Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-10-03
A TRAGIC I1ICLDETET.
Gvvo Days in Country Town. cid
ForepauGE, tic S-a oyvz22a21ls
Squared livery -.iRG.''

There IS one country town in the
west which does not believe that circus
people are nlcrccnarJ. The incident
was recalled by a man who saw 1t. I-o
said: 1T was in 1872, il the town Of
Holden, Mo, place on thS Missouri
Pacific ra:lr1cd, where there is also {.
junction OF one branch G the 2ssouTi,
Kansas {, Texas railroad. lie cjrcu5
a7cncG Oh Saturday. As il W2s to show
ii a town - 81 adjoining county On the
following Aicrday it remained ih To-
Gen over Sunday. On Saturday morn
10 q iran Who lived in the town k,lled
his wife and himself. Ia a small town an
occurrence Of this character nearly
paraiyzcs business. Everyone had ar
cess to the house Of the douola tragedy.
Naturally, the crowd in town was great
or than usual. The circus had drawn on
the country. Wagons filed with people
blocked the lanes early, ard then filed
the town. These people waiting for the.
show to open put in the intervening
tiroe looking at the dead. The bodies
of The man and woman had been placed
side by side. The pistol was picked UP
by the coroner, who found it under a
small table near where the shots had
been fred. And that is how he discov-
cred two circus tickets that had been
left on the table. Where they had been
purchased was not known, as circuses
do rot have tickets on sale in small
towns except at the wagon. Inquiry
showed that these people had no money.
Not a cent was found, and at the place
where the man had been employed it
was learned that he had overdrawn his
earnings. The night before he pleaded
with his employer for a dollar. He
said be wanted it to buy tickets TO the
circus, and added that his wife threat
ened to leave him if he did not take
ner. On this plea he obtained the
money. There was no other evidence
at the inquest.
'EThe coroner was an honest man. He
returned the circus tickets to the pro-
rrietor, old Adam Forepaugh, who
learned the story Of the double Killing.
was present when the coroner told his
story to the gruff Old circus man, who
put the tickets in his pocket and walked
away without saying a word.
Sunday was the day Of the funeral.
The circus people remained in their
train, which was made up ready to pull
out On the following morning. In the
little house where the dead were coffned
were less than dozen persons. A few
minutes before the dead were taken out
q stranger called and asked for friend
CT the victims. The only one who an
swered was the undertaken, and it is not
likely that his friendship was entirely
unselfsh. The interview between the
men was brief.
''The little cortege on it's way to the
cemetery crossed the track on. which
the circus train near by stood. An old
man sat on the rear platform of his
private car, smoking, as the hearse and
three buGgles went by. lie took off his
hat unit! the vehicles had passed. The
undertaken was satisfied, and when the
graves were rounded up and the under
tal1er left some flowers there, an I'M
usual thing at a country burial, and the
few who were with him wondered, he
told them that old Forepaugh, the cir
Gus man, had squared everything.' -
n. Y. Sun.