Reminiscences of a Showman

Today Mr. Cook delves into circus history, giving a brief resume of this form of entertainment from the earliest days to the present time. He shows its origin and antiquity and glances briefly at its mission in the world.

The first circus which he attended is described at length, and comparisons are drawn between that show and the colossal shows of today.

He also outlines the history of circus riding, giving interesting personal reminiscences of some of the more eminent riders he has known, and dwells with especial pride upon the fact that most of the proficient riders of the world have been, and are, American born.

In next Thursday's chapter Mr. Cook will resume his personal narrative, taking up his experiences as agent of the Barnum & Bailey's "Greatest Show on Earth." He will tell of the destruction of the outfit by fire in the Bridgeport winter quarters and describe the remarkable manner in which it was built up again in time for the next season's tour. Painting many intimate pen pictures of Barnum, Bailey and other interesting people, Mr. Cook will follow the fortunes of the show up to its departure for England and a Continental tour.

To make these naratives as interesting as possible, as well as to carry out the purpose of the Evening Star in securing their original publication, the order in which they appear will vary. The author will also make them absolutely authoritative as to chronological history or personal reminiscence. When treating any subject not within his immediate knowledge, the best authority will be quoted and the reader will receive the benefit of years of travel, careful research and inquiry in the libraries and among professional people in all countries, often on the very grounds where early events transpired.

Even the ancient arenas on the European continent have been visited and careful studies made of the sites where great hippodromes were built, more than 2,000 years ago, at Arles, Neimes, and many other places in southern France. Some of these ancient structures and race tracks are in a perfect state of preservation. Again, on the Olympian hills, at Athens, and within the old Astley circus on the banks of the Thames, in London, I have studied and gained much valuable information on the history of the circus, past and present, to which the reader is entitled in following the subject matter of my stories.

Origin of the Circus.

Delving into the archives of amusement history we find that at a period when mankind discovered himself of a different type, mold and brain power from the lower animals that surrounded him, feats requiring reason, strength, agility and training have always excited his admiration and respect.

The priests of those early days, who were also chief leaders, understood the effect of such contest, and in ceremonial worship introduced trials of strength, races, wrestling, etc., which, as time passed, and man developed in brain and sinew, were conducted with greater ceremony, and centuries later copied by Greeks in their Olympic, Pythian, Nemen and Pantheon sports. These games or tournaments became national festivals. They consisted of wrestling, boxing, jumping, posturing, foot races, chariot and horse races. To be victor of one or more of the events was the greatest possible honor and the hightest prize a garland of wild olives of laurels.

The year 776 B. C. is regarded as the date of the first Olympic games. Rome, then mistress of the world, 400 years later copied the Greeks and founded the circus. There were four circil or circuses in Rome - Flaminus, Meronicus, Maximetus and the famous Circus Maximus. The latter, built by Romulus, the founder of Rome, was the greatest and best known. From it all ancient and modern circus history seems to date. It was erected in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills, where, previous to any permanent structure, all tournaments were held in the open beside the altar of the god Comus. After the fall of Rome centuries elapsed before we hear of the circus again. Then with a single flight of the imagination we find the story of the first organized circus in England reads like a romance.

The First English Circus.

Philip Astley, a trooper in the life guard, was the founder. He was on duty at Westminster during the review of the troops by King William, in the year 1699. The kings horse, taking fright during the ceremony, dashed straight for the embankment on the Thames. The assembled troops were horrified at the peril of their king, but Astley, quick to think and act, put spurs to his horse, rushed from the ranks, and at the risk of his life, succeeded in stopping the horse of the king at the brink of the embankment. His own horse was thrown to the ground, but brave Astley clung to the bridle of the king's charger and saved his majesty. For this he was made an ensign, and at the finish of his enlistment the king, by letters patent, granted him land on the Surry side of Westminster bridge, where he opened a riding school. One day while riding for exercise in the ring the idea of standing upright on his horse's back, while going at full speed, occurred to him as a good stunt with which to surprise his patrons, and by dint of hard practice he was soon able to accomplish the feat. This is the first record that we have of a man riding a horse while standing on its back, but later on I shall be able to give you the history of some American boys and girls who became chamions of the world in this line of endeavor.

The Early American Circus.

Having briefly summarized the history I find that the first circus performance ever given in America was at Haymarket place, Boston, Mass., in 1767, and the first American circus to travel and achieve success worth mentioning was founded by Aron Turner in the early twenties - and he spelled his given name with one "A" if you please, Mr. Printer. He was a shoemaker, too, and lived at North Salem, N. Y. Instead of sticking to the last, as all good shoemakers are advised to do, he was induced to enter the circus business, and his two sons, Napoleon B. and Timothy V., learned to ride at an early age.

