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Leapers and Tumblers

The band gives a flourish and in troup the tumblers and leapers. They form in a row, and bow to the audience and then away each one whirls in a hand spring and front somersault. Then they retire and singly the men begin to tumble backward and forward across and about the ring, heads and feet are kept in a whirl until the final effort is reached, when the clown, who is frequently as good an artist in the business as the rest of his tumbling confreres, chases the swiftest of the number around the ring, the clown winding him up while the latter rolls like a wheel, in back handsprings along the inner edge of the ring. A short interval, and the leapers come in - the same men as those who have done the tumbling - bow, and retire to follow each other rapidly down an inclined plane, bound from the spring-board, and after a forward somersault land safely and gracefully in the soft mattress beyond. One, two, three, four, and five horses are brought in and placed in front of the spring-board while the mattress is drawn farther away. As the number of horses increases and the peril and distance grow greater, the number of leapers decrease until at last three appear, or perhaps more horses are added to the equine line, the mattress is placed at the farther end of the ring and the ring-master - sometimes it is a lecturer like Harry Evarts, the "little Grant orator" of Coup's show for the past and present season - mounts a pedestal near the entrance, and with stentorian voice remarks: Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Batchellor, the champion leaper of the world, will now throw a double somersault over nineteen horses (sometimes fewer elephants are employed) - that is to say, the gentleman will revolve twice in the air before alighting on his feet on the mattress - a feat that no other performer in this or any other country can accomplish. Ladies and gentlemen, Mister Batchellor," and Mr. Batchellor, who is an excellent leaper, and shares the championship with Frank Gardner formerly of Cole's show, but now with Barnum, makes the leap in a clever and comparatively easy manner.

This difficult feat, never executed, it is asserted, till within the past one hundred years, can now be witnessed at almost every first-class circus performance in this country - but not always for the same distance attained by Messrs. Batchellor and Gardner. Forty years ago the British performer who could throw a double somersault was looked on as a wonder. The writer, some thirty-three years ago, saw Tomkinson, a famous British clown and acrobat, execute this feat in Franconi's circus, then stationed for the season at Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the same Franconi who afterward managed the hippodrome in New York in 1863-4, and the company was booked as first-class in every respect. The double somersault was performed by Tomkinson at his benefit, and the announcement of the then great feat packed the wooden building to suffocation. When the ring master had made the preliminary speech, and Tomkinson retired up the steep incline which terminated in the spring-board, every heart stood still. A quick, impetuous rush down the board, a bound high in the air, a slow revolution and the gymnast descended nearly to the ground. It seemed impossible to do it, but in the last six feet the curled-up body turned once more, and Tomkinson alighted on the big, soft mattress on his feet, but staggering. He was prevented from falling by the ring-master, but as he turned to go inside, Franconi, the enthusiastic French manager, patted him warmly on the back, amid the applause of the vast audience. It was a rare feat in those days. Tomkinson and the few other British double somersault performers did it only at infrequent intervals.

In this country Costella, a noted circus leaper, made it more difficult by clearing a number of horses at the same time. But soon a number of acrobats were able to follow his example, and even excel him in height and distance. Nowadays a circus acrobat who cannot do a double somersault is not considered anything but an ordinary performer unless he can do other sensational and original feats. Last year Barnum had a corps of acrobats, of whom seven performed double somersaults every night during the season. John Robinson has five men who can do it. The most surprising and unexcelled feat of double somersault throwing was that of the Garnella Brothers, who performed it in variety halls and circuses a few years ago. Standing on his brother's shoulders the younger Garnella sprang up and revolved twice, landing again on the shoulders. When it is considered that the double somersault by other performers is accomplished by a short spurt, a spring-board, and no restriction as to the spot of alighting, the feat of young Garnella must be classed among the unprecedented marvels of the acrobatic art.

The triple somersault is a dream of every young and ambitious acrobat. It requires phenomenal dexterity of body, and is known to be so dangerous that few have even attempted it. Fame and fortune awaits any performer who can do it, say twenty times in one tenting season. Were it not that circus managers know that the feat or even the attempt, if repeated a limited number of times, will certainly result in a broken neck, they could well afford to pay the performer $10,000 to $20,000 for a season; and were it not, too, a proven fact, it would seem that the laws of gravitation and the limitations of physical dexterity forbade the turning of a triple somersault except by accident. In turning a double somersault off a spring-board, it is necessary to make a leap at an angle of about thirty degrees to obtain the necessary ballast or impetus to turn twice. If an almost perpendicular leap is made, the leaper would not have leverage enough to turn. In order to make the double somersault the performer has to leap from the springboard with all his might to get the proper angle as well as to attain a sufficient height, so that he may have time to turn twice over before alighting. The same conditions govern the triple somersault, only it is necessary to go about one-third higher into the air.

