Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-03

wagons, but all that changed as soon as he
employed a peg-legged colored cook. His
ticket wagon receipts at once fell or amaz.
ingly. there was bad luck in the ring, con-
slant desertions from his company, and sew.
eral valuable animals died"
A DEVIL ON FOUR LEGS.
"Is not the hoodoo sometimes an animal?
Take, for instance, old Romeo?" the show
man was asked.
mo. sir, not to the best OF my knowl-
edge was the positive reply. 81 am
perfectly familiar with the history Of the
noted deatb-dealing elephant. Romeo. who
killed three keepers before being brought
to this country, where he succeeded in
killing four more. No, homeo was never
anything else than a money maker and a
devil on four legs. In his day he was the
greatest drawing card a circus or travelling
menagerie could possibly have. Why, the
first clergyman l ever saw visit a circus
went solely for the purpose of seeing the
notorious man slayer. Nearly every circus
proprietor in the country was eager 90 get
possession OF that elephant and anxiously
endeavored to buy him, for his value as an
advertisement was something enormous. l
opened my decker for him at SOS. 1000, but
others raised 1t until the animal was finally
sold for SAT 500.
Now, a red-haired girl or woman in the
company is always said to bring luck to a
CIRCUS, Inc Olu Snowman interestingly Nu1
tinued. call 1t auburn hair, If you prefer,
but the redder her hair, especially If she be a
performer, the better the luck the little
lurid locks will bring. l have had them more
than once in my circus and so know whereof
l speak. l recall one in particular. Mile
Germaine de Greville, otherwise Eliza But
cher of Ohio. When she Joined my company
business at once began to boom and con-
tinued to boom throughout the several sea-
sons she was In my employ. l presented heT
NTH N tnnnptlaAy,t ,..ll .-As,AI xuIttA lNrH,
and her hair was so dangerously red that
when performing upon her snowy charger
she looked like a rocket flashing around the
ring. My success was really wonderful and
mystifed the most experienced circus pro-
prietors of the country. | knew one of the
secrets of that success, but kept silent.
Eliza, or Mile. Greyille. If you prefer,
knew that she was appreciated by her EN-
ployer. and, upon completing her turn In the
ring, was often presented with a magnifceat
bouquet of flowers. That took we'll with the
audience and kept her contented with her
position. But, despite my thoughtfulness, !
at last lost little Lie. She went and got
married, and to the homeliest man that ever
drew breath. When her boy twins were
born che split my name in two and gave
each one half.
UP IN A BALLOON.
One of the dangers / encountered was re.
called by a paragraph in a paper the other
day about an aeronaut being killed in max
ing a Jump from a balloon with a parachute.
| had a narrow escape from a similar death
away back before the war.
Il was always willing to act as general
emergency man, to do any work and fill any
place In any circus with which | have been
connected, and, in such cases, have been in
imminent danger of being devoured by lions,
crushed by elephants, and skinned alive
by candy butchers and other employees who
handled my money, but the occurrence |
am about to relate was as interesting as
anything in my career.
II believe l was the first circus proprietor
in the world to employ a professional to
make a balloon ascension and a parachute
jump prior to each afternoon performance.
picking up an aeronaut named Ed Billings
in an Ohio town.
Now, Ed was a good aeronaut, entirely de-
void OF fear, and made leaps with the
parachute from greater heights than had
ever been made before. The only trouble
was that Ed was too jovial, and at times
drank too much whisky. More than once |
had spoken my mind to him on the subject,
and, as he did not heed my remarks, | made
every preparation for opportunely advertis-
ing my circus on the day when he should
in the natural course of events fall from
his balloon or parachute and be killed.
With the same foresight l made a study of
aeronautics and parachute leaping, until |
felt competent to fill his position when made
vacant. The occasion for my services came
at White Water, Mich, when, at ascension
time, Billings lay under a wagon suffering
from sick headache
when it became evident that / must
make the ascension and jump, 1 did not
hesitate, but, DOMINIC a tinsel suit, entered
the car and began my first journey skyward,
amid a chorus of half-surpressed exclama-
lions of admiration from an immense throng
of spectators. AS l saw the earth dropping
from me and the human forms below grow
ing shorter and smaller, until they APP
peared like the tiniest insects, l contrived
to maintain my nerve, and, leaning over the
edge of the basket or car, bravely threw
kisses to the gaping crowd beneath. When
l had assembled nearer heaven than I had
ever been before-eay 1000 or 500 feet|
prepared to make my maiden leap, being
particularly careful that my every move
ment should be seen by the crowd of
spectators away down beneath on the earth.
GETTING BACK TO EARTH.
after a time / pulled open the escape valve
OF the balloon, which slowly began to descend
after remaining stationary for a brief mo-
ment. Then / clutched the trapeze bar, which
was attached to the parachute, kissed my
hand to the expanse of upturned faces below,
shut both eyes and made a bold jump out
into space, and shot like an arrow earthward.
My feelings at that critical moment can
best be described as one of all-goneness, but
grimly and desperately l clutched the bar
in my hand, and, with my heart in my
mouth, anxiously awaited the sharp swapping
sound which would announce the opening of
the parachute. But the sound did not come.
Great God! how the seconds flew by, and
still the accursed canvas did not open.
Though darting earthward fatally, hope did
not desert me.
my mind, under the excitement, became
unusually active, and. as l looked below and
saw the earth rapidly approaching, ] con-
cluded that my chance of escape from figur-
ing as the chief object of interest at a