The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1899-01-27
HE LOST THE MATCH.
eNos WAS GREAT. BUT The OTHER
MAN HAD TRICK THAT BEAT Him.
A Contest Between Horn Players of Rival
show. That Was Witnessed by the Citi-
s~us FOR Miles Around and Umpired BY
the Mayor Of the Town.


s~u. FOR Mile. Around and Umpired b.
j the Mayor Of the Town.
II suppose, I" said the old circus man,
"that the greatest bass horn player that
ever lived was Enos Stulkinton. He
played the bass horn IL our band There
\ have been men with better knowledge
Of music, perhaps. and some with q
more finished style. but none that could
touch him in producing thunder. His
PLAYING came 10 be one Of the features
of the show He was a star attraction
where he was known. but to most people
he came as q surprise, something more
than they had expected. and they en-
loved him all the more on that account.
For instance, at every performance,
before the actual beginning Of the show.
we used TO give band concert. and Mr..
Stulkinton would begin To get in his
fine work there. AS the people listened
10 his first thunderous 'oomphahsv they
were amazed. But when they heard the
canvas of the great tent flap in unison
with the blasts Of his horn they all
laughed. and thereafter throughout the
performance they all paid close atten-
tion when Enos raised the instrument.
I'VE tried. of course, always to make
a route for the show that wouldn't con-
fiict with anybody else. for there were
plenty of towns that wouldn't stand but
one show at a time. Two would lose
money in them, however good they
-, -. 40 v,ct
some stubborn man that wouldn't give
way. and then there was nothing to do
but to show and beat him if we could
"Once, when we struck town with
another show, we learned somehow that
they had a great bass horn player in
their band. and Of course we challenged
'em for a contest Aud they took up the
challenge very promptly. There WASH t
much time TO prepare for it, but we
billed the town in an hour and got per-
mission 10 put up stand on the public
square. because it was to be free ex-
hibition, and that attracted attention.
1.-The contest was at noon, and OF
course the two bands played as accom-
panists Of the horn players. And that
made a big band concert, and the crowd
was something enormous. The terms
We're that each man was to play once,
and then vote Of the people was to be
taken. The man defeated in that round
had right to call for another. If the
man defeated in the first round won the
second, the man who won the first
round had right to call for third
round But the winner Of two rounds
by the vote Of tie people was to be- de-
clared the winner of the contest
well, the men in our show bet
every dollar they could rake and scrape
on Enos, and some of the more gentle
hearted Of them thought they were just
robbing the men in the other show Our
old man not only bet all his money, but
he bet the idol of his heart, the famous
old giraffe of our show, against the
other show moth eaten buffalo, and he
was so dead sure that he threw in q Gin
namon bear TO boot
"Our side had the first inning, and
our band showed 'em how to play, and
then Enos stood up for his solo. And
how he did make the thunder! 1t was
complain, complain, oomphahr as 1t
had never been heard before, and he
fairly carried the people off their feet.
Then the other band played tune,
and their man got up And there's nc
use talking. he raised more thunder
tnali Enos did aud set the people
shouting.
"Then the mayor got up TO take the
vote. as he agreed to do, and he was
interested now as much as anybody.
And the people voted for the other man,
as we expected they would But we
hadn't any doubt about the final result
for we thought that Enos would un
shackle now and break away and make
the blow Of mis- life. And he did. We
who had been hearing him for years
had never heard him approach what h
did now. 1t was wonderful. He set thu
people wild, and we thought we ha(
'em sure.
but the other mans very first 'oom
phah |! made Us tremble, and as he wen
ON we knew we were lost, money, 81
raffe, everything We'd never heart
anything like this before. 1t wasn't jus
simple peals Of thunder-it was thun
der factory in full blast and working
with double force Of men. There coul,
be only one verdict.
THAT afternoon the whole tow
went to the other show and left our biI
tent empty. The other people came owe
! for the animals they'd won before SHOW
time They wanted to take 'em owe
and walk EN- around in their ring. Tn
old man had 'em brought out. Whel
the giraffe realized what had happened
he wound his neck around the cente
pole and wouldn't bulge. But the oil,
man finally persuaded him, and over h
went to DO made show of in the othe
circus
, "Enos Stulkinton never blew has
horn again He'd had the opportunit,
Of his life, had missed 1t and he hadn'
the heart. After that he always blew
baritone.
For my own part, always though
there was trick in it. Don't you know
there are things that look fair ant
square on the face Of them that you fee
certain, all the same. are off, in som,
4 ~