Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-24
THE CIRCUS.
John Robinson's Circus and Menagerie
Yesterday.

John Robinson's Circus and Menagerie
Yesterday.
Robipson's circus and menagerie exhib-
tied here twice yesterday to about 5000
people in all. In the forenoon there was
the usual street parade, comparing fayora-
bly, with those that have preceded it. The
tents were pitched in Agricultural Park.
They are immense structures the circus
tent alone being 800 feet in length and
over 200 feet in width. The menagerie
tent is quite two-thirds as large. The
tents being big" the show is correspond.
ingly "big," and Mr.. Robinson's use of
the word upon his bills is fully justified.
There are some two dozen cages of ami
mails, including lions. tigers, bears, hyenas,
monkeys, remarkably fine specimen of
the giraffe, the ibex, llama, sacred oxen.
armadillos, South American rat, foxes, lion
cubs (born in captivity. wild bears. ant
eaters, and several other cage animals.
Elephants, camel horses, ostriches, ponies
and some other ring animals complete the
list. Larger menageries have shown here.
but with probably not greater variety of
exhibits. The attendants in the menagerie
were very obliging, and excellent manage
W
The circus performance engaged a very
fine lot of horses, and was given in three
forty-two foot rings, and within an eleven
hundred and ffty-foot turf-racing or hippo
drome course.
The circus had some novelties that have
not been surpassed in any other-as for in
stance the swing perch; the revolving upon
a suspended wheel high in air; the manag-
ing of two admirably trained horses by
female rider; the hurdle jumping by horses
ridden by two women; the driving at
break. neck speed of twenty eight ponies
by lad; the obstruction race by attaches
of the circus, very amusing affair; the
graceful bareback riding of Josie Demott,
the champion female rider of the world;
the management of trick horse by the
same rider; the several acts of bareback
riding by VIM. Demott and Geo. Holland;
the representation of a cowboy quadrille
on horseback, and the slack rope swinging
by skilled performer.
In addition there were jugglers, trapeze
performers, flying .trapeze leaping, aerial
bicycle riding, contortionist exhibit, club
swinging, trick pony and donkey exhibit
ton, high. kickers and jumpers, cannon ball
tossing, slack-wire walking, bareback rid
ing by several women, performances on
swinging rings, etc. The athletic and GYM
nastlc performances were not, except as
noted, superior to what have been given
here before, some of them were not up to
and some were below it. But in
such multitude of feats, this is not at all
One feat by strong man,
lifting wine cask by his teeth, head and
hips, with two men astride the cask was
well performed.
The hippodrome was the best ever given
here for variety and speedy running. 1t
very good Roman chariot race,
a variety of humorous races, some very
fine hurdle jumping, some good foot-rac-
ing, pony and donkey races, jockey races,
a polo race, pony chariot racing and other
features.
There was no tumbliDg, no leaping by
athletes, as in the old-time circus; but, on
the other hand, there was but one pad
rider. while there was great deal of fine
bareback riding. John Lowlow was the
clown, and there is no other like him in
address and skill in winning an audience.
He had four assistants of the old order.
AS whole, the entertainment, excepting
the expected gymnastic performances by
the Zulus, who contented themselves with
an impromptu foot-race, was a fine show,
and what Robinson advertised it to be-a
big concern and well managed. Two
features we're especially creditable-plenty
of cold water was supplied for the people
and the performances in the rings stimuli
were, in the main, alike, so that
the audience had really three sets of each
of the ring acts, excepting only the fine
riding by the Demotts and Holland, and
three trick horse exhibitions. The show
left last night for lone.