Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1874-06-04
saw DUST.

Plo0 SAoWnoMs
In all probability the two best known
men In the United States, among show
going people, are Yankee Robinson
and T. T. Barnum. Yankees farewell
visits have been red letter days fol
American youngsters for 10 these many
years. II has been estimated that he
is responsible for exactly five million
furnishings that have been administer
cd by disciplinary parents to truant
nrcllins that couldn't resist the temp
Triton to run away from school to sec
the wonders exhibited under the great
showman's tent. He has the faculty
OF growing younger every year, and
old men that see him now say that
twenty years ago he was not more su-
pie and energetic. As we looked at
the famous amusement vendor, veeter-
day, we saw q face as young as that
we saw in the first circus Of our unre.
generate days, years ago, when we
were moral and not near 80 handsome
as at present. There was tho same
jolly laugh, the same keen eye, the
latter somewhat shsrpened by years of
practice in keeping evening paper To-
calls from stealing under the canvass.
Yankee has q mammoth show, there
is no doubt of that; but after ali he il
the greatest curiosity connected with
it--a man who refuses to grow old,
and keeps the heart OF . boy in body
that has long since passed the years Of
youth.
A checkered life this same noted
Snowman has had. He adopted saw.
dust az q profession from sheer love of
it. His boyish sports all tended that
way, despite tho teachings OF the ami.
able clergyman whose son ha was.-
Yankee had NO fondness for catechism,
but he did like circus, and when Of.
fered . collegiate and ministerial edu-
cation chose the ring. Under other
circumstances he might have been Rev.
+. L. Robinson now he 10 richer and
moro famous a. Yankee Robinson.
Forty-1ve years ago he was the
champion Jester Of the sawdust world.
Twenty years later he was the fore
most bareback rider. Now he IL
without peer in circus and menaeerie
msnsgement-rich in fame md famous
IN name. His. reverend father, al
though much grievsd that his son
would mot follow in his footsteps,
found the declining years Of his own
life made easier and brighter by his
filial munifcence.
But Yankee hasn't found life all
roses. 1t has been Q struggle with him
a. with other successfni msn. One
year he lost one hundred thousand
dollars and started again without =
dollar. His good repufe g . business
man and an honest man served him AZ
we'll a. cash. and he va aba Ia re.
sumo trade With . bigger show than
ever, all bought ON credit. That wear
he ives lucky and paid Il all.
His first trip to England was Z man.
moth enterprise. He loaded an entire
steamship and when he landed in Liy.
erpoOl he set up his tents in Creme.
rome Garden beside circuses that had
millions Of capital and years Of expe-
Iience. The Yankee conquered,
gained the crowd, the shillinas, and
finally the Queen and her Cabinet paid
tribute to American enterprise by Oc-
cupying reserved seats Ct an evening
eutertainment. Shipping his ahoW
home again, Yankeo passed seven
months II Arabia and Turkey, BUYING
fine horses. During . flying trip q
Greece, ct this time, no was tskeu
prisoner by some braeands, and only
returned, after three weeks cugtodY,
on the payment OF 8 ransom amount.
ing to Ave thousand dollars.
Returning to America, the great
Snowman resumed his trayela for tvn