The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-09


those parts. The railroad was eight miles
IRON tombstone, and the towns numbered
IN that region were SO far apart that it
would not pay judicious manager to take
a caravan across country. The cowboys,
the stage robbers, the miners, the proprie-
tors, the gamblers, the bull whackers, the
merchants, the clerks, the loafers, the laiies
OF leisure and the gentlemen whose avoca-
lions were not described in the directory
were on tHe alert for the great event.
The show as advertised to appear on the
Fourth of July, and among theinnumerable
attractions pictured on the blll-boards was
that OF a balloon ascension. As early as the
last days of May, when cowboys and stage
robners parted on the streets, they allege
IN the parting adieu that they would meet
at the circus. The local papers were filed
with the great event for weeks. and all
events were dated before or after the circus.
AT last 1t came. -Four wagons, painted in
gaudy yellow, preceded 10y four and fol-
lowed by two horsemen, appeared in town
unheralded about o'clock on the morning
of the Fourth Of July, 1879. Tombstone sat
up late and seldom arose before OF 8 o'clock
III the forenoon. But when Tombstone was
awake there was always hustle. About
10 the town was ready for the circus, and so
were Charleston, Dos Pesos, Contention,
Silver Gulch, Cochise, Poor 10, Tough Nut,
Paradise Lost, Black and Tan, Murphyville
and several other towns in the neighborhood
that had come to the metropolis of the
mining district in force. The manager of the
circus called the Mayor of Tombstone out of
bed at the ungodly hour of s in the morn
Ing TO get license to exhibit. The Mayor
and the Aldermen had been in executive ses-
sion the day before, and noting the big
preparations for the circus concluded that
there was big money i'll it, and that stiff
license fee should be charged. Everybody
and his wife and children or best girl was
ready to attend and plank down coin of
the realm to the extent of 81 Lead. So the
wise city fathers concluded that they would
rake some of the win into the city treasury.
1t was voted unanimously that the circus
people be charged $3.50 tor the privilege of
entertaining the people of Tombstone and
vicinity within the city limits.
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 couple of hours. The audience
laughed at the clowns chestnuts with all
the forms of good breeding. The elephant
was walked around the ring with the painted
clown on top of him, and there was not a
pistol pulled. The Greatest AcrobatS in the
world twisted and tumbled in the arena
In fact everything went on smoothly I'M
til a gentleman with a swaIlow-tail coat
and his hair parted in the middle came out
and made speech, thanking the audience
for their attention and hoping that the cir
Gus would have the pleasure of entertaining
them when next it came around Now, up
to that time there had not been a single
man killed inside the canvas. Of course
the couple of fakirs VINO tried to sell re-
served seats and special tickets for the 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 am
phitheatre. Growing was the order of the
day at first. Neighbors cOmmuned with
each other and said they were victimized,
that they were bilked, that the confidence
game was played on them. Then Jack
Ringo 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, whats de matter wild de
man dat was to be chawed by de lionF
1t was painfully evident that the gentle
man in the swallow-tail was embarrassed.
His supply of words had run short and he
could not make an answer Then Reddy
Kilgore, noted in the region as the most
talented and most successful stage robber 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 tigerF' The party with the
swallow-tail with hair evenly divided be-
tween the eyes, was still at a loss for words
He grinned gently, but did not speak Then
a woman from Contention took hand in
the proceedings and asked. when is the
hienner and de boa constructor goin' to have
der millW
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 :
mister, 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 Ringo, 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 general fusilade, cowboys, stage rob-
bers, prOspectors, miners, gamblers and
more people took "a hand and soon there was
nothing but smoke visible.
The sequel is simple. The circus men
who came within range of the bullets 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
it was the proper caper to release them and
let the people see them. Then the non
combatants began TO agitate the sand in
the direction of Tombstone. You bet the
women and children and the husbands and
fathers Travelled.
And the boys had heap of fun when
they started a fight between the elephant
and a 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 canvasmen and lions and tigers
with big bullet holes In their hides. That
was the last circus that ever went to Tomb
stone.