act in his life upon which the curtain fell. It was my privilege to pay the following tribute to his memory:

Adam Forepaugh

Peaceful sleeps the grand old hero,
    Calmly rests the weary head;
Let him slumber on in silence,
    In the city of the dead.

Pleasure's wand he always wielded,
    Like the sceptre of a king;
Happy hearts attest his trophies -
    Millions now his praises sing.

Victory crowned in lands immortal,
    Far removed from any foe;
All his earthly struggles ended -
    Free from strife and care and woe.

Turn to those who mourn and miss him,
    Wipe away the falling tear;
Lift the heads in sorrow bending
    O'er the cold and sombre bier.

L. E. C.

Top