Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-08-07
TIE ADVANCE AGENT.
Two EnterpTisiBg Gentlemen ant
Their Ways Described.

Two EnterprisiBg Gentlemen and
Their Ways Described.
Virginia New Chronicle
Last evening a Chronicle report
er overheard a couple of discharged
stake-drivers relating their expert.
ence in a saloon over their beer.
"Billy Simms," said one, "was
the boss advance agent-the live
lest cove you ever saw to go ahead
and work up business. He could
handle the press, you bet. He'd
keep about two weeks ahead, and
the papers would go wild over what
was coming. This was his game.
He'd take the local editor off one
side and tell him that the boss
wanted a good, live man to write
up star notices at SIS a week and
all expenses paid, and he was the
man for the place. He would then
give him a letter to the manager,
strongly recommending him, and
slide off next day, leaving the local
editor confident Of his being en- the
eve of a big thing. The letter was
just a guy and was always addressed
wrong. The reporter would then
start in to show what kind Of no.
tices he could write if he only laid
himself out to do it, and the paper
would be nearly all circus. The
agent would work up the next
newspaper man he met the same
way, and, by lingo, he kept the
country just blazin' with excite
ment ahead with stories about the
lions, rhinosceroses, tigers and 60
rillas breakin' loose and devourin'
whole families. He was buster,
that advance agent, and when he
died the show business lost q shinin'
light. The only man who ever
came anywhere near him was Bot
Filkin, who is travelin' now fol
Forepaugh."
"Pshawp remarked the other
"what was that alongside Of Jakl
| Bradley? Jake and | started ou
drivin' stakes for Barnum in '61
| When Jake went ahead of a circu
the concern would have to be wa
up or he'd be more of a show thar
the circus. recollect one time he
took bill.poster and made hin
slap the bills right on the tomb
stones in the Presbyterian Gene
terry, and then he went and covered
the whole side of the Methods
Church, with elephants, tigers
ligons, zebras two-horned rhinoce
roses; that is the sort Of a cheese
press he was. When the preache
came out to expostulate, says Jake
$50 in, you old duffer; don't tn
bible tell us to beautify the SaDctu
airy and make the house OF the Lore
glorious? Pm chuckin' a little stylC
on your old hencoop-making VI
, for its glarin' architectural defci
= encies. Them's all bible scenes
anyhow, and represents Noah get
TIM his menagerie together in tn,
ark 1t inst paralyzed the gospel
izer, and he took a walk. Jak
had the solid cheek, you bet, anC
nothing alive phazed him a hair
He knew when he plastered thu
Presbyterian Cemetery with small
bills, and the Methodist Ohurcl
with pictures, that 'twouldn't hur
business because the Presbyterian
never go to shows, nor the Metho
, dists neither, and the town wa
mostly 'Piscopalians and Unitarian
who stood in with him. One da
= he stood at the door Of a Sunday
school and dirtributed small bill
to the scholars coming out. A
, the top was a cut of Moses in tb
bull-rushes and some extracts from
scripture appropriately phucked in
i and then the advertisement of tn
next circus performance, Chiarin
: sat and cried like a child when tn
> trick mule kicked Jake's brain
. out"
, Here the two men asked the bar
! keeper to trust them to anothe
! quart of beer, but it was no go, an,
! they slid off to hunt up a dry good
box to sleep in.