The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-07-06
FOREPAUGH's CIRCUS.
A Splendid Display and a Royal. Rece
tiOn at Canton.

1
For the past month the DEMOCRAT has
been filled with glowing advertisements
of the merits Of the Great FOTepaugh
circus, which was to give entertain
ments in Canton on July 4th, and some
of the extracts copied from other papers
were so enthusiastic as to lead people to
| think that they were eXtravagant. But
the performances both in the afternoon
and evening were of such high order
of merit that the fortunate visitors un-
der the acres of canvas left for their
homes with the impression that the half
| had not been told. The Valley railroad
brought the colossal show from Akron
on Monday night, landing them at the
| Cherry street crossing of the Ft. Wayne
railroad, where at early dawn the inter
esting process of unloading was done,
the heavy vehicles being run from the
fiat cars with that ease and speed which
only comes from long practice. The
city, meanwhile, was rapidly filling up
WITH CROWDS OF PEOPLE
Arriving from every point of the COM
pass, the railroads being taxed to their
utmost capacity to carry in the sight
seeing multitude.
The day was ushered in with a cold
raw wind and clouds occasionally
dropped their burden of rain upon the
crowd, which during the day numbered
| at least 10000 persons.
Shortly after nine o'clock the melO-
diOus tones of the steam OrchestriOn an
nOunced the approach of the grand pro-
cession, which was resplendent in gold
and glittering banners, while the superb
selection of hOrseflesh drew forth ex-
pressiOns of admiration all along the
| line. The herd of elephants attracted
much favorable comment, especially
Bolivar" the monster whose original
cost was over $4,000.
THE PERFORMANCE
In the afternoon was witnessed by a
crowd variOusly estimated at from
| twelve to fifteen thousand people, and
the latter figure is not too high, cOnsid-
ering the enormous size of the canvas,
which required three huge centre poles
and forest of side sticks for its support
The entire advertised programme was
| given with a minuteness and faithful
| ness to details rarely seen in a travel
ling show, and increases, if possible, the
feeling of confidence our people have al
ways felt in Mr.. FOrepaugh's promises.
1t is impossible within the limits of
this article to recapitulate the many
| acts of daring hOrsemanship, which
| were all of a superior order, but we can
not help mentioning the wonderful
aerial flights by the SilbOn troupe, and
the backbone chilling trapeZe perform
ances of the Three Flying MeteOrs, JnO.
Worland, Howard DOrr and his little
son, who leaps from an elevated plat
form at the top of the tent diagOnally
downward distance of forty feet, and
is caught by his father who is swinging
by his feet on trapeze thirty feet above
the sawdust.
The school of trained elephants went
through their pOnderOus evOlutiOns in
perfect time with the very excellent
band music.
The tumbling by the athletes was
very cOmmendable, and several new acts
not before seen, were introduced, but
none more startling and difficult than
the three HeTbertS in their classic Broth.
er act, which showed a litheness of mo.
tiOn and suppleness of action almost in
credible in the human anatomy. The
lofty trapeZe act by Mile Victoria, at the
top of the canvas, drew forth breathleSs
expressions of fear, but when she de.
cended from her perilOus height on a
slender rope, grasped with no other sup
port than her teeth, while waving hel
} shapely hands to the audience, the ap
} plause was simply deafening, and thu
reporter had an immediate desire to in
quire the name of her dentist
The trick horses showed wonderful
knowledge, while the plantation melO
{ dists charmed all with their plaintivt
' renderings of old slave songs.
THE GREAT BICYCLE ASCENT,
By SignOr LeOnati was performed in
: manner exactly as shown in the illus
; tratiOns. A tall centre pole supports
dangerously narrow spiral pathway, 81
! feet in length, and when the ride
|, reaches its apex, his head almost touches
the canvas, at dizzy elevation abov,
the thousands of upturned faces. Tht
! ! SignOr started up that cOrkscrew incline
at high rate of speed, which he main
tanned to the top, where after few mo
, ments rest, he turned and came down a
the same rapid gait, fact remarkable
as most persons judged the descen
, would be made slower and with NOR
seeming care. If anything has beeI
omitted in this hasty description of wha
1 it must be laid to the fact that the re
D porter was so intently engaged in watch
D | ing the brilliant rendition of the darinI
D and interesting programme that SOM
) things have escaped his memory, for hi
) note book was not once called into re
quisitiOn-he had no time to write.
THE REST OF THE SHOW.
The collection of rare and curious ami
T mails was very complete, and the ferO
, ciOus felines from the dark continent
were we'll represented. In a mammoth
SIue GeuG WeIe Ine USUAL cOllecGlOn
long white and black haired men AM
, women, the giant, little people, ia
! woman and so on, which all received
. due amount of inspection and com
ment.
In the evening performance the crow
l fell a few thousand short of the after
: noon, as many had left for home on &C
count of the threatening weather, bu
the same programme was given in de
, tail, without curtailment. The cOmpa
=, ny left for Wooster on Wednesday, an
Z to-day will exhibit at Bucyrus and so Of
! west on the P. Ft. W. & G. r. R., and W
l can assure the people of these cities tina
they will not only see everything adveI
tised on their bills, but also see the sam
l rendered in very superior manner.