Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-01-12
HOLDING UP \ STEAMBOAT
An Ex-Circus Man Tells the
Story.
Ola Jim Fisher Was IA Good ns His
Word Not Afraid or the Rob-
brrs.

Now. I don't suppose any OF you ever
heard OF a steamboat being held up.
hey" said an Anacostia man who used
to travel out west with n one-nght-
stand circus according to the Washing
ton Star. You've heard of trains, any
number of EN-. being held up. and
stages, slews of EN-. being held up, and
burro pack trains, loaded to the guards
with virgin silver, being held UP. and
men, individually and collectively, be-
Ing held up in such place as Chicago.
Hyena Gulch. Cemetery Station and
such places; but I'll bet money that
none OF you ever heard before of a
steamboat being held up. Well, l did.
Not only did hear of it, but I've told
II. Not ony have 1 told it, but L was
in tbs hold-up. as a bullet scar on the
outside Of my left ankle would show
If had time to take off my shoes. But
ii was a good, old-lime. regular steam
boat h0ll-up, all the same. and the first
ana original one"
We'll here's now It happcned
Il was boss tentman with Robinson's
circus back in n We n!aycd the
middle Western circuit all during the
summer and along toward the wind-up
OF August wc struck cross-country
from middle Of Nebraska for the Black
hills. That was during the Black hills
excitement and We calculated to snow
up there in that region for II month or
So charging EN- all the way from 50
To So a head To see the show, and then
To sail down the Missouri and Missis-
sppi on two or three chartered stern
Wheeiers for winter quarters in Mem
phis. We did up the Black hills for
about six weeks, playing to capacity
and just coming money.
Then it commenced TO chill up some
and some of the animals that had been
born and reared down around the
equator began 10 snecZc and cough Il
good lot, and so it was decided 10 pack
up and trek out OF the Black hills for
winter quarters. Old man Robinson
was willing to leave after the six weeks.
for he hadn't done a thing but make
about n hundred thousand dollars out
of his one-ringer during that season,
and he had been especially prosperous.
at from 81 TO So a head, in the Black
hills country. So we moved down TO
Yankton, where old man Robinson had
n couple of the old stern wheeers-the
two biggest that ever navigated the Big
Muddy-waiting to take on the show.
GOT STARTED AT LAST.
"The stern-wheelers were the Gen.
William Tecumseh Sherman and the
Gen. Phil. II. Sheridan. Big as they
were we had some trouble in loading
all OF our monster, mammoth. masto-
donic, miraculous snow aboard of EN-,
but we finally did do it. and away We
started down the Big Muddy. We got
along ali right except that we pokcd
our noses occasionally into sand bar
ana when we got down AS far as oma-
ha we figured on beginning 20 unioa d
in Memphis about three weeks later on.
when would be making cOrking good
time, as time was made in those days.
Now. let me diGTess just bit right
here. l was on the Gen. William Te-
cumsch Sherman and our boat because
We had the better pilot kept about Il
quarter of miie aheaed of the Gen.
Phil. II. Sheridan right along. One OF
ihe men with the show was n cross.
peevish little old bareback rider. named
Fisher, who had been in the business
about a hundred years or so. and whose
temper was a heap soured for that
reason.
I'VE all had talked n good deal abou,
the possibility of being held up Mhen
we were up in the Black hills country,
and one night this litue barebacked
rider man, Fisher, got up on his hind