The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-01


Have Charge of Their Education-The
Circus Will Winter Here Next Year.
The busiest place in or around Wich-
ita at present is the Gilbert Plow works
where the winter quarters of McMa-
hans circus is located.
On April II the circus Will open the
season in this city and the preparations
are immense for the trip.
Painters are out there with their paint
and brushes giving a new coat TO every
thing in sight. The wagons, cages,
dens and tableaux are being gilded IN
Ill they reflect the sunshine like the
royal carriage of an orential monarch.
The preparations for the opening of
season are quite interesting and are
well worth seeing. but everybody about
the place is so busy that admission 10
visitors must necessarily be denied.
Twelve fine extra ring horses have
been purchased and they are noble Ken
lucky animals. Two or three profess
sional horse BARRIERS are now at work
on the animals trimming their tails and
names and fixing them up generally
for company. This is by no means an
easy job. 1t takes a great deal Of artis-
tic skill to give them the right kind of
a cut.
The riders and ring men have nearly
all arrived. Circus horses, like men,
sometimes get rusty during the winter
and it requires ten or twelve days train
ing for them to get used to their work.
The horse that prayed so gracefully last
fall didn't know how to bend a knee
yesterday when he was asked TO lead
in prayer By the aid of a whip he Will
be able to resume diplomatic rela tons
with heaven in few days. The pig
that could climb a stair so nimbly last
season is now as stubborn as any other
pig but the trainer is persuading it, with
good success, to get it to do its old
tricks. The boa constructor is also I'M
der tuition with a snake charmer and
he can twist himself around her five
times now and rest his head as affec-
tionately behind her ear as if they had
been constant companions all winter.
The only animal that keeps trained all
winter is Professor Maddens' wonderful
trained dog. The riding horses are also
being posted afresh in their work. The
crack rider of the world Will be in Mr..
McMahan'S show this year. He has
just arrived from Havana, Cuba. He
can throw a double somersault back
ward and forward on the back OF a
horse running at full speed. Professor
Scott the animal man arrived from Phil
adelphia yesterday and was immediate
ly introduced to his subjects. The gi-
raffe looked down on him scornfully. the
zebra kicked his heels in the air and well
coined him with a peculiar screech, the
lion roared at him, the camel winked at
him and the big elephant reached out
his trunk to shake hands with him. The
elephant seemed to be the only animal
that showed a willingness to welcome
him. The animals are little bit gay
in his presence now but in a few days
he will have the starch knocked out OF
them.
The smallest man and woman in In
diana will be here in a few days to join
the side show These two people have
come into notoriety recently and they
will make great attraction.
When Mr.. McMahan was asked yes
terday how he secured his corps OF cir
Gus actors he said that he simply adver-
tised for them. The advertising is done
in a circus paper and almost immedi-
ately he receives letters from all over
the country and some foreign countries
They send recommendations and refer
ences. He says it is not such a very
hard job to find actors.
The candidates for roustabouts are 5
thick as flies about the place every day
and if Mr.. McMahan wanted 1000 or
them he would have no trouble in find
ing them.
Mr.. McMahan has received $1,000
worth of paper for street board advertis-
ing ana has some more coming.
The opening engagement VIII be for
the benefit of the Auditorium and the
proceeds will be used in its completion.
Mr.. McMahan will come back TO win
ter next year again.