The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-08-12
THE FOREPAUGH SHOWS.
The Great Entertainment Will BE In Hel
ena Aug. ~.


The Great Entertainment Will Be in Hell
ena Aug. ~.
When Mr.. James f.. Cooper, the present
owner of the Adam Forepaugh shows, pro-
posed to bring his immense concern to the
far west the wiseacres in the show business
shook their heads, while the proprietors of
other concerns which have had their own
way in this section of the country, were
seized with q perfect frenzy of alarm, know
ing full we'll that the public would not be
satisfied with them after seeing and learn
ing the vast superiority of the %Forepaugh
shows; some Of them had the audacity to
go 80 far as to tell the public that the Fore
paugh shows wouldn't come west of Omaha;
that if they did they wouldn't come in their
entirety, but only in part. When they
learned, however, that the Forepaugh shows
really were coming II would give identi-
cally the same programme in every detail
as they gave in all the largest eastern cities,
piteous cry that the monster shows
were coming west merely for the sake of
crushing out all opposition, and appealed to
the public for that sympathy which is
sometimes accorded the under dog in the
fight, especially if the under dog is the
doesn't care for anything except to see the
shows which give the most to see, hear
and enjoy for its money, and the business
now being done by the Forepaugh show is,
accordlngto all reports received, something
totally unparalleled, as the shows are, both
in magnitude n merit. There is only one
opinion expressed by eastern newspapers
of the Forepaueh shows, and that is, that
they are easily much the largest and best
shows ever seen in America, SURPRISING
largely in every respect any of the shows
the veteran Forepaugh possessed while in
the flesh. The press of the west is simply
r%e-echoing that opinion with greater en-
phasis, perhaps, because of the fact that
in the east they see the Barnum show, the
only other show in the same class, and
nearly as large as the Forepaugh shows, and
don't get the contrast the western critics
do with the smaller shows they are accus-
toned to seeing.
In addition to the immensely greater size,
the ~Forepaugh shows are noted for several
features in their management which will be
decided innovations in this country.
Among them is the uniforming of all en-
ployees, the doing way with the annoy
ance of petty peddling, the sale of num-
bered coupon tickets by which seats may be
actually secured in advance, polite ushers
to show people to their seats. and almost
numterless other things looking to the
comfort and frightening of the enjoyment
of the audience. The Hanlon-Volters, Col.
E. d. Boone and his trained lions, the
Reed sisters, twin granddaughter Of old
Dan Rice, equestriennes; Adam Forepaugh,
Jr., and his herd of trained elephants, and
nearly 200 other star performers, who per
form the sixty-nine acts in the circus and
twenty,one in the hippodrome, not forget
ting Capt. Bogardus and his sons, the
worlds champion rife and wing shots, and
a large band of Indians and cowboys. They
are certainly tremendous shows, and will
be here on Wednesday. Aug. 81. The OK.
cursion trains which will come into town
over all the railroads will doubtless bring
IN the greatest throngs the streets of Hell
ena have known in a long time.