The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-10-05
A EY0HTIN0 CIRcUA



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CALpwBnn. Kan, Oct. 1.-The Orton Com.
pany circus. which was engaged In the riot
down In Burr Oak tho othcr day. 10 cutting
along now on crutches. 90 to speak. Its season
has been ono Of carnage from first TO last. and
few OF the mon who started out with Il arc now
Of tho party.
We've buried ono clown. said the boss can
vasman here. two teRnsters. and three can
yasmen. and there aro don't know how
many in tho hospitals along tho route 1t has
been hard season. The boss may have made
money. but the men haven't"
The performances in this town were about
the only orderly onos which the N ow has given
In month. Many OF the performers were dis
abled. and most Of them wore . little wild.
eyed. but things won't smoothly enough. The
crowds wore large and good natured.
Things look worry different here" said Jim
Knight. the door tender. waving his hand
toward the weli-llled tent. " from what they
have In most Of the towns where we've been
this summer. This laughing and shouting
does me good. It sounds like old times. Az .
ruiz. We expect the fighting to begtn about now.
IL would tako INC week to tell you what
this show haa boon through since We started
We caught It the first night. and that's . bad
sign. never know Q circus to get into trouble
the first night without going through tho sea-
son that way: but no other show ever got 1t
the way we have I've been tending door for
sixteen years. and know what I'm talking
about I've carried Winchester In every town
until struck this one and ia have done II
here out on habit II the City Marshal hadn't told
me II wasn't necessary.
Up here in Spring wells took my scat on
the Marshal tap1sd me on the sho S S aed
said no didn't allow anybody to carry rifles in
put i away. He drew hinssli ap as Siat az he
never compromscd with hs law f Grs"ser n"t II u
d., aiant put az the wa pom he would have e pull
| carried the weapon into the dressing
aIo SrInx LEAVING nav hun to guard the door
he let about twenty rouahs in without
tickets. found THIS out. and undertook to
rshi , them They ressted and we had il
around aud tod us to let them alone, The per-
iormnncc began lust then. and nothing moro
town We found u mob following us. and as soon
,.s we got out on the high way they lie, us have ~
Ihs trouble Win !Gat gang. though was THAT
let up until We had Killed one OF them It's ter
r,Die WEARING for circus men to DO hunted In
tlt&t way Our work Is hard enough at best
but with those follows Oh our trail We didn't
dare sy 20 sleep.
it, esF e S.ss en ss sosi
They don't pay. stand ossry thing but N urdsr.
s ws d that ss s sSs
best policy. and the next town we showed in
Wellington. Thing, appeared 10 be going ali
right; was ut the door taking tickets, when
and pretty soon there was u stampede OF men
women. and children ,rS out Of the door and
u dozen shots and tprrifie walls 7 vpf
one of the men to stay at the door while
went over to the side show to see what WAS
the matter. On presenting myself at the door
him quarter before could get in. Once in
side saw sight that made my hair stand on
end. Six or seven cowboys had gone in to whip
the Norwegian giant. and they mad done it, He
tiles in procession marching around him.
while one OF them WAS turning the hand organ.
and the performance in the main tent went on
Down in Chiffon we had a fight before we
fifteen minutes during the day and night. We
lost two men there. and got out of town badly
c;rirredd At Decatur we found crowd that
Of our riders drove . little too close to then
they baEan to chase the performers out OF the
the show went along all right 70 the end. When
We we're packing up at night. the tonghs came
submit to that sort of thing very, long Our
men pitched in. and We had about the meanest
they sliced n few Of us in bal shape but We a SO
laid a lot OF them out. We never stopped TO
inoure as to ths fats OF any of them We got
our own men together aud started. leaving a
broken wagon behind.
AN these fights come from whiskey but q
| very lively disturbance that broke up our per-
| formance over in q little Missouri town was
| directly due to the bottle. The clown and the
ring master were getting on that old joke OF
batting bottle Of whiskey. The crowd ap-
| pccared to be deeply Interested. After little.
| when the ring master lost the clown insisted
| en- having the stake. and the former sent To the
| dress Ing room for the bottle. As tho clown
| took il from the hand Of tho attendant he
| pulled the cork guiped down half II dozen
| swallows, smacked his lips. gaspsd rubO.d
| himself with tho bottle and then put
| II TO his mouth again. just then somo-
| body III the audience yelled ont. Hold on.
there; give me Just a smell OF that!' The
clown paid no attention to the nterru ption UNI
til he saw "A big fellow climbing over the ropes
| and then he ran to the other side Of the ring
| The ring master. noticing the intruder. wound
| his long whip around his legs. and moment
| later there were twenty men on top Of him. We
came mighty near having a murder right there,
| but the killing was postponed until after We
| got to packing up. That's the time they always
jumn on us ugly.
49," We have fought our way through Kansas.
can get In q few days Of rest like this in Caid-
we'll we'll be In pretty good shape for o tour In
that country don't know what = getting into
| the people. II the folks down that way are as
much worse than they used to DO a. the Mis-
sourians and kansans are. We are going to our
| DEATH aud know II"