The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1881-04-07
BARNuM's TRIPLE CIRCUS.
spangled Men, Graceful Women, and
Splendidly Trained Beasts.

The first performance of Mr..
Barnum's show this season was
given at the Hippodrome last eve
ming. There were three rings in a
row, and at 8 o'clock the seats,
stretching from the point marking
the inner edge of the old pedestrian
track up to the caves of the great
building on all sides, were
black and gorgeous respectively
with male and female spectators.
The place was in a glare from a
score or more of electric lights.
At the hour named burst of
music from numerous brass instru-
ments filled the Hippodrome, and a
cavalcade entered the triple arena
from four points through gate
ways under the lofty benches.
The whole company was mount
ed on steeds which magnificent
ly cavorted. How many there
were nobody could tell, but there
were enough to fill the great en-
closure with q delirious glitter of
spangles, which was broken here
and there by the sCmbre expanse of
an elephant or a camel. At one
moment there were = score or moro
of elephants -parading in a row, and
the next moment there was nothing
but broad simmer of gold and
silver apparel sprinkled with ele-
plants in hardly noticeable degree.
When the cavalcade had become
absorbed, once more under the
benches Gen. and Mrs. Thomas
Thumb drove up in their carriage
and descended upon the blue and
red carpet of the central ring, and
Chang, the Chinese giant, one of
whose shoes would have furnished
roomy lodging for the General,
sauntered into near proximity to
the little pair. The Colossus and
the pigmies had barely departed
when the enclosure was filed with
the comprehensive tame animals of
the show. Elephants, horses, cam,
els and COWS mingled in seeming
confusion for q few moments, uDtil
one of the COWS discharged a pistol
which had been conveniently at
tached to stake. and the cattle
were replaced by troop of span
gled gymnasts, including a clown in
baggy trousers, who after a period
of clumsy deception outdid all the
rest.
After that man got up on q pile
OF more chairs more precariously
placed than any other man could
do; q beautiful woman, who looked
as if she had been melted and
poured into a pair of green silk
tights, made herself quite at home
on a slack rope; man with dull
and long suffering air was whopped
about by every body, and grotesquely
and frequently buried in saw-dust; /;
a horse that was expected to jump
obstinately refused to do so, and re-
peatedly kicked down a five-barred
gate as the easiest method of get
ting over it; a woman with an iron
jaw hung to a block and tackle
with her teeth, and was drawn up
to the roof; Japanese jugglers per-
misted base balls to rebound in an
apparently painful manner from
their shaven crowns; little ele-
plants, the size of hogsheads, stood
In the most amazing and side-split-
ting fashion upon their heads, and
looked ashamed of themselves at.
terward; large elephants drilled
like a trained band, were goaded for
an occasional piece of stupidity by
their trainer, and constructed them
selves into q mammoth pyramid;
ladies smiling, 1.-the and shapely,
flew upon the trapeze and rode
amid a general breath holding upon
mettled chargers-as did less inter
estiDg men-aGd ali the leapers and
tumblers at last jumped over all the
horses and all the elephants, and
amid thunders of applause closed
the show.
Nine. Still, who puts. the pan
theirs through their courses, was
scratched badly on the hand and
arm by a vicious panther at the
performance. She said that the
beast was ready enough to go
through a public performance, but
could not brook Tehearsals. She
was not surprised at his exhibition
Of impatience.
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