The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-11
NO MORE OF THE KIND.
Fairs Like Those of Indiana in Years
Agone Seen Now no
More.
A Modest Man Who Attended the
First and Was Part
Thereof
Some Pumpkins in Those Days worm
Looking at-very Fast Irotting-
~ Loves Disappointment.
x 49,


.,,.. E;o,,e in tbe presence of an lndlanap-
80. Nc ronorter, when the Ananias club
was called to order. 'Ot course 1here nave
been fairs for thousands OF years. bus
mean only Indiana state fairs.
..Tbo fret one of that kind was held at
c.rhr;6ce CITY in 1896. was Is years old
NJ that time, and exceedingly smart for my
noe and l think can say truthfully that
90, ,bo onlv man IN Indiana low living
vbo attended that fair, or, at least, the only
o,o ~ho has vivid remembrance of its
every detail. The exposition ouliding
occnnied 100 acres, and was built or
brick partially burned. 1t was seven
teen stories high. and had tower from
,,hi.h one could see the entire United
States This tower, however, was not built
Of brick, but was the trunk OF tree. Inc
tree standing was 700 feet high, and shorn
~ 10 limbs and branches left trunk 5UO
feet long and seventy five feet in diameter.
II voc followed out, and inside was
spiral staircase. Landings were maze III
eyery fifty feet, and near each was
window that was only pane OF glass loxl'
feet. On the tiptop was platform where
the people used to stand ana watch the
earth revolve. The main building vas
divided into apartments. the same rs our
exposition building is, but believe they
had halter exhibits: that is, | mean natural
products. for we didn't have SO many diff
ferent kinds of machinery then as we have
now, and consequently they were not on OK
hibltion.
II remember one year the managers made
q run on pumpkins, and the person who
raised the biggest one was to be sent 10 the
legislature and have poem written ABOUT
him. A Marion county man captured tue
premium. His pumpkin was % feet hlgh, ~
feet in diameter and weighed three tons.
don't remember his name now. but ne was
sent to the legislature just the same. and
his pumpkin was brought to this city and
placed on exhibition. Ii stood for num-
Der of years where the Spencer House ls
located now, and band of robbers cut
q hole in it and used it as cave, but Capt.
Bruce (great- grandfather of our Capt.
Bruce) drove them away.
But to return to the fair. AS it was the
only thing Of its kind in the west the at
tendance was very large, and as it was held
all the year around the managers made q
great deal of money. The first train of
cars and the first steamboat were among
the articles exhibited there, if my memory
serves me true. Such horse racing as We
had! Regular flyers and no mistake. Why,
have seen horses go so fast that the driver
and sulky would stick straight into the air.
Yrotting pacing and running nowadays
amt nothing. l owned little brown mare
that could make half a mile in half
minute and not think much Of it. Why,
she made a mile in three-quarters one even
ing after working hard ut the pillow all
day. A horse that couldn't trot a mile a
minute was barred off the track as no good.
We had balloon races, too, and they occa-
stoned q great deal Of fun.
Il was in balloon race myself one day,
and the way We split the air and shattered
the clouds into little bits was q caution.
We we're sure to win, when fellow who
had good deal of money bet against us,
fired rifle ball into our balloon. This let
out the gas. and down we went. There were
twenty-three reople in the basket, and all
were killed except me. | happened to have
OH linen buster. and that helped me out
a good deal by catching the wind as l went
down. think was pretty lucky to fall
1900 feet and live to tel! about it. The ex-
position was held in Cambridge City for
many years. and would no doubt be held
there yet but fer the tact tina; Indianapolis
is the capital Of The state. Tbs buildings
at Cambridge were destroyed in u mos'
novel manner.
part of the ST tc al old lnuiun chief KNOW
rs Step-onH His Face. He had a beautiful
daughter called Howiing Rainbow, wht
was beloved by every one who knew her.
was rather badly gone on the Rainbow my
self, but didn't make any particular vel
about it. One day Howling Rainbow cam
to the fair with young white man fion
Centerville, and this made her father mad
because this young white man only had 20
acres of land and half thousand o
horses. So he goes away and gets drunk
puts on his war paint. and stalks hnughtil
into the fair grounds. HoWling Rainbo'
and her friend were getting into the mel
ry-go-round,' when she noticed her fathe
striding toward them. :.
''Al..' she whispered (for twas I wit
herr: al. papa has his jag on, and is lool
swell, let him look
You don't know him, Al. He Is hie
kicking rooster when he gets started, Al
now If he says anything to you, Just pass
by aB If it was joke
"'Oh, certainly l laughed. I'll ju
Fulyerize him if he gets too funny.
Here our conversation ceased. The I
Ireland, was near by us.
"Yourg man. began Step-on-His-Fa Fat
i am not at all pleased to have you fot
ing around my family. My daughter II
chump-
".Oh, papa
Don't interrupt meme, tho chief Of
the Indians in this locality. say Il
dowling Rainbow is a chump.'
That was more than could stand, q
casting one fond look at the bronzed m
den at my side, let drive with my fist
her paternal ancestor. / missed him,
struck corner in the building. The bl
Knocked hole in the wall through VIII
Won could drive load of hay. Tho bui
ing began to shake and totter.
1t is falling / screamed to the crov
ana % 1t was Thousands of people VOL
ee killed! ground into atons!! bur
beneath falling walls and timbers!!! B,
was on hand; l, who was the innoc
cause OF the threatened catastrophe, wo
avert It. With lightning speed spran&
ene totterlng wallis, and sinking my b,
deep into the mud, braced myself.
cfeaklnR noise ceased, and the walls Y
steady and for ten days held that build
until not only We're the people all out,
the stock was removed, the exhibits Ia
away and everything valuable cleared on
harms way. Then let the building ce
down. 1t was never rebuilt" !.
What of Step His Face and How
Rainbow?e
Both lived to ripe old age. but I n,
spoke to either of them aoainS They n
ID AL the trouble.''
SPARKS FROM THE WIRES.