Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-09-19
4 CIRCUS MANS START.

The following is taken from a sketch
of John Robinson, the circus manager,
whose death recently occurred in Cincin-
natl
In the winter of 1916, the gypsy caravan,
for the Buckley & Wicks circus was
but little more, brought up at Boston,
seeking shelter from the bitter blasts OF a
fierce New England winter, in a rather
comfortable, if not commodious barn, just
at the outskirts of the city. John, now
some fifteen years of age, was employed
rs a night Waterman at a salary OF $40
per month, with grave doubts Of ever see-
ing the half Of it. 1t was a most fortunate
engagement for him, however, as the Sc
quel will show. His ambition, as we
have said. was p%rodigiOus, and having dis
covered that the star of any circus Organl-
zatiop at that day must necessarily be a
rider, he determined to become a master
of the pad saddle before the winter
closed. Horses, Of course, he had not, es-
pecially those trained for the purpose, as
these were usually the individual prop
erty of the riders, and kept away from
the common circus sheds. A boy of John
Robinson's wonderful force of character
was not to be deferred from a purpose by
a difficulty such as this, however, and the
resolve of becoming an equestrian having
been made, he began looking about for
means of its accomplishment.
There were the baggage horses-why
not try them? They had never run the
ring" it was true, but they could be
broke, and that they should be was at once
determined upon. At last the long covet
ed opportunity came. One dark night,
when every one had left the barn or shed,
John slipped from his bed of straw, light
ed y few tallow dips about the practice
ring, and then brought out the lead horse
of the baggage team. Round and round
the twain kept moving until nearly morn,
when both rider and steed were so thor
oughly exhausted that to move further
was a matter almost impossible. The
next night, or rather morning, the young
Hercules was at it again, and rested not
until daylight. When the first horse had
been thoroughly broken a second was
brought out, and then a third, and finally
and handling them in such a manner as
Thus, under the cover of darkness, mas
of discovery and instant discharge, did he
labor on, until in the end he was the
greatest four horse riderin the world. Not
until the show was ready to take the road
in the spring, however, did the audacious
STRIPPING present himself to Buckley &
Wicks to make known his desire to ap-
pear before the public as an equestrian.
However, when ne had mustered c0ur-
age for the task, he proposed that he be
given a position as a performer, and when
asked what he could do, told them Of his
achievements. When laughed at for his
seemingly audacious assertions, he brought
out the four horses and surprised the en-
tire circus caravan by the boldness Of his
riding.
From this on he was a star of the Buck
ley & Wicks arena, and frequently related
with pride the startling poster gotten out
by the managers announcing his daring
act. It was a sheet of common paper,
about 2Sx42 inches in extent, printed in
plain black with a rough wood cuts repre-
senting four horses in a string, with the
rider on the back of the "wheel horse"
"They looked more like rats than horses"
Uncle John used to say. The startling an