Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-01-24
FOREPAUGH DEAD.
The Great Snowman Receives
the imperative Call.
SUDDENLY STRICKEN IN HIS CHAIR

Incidents in the Life OF the Only Rival
gins Business as a Butchers Boy, and
Closes HIS Career Worth Sc, 900, 600
Growth of His Menagerie Since 1861.
His characteristics.
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 24-Adam Fore
paugh, the veteran Snowman died peacefully
In this city shortly before midnight wednes-
day. The cause of death was heart failure.
superinduced by pneumonia, which was
brought on by an attack of the grip He
was out attending to his work at his winter
quarters and repair shops week ago yester-
day. DIR. ID. Hayes Agnew was called
into consultation Wednesday, and it was
thought the sick man would pull through.
He was talking with young Adam Wednes.
day night about plans for perpetuating the
circus. He then arose, went TO an armchair,
drank a glass of milk, and died in three min
utes. He simply went into perpetual sleep,
and neither suffered nor knew his end had
come Mr. Forepaugh owned 211 houses in
this city, and other real estate. His profit
from his circus ran from $500 900 to $500 900.
He was just finishing sumptuous house
near his present residence and expected soon
to move into it. His father, four brothers,
and one sister survive him
Began Life as Butchers Boy.
Mr.. Forepaugh was born in Philadelphia
in 1890. He went TO work when a small boy
for John Kinckle, butcher, at a salary of
S4 month aud his board, and remained
with Hinckle for several years When 10
years old the boy ran away and went to
work for a butcher in Cincinnati, staying
there two years. receiving $50 for his first
years work, and $40 month during the re-
mainder of the time. With some short in
tervals, in which he followed other business,
Adam stuck to the butchers trade until
lS4S, when he started stage line and ran it
until 1854 This business lad him to buy and
sell horses, and from this he drifted into the
cattle trade. His business grew as the man
developed, and in single year he bought
and sold as many as 10000 horses
Takes an Interest in a show.
In the course of his business he dealt with
John OBrien, who was then running a
small circus, and in 1851 he sold him sixty
two horses for $1,000 and took an interest in
the show as part payment. This was Mr..
Forepaugh's first step in the circus business,
in which he was to become so famous. After
a few months he bought O'Brien circus and
then bought Jerry Mable's menagerie and
combined them. Mable's menagerie con-
sisted of two elephants and eight other ami
mails, for which Mr. Forepaugh paid S42 600
This was in 1865
Big Salary for Dan Rice.
He hired Dan Rice at 1000 a week, in or
der to advertise that then well-known name
as an adjunct of his show, and kept him at
that salary for three seasons. This was a
big expenditure at that time, but the VEN
ture was successful. For eight wears Mr.
Forepaugh continued to enlarge his show,
investing all profits in increasing and better
ing his plant Other showmen predicted his
speedy ruin when he had got together
twenty cages OF animals, but he kept on, un-
til in 1876 he had forty-four cages. At that
time be gave up trying 70 move his show BY
wagon, and had trains built expressly for his
aggregation as he called it,
Goes into Trust" with Barnum.
Since that time he had kept on building
up and simplifying his show until he was a
recognized rival of the perennial Barnum.
After some little competition the two show
men came to an understanding and planned
their tours so that they would not cross each
others line of march, and for the last few
years DaiHuiI HdS never cxDlDlteQ IN Pllla-
delphia, which town Mr.. Forepaugh always
called his home. In the early Cos Fore
paughs show was about the only one travel
ing through the country that might claim to
have frst-class menagerie Barnum at the
time was conducting his museum at the
corner of Broadway and Ann street, New
York, and so did not come into competition
with the Philadelphian
Always Had Good Luck.
Show printing was not then the art that It
Is to-day, and Forepaugh's six-sheet posters
were considered a marvel During his
whole career Mr.. Forepaugh never had any
bad luck, moneywise. He bought improved
real estate freely in Philadelphia and Brook
lyn, and some years ago his houses and lands
were worth 100000 His wealth at the
time of his death is estimated at g, 900 900
He was a careful manager and paid personal
attention TO all the details of his business
He was a rough, illiterate man, but was
possessed of great energy and shrewdness
and was notably fair and generous in bis
dealings, He was a despotic master, but
knew how to reward good service, and was
great favorite with all his subordinates. He
leeves a widow and one son, Adam Fore
paugh, Jr.