Barbour County index., 1885-03-27
sHOWMEn,s RIVALRY.
lively Experiences of a wcstcrn Bnl-
Poster With the Agents OF Two Com.
petlng Great Moral Exhibitions.
nndfananolG. Nou-a1

lively Experiences of Wcstcrn Bill
Poster With the Agents OF Two Com
Peting Great Moral Exhibitions.
indianapolis Newsl
"Thoss flaming tri-colored posters re-
mind me-" said an old bill-sticker to-
day, "of my experience with two circus
agents in an Illinois town some years
ago. was the city biIl-posscr, and
owned all the sisn-boards aud advan-
lageous sights for posting. More than
that, l was the only bill-poster in town.
One night there wa a loud knocking at my
door, and upon answering it 1 at first
thought that a stranger had mistaken
my house for the Doctors, for he was
out OF breath and talked very rapidly.
| soon learned his mission, however, for
he said: Excuse me for arousing you
at an unseemly hour, but it's a matter
OF necessity. / am the Advance Agent
for F's circus. i want TO engage every
available inch OF advertising space that
you command. BIS agent came on the
same train with me, and / suppose will
be here in i've minutes. We show on
the lJth, they on the 1lth. Now name
your price, First come, first served !
told him, and as he said money was
no object, 1 agreed to stick his
posters on every board / had the
next day at double my usual price,
and n pocketful of tickets for the show
didn't get 70 bed that night at oil, for
the hrst agent hadn't turned the corner
when the representative Of BIS great moral
show brou Int me to the door again by
loud knocking. 1 told him that he was
too late, that Y. had engaged all my space
But / must bc posted IL l paint the sky
with my bills, and you must find some
thing 10 stick them to- / happened to
think Of several vacant lots in prominent
parts OF the town, and before morning the
agent and had awakened the owners and
obtained tho exclusive right of erecting
boards on the lots. All next day 1 spent
In fairly covering tho town with paper ad-
vertisins F.'s show. Meantime had high
fences built around the vacant lots, and
the second day spont In artistically daub-
Ing them for BIS benefit. The town BEGAN
TO take an interest in the rival circuses.
Every show window and half OF the pri-
Vatc houses display ed handbills OF one or
tho oihSr of them Business began 10
flourish. l bought 50 much lumber for
new sign-boards that the price ran M.
E1citcment became 50 general that tho
Town Council took the matter up, and =
was granted the privilege of putting up
posters Ia the Courthouse yard. / diyid-
ed the space between the two shows. Fin
any the agents had second story added
70 each prominent sign, and even lam
terms were hung out at night 70
make all the posters legible. +.
oribed the janitor OF the Court-house e
display streamer from the domes. and n.
succeeded in having his colors displayed
| RON the steeples or two prominent churches.
r. piastered the roof OF the railroad station
with giraffs and Ztnus, and b. rented a
residence, which he caused to dazzle with
pictures OF the alligator and the Circassiau
woman Ly the time the first circus wa,
due there seemed to be nothing In the bill.
posting line that had not been done. The
very air was thick with the odor of colored
INKS and paints. But there was one erea,
closing act. The morning of the IOth-P. ,,
day-was just the kind of a day for a biS
crowd; but for some unaccountable reason
tue country people didn't show up verv
uumerousiy- One who came told why. BE
said that few miles out on every road
leading TO town arches had been built acros.
the roads and on them hung words: "Tht
circus has been postponed until to-mor.
row, the llth. The tiger and the Zooloo.
have broken loose; look out for your chill.
dren and cattle.p
+. was 30 mad over the meannesx NJ HI.
1iVai that he actually postponed his show
until the next day, when the people came
by thousands There were enough people
20 MI both tents, and before morning the
crowds OF both shows comminglcd in one
fraternal drunk.