The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-06
MR.. MURRAY rs A CLOWN.
A Writer'S Experience with the Bar
mum a. Bailey Show.


"My first introduction to circus life, SAID
Charles Theodore Murray, the author OF "A
Modern Gypsy" a romance of the ring,
was up in New England about five years
ago. The New York Herald had sent me up
there to Join the Barnum & Bailey show
for week. to get a story of circus life on
the road. had fun out of it galore, and
the illustrated page of it in the Herald ana
the Boston Herald is pasted up in every CIR
Gus mans trunk in the country. the circus
man. by the way, calls trunk pie box.
THE first day joined I rode in the big
parade on the knifeboard of a band wagon,
from which position 1 saw in the crowds
that lined the curbs and windows and bal
comics bigger show Ito me- than even that
of Barnum Sc Bailey No man ever really
saw a big show complete until he has rid
den in the parade. The next day the ward
robe man was called upon to furnish me
with a pair of tights and red coat, with
buttons all over it, in which, with a hard
boiled topper the circus name for a plug
hat, 1 rode with the acrobats and lady
riders at the head of the street procession.
Barring the fact that 1 was tortured with
the idea that everybody was looking at my
legs, 1 got along very we'll, and liked it,
at first, I wanted to jump off and hide be-
hind a fence, those tights worked on my
native modesty. I got over this to such an
extent after the day was over that the
equestrian director prevailed upon me to
undertake the grand entry The grand
entry was the old-fashioned way of intro
ducing the performance. The whole COM
pany rode around the hippodrome course
and divided up and went through compli-
Gated figures rings
Why, the horse will do it himself said
one of the leading riders, when protested
that l would break up the show, for had
never been on horse since boy on an In
diana farm.
"A burly groom picked me up and threw
me on the back of an enormous beast in
the horse dressing room. The ladies and
gentlemen in full costume were vaulting
into the saddle amid a lively chatter Of
tongues. l couldn't have got in mine alone
without stepladder. My courage began
to ooze out of my pores and trickle down
my spinal column. | would have escaped
even then if 1 hadn't been afraid of falling
off and breaking my neck. How any hu-
man creature could run and jump upon
such an extraordinary animal while gallop
ing around ring appealed to me as never
before.
"A crash of circus music within made my
heart jump, and the Horses ladies and
gentlemen! of the equestrian director
caused it to stop beating for the moment
The curtain parted like the snap of a sail
and beyond were 10000 pairs of eyes bent
on the opening. AS we slowly rode out
and my tights and rainbow clothes. The
lady riders glzed upon me pityingly. They
could not understand why any man not an
idiot could want to do this for fun.
Just let your horse follow that one
said woman; he knows better
She was right-a good deal more right,
l thought, than she thinks she Is. / hid
my bushes beneath the kindly brim of my
Mexican sombrero. We rode around the
great hippodrome, along the front rows.
wondered as / glanced at the people wheth-
er they could recognize a blasted fool when
they saw one: And | was glad they didn't.
Presently this feeling was lost III my
anxiety to get through all of that worm
ing and squirming and marching and coun-
ter-marching around the center pole with
out smashing the regular order strang-
ling somebody. But that horse knew his
business and couldn't have been prevented
doing it right with anything short of a
club. When it was all over l rode off into
the dressing room as boldly as a Sioux war
rior with belly full of whisky and a belt
full of scalps.
Wei. ali the boys gathered round me in
the dressing room and congratulated me
and nlled me so full of self-confidence that
the next day, at Danbury, Conn, [ was
prevailed upon to play clown. 1t amused
them and didn't hurt me, so / was inclined
to humor them and try it. | mad been play-
ing the fool off and on, all my life, anyhow,
and 1 wondered how it would go if 1 were
dressed for the character. And knew Just
what the particular fool / was to personate
did, and felt equal to the emergency-alI ex-
cept as to tumbling. A man Of fifty is in
clined to draw the line somewhere. You
ought to have seen me that night; but UNI
fortunately, that sight was reserved for the
select 1900 who were assembled under that
big top at Danbury. / alone was worth
the price of admission, but people would
have doubtless paid double if they had only
known it was me. The mug they painted
on me was enough to stop a town clock
The Carons were artists. and l wore
Georges clothes and his brothers paint
:" Wen tell you what to do when we come
And they did. The scene of our opera
lions in the ring was far enough from the
audience for us to talk all the time with
perfect freedom. There is always a con-
slant fire of conversation, introduction sug-
gestion, comment, wit and humor going on
in the rings during the performance. People
talked at the top of their voices. That which
appears to one in the audience as silent
alertness, cold and mechanical execution, is
really charged with magnetic, pulsating life
and animation | saw the circus from a
wholly new and interesting point of view
How did 1 come out? Oh very nicely.
except that in holding up the banner for a
trained monkey to leap over clipped the
monkey on the heels That was the mad
dest monkey you ever saw. After one swift
angry glance at me he leaped from his pony
and fled. He saw through my disguise But
the audience thought that was part of the
show and roared at it. And then you know
a clown is supposed to be- and usually is. a
good acrobat-he always does something
superior at the right time just to show he
IS no fool. After they had all done some
thing went out and sat down in the ring
while they gathered round and yelled and
shook their nStS at me-finally carving me
out amid shouts of laughter You see. I
disappointed eXpectationS-I was a real
fool.
AS came off 1 saw the whole circus
staff and Mr.. Bailey himself drawn up near
the dressing room door, laughing But /
overheard ballet dancer-the .Collu1h uSi
spectacle was then with the show-say as 7
came past:
My pinion is that new clown amt no
good.
Since then l have withdrawn from the
ring and contented myself with merely
writing about it and seeing the other fell
lows doing the work"