An American named Turner accomplished a triple somersault once in this country and again in England. He tried it a third time and broke his neck. It is claimed that with this exception and the exception of Bob Stickney, of John Robinson's show, and Sam Reinhardt, an ex-leaper, no acrobat has been successful. The skeptic may say triple somersaults may be accomplished by the aid of higher and more powerful springboards than those in use, but that would merely change the angle, and the result would be the same. Of course the board could be placed high enough, but the specific gravity of the performer's body would be increased while descending. The height is not the only trouble. If it was only height, such men as Stickney, Batchellor, Gardner and one or two others, by improved appliances and practice would overcome that difficulty. But after the double somersault is accomplished and the performer is ready to turn again, he loses his catch or the control of his body, and is governed in his descent by gravitation alone. His head being heavier than his feet, he is very apt to light on it first and break his neck.

The first recorded attempt to throw a triple somersault in this country was made by a performer in Van Amburgh's circus at Mobile, Alabama, in 1842. He broke his neck. Another attempt was made in London, England, in 1846. It was made in Astley's amphitheatre, then leased to Howe & Cushing, the American managers. In this company was M. J. Lipman, a fine vaulter, Levi J. North, now in Brooklyn, New York, a famous equestrian; the late William O. Dale, a native of Cincinnati, who died here, blind and broken down, and who was an acrobat and equestrian of great reputation, and William Hobbes, a fine leaper. It was previously announced that Hobbes would attempt a triple somersault, and the house was jammed. He tried it and was instantly killed. The next to try it was John Amor, who was born under the roof of Dan Rice's father's domicile, near Girard, Penna. Amor travelled for years in this country with Dan Rice's circus, and in that day was considered the greatest gymnast in America, if not the world. He is said to be the first performer in America to turn a double somersault over four horses. In 1859 he went to England and travelled with a circus all through the United Kingdom. In the same year he attempted to turn a triple somersault at the Isle of Wight, but landed on his forehead and broke his neck.

Billy Dutton, it is said, performed the great feat while a member of Lake's circus, at Elkhorn, Ill., in 1860, at a rehearsal, in the presence of John Lawton, the famous clown, now with Robinson's circus. Dutton was ambitious to have it to say he did it, and did not make the attempt with the intention of repeating. He made the leap from a high springboard. Dutton said then he would not try it again, and that his lighting upon his feet was an accident, as he could not control his body after turning the second time. Frank Starks, who was well-known in Cincinnati, undertook the feat at the fair grounds in Indianapolis in 1870, for a wager of $100. He did repeat it, but struck on his head, dislocating his neck, and death resulted a few hours afterward. Bob Stickney accomplished the great feat when fourteen years of age, while practicing in a gymnasium on Fourteenth Street, New York. William Stein, an attache of Robinson's circus, was one of the persons who held the blanket for him to alight upon. Stickney says he believes he could do it again, but would not attempt it for less than $10,000, being fully convinced that the chances for his final exit from the arena would be good on that occasion. Sam Reinhardt, a former leaper, now a saloonkeeper at Columbus, when with the Cooper and Bailey Circus at Toledo, in 1860, not being satisfied with turning double somersaults, tried to add another revolution. He turned twice and a half, alighting on the broad of his back, and was disabled for a short period. The fact that a triple somersault was ever accomplished before a circus audience, after due announcement, and under the same conditions as double somersaults are performed - namely, landing on a mattress - may be seriously doubted. The best informed circus men say that it cannot be done with anything even like comparative safety except in the sheets, a blanket held by a number of men being used to catch the alighting performer. It is claimed, also, that it has never been accomplished except in that way.

Out of a Circus Owner’s Trunk

I wonder how many know that many years ago Dan Rice, when he was running his circus, used to advertise that any boy who could tumble would be allowed into his circus free.

