The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-04-26
PEOPLE WITH
CIRCUS HABIT.

"You may talk about your city icIrcus-
| goers," said the old circus man. as he
watched big cosmopolitan crowd
emerge from the big tent. but the In
| dian. the wild. untutored red man OF the
| plains has got them all beaten to death.
| There's no circus-goer IN the world like
the North American aborlgine.
He will travel farther endure more
privations. and skimp himself harder TO
| get the price OF admission than any other
| human being In the world. What's more,
1 believe ne really enjoys the cncus bet
ter than the negro. though he doesn't
make any fuses over II.
"rhe negro as every circps man knows,
| will sell the family cook stove to get
money 10 see the elephant but the Indian
will barter his papoose. his squaw. his
even his most cherished possession, his
horse TO get n ticket. After the negro
comes the Chinaman.
The Mexicans, too, are not slow I'm re-
| spending TO the toot OF the caluope The
| LATEST greaser on the Texas border, who
| never paid a debt i'm his life hobs up
| promptly on circus day with his 80 cents,
| though nobody knows where he got it,
But the Indian is the greatest circus hend
! OF all
'In the west our circus is known among
the Indians as 1.-The heap big brothers
| show IL Is the only circus that attracts
| the red man, and he waits for its yearly
| appearance as confidently as ne awaits
the return OF the spring. In Missoula,
| Mont one OF our regular stands. fully
| one-half or tie audience is made up OF
| Indians
They come from az far as 200 mile.
| on horseback, and even on foot. starting
on their long journey days. before the
circus date and arriving promptly on the
| morning OF the day OF exhibition
CIRCUS FINANCrERTNG BY INDIANS
"On circus day IT is the case OF every
man for himself with the Indians The
| lord OF the topee brings enough trnkots
i'm the shape of moccasins and bows aud
! arrows to peddle around town and In this
! way gets money for his own admission
| ticket
"His sqaw brings willow baskets and
| has TO hustle for her own ticket They
| generally come i'm couples astride on a
| pony, and if the market is overcrOwded
with Indian relics they will sell the nag.
| when the show trains arrive in these
| western towns early I'm the morning 20
| and 800 tents have already been pitched
| by the Indians. some OF whom have ar
| rived the night before. Their little coll
| itself
cit is q veritable bazaar OF relies and
papoosc exhibitions. While the Old sQUaws
| are getting breakfast the children are
playing games and the chiefs arc taking
| their knlck-knacks 10 the market. They
are the first ones after the doors of the
big tents are opened to land on the blue
! plankss
They nn good part OF the arena.
and they never move during the entire
performance. Applause is unknown 10
! them They make as little show of cn-
| thusiasm as their brothers m wood in
| front OF the white mans cigar stores.
| III the trick elephant were 20 climb
the centre pole they would no doubt
| enjoy the performance. but they would
| make no more show OF surprise than IL
they were moulded from clay. II the per-
| forming mule were to walk out on the
| hippodrome track and make a concert an
| nouncement In the Indian tongue they
| would only grunt
after the show Is over the chcIfs pro-
ceed TO fill their skins with the white
| mans fire-water. and the sduaws with
the papooses wait on the lumber piles
4 till the gray streaks begin 10 sprout over
the hills. when the unsteady train winds
| out OF town over the tran.
CHINAMEN GOOD CIRCUS PATRONS.
Along the Pacific coast the Cinnamon
are among the firm friends Of the Ring
ling brothers. Like the Indians, they are
good patrons OF this particular show. In
San Francisco at least $4,000 saw the cir
Gus last season.
'Some of them came I'm coaches drawn
| by handsome horses. and they sat In
| boxes Mongolian merchants worth their
millions gave matinee parties, the men
wearing richly embroidered gowns, and
the women clad In costly silk. cut, not I'm
the form of dresses. but as the man
wears his broadcloth.
eat one matinee given in the California
city 5000 Chinese and fully 2lHO Japs at
tended The remaining few Of the spec
tators were Americans The Chinaman
is as undemonstrative as the Indian. lie
| expresses his appreciation OF the perform
| ance by attending time after time.
| probably the strongest mixture or
people that ever attended circus was
found beneath the tent of our show one
day last season at Tucson, Ari.. when In
dams MeXicans. greasers. Japs, negroes,
| Cinnamon. and n few American cowboys
fairly packed the big canvas arena and
sat promiscuously mixed over the blue
seats.
Though the Cinnamon and Indians
were undeInonstrative. the cowpunchers,
Mexicans and negroes made as much
| noise that day as was ever made at a
| frontier massacre. The cowboys yelped
| like a pack OF COYOTES when Nine. Noble
rode "A bucking horse; the Mexicans yelp-
| ed at the very act. ana the negroes iauRh-
ed at the clowgs till the earth shook.
"That night the COWBOYS and greasers
turned the town into n shooting gallery,
emptyinu their revolvers at the stars,
and manfesting their sorrow at the de-
parture OF the circus by licking up all the
| refreshments I'm the town.
CIRCUS FIENDs AMONG NEGROES.
when our show tours the southern
states the cotton fields are deserted.
Every negro within "a radius of 100 miles
| OF town where the show appears has to
sec the performance IL he sells his shirt
To do IL. White folks usually go at
night and the negroes In the daytime.
''In some towns In Mississippi Lotrs-
ana, and Alabama the interior OF the big
tent looks as though IL were I'm mourn-
ing. Here and there white face looms
I'M like n beacon light I'm a fog. During
| such performances the applause and
laughter are deafenine. and the clowns
receive the greater part
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