The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-11
FUN WITH THE CIRCUS.
The Playful Retaliation Of a Country
man Who had Been Cheated
From the BuaraIo Courier.

eu0 tuoa0Sksi hiiu tuel NduueIca AlAO tue
cafe. There over a dish of porterhouse with
truffies and couple of bottles Of port, they
sat telling stories until the parties from the
plays came in for luncheon.
''Have / seen you fellows since l was in
Maricopa last October." asked Mccormick
es he lighted cigSr. Mccormick sells fire.
arms in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.
Guess not"
"Well, had some samples that'd make
your hair curl. Did sell 'eml Well In
Yuma l sold the bgglst bill the firearms
trade ever knew there. A crowd of g.eas-
ers were in town, and before they crossed
the border again they'd mortgage their
ranches for those revolvers. Well, 1 came
along up to Gia City, and heard there was
a circus at Maricopa, and thought I'd take
il in, for / wanted to sell bill at Stanwix,
and might do something In Maricopa, too,
don't know as you fellows ever saw
circus in the southwest You wouldn't
know it. Every man in the shows walk
ing arsenal-has to be in that country. And
the man in the ticket wagon has guns on
all sides OF him. It's merely matter Of
proponderance of shooting weapons
which survives after circus time-the show
or the populace. This show had been Ia
Marioopa ten days, and there hadn't been
any trouble TO speak of One man from the
hills had been killed at the ticket wagon in
AAfpAhC OfCl bLS llhnb GudUkt, Dub ut u
been warned if he asked for that flyer again
he'd get plugged. He did ask, with his gun,
but he missed somehow and he was plugged
Then they carried the corpse around the
ring on the back Of the elephant in the
grand procession, as a solemn warming to
other disputatIous hayseeds.
The fact was, they had CRATER in their
wagon. Maybe you never saw CRATER
workp
UTNevar did ~ seid IarDas
"Well, you see, there's always a mob
around the ticket wagon, all holding I'D
their hands, fourishing bills and gold
pieces, and bowling for tiokets-greasers,
Iniuns, cowboys, miners, ranchers, gam
hlers, every kind you can think of. The
ticket seller-the grafter-has a fow 81
bills wound round his middle finger, go that
tho ends come together. and it looks as
though he had twice as many bills as he
has. A granger comes up for q ticket,
hands over IS bill, the CRATER slaps down
the ticket, thumbs over the ends Of four
bills, in plain sight Of the farmer, whips
them out from under his finger, rolls them,
aud hands them down. Nine times out o.
the hayseed grabs the money, stuffs
it in his pocket, and elbows out Of the
crowd before trying to count the change.
Then he finds out that he has only two 81
bills. when he thought be saw the ticket
seller count him out four. Well, he goes
back with fire IN his eye, but it doesn't do
him any good. Anyhow, it didn't seem to
the day was up TO Maricops. l was Just
getting near the ticket wagon myself when
one o these rustics that'd had the f1im-fam
game played on him came rushing up and
squeezed through the gang. You tarnal
thief he says to the CRATER, CLINE my
money, will your
The ticket man just looked at him out
o the corner Of his eye, and went on selling
until the sucker began to yell robbers = and
things, when be shouted, Get out O. here!
You can't play that game with this sue
GUS
"'But d-n your carcass gave you a
tenner, and here's only four dollars back.
Cuss me if rll pay more'n dollar for any
succus'
You're crazy. old man; move along
now out of the crowd. or you'll get hurt
THAT seemed to annoy the farmer, for
quicker'n scat he put three bullets through
the wagon window 20 ease his mind, and the
CRATER began TO pepper back, rather re-
gardless OF the promiscuous crowd. l
got behind big wooden angel on one
corner of it. and stayed there where
| could look out with little danger of get
ting a pellet. But they stopped shooting
pretty soon. You see, the CRATER had
two men in the wagon who grabbed their
guns the minute the fuss began. and blazed
away at the old man, while the CRATER
settled down to selling tickets again. The
rustic saw the odds were against him and he
lit out, swearing vengeance. He had only
scratch on the shoulder, but a stout cop
per-colored old lady from over the border
inadvertently got between him and one Of
the slugs from the ticket wagon, and didn't
live to see the show. Her husband was dis
posed to find fault. but the CRATER epolo-
gizsd and passed him in free, so he made up
his mind to let bygones be bygonea
81 think it was just after the big bare
back act that everybody in the tent sud
denly heard guns popping outside But the
clown was just coming into the ring. and
we didn't pay much attention to the mat
ter until casual bullets began to interfere
with the comfort Of the audience; and when
the clown himself was bowled over and had
to be carried out on banner, a good many
people became so interested in the proceed
ings outside that they paid little attention
to the performance. Then all at once there
was a commotion near the Dire sing tent en-
trance, and pack of thirty mounted cow
boys galloped into the ring. The old hay
seed was at the head of them, and every
man had his fireworks out and ready for
business. As you fellows know, I've travelled
for firearms house for twenty years, and
have handled weapons by the thousand, but
machines in the paws Of a crowd of earnest
citizens, I'm disposed to retire from BUSH
ness
81 was afraid the visitors meant mischief,
and was about to drop down between the
seats aud crawl out under the edge of the
tent. when they began cracking away at
the trapeZe ropes, and in five minutes they
were all down. This treasured me. They
were evidently in a playful mood, and
wouldn't kill any one IN the audience with
out serious provocation. After this prelim-
mary sport they forced every performer to
act. To wind up they brought in the
was looking dismal, for somebody had shot
a hole through his ear, and it hurt. They
unbound him and made him rig up in the
toys of the dead clown, after
which they requested him TO shin up the
center pole He rather objected to this, but
the rustic and one or two more fellows, full
around his feet, and he started to climb. He
spent good deal of his strength in swear
ing. and stopped to rest once or twice, but
beng urged on by the popping OF revolvers,
he managed to reach the top of the pole. He
wore one of those high clowns hats, and the
COWBOYS ordered him to hold it out in his
hand. They then amused themselves for a
few moments shooting at il. The elephant
was next ordered in and !, and every man of
them had a ride on the beast. By this time
the visitors were weary of sport aud with
drew. and the audience rushed out after
them pell nell.
"Outside another party Of the country
md