Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1875-07-08
How Bob WhipDle.s Circus Was closed
by the Civil Rights Law.

From the New Orleans Republican.
$50 you have broken up your circus; how
did that happen =
"Wel, sir, all Of us boys had got leave to
have our circus in the yard. We had door,
keeper at the alley gate, and charged two
pins ticket. but We didn't allow no dead
heads, only it nurse brought baby we
didn't charge for the baby. All OF Us Was
BACKED; some sung and some played bones,
some were horses and was clown
"You must have made nice clown.
81 did that; all the boys said was bully.
Then we had dog that could stand Oh 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 time. We got bet
ter and better, plenty Of grOwed-up people
came, and we was making y first rate season,
you bet.'
"Why did you quit? Did you quarrel
among yourselves? 2
"We]I, sir, Ill tell you. You knew Aunt
Margaret? No, of course you doa't. Well,
she's big fat colored woman, with five or
six ragged and dirty little children. She lives
in gallery room, and could look down if
she wanted to; but she wasn't satisfied with q
gallery seat, leastwise her children wasn't.
They came around and tried to get into the
circus with the white people, through the old
baggiug you know, we had on the side. Well,
the door-keeper asked them ten pins; but that
was only an excuse, you know, and they
didn't have any ten pins, and 50 they had tn
go away. But Aunt Margaret she heard all
from the gallery, and she came down in the
greatest rage. She says, what you mean,
you white trash, by 'fusing to let my chillum
into you show? I'm good as you, and
they is as good as you; and the law is made
for dem as we'll as for you; an you ain't SO
pitched white yourselves, for you has gone
and blackened your face to ekalize yourself
with a Niger
''We said we wasn't going to let no colored
persons in without they paid up ten pins at
the door. Then Aunt Margaret came down
from the gallery and put her hands on her
hips, Just so. She said, Look a here, white
boys, is you gwine to let my chillun in? I'm
livin here, l pays my rent, and you is on my
primises, and I'm titled 10 sec aM dat conaos
! into dis yard. I'm on the free list, am, ON
desc chilun is to- Now, l just want to know
| if dey can come in on de free liss or no.
ask you once We got mad and said VIZ
wouldn't allow no niggers, without they wen
up to the gallery. Then she says, i ask yo1
! twice. One OF the riders cursed her, and
| one of the horses threw an oyster shell at hel
head She says, 1 ask you three times, but
she didn't wait for an answer. She just ruI
at the bagging that was propped up. She
| knocked over the box and scattered. the pins
She stuck her old wolly head through the
papered hoop that was just ready for the dog
| and in less than three minutes she had broke
up everything, and ruined our dressing room
| and all our things. We pitched into her, OF
| course, and her little darkeys. The horses
| and riders and the clown, and the dog barked
and ran around, and some of the people help
! ed US; but she made bully fight, though we
tore off heap of her cloths, and she fell
back fighting and abusing us, and screaming
for the police and the soldiers, and her chill.
dren screamed too. We didn't mean to hur'
them much, you know, but we were real mad
tell you that. So she got back in the gal
lery, and the children got there too, and
when we saw her coming out into the alley,
| and there was sound like a thundergust
We never went back to fix our tent