For the first season on the road, by wagon, Turner used no top, only a side wall, which he made himself. No seats were carried; visitors were permitted to stand around the ring and no night performances were given. The price of admission was supposed to be one York shilling. There was no regular salary day and money was drawn only for necessities. Turner toured New England, exclusively, for several years, usually wintering at New Bedford, which was then a great whaling port, enabling him to pay expenses by giving performances part of the time during the winter.

In 1830 the Turners had a ninety-foot round-top tent. Four or five lengths of seats were provided for the people who wished to pay a shilling extra. The circus wagons were placed on the opposite side and the standees were permitted to climb upon them if they desired. The average daily receipts of a show at that time were less than $100 per day. When they reached $300 or $400 it was thought the millenium had arrived. Two very small bills, used for advertising and newspaper space in the weeklies - daily papers did not exist - cost two or three dollars a week at the outside. In some of my future articles I shall try to explain the difference in advertising now and then.

The first organized English circus to cross the ocean and exhibit in America was imported in November, 1836, by W. W. Cole's grandfather, Thomas Cooke, as I have stated in a previous chapter.

How time flies! How fast the “passing show!" How fleet the foot of progress! And still, old Father Fossil often remarks, "All circuses are the same;" and frequently I ask myself, is it possible we forget the first circus we ever saw, or is it because our dilated eyes simply magnified the little one-ring circus of our boyhood to such magnificent proportions that even the "greatest on earth" now appears like a mole-hill beside high Olympus?

Never shall I forget the first circus I ever attended, and for the life of me I can't quite make up my mind whether the most skillful artist of today is half as daring and graceful as the tarlatan-skirted fairy that first flitted before my vision under a dingy sixty-foot round-top, in a mud ring, on an old gray horse with a pad saddle as big as a barn door.

Ah, well I remember the event and what it cost to enjoy the feast of soul-stirring incidents. Of course I was a boy the.' All men are boys when they first go to a circus, although they usually see elephants, snakes and other zoological attractions later on in life. But, as I remarked, I was a boy, and by the invitation of one of my elder brothers I was permitted to walk just twelve miles to town to see a real circus. In the meanwhile I had driven an ox team at the plow for two weeks and done all sorts of odd jobs foisted upon the good nature created by the promise of "going to town to see the circus."

I had often heard my father and big brothers talk about Dan Rice, Old Hannibal and other circus celebrities of the day, and I knew from the stories told by those who were posted in such matters that "the old clown was just enough to kill corn.” Once, too, as my brother and I were I passing along a country road we found a show bill which a thrifty advertising agent had dropped at the four corners in the woods.

That was the first circus bill I ever saw, and it announced, the "coming soon" of old Yankee Robinsons's "colossal circus and caravan." One of the most attractive features to my Juvenile mind was an elephant standing on its head. As we perused that bill there in the wildwood by the roadside I resolved that I would go to the first show that came along, although that resolution was never unanimously carried until several years afterward. But patience was finally rewarded, and after trudging to the nearest railway station we eventually reached the town where the great circus, the name of which I forget, was to exhibit.

My First Circus.

It was an eventful day. We arrived early with a little money and a blistered heel, which gave me more or less pain (the heel, I mean). We saw the parade, which, as near as I can remember, consisted of a bandwagon drawn by ten horses, six people wearing spangled clothes on horseback and four cages bringing up the rear. It certainly was the greatest circus parade I had seen to that time, and I was moved to remark, "I bet the show will be a good one.” To this my brother somewhat sneeringly replied that the show he saw had Old Hannibal, an elephant with real ivory tusks over six feet long, with big brass knobs on the ends, and a great big chain fastened to them with iron clamps so they could chain him when he got ugly. He added that he had followed the show out of town to the place where Old Hannibal had to wade the creek because the bridge was not strong enough to hold his weight, and that he saw his tracks in the soft ground, which looked as though the impression was made with a half-bushel measure. Therefore, I sighed to think that there might be a still greater show than the one I was about to see.

We followed the parade right to the main entrance. The band dismounted, went over to the side show and played a brisk tune. Then a fine-looking gentleman, somewhat flashily dressed, told all the good people to gather around, as he had something very important to say. First, he wanted to explain that usually they had two side shows, but "today, today, ladies and gentlemen, we have concluded to put both shows under one canvas, and for one ticket - ten cents."

I remember the announcement impressed me very strongly, and I told my brother I guessed we had better see the side show and that I would go without my crackers and cheese, if necessary. Once inside, we saw some of the strange things so lavishly pictured on the paintings outside. I was so completely amazed at the living skeleton, the fat woman, the big ox and a young lady who handled the snakes that I forgot all else, although I am free to confess that I was somewhat disappointed in not seeing the "enormous serpents hanging from the tops of trees and enveloping the lady with their slippery coils, as the man on the outside had said and the pictures at the door intimated.

