The morning news., 1899-12-31
TOLD BY THE OLD CIRCUS MAN.
One of the Many Wonderful Things
Done by the Greatest of Giants.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
There was practically no end" said the
Old circus man, ITO the stunts we used
to do with the greatest of all giants, who.
as I've told you before, was the greatest
single attraction the show ever had He
personally compelled attention by his mere
presence, and by means of mis- station, and
his great strength he was enabled to do
things that just made the people cape.
One of these things was the carrying off
of a safe,
Whenever we struck town that was
big enough to maintain an establishment
for the sale of fireproOf safes, the old
man never failed to work the giant in on
EN-. He would visit the town the day
before the show got there and go to this
establishment and look over the safes 10
buy one. He was good judge OF metal,
he'd been guessing a 'em a long time and
he could come within hundred pounds
OF the weight of a safe, every clip. The
giant could carry twelve hundred, easy;
but we never used to crowd him to the
limit for fear of hurting him; about a
thousand pounds was as much as we ask
ed him to carry.
We'll. the old man would look along
down the lines of safes ranged in the
store, with the proprietor. till he came
TO sefe that suited him, one that he
knew weighed some where between nine
and half and ten and half hundred
pounds Then he and the boss would
dicker over the price a little and finally
the old man would buy it. And then he'd
say:
How much does that safe weigh?"
"A thousand pounds says the boss
Pooh! says the old man; l don't be,
lieVe il weighs 500.'
and" says the boss, maybe a thousand
twenty-five, or a thousand and fifty"
Nonsense" the old man says Why.
I've got man working for me that could
pick that safe up and carry it off as easy
as he could a loaf of bread
'Weh If. he cam says the boss, 'Trl
give him the safe
"'An right, says the old man. you
set the safe out on the sidewalk at 20
o'clock tomorrow morning and III bring
my man along, and If he can't carry IL
I'll nay for it,
And at 10 o'clock the old man would
come, with the giant; he'd he'd the safe
set out on the sidewalk so that the giant
could get a lift on it, and straighten up
with it,
THE safe man was always amazed when
he saw the giant come along; he'd read
about him. likely as not but he'd never
believed what he read; and even now when
he saw that the stories about his size
were true he didn't believe it possible
that any man however big he was could
pick up and carry off a half-ton safe But
he was very soon undeceiye1 about that;
for the giant would pick II up and carry
II off with the utmost facility with thou
ands of people following. We Used to
have the band waiting in the next cross
street, just around the corner and when
The giant had picked the safe up and car
a m "a Hao IA
strike up and wheel into this street and
march on, playing, and then the giant
would boss the safe up on his shoul Her,
where he could carry it more convenient
ly and march along behind the band with
all the people bowling. ham ,tct
81 suppose you'd think that after getting
this free advertisement out Of ii the old
man would send the safe back; but that's
where you'd misiudge the old man; he'd
keep the safe, every time. aad ship 1t 10
New York; and after the close of the sea-
son sell the lot here by auction.
You say you don't recall any auction
sales of that character in New York? No
my son, don't believe you d0sa these sales
were years ago before your time; but all
the same our safe sale was one Of the in
cdeuts of the year in those days
I've always held this sale in some pub
lie hail.. where there was plenty of head
room for the giant. Wed have the stage
ana lne 'front.' OF Iiie mall SlOl a up 70 car
ry the extra weight, and WEI q, have the
auctioneer on the stage, aud the safes for
sale ranged along on the floor by The or
chestra. When everything was ready the
auctioneer would say to the giant who
was sitting near:
Now, sir will you have the kindness
to hand me up No. l on the catalog -e?'
And the giant would rise and pick uD
No l, a half-tonner, maybe, and set II up
on the stage as though il was a foot
suqare paper box, instead Of being OF i on
and big as a packing box. We used 10
have crowds at these sales always. and
they always used to be simply carrie1
away by this. And the giant would set
'em up as fast as the auct.oneer ca lad for
them, there being maybe thirty OF EN- al
together.
so the old man used 10 make the safe
business pay at both ends, and really in
the middle too; for we used to get big
ad. out of it at the beginning, where we
got the safe another and a much bigger
free ad. in the accounts of that strange
auction sale printed in the papers far and
near, and we got something for the safes
in cash; Il was not only cne of the gre1t-
est things the giant did, considered by IT,
self but it was one of the most profitable
for the show; and, as long as the great
giant lived, we used 20 give every year, at
the close Of the season, ths auction sale
Of safes; this being the last thing we did
before going into winter quarters 'ial