Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-06-09
The Curious People Who Follow Circus.


of peanuts and come back with eighteen
dollars. " Bahama Ben" ''Kid''Bar-
ton, "Frisky" Coleman, Canada Jack"
and " Brummagen Bill'' were fly work
ers. bahama" Ben's specially was
bananas.
The speaker was retired ''candy
butcher" who now lives in Fifth Ave-
nue., and was disguised as Prince at
the Vanderbilt ball-at least such was
the ''taffy" he gave an innocent re-
porter. He continued: The candy
butchers in circus never work the bot
tom row of seats. Country pumpkins
who easily become their prey always
get up on the top benches. They do this
because they are afraid of the'' butchers"
and want to hide from them. The lat
ter move around on the top seats, and
when they find verdant fellow they fill
his girls lap with oranges, candy, pop
corn and fans. If the girl says she
doesn't want them they ask her why she
took them, and make the young man
pay thirteen or fourteen prices for the
rubbish.
Strawberry lemonade men make two
barrels of the delicious beverage which
they sell of ten cents worth of tar
taric acid and five cents worth of ana
line and two lemons. They make
fifty dollars day each. When
they have saved capital enough they
buy snake, hire beardless woman
and start side-show. Barnum keeps
two detectives to watch out for travelling
.swindlers who follow circuses and usu-
ally work in connection with the side
showmen. There are four of them in
a gang. One, who looks pretty solid,
is called the doctor" Another, who
has sedate and dignitied bearing, is
known as the Judge" A third is
| called the SENDER and the fourth the
"dealer." They get into town early in
the morning. They pretend to be bust
ness men. One of them approaches q
| resident of the place and says:
''What's land worthp"
LANDS pretty good round here. Old
man Jones has some to SELL"
SLOWS money!"
moneys tight Old Mr.. Brown has
$4,000 in the bank to lend"
If Mr. Brown is old and weak and in
| his second childhood, he receives q
business call from the Judge" who
treats him to wine and cigars, and in
| vites him to 90 to the circus. They go
into the side-show and find the doctor"
winning heavily at bancO. The Judge
has got the old mans confidence COM
pletely. He asks the venerable relic to
join with him in betting against the
| game. The two will put up $1,000
| each. The judge has his money in his
| pocket and the old man may get his out
| of the bank The old man rushes down
| to the bank, followed by the SENDER"
| He comes back on dead run, so sure
| is he of winning. The Judge and he
| lose. A capper who has advised the
old man to bet actually faints away.
The judge cries like child. He says
| that it will ruin his social standing if
| any one finds out that he has bet
| tell it. He is so heartbroken at having
advised the old man to play that the
latter forgets his own losses and SYM
pathizes with the Judge.
The Judge says he feels culpable at
having innocently drawn his friend into
| an unfortunate loss, and if the old man
will say nothing about the occurrence,
will meet him in two weeks and pay
back the money out of his own pocket
In four cases out of five the victim does
| Just as he is hidden. The swindlers
| leave man behind to watch him for a
week. In some country places they
| close the bank whenever "a circus comes
to town, so the depositors can't draw
their money. The banco men won't
touch guy for $780, They take a
1 nan with not Lose tbop S1 900
1.-THE genius of the show" said a
veteran circus man, sis the advance
agent. He knows every town, hamlet
crossroads, school house, country
blacksmith shop and country mill in
the United States and Canada. He is
acquainted with every country editor
and his peculiarities. He knows
whether the Baptists or the Methodists
are the stronger in any particular vii
| lage. He knows when to spring the
J 'BehemOth of Holy Writ on the natives,
and when to advertise the sacred croco-
die. He is able to steer circus for
I whole season without encountering
rain. He actually forecasts the weather.
In winter he sits in a little room with
\ thousands of books piled up around the
Ikwalls and studies statistics. He gets
the highest salary paid to any one con-
Injected with the circus. 1t is $4,000 a
lyear. He has been fifty years in the
|. business.
II There is an agent at the court of the
ling of Siam trying to buy white
,\ephant. He expects to get the ami
NAL next spring. 1t will be of cream
col r. No white elephant has ever been
SCI in Europe.
I'm expedition sent out by the show is
NOW threading its way through the