One day there was an unusually large crowd of youngsters gathered in front of his tent. They were stable boys mostly. Dan gathered them together and taking them into the big tent sat them all in one section. When he was ready for that part of the act, he ordered the boys to take off their boots and go into the ring and do their stuff. This was usually the signal for much applause. There were three boys that Dan Rice watched with considerable interest. He asked them to stay back. Patting them on the shoulder, he said "You three boys are certainly going to be heard of in the circus business some day; I'm sure of that." The three boys were Pete Conklin, who became one of our greatest clowns, Sam Reinhardt, a great leaper and Jim Robinson, the famous bareback rider.

Here is the story of how Pete Conklin became a clown. It was while he was with the E. J. Mabie Circus. They were traveling through the South. The state at that time was full of opposition fights. Murders were being committed and folks of the circus were being more or less rough-housed. The clown with the Mabie show was Tony Pastor. When he learned that the show was going into Texas he refused to go with it. So the Mabie brothers called John Conklin, who was the older of the Conklin Brothers doing posteurs and acrobatics on the show, and asked what he thought could be done about filling the vacant clownship. "I'm sure Pete can do it," answered John immediately and Pete was given an opportunity to show his clowning ability. He made good from the start. In fact, he won so much praise from the audience that the Mabies decided to keep him in, and told him so with flattering language. However, when pay-day came around Pete had received no more money for the extra duties imposed and this he resented greatly. He confided his discouragement to his brother and being unable to move the management to giving him anymore, he packed up and stole away. Pete went to a livery stable and asked for a team to take him to the nearest railroad station. The liveryman told him he would sell him a team as cheap as he could hire one. Pete bought a small team of mules and wagon for $75.00 and went back to the show on the outside and sold lemonade and other stuff. The show patronized him and he made some money. Mabie not only envied Pete's money-making but it also dawned on the manager that a circus without a clown wasn't much of a circus. At least the Texas natives didn't consider it so and Mabie gave Pete his salary and bought his mules for $250 and from then on his success as a clown was assured.

Here are some of the great riders of 1874 and the circuses they were with at the time:

Billy Button ....................... Adam Forepaugh
Albert Aymar ...................... Warner and Henderson
Wally Cooke ..................... W. W. Cole
Woody Cooke .................... John Murray
Jim Melville ...................... P. T. Barnum
Jim Robinson .................... Great Eastern
John Bridges ....................... J. J. Grady
W. W. Nichols ................. Great London
Bob Stickney ....................... John Robinson
Romeo Sebastian ................ George F. Bailey
Miles Orton ........................ Burr Robbins
Jim De Mott ....................... Cooper and Bailey
John Glenroy ..................... Alec Robinson
Martinho Lowande............... L. B. Lent
Annie Worland ................... Sells Brothers
Billy Showles .................... John O'Brien
Charley Fish ........................ Montgomery Queen

In the next issue I will list contemporary clowns of the same period.

Confidential Circus Chats

The item referring to the Australian tour of the Sells Bros. Show states that on account of distemper taking the horses, when the show arrived at Sidney, N. S. W., the government ordered all the circus horses shot. This crippled the show, which never received a dollar in compensation, concludes the item (Vol. 1, No. 4, p. 39). During my vacation in August I visited Columbus, Ohio, and while there I talked with a lady, one of the few remaining members of the family, the widow of one of the brothers in fact, but who is seek no publicity at this time, so in deference to her feelings I withhold her name.

It seems that when the circus arrived in the harbor late in October, and the ring stock and other trained horses were brought up from the close, warm hold of the boat - and these were the only horses taken to Australia - there was a great change in the temperature, it was quite cold for that climate and it gave the horses the sniffles, much like a cold in the head, which attracted the attention of the customs officers who decreed that they would have to be removed to an island in the harbor entrance and held until it was decided whether it was glanders or not.

In the meantime a few horses had been bought in Australia to be used as baggage stock and were quartered near the harbor to meet the show, it being the belief of the management it was unnecessary to transport the baggage stock to Australia, and it being their intention to sell them again at the close of the season there. Some of these horses also were affected by the same change in the weather and acted much as folks might act with a cold in the head. The customs officers visited them and without knowing that they were horses bought in Australia, ordered five of them shot. In the meantime all efforts to have the ring stock and trained horses given a clear bill of health by the circus managers, and brought to the mainland, were balked by the customs officials; their attitude being inspired by the efforts of a theatrical organization there, who used their influence to shut out the competition of the Yankees, my informant declared, and as she made the trip with the wives of the other two brothers, knows the facts.

