The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-25
MADE THE CIRCUS MEN PAY
CURLY JOHNSoS'S FARO LUCK NEAR
III BROKE ~ THE SHOW.

Anen Oucfeu 10 Ehy All ~ ItuCk NHEtt
of the show, Give n Free Performance
IL tho Proprietors Didn't Come 60 Time.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 24.-"The warmest card
that I ever rubbed up against In the circus
business" said an old-time boss menNgerie
man now attached to the Washington Zoo,
was Curly johnson, who PLAYED the cornct and
ran the band of n one-ringer and one-night-
stander that | was mixed NJ with back In the
late seventies. Johnson had been u trumpetcr
in the regular army, had served rs cook for
any number Of southwestern surveying out
ITS. and had been broke in altpost every old
place on this hemisphere. from Alaska to
Patagonia. before he driited into the wind
tanning business with this circus layout I'm
talking about. He was about q feet q inches
high. weighed 27O pounds, could get under any
wagon we had and lift II clear of the ground
on his shoulders. could drink more sagebrush
Whiskey than any six hobo tentmen. and,
finally. she could play the cornct 80 that It sound
cd like a woman's voice. He was a quiet sort
OF duck. johnson was, and he never had n
chance to prove what n genuine hot PROPOSE
zion he was until we struck Leavenworth, Kan,
along toward the end OF the summer Of 1879.
'rChe show got into Leavenworth from To-
peka over the overland wagon trail. for the
two brothers who owned the outfit didn't
waste any money on railroad transportation
when dates could be'made by. wagon moves. Tho
show had been making money right along
since the beginning OF the season, and yet
when we got into Leavenworth the wages OF all
hands. from performer RS to tentmen. were near
N two months in arrears. We had got to-
kether in committees representing the differ
ent departments OF the outfit on several occa-
Bions since the owners of the show. for no ap-
parent reason, began to skip pay days. and
had duly registered our kick. but we we're
ponned to n standstlll by the two proprietors,
who were smooth PEOPLE and notorious in the
business as salary forGetters. They scat
tered 50 bills to'the memhers'of the kick COM
mittees and paid the rest OF the outfit off in
promises As the e-quarte:-acre tent was
damned right along. at afternoon and right
performances. with % and 80 cent and 81
crowds. and no PAPER. we couldn't see any ex-
cusefor this payday shyness. and we got pref
" ugly when it began to look like we were be-
Ing skinned. But the season was almost over
and most OF us needed the ride back East
when the show went into winter quarters. and
30 we stuck on with the hone that the owners
would tumble TO their dirtiness and come to
saw along toward the w!nd-up OF the season.
There had been Il big row at Topeka, sew.
eral Of the main performers refusing II 20 on
ut the afternoon performance without some
of the long green with which to wipe the per-
SEPARATION from their hands. They grumbled
n heap when the 81 bill act was worked off on
then by the prorrietors. but they consented to
60 on when the two brothers solemnly prom
Used to settle in full when the show struck
Leayenworth. The EMPLOYEES were pretty
ugly in Topeka. too. and there was Il whole lot
of talk among them about turning the animals
loose and sitting the tent into ribbons if the
owners didn't cough dp at Leaven worth, the
next stand. | hadn't had II drink of whiskey
nor smoked atwo-fer for a couple of months.
and so l shared the general restlessness.
Now, this Curly Johnson. the band boss.
see med to be the least bothered of the whole
Dutdt over the backwardness OF salaries. He
had a bad lot in his band. and the men came
to him with heftv kicks two or three times a
day. but he told 'em he wasn't any pay clerk
for the outfit. and that he'd like to have the
price OF a shave and Ii shine himself. which he
hadn't. Altogether there was a pretty furi-
Gus lot OF sawdusters in the morning parade
In Leavenworth, and as soon as the parade
turned in there was n spontaneous meeting of
all hands in the main tent that looked like
trouble and a whole lot of it for the two oily
members who owned the show.
You never heard such a chaw. bacon OF a
time In your life as went on in that tent for
fifteen minutes or 50. The two brothers, each
OF whom was known to be worth close on to
100000. put on the poorest mouth you ever
Saw. said they neither of 'em had personally
che price OF a beer. said the show had been
dropping $1,000 a day since the beginning OF
IL bodSOI, ulu tTltl IHclT ueTnueSt % make
cheap talk like this stick. Then they put their
heads together. disappeared for q couple of
minutes, and when they returned with a hand
Batchel lugged between 'em, they declared a s.
dividend until after the night performance.
when they,swore thcred be aproper settlement
for all hands. There wasn't much ola hurrah
over this game. ana the spokesman Tor the,batch
OF us plainly told the two brothers that il every
dollar of wages for all hands wasn't settled I'M
Fnadiafalv nftar fhn niUhf narforunnpnn fha mir
Gus wouldn't move out OF town. and that was all
there was about II. | don't know what dodge
the two proprietors had in mind to put
through in lieu OF paying off after the night
show, but whatever their dodge was it didn't
happen, for things were otherwise arranged
long before the night show was due to begin.
when Curly Johnson got his So bill he
walked outside the tent. looked at it for a min
ute reflectively. and then. turning to one of
the bandsmen. he said:
I'D like to knock of working for these two
con. men. But ] can't make any place that's
worth living in on this two-spot, can ~
might get to Oskaloosa on the two said
the bandsman, Oskaloosa being then regarded
rs the bummest town on the globe.
johnson thouRhtfuIly stuck his So bill in
his vest pocket. and. as it was only IL o'clock
in the morning and he had a couple of hours
spare time before the afternoon show began,
he hit the pike for the town. He didn't stop
to take a drink or get a shave. but he made
direct for the Bon Ton faro bank on Shawnee
street, which was then run by a nervy sport
from Denver named Col. Jamison. | happened
TO be downtown myself buying up some chuck
meat for the animals and | saw Curly when he
was entering the Bon Ton. / Joined him and
asked him where he had made a raise to hit
M the bank.
TIN going to see II / can't make enough Of
swimming on this twO-spot to buy n ticket for
some place or other-Ari2ona by choice. If the
box treats me right he replied.
shave. a clean collar and a smoke, Curly /
said to him. You've been tabbing eases long
enough to know that there's no win-out in a
We'll he sighed, I'll take a chance
II followed him into the Bon Ton and he
walked over to Il table where IA dealer was
ehutfiing preparatory To running out a new
boxful; There were four chubbers sitting at
the table. sloughing OF 5O-cent chips, and
Curly stood behind the chair oi one Of them
and watched the deal for q few minutes. Then