Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-04-15

Everything has its beginning, yet
it is hard to believe that as great an
institution as the Ringing Bros cir
Gus with its hundreds of performers,
wild animals from every corner of
the globe, and gaily colored wagons
without number would have sprung
from an old, rickety wagon and a
horse that looked more like candi-
date for the glue factory than the tri-
umphal steed of the tented ring.
1t is a fact, nevertheless, that this
tremendous organization which for
several years now has been surprising
millions yearly, had its conception IN
a penny show whose band consisted
of an ACCORDION, Jews harp, mouth
organ, an old army trumpet and
drum. In fact, it is possible to go
back further to the days when the
Ringing hopefuls held pin shows in
their barn. The brothers,, five in
number, ranged in age from four to
fourteen years, when they erected
their first mammoth pavilion" con-
sisting of an old rag carpet which
was converted into a tent.
The parade consisted of one little
boys express wagon, which did duty
as band chariot. On this were seat
ed one of the boys as a driver, and two
with fife and drum as the band, while
the elder brothers hitched themselves
in front and constituted the team.
The admission was ten pins. The
performance consisted of divers hand
springs, juggling and balancing acts
and contortions, in which the boys
were assisted by some of their aero
batic juvenile friends. The brothers
soon found that they could charge as
much as penny admission, and in
short time had accumulated eight dol
lars and thirty-seven cents, with
which they bought sheeting and made
a tent-their first real tent. This, Of
course was all accomplished during
vacation and out of school hours.
Their next venture was a panorama
painted by an artistic neighbor boy
on the back of brown wallpaper, and
mounted on wooden rollers. 'The best
laid plans of mice and men gang aft
aglee," says Burns, and this venture
of the ambitious boys went the way
of all things mortal, for they had
hardly given one performance with
their panorama when some larger
boys, in a spirit of coltishness, tore
it to pieces Their next effort, how
ever, was not weakened by this their
first misfortune. and in a few weeks
they had organized circus to which
an admission of five cents was charg-
ed. For boys it was really good
show.
A shaggy old pony was hitched to
an old democrat wagon which the
boys had painted red, with an accor
deon, Jew's-harp, mouth organ,
an old army trumpet and drum, the
glorious professional amazement"
triumphantly wended it's way along the
principal streets of the boys native
village. Plumes made of sleeps wool,
dyed blue and red, gayly nodded over
the solitary head of the band team and
on the hats of the boys.
The performance commenced with
the grand entry. This was an impos-
ing sight. 1t was led by one of the
boys mounted on the same Mexican
pony tudI ulu uuty DIS luS Dduu CHdTot
team. The other boys. about seven
in number, including the Ringing
hopefuls and the hired actors of the
troupe, followed the king. One of the
boys was made up as a clown, while
the others wore, with becoming digni-
ty, costumes supposed to designate
them as star performers.
First on the programme was Albert
Ringing in plate and hat spinning.
He did very well with the hats, but
the plates seemed contrary to his wish
es, and kept falling to the ground.
The result was that the six plates bor-
rowed from his mothers cupboard by
hours of earnest pleading, were one
by one converted into mass of brok-
en- earthenware otto Ringing,
with his performing goat, Rainbow"
was next introduced. Rainbow stood
on pedestal with his front feet,
then knelt down.
After the goat act came the tumbling
by the entire company. 1t consisted of
cart-wheels and hand-springs, and
finally a somersault from board to a
hed-tick nv one of the hired acrohats