The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-10-28
Mercy! Another Dead Man !!

" Mercy Another Dead Man =!
From the Shclbyyillc Gazttte.l
AT old John Robinson's circus on
the 18th lust, was AZ old lady about
sixty five years Of age, who bad never
seen u circus before. She gazod with
wonder, awe and admiration at the
grand entry of men, women, boys ana
Urls on horseback, marching and
counter. marching in their g~orSeously'
tinsclcd dresses, on their richly caparI'
soned horses; and she thought that
fellow with the striped tight brooches,
painted face and high sugar.loaf hat,
was "saltinIy the biggest fool she ever
seed" And when the clown INDUCED
in some Of his inimitable wit or droll
grimaccs, creating o general laugh, she
said
{" can't see, for the life o me, what
they ar %Iaughin' at that fool fur. lhcy
alers did say that my o John was a
fool, but | know that he never wus
such n big fool as that Teller"
But when some Of the performers
came out in their usual t~lesh-colored
tights, and began their somcrsaultlng,
the good old lady quickly hid her lace
behind her turkey wing fan, and ex-
claimed:
Good sakes alive! why them men
are most start n~aked-nothin' but
hippin' on"
She was assured, however, by her
friends, that the performers we're not
really naked men, and she was induced
to look up and see the tumbling; but
when the men, especially Mr.. S%tickney,
would leap into the air, the old lady
would quickly turn away her head and
exclaim "Mcrcy! thar's a dead man,
shore" And then she would ask, with
bated breath;
SIS he lit y
And when assured that he had, and
wasn't hurt, and that they were all
right, she said: .
"God be thanked but wish they'd
stop that, for | know that they'll all be
killed"
Finally, when the trapcze perform
ancc began, the old lady watched the
preparation with breathless interest,
until the two men went up, hand over
hand, and perchcd themselves upon
the round cross bars, when she broke
forth again:
"What in gracious sakes have them
fools got up thar on them little jists
furY / know they'll fall and break
thcir nccks."
But when the two men began their
most dangerous icats of falling down
full length and catching to each 9th.
cr's feet or hands, the good Old lady
became much frightened, and jumped
to her feet. eXclaiming:
"Oh! marciful God! thar's two
more dead men, sartin."
And Selling her little grand-child by
the hand, left the circus, turning a
deaf ear to all entrcatics to stay
saying:
"Oh! ! cant stay here and see them
men kilt themselves any longer. Thar's
been at least n half dozen killed al
ready, and gracious knows how many
more will be killed before they get
through. Oh! mercy! Come along,
child, and less git right out q this
horrible place. This is the first sarcus
ever | was in in my life, and if the
good Master will forgive me, I'll never
90 in another. Oh me"
And she hastened out without ever
looking back. On the outside she told
nearly every one she met:
"Don't 60 inter that awful place; q
whole lot Of men hev been killed, and
thar's no tcllin' how many more will
be. When | left thar, they were jest
climbin' up in the jists and fallin'
down and KILN themselves and
grown men were all the time comm
out thar in the ring, before all that
crowd, most start naked, with nothin'
but hippins on; and the women didn't
have much drcssin' On. Sakes alive !
| never seed SIGH carryin' on in my
born days. l do wonder when they
ar goin' to bury them dead men"