Finally, after weeks of delay, and through aid from an unexpected source, Louis Sells was able to get to the prime minister of the province, who announced that he would have to uphold the customs officials, but that he would give the circus a clean hill of health for their ring and trained stock, so that they could be returned to this country, which was done, and they were sent to Stockton, Calif, to await the show's return. When the show opened there were no horses to pull the tableau wagons around the big track and the working contingent in costumes, took their places while the natives looked on and exclaimed: "Look at the Yankees taking the place of the horses," as the grand entry went around the track.

A few of the baggage stock were trained well enough to go around the ring while the riders jumped off and on their backs but that was about the extent of the riding on the show that season. Bud Gorman, who made the trip, is living in Louisville, Ky., and Danny Ryan, who clowned and did the aerial bars on that same trip, is on the front door ticket box Oriental theatre here. This is a lengthy account, but I send it for what interest it may have for you.

Jerry Mugivan Tells How It Was Done

Jerry Mugivan sat in Geo. Moyer's room in the Palmer House in Chicago. A few agents were waiting for orders, the telephone was ringing briskly and bell boys had come in twice with telegrams. Yet, it was a quiet morning, as mornings go with the boss nowadays.

There was a great deal of oldtimers' talk. The agents got Mr. Mugivan to contribute here and there. Finally urgings that had failed in the past prevailed. For the first time in his life Jerry Mugivan suffered an interview.

Here's the yarn:

"My first circus experience was with the Sanger & Lentz Show, J. B. McMahon, owner and manager. That was in 1893, and it was then that I met Bert Bowers. We were on tickets, Bert and I. After that season I was out of the circus game for several years retailing bargains in railroad tickets.

"In 1900 I was with the Sells & Gray Show as assistant to John Talbott, legal adjuster. In 1901 I managed the dining car on the Great Wallace Shows for William Hart, and in 1902 John Talbott and I had the privileges and the dining car with the same troupe. The following year, 1903, I had the privileges and dining car with Howe's Great London. We closed at Macon, Ga., Dec. 15. I went to Denver. In the spring of 1904 I went to Kansas City to take over an amusement park. With me was an expert, who was outspoken. After he looked things over - most of the buildings sagged and gapped with age - he said: 'Bring a grip full of money, and after it's gone you won't know where it went.' He was right. Among other things the street car folks wouldn't give us a five-cent fare. That ended that.

"Shortly after this I talked circus with Bob Schiller, who had $2,700 worth of circus property stored in an old building in Kansas City. Schiller agreed to join Bert and me in putting out a show. I took Ed Brennan, our first general agent, with me to St. Louis, where I talked with Henry V. Gehm, of the Venice Transportation Company, about renting our train. I found Henry somewhat wary; in fact, he wanted four months' rental in advance, but we finally compromised on an advance payment of one month. At this juncture Bert called me from Kansas City to state that Mr. Schiller had learned that other interests would prevent his sharing our circus adventure. This was hardly good news, but I had in mind W. F. Smith, who had just sold in Kansas City the Howe's Great London Circus property. Brennan and I returned to Kansas City, where I talked with Smith. He was willing to invest, but he declared himself thru with trouping. Things moved along to the point where I was to meet Smith at the bank where he was to deposit the check for his share of the show. Meanwhile Bert was at the stockyards looking over horses and hanging on the telephone awaiting the word from me to buy. Smith appeared on time and we closed our transaction. I immediately called up Bert, who bought twenty-eight head of draft stock.

"We had to get the horses to Centropolis, Mo., the old winter quarters of the Howe show. It was not a matter of shipping - not with us. We weren't shipping just then. We led that stock to Centropolis. There had been a fire at the winter quarters, and only the walls of the buildings were standing.

"We used one long coach as a cookhouse and working-men's sleeping quarters. Two old stock cars were the stables. We set about getting the troupe, which we decided to call the Great Van Amburg Shows, ready for the road. From Mr. Gehm came four flats, two stocks and three sleepers. Our advertising car was an old Arms Palace. Five days before it opened the season the billposters came on. They built in paper lockers, berths and everything.

