The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-06
TINE GREATEST oIRoUs RIDER.
Iln Rosln.sn Ia,,nr. SIN neart,. in s.l..our,.


From the Rochester Times.
A champion OF tho world" in anything Is an
interesting person under almost any circum.
stances. Ho may be tho best sword swallower,
the champion egg cater, or the foremost prize
fighter of his time, still tho crowd nj largo will
stare at him and point him out TO Its children
and follow him. The man who knows him por'
sonally speaks OF him as my friend. the cham
pion." The man who does not know him says
nothing and turns green when his name il spo.
ken. The man in Mexico. Mo-, who docs not
know Jim Robinson, the retired champion
bareback rider OF tho world" is n minus guam
tity. Ant though he has not ridden in public
for a number OF years, no still guards tho title.
jim Robinson, for rs such no is known TO
his friends, his neighbors, and his countrymen,
Is 90 years old. lie looks about 40. Tho daring
foats that he performed before brcathlessa audi
cnccs tho world over have left no traces OF fear
or excitement on his face. Why should they !
To him fcnr was unknown, likewise excitement.
He. now leads q life of enjoyment and ease, en-
viably quiet. Liked by every one, for his genial
manner makes friends quite as much as his dar.
most familiar and tho most unique figure to be
seen daily on tho streets OF the little city that
other OF Its size In tho State.
Every morning when he is in Mexico, and that
means nine months out Of tho year, he walks
downtown, and waits for the st. Louis papers.
His favorito lettering place Is n shoe store on
one corner Of tho square. Here he sits and
with his friends. Once in a while some old circus
story delights those who have dropped in TO buy
a,pair Of shocs or speak to him. As he tells it
his sparkling eyes seom to hold q little more fro
gayly coiored tights, poised gracefully on q
2 hearty laugh all round dispels the Wis
ion; He never boasts Of his feats. 4
s'lH%s0r song %,sn' on ss"i ten %isn p'm the /" i%Sm1ni aon
that, he WAS the champion bareback rider
Of tho world tho stranger would never find
IL out. ]but when q circus comes to town! Well,
what else could be e1pectedi He is interested in
IT from the time the first daub of paste is slapped
on a bin board uIh' the last tent stake is pulled.
him. It's Jim" and "Bil" and Bob" He
wife goes with him, and as many others as he
cares to take, for tho circus proprietor who
would not pass n dozen people in on Jim" Rob
lnson's face Is no circus man ut all. And how he
does enjoy 1t! Not n continuous clapping of his
hands. but a steady interest in everything: be.
the entire aggregation of talented artists, and
ending with the, announcement that "ail who
have bought tickets for the concert will please
Jim . R tSo n n was a :? circus TSs man too long to
seeoxniz zef him a and p pst on a i FEW P fancy twi Eise as
they pass his seat. Once in u while he mods to
some old friend. Once in a while he looks as II
H. were oil he could do to keep his scat. The
pickering glare OF the gasoline torches, the hum
Of admiring voices, the moaning OF the animals
band. all take him back to days when he rode as
no one has since dared to ride. And could he do
1t again, now that he is so near the three score
and teni He says no could. and no man who
has seen him doubts the statement. 1t wouldn't
take many months practice to put him on his
throne once more.
Mr.. Robinson and his wife. who is a sister OF
William Gorham. one OF the greatest riders of
to-day. live at n fashionable boarding house in
Mexico and spend their summers in the North.
Mr., Robinson rarely says anything at the long
table, but during the recent campaign he could
not always keep still. He is u rabid gold stand.
ard man. He cannot mention Bryan's name
without frowning, and when he returned from
the lakes after the election he was SO full of joy
that he could not contain himself. His free sill
yer friends hid from him when they saw him
coming. for they did not want to face the teasing
they knew would come with him.
Robinson Is a small man physically. His hands
are small and so are his feet. Every line of his
face indicates that wonderful precision and will
power that made him great in his profession. A
stubby mustachc adds to this impression. He
reminds one OF a sincwy deer. He dresses plainly
and seldom wears any OF the splendid jewels
that were given him by many OF the crowned
heads of his day and other admirers. His
trophies. which are exceedingly handsome, are
seldom shown to any one. He cannot bear motto
riety. In short, he is exactly the opposite o
what the average circus performer wishes and
strives to be. He is passionately fond of fishing
Perhaps the bobbing OF the cork and the ga,
colors OF the fishes remind him OF something now
in the past Anyway, he is a successful angler.