The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-01-31
Death Of Adam Porepaugh.
HE suooUMBs TO AN ATTACK OF PNEU-
MONA.

MONA.
Adam Forep,u,h, Sr., the veteran
Snowman, died at mis- residence in Phil
a1elphia of pm Juno lia. last Thursday
superin luced by grippe. Mr.. Foe
paugh was 6S years OF age. He leaves
q widow and one son, Adam Forepaugh
Jr.
SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.
Adam Forepaugh, proprietor Of the
well known circus and menags gsrie
known as Forepaugh's Aggregation,
was born in Philadelphia Feb. 2S, 1881
He began life az butcher boy in the
employ of one John Hinckle, at sal
cry of $4 month and his board. At
the age of 16 he ran away from home
ard went to work for John Butcher,
butcher in Cincinnati, who is still liv-
ing in Crawfordsville, Ind. Young
Adam remained in his employ for a
year auG half.
Leaving Cincinnati, he entered the
employ of John Gray, butcher and
horse dealer. Returning 10 Philadel-
phia, he was in the butcher business up
to l848, when he embarked in running
stage lines, and continued therein up
to 1854. While in the omnibus bust
ness Mr.. Forepaugh dealt in horses and
cattle, and bought and sold in a single
year as many as 10000 horses. In
1861 he sold John o O'Brien, who was
running small wagon show, sixty. two
horses for $4,000, and took as part
payment an interest in the show.
At this time Mr.. Forepaugh had no
idea of permanently embarking in the
show business, but, visiting the O'Brien
show in Pittsburg, he purchased the
same, and, buying Jerry Mabie's me-
nagerie, combined the two, which for
med the nucleus of the great Forepaugh
show. The Mabie purchase consisted
of two elephants and eight animals,
for which he paid $4,000, aud the
property was delivered to him at T~el-
fth aud State streets, Chicago, on the
very day of the assassination OF Abra-
ham Lincoln.
q bohO w dbNAhOb
Dan Rice was secured at salary of
$1,000 week for thirty weeks, and
at this figure he remained in M. Fore
paugh's employ for three seasons. Fol
eight years the earnings of the show
were invested in its enlargement. Mr.
Forepaugh increased the number oi
cages on exhibition until they number
ed twenty, when the veteran managers
declared that he was on the road to
ruin. Next the number was increased
to thirty, and at last to forty-four.
Up to 1876 the aggregation had
moved by wagon but having now
reached such gigantic proportions he
had constructed his own trains Of
sleeping, coach, fiat, box aud stock
cars, as we'll as q special car for tn.
transportation of his business agent,
aud advertisers. Of late years Mr.
Forepaugh had increased his uenag
erie each season by direct importation
from the wild beast dealers Of Europe
He perfected arrangements for
grand hippodrome performance in con
nection with his ponderous menageri
and circus, for which purpose he pur
chased abroad large number of blood
ed and fleet horses, engaged traine
and expert jockeys, and had mad
racing cars, modelled after the chariot
of ancient Rome and Greece, and ex
hibited perfect fac simile OF tn
games and races for which the al
clients were celebrated.
1t was his boasts that he "own
controls and exhibits more wild an
mails, and individually possesses MOI
show property than any other singl
! person or firm in the world 1t is
, remarkable fact that during Mr.. For,
paugh's managerial career, he nevt
q suffered a financial reverse, but durin
q many years continued to add to h
fortune.
He was large real estate holder
Philadelphia and Brooklyn, and in tn
former, his native city, he owned nea
ly one hundred houses, making h
real estate possessions foot up over
= million dollars.