"However, the day the billers joined they were greatly interested in a portion of our herald which showed the Van Amburg show on wagons, and, under the picture, the line, 'How We Traveled 40 Years Ago." Below was a picture of a gorgeous circus railroad train with the line, "The Way We Travel Now.' That night the men bunked in the car for the first time. It rained; it poured. Within five minutes the whole crew was astir. Men had wash basins, buckets and tarpaulins over their heads to shield them from the leaks in the old roof. It was miserable going. However, one ancient trouper got a laugh when he declaimed: 'How We Traveled 40 Years Ago - The Way We Travel Now.'

"The exterior of this car was covered with animal pictures - a regular pictorial jungle. When we returned it an Armour shipment of calves went in it from Kansas City to New York. When the car arrived in New York the unloading crew was afraid to open the door. The pictures of the leopards and lions had 'em scared. They wasted two hours before they mustered up courage to look in the door. 'A h - l of a car to ship calves in,' they complained.

"Our menagerie was imposing. We had four cross cages. In them we had one lioness, bought from Francis Ferari for $100; one grey wolf, worth $25; one black wolf, worth $25; one cage of monks, worth $100 a dozen, and a cage of cockatoos, worth $10. That gave us a $260 menagerie. We had an odd assortment of wagons - some with high wheels, some with low wheels, some with both high and low wheels, some with brakes and some without brakes. Our chandelier wagon had one wheel that wouldn't turn. This wheel slid thru the whole season. That was one wagon that needed no brakes.

"We opened at Waverly, Mo., April 23, 1904, with a mile haul uphill and green horses. We had to rent mules and a traction engine to put the Great Van Amburg Shows on the lot. But we made it. We had grief in plenty, but we kept trouping. There were blowdowns, washouts and clems. Many a plaid vest and red necktie was left on the lot that season."

Here somebody interrupted to ask about "th' elephant." Mr. Mugivan laughed, and then he let his hearers in on the joke.

"At Cedar Rapids, Neb.," he explained, "the natives looked over our $260 menagerie carefully, failing, as usual, to locate an elephant. That evening we found leaning against the marquee one of those big tin elephant signs that merchants used to stand along country roads. On it was painted: 'Donated to Mr. Van Amburg by the Cedar Rapids Zoo.' As Cedar Rapids only boasted 700 people the joke was doubly good.

"By this time our 'menagerie' had mostly died off, and we had to do something, especially after the Cedar Rapids practical joke had aroused our showmanly pride. George Hall, Jr., was playing fairs, so we made a deal with him. He joined us at Bryant, N. D., with one car, one elephant, four or five cages of real animals, a 'talking' pony, some educated dogs, a trained hog and a big snake. Hall did Punch and Judy and magic in the side-show. We had filled our wolf den - the two wolves had long since died - with goats. These were now replaced with Hall's animals. Things were picking up. Hall stayed with us until we decided to play the Red River, where we needed fewer attractions. We closed at Dumas, Ark., selling the stock to a mill at Arkansas City, Ark., keeping one team of horses, a January mule and the lioness. We went in to Kansas City.

"In January, 1905, Bowers, Brennan and I attended the Forepaugh-Sells sale at Columbus, O., to purchase equipment and animals. We spent two days going over the equipment, menagerie and stock selecting what we would buy the day of the sale. We had a great time window shopping. 'That's the very thing I need,' Brennan would say. Bert would pick out a wagon or an animal and so would I. We were all set when we got the word the show had been sold as a whole to James A. Bailey. Somewhat disappointed, to say the least, we left Columbus for Peru, Ind., where we bought of Ben E. Wallace two lions and a camel. Brennan and I returned to Kansas City. There I met Martin Downs, who persuaded me to go to Topeka to look over "some stuff at the Sells & Downs winter quarters. While I was in Topeka Martin engaged Brennan to contract railroads for the Lemon Brothers' Show in Canada. When I got back to the city I found I had no show and no agent! :

"We then bought for $400 of the National Printing Company, Chicago, a sleeper which had been in use by a hall show. On it in big letters was the name of the show, 'For Mother's Sake.' We shipped to Kansas City via East St. Louis, where we attached to it another car bought for $500. We had Ikey Lewis bringing the cars in. When they reached the Kansas City yards a burly yard man awakened Lewis. 'Say, cull,' he growled, 'that other car is named "For Mother's Sake." What t' h – l is the name of this one?' 'For Christ's Sake!' roared Ikey, sleepily, as he ducked under the blankets again.

