The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-26
GREAT IS THE
WALLACE CIRCUS
One of the Best Shows Ever
in Raleigh.
IMMENSE CROWDS SEE IT
FIFTEEN THOUSAND AT TWO
PERFORMANCES.
A RECORD BREAKING STREET PARADE
Finest Horses Carried by Any Show on the
Road. Wonderful feats of the Nelson
Family. Things in the
Menagerie.

The city woke with sort of holiday
air. The wheels of trade stood almost
still and the squedunk squalled shrilly.
upon the street. Work was the excep-
ton, for everybody crowded sidewalks,
windows, verandas and every point OF
vantage to see the parade.
And it was the best ever seen here
this moving menagerie of the Great
Wallace Shows crawling by You Like
a gaily-colored snake, immense IN
size and miles in length. The fame or
this circus has gone into every nook
and corner of the land. The flaming
posters had pictured its wonders on ev-
cry roadside and the papers had am
nounceti it's advent. And SO thousands
came. In the grey and early morning
the country people We're already arriy-
ing BY IL O'Clock, when Hhe parade
started, Fayetteville street was
strange. crowded land of jostling, noisy
humanity.
There is a countryman and his wife
dressed in their Sunday best, with half
a dozen children; an old bald-headed
negro with his gray haired wife; some
young girls gaily dressed and daintily
picking their way Through the crowd;
a man arrayed in the height of fashion;
a black-eyed mulatto in gaudy apparel:
two or three be-diamoned Eastsiders
and the Bowery contingent in rakish
costume; here and there a policeman
lollng i'm doorway, and small boys
everywhere.
They have been there for hours. Now
the distant notes of a cahope are heard,
even above the din of squednnks, and
things take on a brisker swing and live
lier air. The parade is upon us. The
crowd streams shouting toward it.
But there is no use doing that; the
best way to see parade is to stand
still, just where YOU are. 1t will take
it half an hour to pass You. Half an
hour of band music, gaily-painted cars
with wild beasts walking from ena to
end, SWAPPING alt the bars; gaudy char
lots driven by women dressed in Gre
clan fashion; funny clowns in dilapi-
dated carts drawn by tiny mules; women
riding fine chargers astride; more bands
of music, and huge elephants slluffEng
hurriedly along; ponies pulling wagon
full of japanese; a wild Ethiopian
dressed only in the skin of a wild
beast; huge hippopotamus, camels,
and dromedaries--buIt why enumerate
them?
1.-The best parade I've ever seem
was the involuntary exclamation of
everybody as the last OF 1t passed. Ii
it there were thirty-seven cages of wild
animals, four chariots, eighteen Lien and
women ON horseback and a number OF
other vehicles of various SORTS, 10 say
nothing of the half dozen clowns with
their nudes and carts. Altogether there
~, Ia III hxr NJ
just 253 horses and ponies-and such
horses
The Great Wallace Show las always
been noted for it's fine horses and as
the years go by lit gets better and bet
ter in this respect.
The parade they say is an index to the
show. If so this must be a most exce-
lent circus lets go out and see.
1T is two o'clock in the afternoon. The
main tent is full of people-mainly wo-
men and children Above lis a sky Of
canvass across which is woven a net
work of swings and trapees. The hoii-
ION is one great wall of human faces.
They are there to marvel at the wonder
full feats of courage and dexterity
flights through mid-air, somersaults from
(lZZy pefcueS, PAcll1ilS tIltiflOI races, anu
displays of remarkable intelligence and
training on the part of man and beast.
They are there to tremble at the roar of
the vicious NaImidian lions in the menag-
erie; there to shlldder at the vicious
hinges of the Bengal tigers, or to laugh
at the merry jests and quaint antics Of
the clowns.
The Wallace show was magnifcenily
heralded and it is stating but the SIM
pile truth to say that it came up to eA-
pectations in every particular. 1t pitch
ed its tent in the Cameron field, just
beyond ST. Mary's School, Sunday after
noon and early yesterday morning, and at
10 a. m4 its large street parade left the
grounds for tour of the city Ii w"s
witnessed by large crowds of spectators.
who had come from far and near. Two
performances were given--one at = p. IN
and one at 8 p. m.--and the main tent
was filled at each. conservative
estimate will place the number of circus
goers at $4,000 during the day.
1t is not only needless, but space is toe
limited to tell of the many particularly
clever features in this circus.
There were the Dellamsads, whose
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