Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-04-24
THE CIRCUS BoYs.
An Episode of Civil Right. in, New Orleans.

An Episode OF civil hlghts IN new Orieans'
$50 you've broken up your circus
how did that happen9" asked a man of
a lot of boys. 4Ea
"Wen, sir, all of us boys had got
leave to have our circus in the yard. We
had a doorkeeper at the alley gate, and
charged two pins ticket, but we didn't
allow no deadheads; only If nurse
brought a baby we didn't charge for the
baby. All of us was blacked, some sung,
some played on the bones, some were
horses, and 1 was clown. Then we had
aRdog that could stand on his hind feet
and march like soldier, and he jumped
through the hoop, too. The house-that
is, the yard-was crowded, and we struck
two papers of pins every tine. We got
better and better, plenty of growed up
people come, and we was making first
rate season, you bet"
"Why did you quit? Didyou quarrel
among yourselves3"
"Oh, no; we was all friends and di-
vided the pins equal. We didn't have
no stars to take all and leave us to pay
for the candles. No, sir"
"What was the matter, then 2"
"Wel, sir, I'll tell you. You know
Aunt Marget? But of course you
don't. Well, she's a big, fat colored
woman, with five or sixragged and dirty
little children. She lives in a gallery
room and could look down if she wanted
to; but she wasn't satisfied with q gal
lery seat, leastwise her children wasn't.
They came around and tried to get into
the circus with the white people, through
the old bagging, you know, we had on
one side. Well, the doorkeeper asked
them ten pins; but that was only an ex-
cuse, you know, and they didn't have
any ten pins, and SO they had togo away.
But Aunt Marget she heard all from
the gallery, and she came down in the
greatest rage. She says: What you
mean, you white trash, by 'fusin to let
my chillun into wo' show? I'm good as
you, and dey is as good as you; and de
law is made for them as well as for you,
an you amt so pitched white yourselves,
for you has gone and blacked your face
to ekalize yourself with a niger.
"We said we wasn't goin' to let no
colored persons in without they paid up
ten pins at the door. Then Aunt Marget
came down from the gallery and put her
hand on her hips, just so. She said:
'Looka here, white boys, is you gwine to
let my chillunin9 Tn livin' here, L pays
my rent an you is on my primmisses,
and I'm titled to see all dat comes into
dis yard. I'm on the free liss, I am, an
desc chillun is too. Now I Just want to
know if they can come in on the free liss
or no. [ ask you once We got mad
and said we wouldn't allow no niggers,
without they went up to the gallery.
Then she says, 4 ask you twice One
of the riders cursed her, and one of the
horses threw an oyster shell at her head.
She says, Il ask you three times, but
she didn't wait for an answer. She Just
run at the bagging that was propped up.
She knocked over the box and scattered
the pins. She stuck her old woolly
head through the papered hoop that was
just ready for the dog, and in less than
three minutes she had broken up every
thing and ruined our dressing room and
all our properties. We pitched into hor,
of course, and her little darky. The
horses and riders and the clown, and the
dog barked and run around, and some of
the people helped us; but she made a
bully fight, though we tore off heap of
her clothes, and she fell back fighting
and abusing us and screaming for the
police and the soldiers, and her children
screamed too. We didn't mean to hurt
them bad, you know, but we were real
mad, [ tell you that. So she got back
on the gallery, and her children got there
too, and when we saw her coming out
with bucket of slop, we fell back into
the alley, for we didn't want our clothes
ruined. So we all came away; but if the
boys catch her or any of her brats around
we'll give 'em fits for breaking up our
circus"
Cant you have it somewhere else ~
"We haven't got anything to have it
with, without its us and the dog. But
we'll put it up again; but there shan t
no niggers come in, not for a hundred
pins. They would ruin any show"
" But saw you playing marbles with
a darky the other day"
"Why, of course. we couldn't make
up the game without him; besides, he
had a pocket full of falleys that we wanted
to win Of him. But circus is very
different.