The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-01-10
Me oIe and Bloody Combats
Between Canvassmen ard
TownSfoik.
TownSfoik.

| Dan klce and Uncle John kuOl sou AMI
! Forepaugh. and i've seen many a tough
fight between the people aud the show
meu. When Joined they used to hire
canvassmen a much for their ability L"
| fight as to work. A canvassman watch
Ing the tent is just like a man watching
| his home. He'll fight in a m mute If the
outsider cuts the canvas, and If a crowd
come to quarrel he viii yell: Hey. Rubel'
| That's the circus rallying cry. and look
ont for war when you hear II. Almost
every man about a show, no matter
what he is d ing, will start and rush to
the place that cry comes from; aud hc
viii take any weapon he can lay his hAul>
on. too. Sometimes tie parties tiit
ca sc the trouble are Knocked down aud
The matter ends, aud sometimes othcrs
take their part and the fight lasts long
time. I've heard them yell Hey, Rube!'
many a time, and seen as bad fighting Us
| did In the war. ! was with the cid
Van Amburgh party when ,hey did tough
work, | tell you. Ihcrs was the fight
at Steubenville, Ohio In 1857, when they
killed three Of the outsiders, and lost a
man in MurireesbyrG, Tenn, when John
Inns got killed In 1873, at Toledo. a
bow tried to get under the canvas and q
Snowman struck him Some one raised
the cry of 'murle , akt there was a
Eight and finally they arrested the whC't
how. In 1865 we mad 1t hot at Rock
and. Me, 4 party forced themaely
into the side show, and tiled the sal t
game at the circus door. they were
! drunk. Billy Simpson, the boss can
yassmau, HAD men AT the Dlg show door
ready for them, and the Mayor read the
riot act, and said he would deputize
the shoWmen to keep order. The gang
Thought they could get In anyway, and
at last some one was hit aud the cotilion
c~ommenced' 1t was a fine party to tackle,
and the way that gang was done up was a
caution. Seven corpses, | think, and
only one OF them belonging to the show.
hen we got 10 Cohoes we had another
just like 1t.
in Patterson, n. j., about 1855,
Dick Sands was told the gang was going
to tear his show To pieces, so he goes
over to New York and gets Tom Hyer.
the fighter, who then kept the Punch
House in the Bowery. Tom got a gang,
aud when the tight began il was a stun
uer. Hyer had about twenty men trom
the Bowery and some friends in Patter
son, besides, and they went at 1t with a
will. There's never been d big fight
there since. What was the worst Ugh ?
Why that one at Jacksonville, Texas,
with the old Robinson show in 1875
Moves show had a fight there once aud
Jour men were killed. and the Orion
show got cut to pieces t'ere. A bad
town an bad men; and c~ircuses don't
show at night there. One drunken fei-
-, 200. INTO tho RnhIncon Shon and
seats himself on the ring-bank, and they
and get Il gang. They were going to run
shall told the men to protect their prop
erty, and they did. The gang walted
around until evening, and when they
were loading the show on the cars they
commenced. Gil Robinson asked Uncle
John what to do, and the old man says:
Let EN- swear all they want to, but if
they shoot, give them the best you've
GOT A shot was fired, and they went
al it. The show had about fifty car
bines, and they were all in good hands.
The fight began about half past 3 O'Clock
IN the afternoon and lasted until Ii at
night They charged and fought in the
st eets and about the cars, and % were
hillSO anu LDOIC ludii ~ "OuuuSu' IL
was a regular battle The show lost I
men. They final got the train away,
bat the people undertook 10 saw down a
railroad bridge just out OF the town. As
the train passed it a volley was fired and
one man killed. The next day they We're
at Crockett then Huntoville.) Houston
and Galveston. The authorities took
the show bills and sent out warrants iOr
an Tho ,,n, .rEO<n nl,a- rrora "a, ho.,
but they were lost by the Sheriff, and
the most valuable part OF his show on
board boat aud went to New Orleans.
leaving a good deal Of property behind
be was billed to appear. The show has
not been il Texa since.
The reason the show loses so few men
is because they are prepared for fight.
As suon as 1t commences they seize the
first weapon that they can find, aud fight
as bulldogs fight. Ne run there. They
have to stay. If they run they are sim
ply going away from home and assistance.
Then, you see, practice makes perfect.
and they are generally cool and sober
aud know what TO 10. Eurepaush got
into a row in Kentucky, aud had "a run
mug ight FOR three days, and they finally
-eut a regiment from Louisville [, pro
tect and let the show out of the State.
John O'Brien used to have what is called
the Irish Brigade aud woe it was to
those they battled with. There have
been several eases where the militia have
been CALEB out, end the whole show ar
rested. Cooper &tRailcv's circus had a
tight at Quinc, In 1872, aui a negro POI
i;oon., -.- E;licI ~, a. I'LL. ,r..
rung, the militia came, aud every man
bolon.i, 9 to the show wa. arrested and
held until Che following dav. when it was
shown that the policeman was in the
wrong and the circusnien right. Harry
Glse, the boss canvasman, was hGed S4Ot
however. for hitting the policeman D.
Mott & HilgarP> circus was surrounded
alter a fight in Iowa. ii few years lgo.
and all arrested. Besides these genera
lows I've told you ah0u: there have been
a great many cases in which a revolver
has been irawn, usually by q drunken
man, and the Snowman has dropped lead
or mortally wounded. Many an owner
of IL show has died at lis door, some
drunken brute who wanted to force his
force his wav in, firing the fatal shot.
John May, a clown with Mabie's show,
was shot in Missouri in 1857 by a party
who did not like his jokes. james Me-
Farland, of the Sparkling & Rogers par
ty, was killed at Liberty, Mo, IN 1858.
j. Leonard, a dou,keeper for Buckley
exhibition, had his lead cnt off in Geor-
gia by a man to whom he had refused ad-
mission because he was drunk. In 1866
Jack Robinson was killed at the door OF
Robinson circus in Crittchden. Ky, ard
Il fight followed III which FIVE other lives
were taken. Gil Eaton, an agentof Rob-
lnson, was killed in The same way at