The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-06-26
THE MODERN ANANIAS.

A&enG'-d6TOlC conduct OF d udllahC
Reporter.
From the Virginia City (Nev.) Chronicle. !
Yesterday afternoon a dapper little
man, with two-ounce cane and half
pound cluster diamond pin, came into
the Chronicle Office and asked if the
amusement reporter was in. When the
man he sought was pointed out the
stranger grasped him warmly by the
hand, remarking Delighted to meet
you, sir-really, 1 am. I've heard of
you at every place I've stopped on my
way from New York. l had such Gu
riosity to see you that got off at Reno
and took run up. But really l had
expected to find much older man, con-
sidering the magnificent reputation
your dramatic and circus criticisms
have given you. All of our boys told
me to be sure to see you, if didn't get
aboard of any thing else in the town"
"Ah," said the reporter, blushing in
four colors, 81 am glad to see you.
Might inquire your name?'
"Well, here's my card" said the lit
tie man, handing out piece of paper
about five inches square, "you have
heard of me before-Clarence De Lacy
Slocum, agent of the Sebastian Van
Buena Vista Circus and Menagerie.
This is by far the hugest combination of
gigantic circuses ever put on the road.
We started out about five years ago in
q small way, with not over four hun
dred thousand feet of canvas, only nine
tents, and scarce fifteen hundred AMI
mails, but we gradually absorbed all the
small-fry shows. They'd 60 into bank
ruptcy along the route, and we would
buy their outfits. Sebastian, our own
er, is the most sympathetic man on
earth. He'd buy their poor little shows
and pay double price, just to help the
poor devils along. Money is of no &C.
count to him. He's travelling simply
for pleasure and desire to see the great
West"
"Td like to know him." remarked
the reporter.
"Oh, he knows you-that is by rspu-
tation. He has your picture set in a
frame that cost him 500. He was say
ing to me one night that whenever bus
mess was dull he just took look at
that phiz of yours and it always made
him feel as happy as if he was obliged
to turn five hundred people away at the
door,
Chow came he to get hold of my pic
ture?'
"Oh, he begged it of De Murska or
Modjeska. or Clara Morris-I forget
which. She hated like thunder to part
with it, but you see he had loaned the
great actress $4,000 once in Paris to
buy wardrobe and some jewelry for a
new piece, and as the debt was never
Cancelled she couldn't very well refuse.
But just came in to give you little in
formation about our show. l always
like to give man all the points when [
know he possesses the talent to handle
them in the right style. Some fellows
down at Reno and Carson tried to pump
me, but l didn't propose to let a de-
scription of my show be mangled up by
scrub writer's. Besides. Sebastian tele-
graphed me from New York last night
not to let any body but you get aboard
of the first grand description Just
mention four miles of cages containing
wild beasts, with twelve new varieties of
elephants and recently discovered
monster from Africa called the jabber-
wock, which weighs 5000 pounds"
"Indeed!"
"Yes, sir! and man like you, with
a fine descriptive ability and inexhaust-
ible command of language which has
made you famous in two continents s-''
"How many columns do you want?''
"Oh, as many as you please"
"When will the show be herep"
'Perhaps not for two months; ii
takes such long time to move the ami
mails that our progress across the coun.
try is slow"
"Just so. Well, our figures for big
circuses like yours are $3.50 column
cash down, and 80 per cent. of the gross
receipts if the show is success"
The circus agent seemed greatly af
-fected. "Isn't that rather steep?" he
said.
"It would be, perhaps, for small
provincial journal like the New York
Herald, or even the London Times, bu
we circulate such mammoth edition
that the price is comparatively trifipg
Fourteen freight cars come up every
day with paper for our edition, which il
worked off on five big Walter presses
lightning geared. Our expense fol
steam alone, sir, is $4,000 a day. W.
have more carriers than you could pacl
into your largest tent. Our Eastern cir
culation has been increasing at the rat,
of thousand day for the last two
years. By simply cutting down the siz'
of the paper an eighth of an inch ou
proprietor has saved enough money t,
build four school houses worth $4,000
each, and endowed an orphan asylum
in each county in the State. He doesn'
run the paper for money, but just simpl
for his health and because he likes tn
country. Our mailing and folding ma
chinery would remind you of the Risdol
| iron-work." -. ....s.
els it in this building?"
"Oh no; this is simply the branc
office-the place where we write up cir
cuses. Our principal establishment
The circus agent groaned as if in agon
and fled from the Office.
THE Rev. Lyman Abbott, editor 9
the Christian Union, baptized in Farm