"We bought of Major Gosney, New York, an elephant, our first pachyderm. It's name was 'Major.' From the National Printing Company we purchased our first advertising car. By the way, that car is now the paint shop for the Venice Transportation Company. We also bought seven cages and had ten cars with the show and one ahead. We opened at Pleasant Hill, Mo., with Ike Strebig as general agent. The season was prosperous, and we closed at Montezuma, Ga., December 18, going into winter quarters at Piedmont Park, Atlanta."

Thruout this interview Mr. Mugivan referred to no data to refresh his memory - He was able to name the number of stands played in each state, the number of horses, animals, cars bought at any time, from who bought and the amounts paid. Dates and names of people, towns and animals he recalled instantly. In fact, he made a memory expert look like the absent-minded professor of the comic papers. Not one-tenth of the data he gave out can appear in this interview, due, of course, to space limitation. The chap who tries to sell the boss of the world's largest cluster of big top organizations filing system is certainly on a blank.

"In 1906," continued Mr. Mugivan, "we opened in Atlanta under the auspices of the Shrine. Bert Bowers had bought at Glen Island, N. Y., two camels, a llama and 'Babe,' our second elephant, a big one, standing nine feet high. We also added another car to our train, making eleven back with the show. This car had. been the No. 2 advertising car of the Walter L. Main Show. We closed at Hallettsville, Tex., December 1.

"Our first equestrian director was Frank A. Gardiner, the double somersaulting leaper. George A. Kline was our principal clown. He was a noted mule rider. Dan Leon was equestrian director in 1905. There were many celebrated old timers on our roster in those days. Their efforts were a great factor in making the show a success.

"I remember that Gardiner had three high school horses with the show. He had Jim Ward working for him. It seems that Gardiner owed Ward for salary and the latter threatened to sue. Frank offered to settle by giving Ward one of the horses. It was a good horse, and Jim agreed. So they finished the season amicably together. However, when the show closed, Gardiner presented Ward with a bill for feed. It came to the exact amount of Gardiner's original debt to Ward. Jim could not pay, and he lost the horse. It was a painless method of paying off an obligation. In time Jim told the joke on himself. 'Well, it was a horse on me,' he would conclude. Gardiner had a dog with the show. It was a busy little tyke, but foolish. Every night it would round up a bone, and, with admirable foresight, bury it under the stake and chain wagon. It knew the wagon and the relative position it occupied on the lot. Next morning, after the train had moved sixty or one hundred miles, the pup would frisk onto the new lot and scoot for the stake and chain. Then it would dig earnestly for the bone. Failing to find it where he remembered placing it, the puzzled little pup would paw up every foot of ground under the wagon, while the bosses had their daily laugh.

"In 1907 we opened at Houston, Tex., playing twenty stands under the auspices of the Daughters of the Confederacy. John Talbott and I had bought a half interest in the Great Wallace Shows, and, with the combination of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Shows, we had an interest in that organization. We added three elephants to the Van Amburg herd, making five - Major, Babe, Mama, Monte and Topsy. There were thirteen cars back with the show.

"It was a good season. We closed in Whitman, Ga., wintering at Valdosta. In 1908 we opened at Valdosta, and invaded New England. We had purchased two stock cars and an elephant car, and we owned our own train. At Charleston, S. C., we changed the billing to read Howe's Great London Circus, our first use of the title. We closed at Cochran, Ga. In 1909 we opened at Atlanta, playing for the Firemen's Widows' and Orphans' Fund, and we closed at Jacksonville, Fla., Christmas day. We opened there for a week March 13, 1910, and thirteen proved a lucky number for us, for it was that season we jumped into Canada for the first time, playing Montreal July 9. We closed at Charleroi, Pa., October 28, after a big season, and wintered at Verona, Pa.

"An amusing thing happened that season. You gentlemen recall, no doubt, that it was the year of the Jeffries-Johnson fight. Naturally, interest in the bout was keen on our show. But, at that, I don't believe we were as worked up as were the members of the advance. Our special agent was a fight bug of the first water, and he worked out a scheme both to do his work and to see the fight. It was a good scheme. He made two towns a day for three weeks, and made 'em well at that. He left forwarding addresses, and had things done up brown. He saw the fight and returned to his next open town ready to go on as tho nothing had happened. But, when he alighted from the train, Ike Strebig, with a new special agent, happened to be on the platform. Ike told the erring fight bug what he thought of him. It was a good dressing down.

