Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-11-07
YANKEE ROBINSON.
An Old Associates Recollections Of
the Famous Snowman.
The Originator OF the Gorgeous
Street Parades.Ability and Eccen.
tricity.How He Wrote His
ShOw.Bllls.

lChicago Tribune Interview
ITO be sure knew Yankee Robinson said
Mr.. j. l.. Hutchinson, Of the firm Of Barnum,
Baily & Hutchinson His real name was
Fayette Ludowic Robinson
Were you ever associated with him in the
show business"
Yes; for several years l Travelled with
him. Once ] was about to leave him, and he
said, Stay with me one more year and I'll
make you so valuable that / can't afford to
hire you"
He was quite prosperous at one time, was
he not,n
Il should say So In 1865 he had the
largest and best show, circus and menagerie
combined there was in the country. He
must have been worth sl00, 900 at that time :"
Was he man Of original ideas.r
Yes. He was the originator Of the hand
some street parades. OF course one Of them
in those days wouldn't look like much now,
but they took like wildfre then He was the
most original advertiser ever saw Every
once IN while-well, almost every day-we
take in half dollars stamped in the metal,
'Good for one admission to Yankee Robin
sons show Of course the half dollar was
good, and is now, but there are people who
keep those pieces until circus comes along
for some unexplained reason. Then be used
to have song he sung, and had poster
made of the music. each note being about
two or three feet long, and he would paste it
up on the fence. There would be crowd sur
rounding il all day, and humining the music.
He was also very egotistical Once the
advance agents got water-bound in some Illi-
nois town in high water in the spring, and
the show caught up with them, SO nc notice
was given Of our coming TO the people. 1t
was his practice under such circumstances
TO ride ahead one day on horse to some
little town, and. seeing a crowd of loaiers in
the street or in front Of saloon, he would
approach them and ask them if they had
ever heard Of the great Snowman Yankee
Robinson. Some would say yes, others no.
He would then swell out his chest take off
bis hat, and say: He stands before you.
Feast your eyes. The show will be here to-
morrow But the poor old man has been
down at the heel for the last ten years. He
played n very successful engagement in
Crosby opera house here before the fire,
having Sanyeah. the first female gymnast
He made pot Of money there
Robinson was a man of unbo,mded ey-
travagance. He presented his family phy
o4N'"h httt III tiiNdSo WIFI Al r-bDD uIi-
mond ring when / knew that he had lust
brought horse for 5000 in st. Paul. pay.
ing down $500 and still owing $500 on the
horse. You remember play he used TO
have, Stand Down in the Hail. A sort of
Yankee play it was. Years ago he lived in
Houeoye Falls, \. Y, and l believe he was
born there The place is right near Canaan
daigua. He used to keep a shoemaker's shop
there many years ago, for he has often
spoken to me of it. think he married his
first wife there His second wife he married
IN Chicago. He was man Of great ability,
but he needed some one TO curb him and sit
down on his wild projects. He used to have
a business manager that could control him
pretty we'll and then he made money"
Wasn't he rather eccentric."
Yes. Some people used to call him crazy.
! have known him at times to commence
pulling his beard out a single hair at time,
and before the season was out he wouldn't
need razor That's a fact But thea he
people, too. In writing his show
bills he would use the simplest language. He
never called the show 'transcendant aggre-
CATION of wonders 1t was always his big
show, and nothing else. But when left to
himself he would always go to pieces. He
had no idea Of management He was a man |
Of original ideas, but very bad executive abil- |
ty. Peace to his ashes