Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-09-23
IT WAS AN OBJECT.
The Barnum Shows and Their
Appearance in Davenport.
ACCEPTED GREAT INDUCEMENTS

auee Not Up to What it Has Been Here
What Has Become of the FOrepauSh
Aggregation.
The show under the name OF L.
T. Barnum pitched tents in Daven-
port Saturday for the first time in IA
years, the long lapse between visits
being the carrying out OF an oath
made bys he famous Snowman i'll 1881
that no attraction bearing mis- name
would ever stop in Davenport during
his lifetime. and the hope made at
the same time that none carrying
his name would 70 there after his
death. The Indignation which
prompted this determination on the
part of the great Barnum was fully
justified. His circus. it so happened.
appeared there the same day that
the GARFIELD obsequies were held At
the old fair grounds in the fall OF
1881. The canvas city was pitched
at Fourteenth and Gaines, u half
mile from the scene of the solemn OBJ
servance toward which all thoughts
were turned. Barnum. in n spirit of
patriotism and consideration born in
the man, ordered the abandonment
OF both his morning parade and af-
ternOon performance, and in addition
placed his bands of music at the dis
posal of the committee in charge of
the days commemoration, and they
led the procession. The show went
on in the evening as usual. and when
it came to paving the license the
management found itself taxed an
unusually heavy license for the linn
tied privileges it had taken. Bar
mum was enraged when he heard of
it, and thus ne made the declaration
he stuck to while he lived.
Brought to Terms.
Davenport at first laughed at the
resentment of the great Snowman,
but as wears went by and the Bar
mum shows made their regular visits
to Rock Island without crossing the
river. the people there began to view
the matter more seriously. Finally
they made overtures to the manage
ment to let bygones be bygone', but
the management was obdurate. A
Davenport newspaper man took the
matter up. He went to Madison
Square garden, where the shows
were appearing; wrote them up ex-
| tensively and sent the report back
together with an account OF the un-
pleasant incident that attended the
last visit to Davenport, the drift of
the article being to fully sustain the
show enterprise in its position. Still
| the show came to Rock Island and
snubbed port--the boycott was
inilexible, and Davenport was down
| on its knees. 1t was ready 10 do any
thing to make reparation for the past.
The representative of the newspaper
fraternity referred to was still ut the
city's command. Being member
of the Business Mems association. he
brought it up in that body. The Fore
paugh shows had now been bought
by the Barnum & Bailey interests,
and it, too. was avoiding Davenport,
and it was decided to wipe out the
cause of the breach at any cost. A
proposition was made that involved
a great inducement to j. A. Bailey
son-in-law of Mr.. Barnum, and since
his death owner of the shows. MIR.
Bailey thought it over for a consid-
cradle time. Finally he concluded
that all mad been accomplished that
could possibly be desired. A lesson
had been taught, and he yielded.
Besides it was business proposition
not to be sneezed at.
The show appeared in Davenport
this year, but it did not draw the
crowd that it has been accustomed
to here. The reason is that this is
the best city of the three for all
classes of entertainments. 1t is
centrally located and convenient to
Moline and Davenport alike, while a
show way of two miles from the
center of population will not in the
natural order of things do as well.
The same may be applied to theatri-
ground floor theatre Rock Island
would draw the people from Moline
as well as Davenport, as many from
here 60 there now.
The Forepaugh Shows.
Speaking about shows, the Fore.
paugh shows have been abandoned
and will probably never be seen
again. The bes. features are with
the Barnum shows. as Mr.. Bailey
owns both. MIR. Bailey could see
nothing to gain by keeping the Fore
paugh shows going" said one of the
attaches of the Barnum & Bailey
army to an ARGUS representative.
l'.It costs lots of money to run q bic
show. and he figured that in the end
it would be the best policy to shelve
the other, and get one show off the
road. So he did it. Mr.. Bailey now
has an interest in wild west show.
but that is all beside the one to
which he gives his personal atten-
ton and is always with"