St. Paul daily globe., 1885-08-03
TRAINED IN THE CIRCLE.
How Men and Women i'm the Ring
Learned Their Business.

How Men and Women i'm the Ring
Learned Their Business.
Philadelphia Times.
''There are no circus apprentices nova
days." said w. d. Hutchinson of Bamum's
show yesterday; ''circus proprietors get
their talent ready-made, and only want the
best The old way of training for the ring
was by an apprenticeship of seldom less
than six years. One of the best old-time
trainers was Levi J. North, who was in his
prime about 1S40. At that time circus peo-
pie were not brought up to do any particu-
lar act 4 good man was supposed to
be able to do everything. to be as good an
acrobat as a juggler, or as clever clown rs
bareback rider. The boy apprentice
would usually commence by learning to ride
pair of ponies. The method of teaching
boys to be bareback riders was almost the
same in those days as at the present time.
They were first put to work on a me
chanic,' which consists of pole sci in the
middle of sawdust ring, with high arm,
over which ran a rope. The end OF the
rope was fastened TO the boys belt as he
stood on the horse, and the instructor held
| the other. AS the horse galloped around
the ring, the pole and arm revolyed. If the
pupil slipped from the horses back he was
saved a fall by the rope fastened to his belt.
They were made to practice three or four
hours day.
Levi North's circus performers were
made up principally of apprentices, and
North himself was performer IN the ring.
For practicing on the road where no
mechanic could be erected a short rope
was tied to the pupils belt and fastened 10
ring in the saddle. This prevented him
falling to the ground. The old gymnaSt al
/ bo1 l,a nurcfp Them
ing. but in these times gymnasts come from
the city gymnasiumS or learn their busi-
ness in the barn loft of the o!d homestead.
Sometimes a performer finds smart boy,
teaches him during the winter and the next
season brings him out in brother or COM
bination act"
Ibid the women riders serve apprentice
ship?"
''Well no-that is not in this country,
for most of our riders are foreigners. Yet
some of the best and most daring horsewo-
men we have ever had in the ring were
American girls. Alice Lake, who capti-
waited the whole country about 1860 by her
riding, was the daughter of 'BilP and Agnes
Lake of Robinson & Lakes circus. She
was taught to ride from infancy, and what
she did not know about circus was not
worth knowing, as her father was a clown
and her mother slack-wire performer. In
the height of her successes her death
startled the professional world.
''Crossing Lake POntchartrain on
steamboat with her husband and a crowd
of friends one day, she leaned over the rail
watching the water, when large diamond
cross valued at thousands of dollars became
detached from about her throat and fell
overheard. She clutched for it, lost her
balance, fell and was never again seen.
''Rose and Sally Sticlney were great
women riders 80 years ago; they served a
sort of apprenticeship TO Sam StlcBney,
the rider and general performer. Rose
Madigan, another good rider of that time,
was also a pupil of her father. One
of the pet stories of the old-tme circus
men is that told about the famous bare
back rider Ella ZOyara, who appeared in
this country about 1860 with S. Q. Stokes.
an old-time Snowman. In New York
Zoyara's daring riding aroused great enthu-
sasm. She did things on horseback that no
woman had ever yet attempted, and, as she
was very pretty and of splendid physique,
she soon had hundreds of admirers. She
began tour of the country, but had not
gone far before she met with an accident
1t was trivial in nature. but most alarming
in its results, for in half an hour the whole
show knew that Ella Zoyara, the beautiful
woman IlU6r, WdS-d lndll. IL MdS dAICl-
ward found out that her proper name was
Omar Kingsley, an American lad. Kingsley
afterward married Sallie Stickney. the rider,
and died in India.
''All the great riders served apprentice
ship in their younger days Jim Robinson,
who was famous in 1850 rs bareback
, rider, served upder his father, John Rob
inson: Bob SticI1ney, who was a favoIite in
1857, was taught by his father, Sam Stick
ney; Billy Morgan, who was with the
European circus as late as 1878, and who
astoniShed people by his daring hurdle
jumping. was another OF the old-time ap-
prentice boys. He was murdered by rob
: bers last winter in Texas. Charles w.
Fish. one of the finest of modern riders.
was apprenticed to Charles Rodgers OF the
l Old circus firm of Spaulding & Rodgers,
and William Dutton served his apprentice
ship with 'BilP Lake"