Wichita eagle., 1888-06-20
A CIRCUS IN MEXICO.
AN AMERICAN SNOWMAN GIVES A
BIT OF HIS EXPERIENCE.

A Troublesome Law for the Show Thai
Bills Too Observation-Disclosures Not
Usually Demonssrasiye-What Il Done
with Law Breakers-SoIdiers,
We have spent most Of the winter in Mex
leo, and have had q prosperous season there.
We were the second American circus to enter
the republic by way of Laredo and there we
leftour special cars and transferred cur out
ut to the Mexican narrow gauge. We had to
give $4,000 bonds upon entering the repub-
lie, and this money was refunded when we
returned to the states. In December we ex-
perienced cold weather, for which the Next
cans and indeed the show people, were totally
unprepared I called on the governor Of
Nuevo Leon, ct Monterey, in company with
the agent Of the National railway. The gov
ernor lives In as elegantly an appointed house
as there is in the state, but he had not stove
or fireplace.
The temperature was below the freezing
point, and his excellency was a very miser-
able man when we saw him. He sat on
thick cushion, with another in his lap He
wore a bat, an overcoat, gloves and even
arctlcs. Sitting in this richly furnished
apartment was cold splendor not to his liking.
We had to put warm blankets on our ele-
plant, Lalla Rookh, to save her life, and as
it was she came near dying. The conduct Of
Mexican people at circus is not SO demon
strative as we had been led to believe. When
ever an act afforded them particular enjoy
ment they would call out, "Dianal DianaI"
and nothing could be done until the band
had played that favorite tune. The national
air Is not heard, except the governor be-
present, or his special permit has been given,
or 1t Is May 5, the national holiday.
A TROUBLESOME Law.
There Is a law in Mexico that NAV bring
into trouble any show that does not give
every feature on the bills, and when we were
in the republic g. short time a report that we
had offended against this law led to the print
ing OF flaming picture, representing our
show as being stormed by the populace. This
was entirely unfounded and gratuitous. We
were never molested in Mexico, except by
men cutting the canvas to look in, and Is
every Mexican carries arms we never
thought IL prudent to object very strongly
The police carry sabers, revolvers and car
bines
One day I saw q pickpocket rob a woman.
A policeman attempted the fellows arrest,
but his saber was wrested from him, and
with his own weapon he was disemboweled-
Other policemen pursued the murderer.
They did not place him under arrest, but
with their sabers they hacked him to pieces
before my eyes. There is no appeal from
magistrates decision unless the otfense be Of
tic highest grade, and then an appeal lies to
the overnor. Occasionally he may reverse
the decision of the magistrate, but by the
time the edict is received the poor fellow may
have been legally executed. We were treated
with the utmost civility and attention. The
governor Of Monterey sent US his band to
play at our entertainments, and soma of the
highest officials presented my partners wife
with tricolor sash, hung with gold pieces of
upward of S240 value. The sash bore the
names Of the donors and the name Of the
lady
The regular price of admission to the show
was 81, but soldiers were admitted for 121l
cents each. This small sum was paid by the
officers. The private soldiers, you know, are
al convicts, and are under guard in times Of
peace. In battle, l am told, they are cour-
ageous and in the main quite trustworthy.
Gambling is universal accomplishment,
and SO adept are the Mexicans at all kinds Of
games that some American fakirs who fol-
lowed the show into the republic with Thin
blerigs and other contrivances could make
no money and returned in disgust-L Il.
French in Globe-Democrat