The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-26
A FAMOUS RING JOKER
CAREER OF DAN RICE, WHO DIED
LAST WEEK AT LONG BRANCH.
He Began Life as n Stable Boy and
Made and Lost Three Fortunes
His Education in shakespeare.
New York Sun.


Dan Rice's real name was Daniel Nc
Larin. He was born in New York city. His
father, Daniel McLarin, nicknamed the
boy Dan Rice. after a famous clown in Ire
land. After his fathers death his mother
married man named Monahan, who had
a dairy near Freehold, Monmouth
county. New Jersey. and Dan. when
a small boy, delivered milk to his
stepfather's customers. His sister
Elizabeth married Jacob Scholes.
a circus rider, who lived long in New Jer-
sey. Dan, weary of the milk route, struck
out for himself when young and made his
way to Pittsburg, where he was successive
ly stable boy, race rider and hack driver.
After a little time, under the name of Dan
Rice, he achieved prominence, If not ex-
actly fame, as the owner and exhibitor of
a learned pig, with which he and a man
named Lindsay Travelled through Pennsyl-
vania and neighboring States. Rice and
Lindsay sang songs and danced, but the
pig was the principal attraction.
Old friends of Dan relate that the death
of the star performer broke up that show
and he drifted out to Nauvoo. Ill, where
the Mormons then were under Joseph
Smiths leadership. and remained with
them for a time. He returned to Pitts
burg and went to hack driving again. He
married there his first wife, and came to
New York in 1Si4. making here his first
appearance as a clown and negro song and
dance performer with DR.. Spalding's COM
pany in the old Bowery Amphitheater. then
under the management Of John Tryon. In
the company with him at that time were
Barney Williams, Dan Emmett, Dan Gard
ner. Frank w. Whitaker and others whose
names have since attained wide celebrity
on the stage and In the ring.
In the season of 1s45 Dan Travelled with
Seth B. Howes's circus. Seth B. Howes
was a brother of Nathan Howes. one of
the old -'fiatfoot combination, which
started the famous Geological Institute at
81 Bowery. He billed and advertised Dan
Rice more extensively than any clown ever
was advertised before in this country. One
of his advertising lodges was to supply
Dan with a special carriage and horses
to take him through the country. In
the winter of 1886 Dan made his first APP
pearance in Philadelphia In Gen. Rufus
Welch's National Amphitheater, which
was then at the corner of Ninth and Chest
nut streets, on the site now occupied by
the Continental Hotel. AT that time he
was simply good trough knock-about
clown" In the phraSeOlogy of the ring, not
quick to catch points on the audience from
the ringmaster, and innocent of any knowl-
edge Of Shakespeare. He tried successive
ly Nicholas Johnson and Ben Young, both
actors and Horace Nichols and somebody
else, in the capacity of ringmaster, yet
could not make hit with either Finally
he got Frank W.. Whitaker, who was at
| the time master OF the ring for other
| clowns in the same show, assigned to him,
and on his first night made hit, on busi-
ness suggested by Whitaker which car
ried him into instant popularity with Phil
adelphia audiences. The hit cost Sandy
Jameson, leader or the orchestra. new
violin, for part of the funny business con-
| sisted in Dams tumbling Frank headlong
among the orchestra.
EDUCATION IN SHAKESPEARE. y
During the summer of 1916 Rice was a
| clown with Welch's travelling show in
| Canada, and in the succeeding year he went
to New Orleans with his first manager, DIR.
| Spaulding. At this time, it is said, DR..
| Van Orden, brother-in-law of DR.. Spauld-
| ing took liking to Dan and urged him to
much-needed mental improvement, supply
| ing him with Shakespeare, Byron and other
dramatic and poetic works, aiding him in
| making from them the selections on which
| he subsequently became known as a
| 'Shakspearian clown" and encouraging
| him in study. not only for his professional
| purposes, but for the acquisition or gen.
| eral knowledge. Mr.. Van Orden also wrote
| a number of Rice's most popular songs.
After season or two Rice obtained an in
| terest with DR.. Spaulding, and that con-
nection was kept up until about 1850, when
| they separated. In 1853, in consequence OF
some legal proceedings instituted by
Spaulding for recovery of payment for a
| show with which he had fitted Rice out a
couple of years before. Rice lost hand
some farm which he had acquired in
| Columbia county, n. Y. Shortly after that
| Dan bought a homestead in Girard, Pa,
the town, where he sheltered his show in
| the winter.
BY 1856 he had so far recovered from the
| disaster which followed the severance Oh
| his connection with Spaulding that ne was
| deemed a wealthy man, and certainly was
| a popular one wherever he travelled. For
| he was a genial, whole-souled Fellow, KIND
| and generous, seeming to think nothing OF
| riches more than means TO promote
! the happiness of all around him. Fortune
| smiled upon him steadily up to 1861, when
there was a separation between him and
| his wife. Old showmen said: Dan lost his
| luck when he parted from her..
| She was spoken of as noble woman,
| who. by gentle methods, supplied Dan with
the guidance which he needed. She hao
| never been a professional before her mar
| riage, but he taught her a manege act,
| which she continued to do up to the time
beth became the wife of Charles Reed. a
| celebrated pad rider. The daughter Gather
| inc married and lived in Girard, Pa, with
| her mother. Soon after her divorce, Mrs.
| Rice married Charles Warren, Rice's treas
| urer, who had acted as agent between nus
| band and wife in the negotiations proceed
| the show, he proposing to continue TO act
| as treasurer and she to continue her rid
ing, but after a short time both places
| were vacant.
In the early part of 1860 Rice's show jour-
| neyed by wagons from the East to st
| Louis, where steamboat was bought FOL
| the transportation of the company through
the rivers and bayous of the South: 1t is
| related that at about that time Charles
| Reed and Julian Kent were apprentices
| with Dan Rice and he required them un.
| der all circumstances on Sunday 10 read
| to him from one to three chapters of the
| Bible. all eccentricity akin 10 that which
| prompted him TO build meeting houses fol
| the colored people down South. He is said
to have built half dozen meeting houses
| From 1860 to 1862 he was in the South The
| story got afoat in the North that Dan had
| bloomed out as rampant rebel, and wher
| he appeared in the Walnut-street Theater
Philadelphia, In the winter of 1895, he
| met with a very hostile reception
| ALWAYS A UNION MAN.
When the supposed rebel appeared in the
| ring there was crowded house TO greet
him with a tornado of Kisses, groans. yells
of "secessienist," Johnny Reb," and sug-
gestions that he should be shot or hanged
Fortunately for him he had the courage tc
stand up in the ring and face his accusers
until they were weary of shouting. Then
| he told them that he was and ALWAYS had