Demoine courier., 1854-12-07
From "Barnum's Autobiography" now in
press by ]. S. Redtield, n. Y. =.
A PERILOVS JOURNEY.

In 1895, | was travelling iE the South
as proprietor of a show which was
called ''Barnum's Grand Scientific and
Musical Theatre" The performances
Of ;eats Of legerdemain and
b 'lanc NJ by Joe PenllaHd; plate dancing
sill, performances and juggling by Signor
Vivalla. the lit'le Italian whom ! picked
up while exhibiting old Joice Heth at
Albany,) and negro extravaganzas BY
Bob White anu Others.
Penlland's iegerdemain table had the
usual ,rap.door for passing things to his
preparatory to the magical
transformations presented 10 the spec,a-
tors. The quarters below were pain
fully narrow for a man of my size. but !
volunteered for the occasion in the alb.
sence of The %diminu,ive employee in tina,
line OF business. Squeezing into the
allotted space. | found lha, my nose and
my knees were likely 10 become acquaint-
by close vertheless, tho
heartily wishing myselfout OF the scrape.
| held d live squirrel in my hand, ready
10 wind the chain Of a watch around ms
neck and hand him up through The trap
door when needed. r.
Pentland's arrangements of vases,
cups. balls, and divers other accompani
ments Of !egerdemaIn, were on The table.
10 due line, he called Tor a watch with
a gold chain. Ohe OF The spectators
favored him with The article, aud il was
soon passed into my possession, under a
vase and through ,he lille trap door in
the top of he table. Awkwardly per.
forming my part. the squirrel BIZ me Sc
veiely; | shrisked with pain. Strengthened
my neck hfst. then my back, hen my
legs, oyerthrew The table, smashed every
~bfeakab!e article upon II, and rushed be-
HAD he curtain! The squirrel galloped
oil with The watch around his neck.-
Penlland was struck .speechless. but If
ever there was hooiing and shouting in a
mass OF spectators, u was heard tha;
night.
la passing from Colcmbus. Georgia.
TO Montgomery. Alabama, we were obi
gcd 10 travel eighty mills through a very
thlnly settled and desoia,e portion of
Country known as the ''IndIan Natlon."
At this time our government was gather.
ing IN the lndians. and lodging them in
encampmenis a. various posts under q
strong guard. preparatory for heir MI
grafton 10 Alkansas. The chief portion
OF the Indians came in voluntarily, and
were willing to be removed 10 their new
home; but there was a good number OF
''hostiles" who would not come in, bal
who infested the swamps near the road
leading from Columbus TO Montgomery,
and who alnos, daily murdered passen-
gers who had occasion to cross through
The ''lndian Nanon." Many considered
II hazardous to pass over The load with
q strong scor. The day previous
TO our starting, the mail stage had been
stopped. the passengers all murdered
and the stage burned, the driver escaping
almost by a miracle. l, was with m, ch
trepidasion tina, we determined upon in-
curing the risk. Our chief hope was,
ihat owing TO the large number compos.
ing our company, and the Indians being
scattered in small bands, our appearance
would be too formidable for them TO risk
ar attack. We all armed ourselves with
guns, pistols. bowie knives, etc., and off
we started on our journey.
None OF us felt ashamed TO acknowl-
edge that we dreaded 10 incur the risk,
excep. Vivalla. He was probably the
greatest coward among us, bn, like mos,
OF that class when they feel pretty safe.
he swaggered and s,ru,ied about with
much apparent importance, laughing at
US for our fears. and swearing that he
was afraid OF nothing, but il he me, fifty
Indians. "he should give them one devil
OF a licking, and send dem back TO de
swamp in no time" The cowardly little
brsggadocio vexed US much. anG We dc.
,erm'ned if we ever GO. through 10 put
his courage 10 the test.
The Erst day We travelled thirty miles