But the big show was open, and we went in. The inside of a circus tent was a revelation to me. There was one center-pole, and the orthodox circus ring around it. On one side of the canvas seats were arranged in the usual way, while the opposite side was occupied with the four animal cages, with a rope stretched in front of them and another rope fastened to posts around the ring. Inside of this pit, or animal enclosure, people were allowed to stand for the small price of twenty-five cents. But my brother, who had been to circuses before, paid twenty-five cents extra for himself, and we both got good seats right near the band. Brother explained that that was the best place, because we could see the performers as they came into the ring. He may have been right, but someway I have always managed to get on the O. P. side of the band ever since.

Well, the performance finally commenced. There was a grand entree, in which twelve spotted horses appeared, ridden by ladies and gentlemen who wore the same spangled clothes I had noticed in the street parade. But while there were only six mounted people in the parade, I observed that the other six horses were the same ones I had admired in the team of ten that hauled the bandwagon.

Of course, I was a boy, but having been brought up on a farm I was not to be fooled by a spotted horse with a watch eye.

I remember there was one young lady who rode what we now term a "pad act," and a gentleman also did an act on horseback which particularly took my fancy. The rider lay upon the horse's back, with his feet in the air and kicked a large globe through hoops, over banners, etc. As I grew up in life I afterwards learned that the man was the veteran, Jacob Showles, who lived at Long Branch, N. J. He was the foster father of William Showles, one of the world's greatest bareback riders.

A number of other feats followed, and I think about twelve different acts completed the program of what was called the big show, the old-fashioned one-ring circus for which we often hear people sigh today.

Presto change!

What have we here! "The Greatest Show on Earth," of course. Everybody has one - that is, everybody who runs a circus. Three rings, a hippodrome track, elevated stages, immense platforms, deep tanks of water, great stretches of scenery, hundreds of different acts, hundreds of horses, herds of elephants, droves of camels, thousands of men, women and children, huge trains of cars drawn by special engines, no weak bridges to cross, or streams to ford. The audience is no longer herded with the animals, and acres upon acres of waterproof canvas cover a multitude of people (I was about to say a multitude of sins). More acts are given in five minutes than the old circus ever presented, more horses are introduced in a single act than the best shows ever owned, more money taken in one day than the old-timers took in a month.

And yet, the price remains about the same. Therefore, the forlorn creature who sighs for the show of his youth must be as blind as the proverbial bat or he would recognize the spirit of progress on every hand and, in the language of the Bard of Avon, exclaim, "Can such things be and overcome us like a summer cloud, without our special wonder?"

James Robinson.

From Philip Astley to James Robinson is a long jump, but as Astley was the first man to stand upright on the back of a running horse, "Jimmy" Robinson was the first to throw a back and forward somersault on horseback, and he was American born at that, having first seen the light of day in Boston, Mass.

When a mere boy in 1845 he left home to "join out," as they say in circus parlance, with the Rockwell & Stone circus, at that time exhibiting at the Hub. The story of his early life and after laurels came to me through close association and intimate friendship, often while sitting under the white tops or waiting for the show trains to be loaded at midnight. He was first apprenticed to the then celebrated clown, John Gossin, but after a single season went to Old John Robinson, whose name he assumed and has since made famous as the greatest bareback somersault rider the world has ever known.

The elder John, himself a rider of renown, put his pupil on a horse, and in a short time had him in the lead of all equestrian celebrities of that period, surpassing such noted riders as Hernandez, North, McCullom and others, whom he left completely in the shade. He was the first performer to ride bareback, as before his time all circus riding was done on a broad pad. He had the most perfect balance, grace and agility, which enabled him to accomplish feats on the back of a horse that other performers could not execute on the ground. Indeed, all the features offered by the riders of the present day were originated by him.

It was well worth the price of admission to see him walk into the arena, mount his steed and when at full speed grasp one foot by the heel, point it heavenward while dashing around the circle as an introduction to a series of leaps, bounds, somersaults and reckless feats of hurdle riding, often posing on one foot, going through balloons, over banners or clinging gracefully to the naked back of his horse, after removing the bridle and every vestige of trappings for his famous "whirlwind finish." He made his great reputation as long ago as 1847 and later on visited all foreign countries, winning and wearing the champion belt of the world with no one to wrest it from him.

