Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-05-23

How the Cowboys Took Hold and Man.
aged IL in Their own Way.

IL was IN 1879 that StOddard's circus and
great geological exposition visited Tomb
stone, writes an Arizona correspondent to
the St Louis RepEbicaH. II was heralded by
glazing pictures on the bill boards, dead
walls and local papers for more than a
month in advance. There were pictures of
a man escaping from the jaws of lion, of a
woman defeating tiger in a single combat,
Of blood-thirsty contest between a hyena
and boa constructor, and Of awoman riding
seven horses pell nell at once. The advent
Of the show was awaited with interest and
with good deal Of Impotence.
1t was evident to the natives that the
circus was TO be an event in the annals of
the town. A circus was a rare event in
those parts. The railroad was eight miles
from Tombstone, and the towns numbered
IN that region were so far apart that it
would not pay judicious manager TO take
n caravan across country. The cowboys,
the stage robbers, the miners, the proprie-
tors, the gamblers, the bull-whacl5ers, the
merchants, tho clerks, the loafers, the ladies'
Of leisure and the gentlemen whose avoca-
tons were not described in the directory
were on the alert for the great event.
The show was advertised to appear on
the Fourth Of July, and among the innumer-
able attractions pictured on the bill boards
was that OF balloon ascension. As early
as the last days of May, when cowboys
and stage robbers parted on the streets,
they alleged in tho parting adieu that they
would meet at the circus. The local papers
were filled with the great event for weeks,
and all events were dated before or after
the circus.
At last il came. Four wagons, painted
in gaudy yellow, preceded by four and fol-
lowed by two horsemen, appeared in town
unheralded about six o'clock on the morn
ing Of the Fourth of July, 1879. Tomb
stone sat up late, and seldom arose before
eight or nine o'clock in the forenoon. But
when Tombstone was awake there was al
ways a hustle. About ten the town was
ready for the circus, and so were Charles
ton, Dos Poso, Contention, Silver Gulch,
Cochise, Poor Lo, Tough Nut, Paradise
Lost, Black and Tan. Murphyville and sew
eral other towns in the neighborhood that
had come TO the metropolis of the mining
district in force.
The fun began when the gang found they
were not going to see all that had been adj
vertised. The show went on decorously
| enough for a couple Of hours. The audi
ence laughed at the clowns chestnuts with
all the forms Of good breeding. The ele-
plant was walked around the ring with the
painted clown on top of him, and there was
not pistol pulled. The Greatest Acrobats
in the world twisted and tumbled in the
arena
In fact, every thing went on smoothly I'M
III gentleman with swallow-tail coat and
his hair parted in the middle came out and
made speech, thanking the audience for
their attention and hoping that the circus
would have the pleasure of entertaining
them when next it came around. Now, up
to that time there had not been single man
! killed inside the canvas. OF course, the
! couple of fal1irs who tried to sell reserved
seats and special tickets for side-show on
the outside, and who were promptly shot to
death, don't count.
When the gentleman in swallow-tail coat
announced that the performance was over
there were murmurs heard all over the
amphitheater. Growing was the order of
the day at first Neighbors communed with
each other and said they were victlmized,
that they were bilked, that the confidence
| game was played on them. Then Jack Rim
| go, boss of all the cowboys and rustlers in
the region, arose, with his yellow hair in
! picturesque ringlets streaming over his
shoulders, and asked the gentleman in
swallow-tail: What's de matter wild de
man dat was to be chawed by dc lionF'
| 1t was painfully evident that the gentle
! man in a swallow-tail was embarrassed. His
not make an answer Then Reddy Kilgore,
noted in the region as the most talented and
most successful stage robberi in all Arizona,
arose and in tones as gentle as the murmurs
! OF the neighboring Santa Cruz inquired:
! "When is dat gal in knee brooches and bare
/ arms goin to have de set-to with the tiger!''
The party with the swallow-tail, with hair
evenly divided between the eyes, was still
at loss for words. He grinned gently, but
did not speak Then woman from Conten-
ton took hand in the proceedings and
asked: "When is the hienner and de boa
! constructor goin' to have der miI."
Still no reply from the gentleman in the
swallow-tail, who balanced himself from
foot to foot in the middle Of the ring There
was silence for a whole minute and then
Jack Ringo, who was still on his feet, said /:
"Nlister, If you don't trot out dat lion and
man I'll shoot" This was menacing, but the
boss OF the circus was still smiling. He did
not smile long. Jack Rinro, who had been
nervously lingering his pistol for some time,
finally pulled and the gentleman IN full dress
fell to rise no more. Then there was a gen.
eral fusilladc, cowboys, stage robbers, pros
! pectors, miners, gamblers and mere people
took hand and soon there was nothing but
smoke visible.
The sequel is simple. The circus men
WIN Cetlhc Nlllln range OF inc outlets were
either killed or disabled. The rest took to
the prairie, and when the smoke cleared
away the circus was in the hands OF the de
luded patrons Then the show commenced
in earnest. There were two Mexican lions
Gagged up and the cowboys announced that il
was the proper caper to release them and
! let the people see them. Then the non com.
batants began to agitate the sand in the di
rection of Tombstone. You bet the women
and children and the husbands and fathers
travelled
And the boys had aheap Of fun when they
started fight between the elephant and q
cougar. Whenever a circus man showed
himself he was promptly popped over, and
when the gang had surfeited themselves
there was nothing left but lot of dead can
vassnen and lions and tigers with big bull
let holes in their hides. That was the Las
circus that ever went to Tombstone