" 'But, Mr. Strebig,' protested the agent, 'I made all those towns right, even if I did make 'em fast, didn't I?' ,

" 'You made 'em fast,' roared Ike, 'but you'll make the rest of the towns on this season's route a darn sight faster. You'll make 'em in nothing - flat! Here's your money!'

"Up to this time we had been a one-ring show. We purchased that winter three tableau wagons, one stock car and one flat. We also acquired the Dode Fisk Show, which we called Sanger's Greater European Shows. We operated it separately. We now made Howe's Great London a two-ring, one-stage aggregation, with 15 cars back and one ahead. We had Richard Dockrill as equestrian director. Our 1911 route extended thru Ontario, Western Canada and the Coast. We closed at Tucumcari, N. M., and wintered in Hutchinson, Kan.

"In 1912 we opened at Hutchinson, moving into Eastern Canada. Ike Strebig died in July, and W. E. Ferguson took over the routing of the show. We closed at Montgomery, Ala. We now acquired the Robinson Famous Shows from Dan R. Robinson, and substituted that title for the Sanger name, with Harry Mann as agent. That winter E. C. Knupp joined us as general agent of the Howe Show. Both troupes wintered at Montgomery. The Howe Show opened the season of 1913 with nineteen cars back and one ahead. The Robinson Show had eighteen back and one ahead. I managed the Howe and Bowers the Robinson Show. There were four 'bulls' with Bert and six with me. We had added Mabel, Betty, Tom and Dutch to our herd.

"That fall both shows ran into Montgomery again, taking the road in the spring of '14 with twenty cars back and one ahead. Both shows wintered in Peru, Ind., that year, and George C. Moyer, who had made the season of '14 interesting with his Haag Show opposition, was secured as general agent of the Robinson organization. George Aiken, the old Robinson manager, was general agent of the Howe Show.

"The Robinson Famous took the road the spring of '15 with twenty-two cars back and two ahead, and the Howe with fifteen cars back and one ahead. The former show had six elephants that year and the Howe Show had four. In 1916 the Robinson Famous title was changed to John Robinson's Circus, with twenty-eight cars back and two ahead. We made the Coast trip that spring. The Howe Show had twenty cars back and one ahead.

' "With it were seven elephants, while the Robinson Show carried eight. On May 13 Ed C. Knupp relieved George Aiken as general agent of the Howe Show. The former show closed in Americus, Ga., and the latter in Brewton, Ala. Both wintered at Americus.

"We took the Howe Show off the road in '17, putting the John Robinson Circus on forty-five cars. George Moyer was general agent and Ed Knupp was traffic manager. The following season, that of '18, the Robinson Show opened with twenty-eight cars back and two ahead. George Moyer was general agent and traffic manager. We closed early on account of the flu at Elizabeth City, N. C.

"Early in 1919 we bought the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus at a receiver's sale. Both it and the Robinson Show took the road in '19 as thirty-car troupes. George Moyer was the general agent of the Robinson Show, and Ed Knupp returned to the firm's employ, becoming the general agent of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Show. The former troupe closed in Holly Springs, Miss., and the Hagenbeck-Wallace Show in Jackson, Tenn. Mr. Bowers has managed the Hagenbeck Show since its purchase. Last year we put out the Howe Greater London Show on fifteen cars, with Dan Odom as manager and Bert Rutherford as general agent. This year we are enlarging the show, increasing from fifteen to twenty-five cars. The title will be Howe's Great London Circus and Van Amburg's Trained Wild Animals. Mr. Odom will manage it and Mr. Rutherford will be the general agent. The show will be perfectly equipped. This winter we bought from H. H. Tammen and F. G. Bonfils, the Denver publishers, the Sells-Floto Circus, and, with it, the Buffalo Bill title. We bought from William P. Hall, Jr., the Yankee Robinson Circus."

This was the end of the story - the narrative of the circus round-up. In the lobby of the hotel a group of men waited to talk business with the boss, and, as he told the tale, Mr. Mugivan realized that he had two days' work to do in one - but he told it patiently.

Someone asked: "Do you and Mr. Bowers always agree?"

It was a blunt question, to say the least.

Mr. Mugivan grinned. "Well," he replied, "we don't ever disagree - seriously. Nothing could cause us to do that - nothing. What's a circus more or less between partners anyway?"

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