At this writing the old champion is still living and enjoying the blessings of a life well spent. As an indication of his aptitude and good fellowship I must relate a true story of his experience with the Cooper & Bailey show, while touring Australia, New Zealand and South America. "Jimmie" was engaged for a tour of three years at the princely salary of $500 per week and all expenses by land or sea (work or play), and as the show had made a great deal of money for the first two years and was about to make a long voyage to South America, where the outlook was uncertain, J. A. Bailey sought to reduce expenses by suggesting to "Jimmie" that the trip was a long one, into a very hot country and in fact very dangerous to health and happiness. He intimated in conclusion that he would be willing to release the rider from his contract and pay his expenses back to America.

The wiley "Jimmie" scented a mouse somewhere in the menagerie and without moving an eyelash replied: "I appreciate all that, Mr. Bailey. I know the ocean is wet and the sun hotter than Hades, but you may go right on and put up my bills in h--l and I will be there to ride for $500 a week just the same."

Great American Riders.

Among many other great American riders, and strange as it may appear, nearly all of the world's most distinguished equestrians are American born, I will mention only those with whom I have come in personal contact or know through direct channels. Any omission of names or award of merit must not be construed into a failure to recall all the celebrities of several generations.

Going back to my earlier days in the circus realm, I remember Mollie Brown, the first lady I ever knew to turn a somersault on horseback. Since then we have had quite a number, including Madam Rentz, Josie De Mott, Mae Wirtz and others, with an endless list of fair equestriennes, such as Madam Dockrill, Cordoni, the Meers sisters, Ella Bradna, Dollie Julian, Dazie Belmont, Carrie Rooney, Rose Fentworth and numerous others whose names do not come to my memory at this moment.

The list of male principals and jockey riders who have graced the arena is lengthy, and to my mind, William Showls in his day came next to the great James Robinson as a finished, all-round equestrian - both principal and jockey. Mr. Frank A. Gardner, a famous bounding jockey and one of the greatest leapers in the world, was also a favorite, intimate friend, who grew up with the Cole show and outclassed them all in his line of work, which was phenomenal. To this role of fame we may add such names as Fred Derrick, William De Mott, Charles Siegrist, Frank Melville, Fred Ledgett and the renowned equestrian directors, such as R. H. Dockvill, William Ducrow and Adam Forepaugh, Jr., who could and did ride and drive thirty horses all at one time. All of these have contributed largely to circus history of recent years.

Few Permanent Arenas.

To those who regard the circus as a modern institution it will be a surprise to learn that it really had its origin in remote antiquity. So far as may be learned from ancient history, indeed, it was the first form in which man gave expression to his fondness for diversion and pastime, as I have shown in the first paragraph of this article. The Olympian games at Athens and in the Roman and Grecian stadiums were largely performances that have been more than duplicated in the modern circuses and hippodromes.

It is rather singular, in view of the antiquity of the arena, that there are not more permanent buildings, and arenas in existence at the present time. Throughout all Europe may be found ruins of those ancient establishments, although there are very few habitable structures at present. The same is to be said of America, where there are really only one or two permanent buildings suitable for this kind of amusement, viz., Madison Square Garden in New York city and the Coliseum in Chicago.

The Olympia in London and the Rotunda at Vienna still stand, and were originally arranged and seated for the use of the Barnum & Bailey show under my personal supervision. The Saile des Fetes in the Gallerie des Machines in Paris were also specially arranged and seated for the occupancy of these shows, being previously utilized for exposition purposes, but the latter has recently been demolished and the old Paris Hippodrome has been turned into a picture show. There is no longer a place of exhibition on the continent of sufficient size to accommodate a great amusement institution.

The history of the circus in America is comparatively remote as recorded by the exhibition of the first circus on the common in Boston in 1767. The next entry covers a lapse of a very few years, for which general details are sadly missing. Doubtless if those who first saw the first circus on the common had been told that they would see an amusement institution of such immensity as the Barnum & Bailey or Ringling Bros. shows of today, they would have regarded the prophet as an insane visionary, who should be kept in confinement or treated as were the witches in old Salem.

However, it is all in the way of the progress of the world. The traditional glories of the stadiums and coliseums are so far surpassed by the magnificence and magnitude of our modern shows as our civilization surpasses that of antiquity.

The Circus as an Educator.

It has been said that the stars of the arena and planets, shedding such an effulgence of light upon the beholder as to dazzle his vision, and to cause him to rejoice, that even if the stage has fallen far below the standards of other years, the circus has risen above them, and as a means of entertainment is the most elevating and moral thing we have experienced. Moreover, in many of its details, the circus is the reflex of life, which suggests the mirror held up to nature, uncracked and as far from distortions off convexity and concavity as the stage is full of them. A few of its lessons should be taken by our leading managers, actors, actresses and playrights, who should study the methods, habits and the work of the people and animals they will find in the circus.

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