The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-10-06
GREAT WALLACE SHOWS
EXHIBITED IN WILMINGTON YESTER-
DAY AND LAST NIGHT.
BEST CIRCUS EVER SEEN HERE.

sands OF People-Is Accompanied by
no Gambling Schcmes-Thc street
Pageant Features OF Cfrcus-Fer-
ris Wheel Trapeze-Livfng Statuary.
Marvellous Acrobatic Feats.
The Great Wallace Shows has visited
Wilmington and is gone, having given
two superb performances yesterday,
and it is safe to say h no travelling
circus ever exhibited in a city and left
a more favorable impression. the thou
sands OF people who took in the well
stocked menagerie, Witnessed the mar
Vicious feats and beautiful spectacular
effects in the circus. spied out the mar
vels of the side shows, as we'll as the
other thousands who all along the
long line OF march. from side walks.
doors, windows and ever house oops.
viewed the great street pageant declare
one and all that so superb a show
never before visited this section and
| are ready to conceed the claim OF the
| proprietors that the Wallace show is
Americas greatest, ~grandest, largest
(. and best amusement enterprise" In
fact that it excels all other in equip
ment, size. elegance and grandeur.
1t can, too, be said, to the credit OF
the Wallace how that they leave no
stigma of short change" or dishonest
methods, and not a patron lost one
cent by reason of any gambling devise.
| They allow no takers with them.
AS an indication of the enormous
crowds of people who patroniZed the
| show it will be of interest to note that
the street cars hauled fully 5000 people.
There were many visitors who came
to the city on the trains and steam
boats and others drove through the
counry. They all spoke in the highest
terms of the sights they saw.
THE STREET PAGEANT.
The first "cucus day feature OF spe-
cial note was the street parade which
was in progress from about 11:45 until
l o'clock. 1t was a brilliant pageant.
The cages were all open so that the
childish eyes and those Of TOW up
people too, for that matter, could gaze
upon the fierce wild beasts, chattering
monkeys, huge snakes and endless va
riety Of vicious animals and creatures
that crawl and creap which have been
gathered from the jungles of Africa,
the wilds of South America and, in
fact, the m ends OF the earth.
Besides the Gagged animals there were
the elephants, the camels, the richly
c~apricioned thoroughbred horses, the
mirth-provoking clowns and last, but
not by any means least, in the eStima-
ton of the crowd, the steam piano.
. UNDER THE BIG TENT.
1t was about 2:30 o'clock when the
circus waS-gotten in order for the af-
ternoon performance and the curtain
of the mammoth tent were drawn tc
admit the throngs of people. And from
that time until 4:30 o'clock there was &
succession of marvellous acrobatic anC
equestrian feats, and brilliant specta.
cles, sanwiched with witicisms anC
mirth-provoking performances by thu
Indispensable clowns.
The Introductory feature was a bril-
liant pageant which completely filled
the two large rings, the spacious stag
and the immense hippodrome course
Then there was the passing beautiful
DellameadS,a revolving pedestal of his
tory and art on which eight aides poset
as fac SMILES of master marble
groupes. 1t would be impossible t
p~articulariZe as to even the most i'm
posing and heartily received features
Of the performance, which come in rapit
succession, simultaneously and witt
pleasing bewilderment in two ARG
brings and on a spacious central stage
Some Of the most notable were tn
wonderful Ferris wheel trapeZe feat
by the Vortex sisters, the acrobat,
| performances of the famous Nelson
family (not equaled, it is claimed, il
Europe or America); extraordinar.
feats of contortion by the Sisters Mo
ritz; the Stirk Family bicyclists, ant
the graceful drills by the Corps d.
Ballet" Of sixteen handsome and rich
ly attired ladies'. There were hundred
of other marvellous features, the per
Torrance closing with the exciting con
tests of the royal Roman hippodrome
in which every horse was a thorough
bred and every rider a daredevil"
THE CIRCUS LAST NIGHT.
A short concert closed the afternoon
circus performance and the big ten
was not re-opened until 7:30 o'clock a
night, when the performance of tn
afternoon was repeated with the add
tiona1 at~tractivenesS of being under tn
glare of flaming torches and brillian
gasoline n The crowd last nigh
was also quite large, there havinl
been, besides the hundreds who wer
constrained to revisit the show. b.
reason of the passing excellence %
the afternoon performance, hundred
who could not for one reason or an
other, witness the first performance.
IN FAYETTEVILLE TODAY.
The performance last night wa
scarcely over before the work OF tear
ing down the big tents was begun an
in a remarkably short time tn
Greatest Shows on Earth were pack
ed on the long train Of cars, which lef
early this morning for Fayetteville
where they will exhibit today.
MRS. MARGARETiG. NORRIS DEAD