River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-09-21

played in both the amphilheater and
the Mount Pitt circus in one evening,
which was considered great feat in
those days. He eventually left the pro-
fession and turned temperance lecturer
in which vocation he was quite as sue
cessfll as he had been in Glowing, for
he had the power to make his audience
cry and laugh by turns. Walter Will
liams, who came over here Glowing
with an English circus and played at the
Broadway amphitheater = afterward
the New York Tattersall's-was a fair
general performer and really good
clown, but could not rival Archy Mad
den. The next clown of note who re-
ours to my memory was Joe Black
burn, gentleman who had had a fine
collegiate education, and who took up
the Glowing business through a liking
for it, simply. He travelled with Oscar
and Purdy Browns circus, the best per-
forming circus in the world, in my
opinion, in those days at least, and
was q very great favorite IN the south.
Another southern favorite, particularly
in Baltimore, was Billy Myers, good
tumbler and an excellent clown. John
Gossin came next, and was the boss in
his day. John May, Joe Pentland,
Dan Gardner, Sam Thrift, Bob Lowry,
Sam Lsthrop, Bill Creighton, Mike
Saunders, Aleck Rockwell, John Wells,
Joe Cleveau, Gill Eldred, Mat Buckley,
Wise Hammond, Charley Austin,
Archie Hughes, Gill Cullen, Sam Long,
George Stone, and John S. Whitaker,
all old time clowns, were not only
clowns, but singers as well, and riders,
tumblers, vaulters, slack and tight rope
and wire performers, and several OF
them were good actors. also.
ga very accomplished clown of the
old time was Nat Austin, or perhaps,
to do strict justice to him, should say
Jester rather than clown. He was a
master of French, Spanish, and Ger
man, generally well-educated
man, and one of the best testers
that ever wore the cap and bells.
Bill Worrell, the father of those well.
known actresses, the Worrell sisters,
was good clown in his day. At one
time was ringmaster at Welsh's am
phitheater, Ninth and Chestnut streets,
Philadelphia, when he, Pentland, Gard
ner, and Gossin were all under engage
ment, and my place for the fortnight
was not an envisble one, | assure you.
They were all originators, net the sort
of clowns that are made by teaching,
but men of native humor, who could
always see and utilize the funny side OF
anything, and they were liable to spring
some new joke, or gag, or trick on the
ringmaster at any moment. Samuel
Lathrop, the comedian, used TO be
good clown. Billy Fay used to be
lester rather than a clown, and was also
an excellent portrait painter. Out in
Cincinnati his artistic work was very
highly appreciated. Arthur Nelson,
DIR. James Thayer, and, latter, Dan
Rice were all fine esters, but the king
in their peculiar branch of the profess
ssion was w. +. Wallet. He was by long
odds, the best jester ever heard-witty
and prompt in his repartees, with q
keen sense of the humorous and almost
magnetic sympathy with his audience
that carried them along with him. In
those days you must remember, we had
no mammoth triple center-pole-and-
three-rings circus tents, and clown
could easily make himself heard by the
whole audience at once. But
team man could not do that now. Dan
Rice made his reputation rs Jester
by initiating Wallet in his Shake
spearean and poetical quotations, but
would have done better had he co
fined himself to legitimate Glowing,
which was his natural forte. William
Stout was educated for the ministry
before ne took to clowning, and was in
mis- day famous, not only as clown,
but as wrestler and - herculean per-
former. 1t never appeared that his
early religious training did him much
harm in his business. Bill Gates grad
uated from clown to comedian at the
Old Beverly theater.
CLOWNS are, as a rule, the most
genial ard improvident of circus men.
| see that Mr.. Greshfeld, or whoever
he is, in the interview you have just
shown me, talks about clowns having
fancy for buying farms. / don't be-
lieve any clown ever owned II farm
any longer than it would take TO throw
flip flap and draw up new title-deeds,
without it might be Dan Rice, and he
got his rs a manager, not as clown.
No; the clown would doubtless by a
farm if he could, but how can heY
His salary runs from $50 to 800 per
week, according to his ability, general
ly averaging about $50, and that is only
for season of twenty.six to thirty
weeks. Half the year he has to keep
himself with nething coming in. How
long would it take at that rate to buy
farm-even a little pony sort of
farm?"--NeW York Sun.
--s--t-e--