The Topeka state journal., 1901-06-08
EUROPE WITH BARNUM
His Fame as a Bareback Rider
Became Worldwide.
SchOoIed in Every Branch of
the Business.
II teresting Experiences In the
Life OF a Circus Man.

The story of the life Of William Sells,
Of Sells & Gray's shows. which viii ap-
pear in Topeka next Thursday reads
like a. romance.
From the time of his boyhood, when |
at the tender age of six years ne rode /
in the ring of his fathers circus until /
the present time when he is at the head /
OF his own show, his unflagging energy |
and dogged determination to do Whal- 1
ever he set about to do and to excel IN /
that particular thing, have never tailed
Reared he was in a circus NE, ne Il
knows the ins and outs of the circus /
business perhaps as we'll as anyone IN |
America. He has served in every ca |
pacity from an actor to manager aSld |
owner of a circus and has been his own
advance man, press agent and bill pos
ter as necessity required And 1t was
partly through his efforts that his faith
er, the late Allan Sells of Topeka,
amassed the fortune which upon MS |
death he left to Mrs. Sells and which
was willed by her to Allan Sells, the son
Of William Sells, and her sisters, and
for which a suit viii be filed in the Uni
ted States circuit court which meets
here in November to decide who is en-
titled to the possession of the same
In 1872 W. A Sells. William Sells
father and his brothers started a circus
from Columbus, Ohio, which was tnen
their home With the opening of the cir
Gus season little Willie Sells, who was
then about six years old and who had
r1lEnlaNPQ no little ADlllLX as q IlQCIt
was put in one of the rings of the cir
Gus alongside of the high priced show
men who were secured in America and
Europe. His first act was in riding a
pony. He soon mastered the turn and
won much applause for his cleverness,
partly because of his yOuthfulness-
Then followed several years OF hard
ship and toll for the son of the circus
owner. He gradually added to his rep
ertOire of turns until he was able to go
on and carry out his part of the per
formance with an excellence which won
for him a merited reception everywhere
ne went. and made him famous as a
rider throughout the country
HE SOLD PHOTOGRAPHS.
Il used to be an Industrious little fel-
low said Willie Sells in talking over
old times, and used to sell photo
graphs of myself in the audience after
doing my turn. In those days the peo-
pie bought photographs of shoWmen
more than they do now. They wouldn't
think OF going to a show without BRING
ing away something of that kind as
reminder. Well. L used to sell photo
graphs to the value OF from SIS to $50
per day and / always gave the money
as wen as all the salary I earned to my
mother. / gave my mother all my mon
ey until I was p years old Then be-
sides giving UP all the money 1 earned
this way I used to black the shoes of
the showmen, sell sandwiches and do
errands. / was always doing something
to earn money.
I remember 7 used to get several
copies Of the Clipper and sell them to
the show people. They always wanted
it to read and made a little out of
that"
William Sells early life was not
strewn with roses although he appeared
gay and happy to the people who saw
him perform in the circus ring, amidst
the tinsel and glitter, and the blare of
the band. His father was always kind
to him but burdened as he was with
his numerous business cares in connec-
ton with the management of the show
he left the little fellow to his own de-
vices and the care of his mother and
his trainer, the ringmaster, one Ferdin-
and Tunare.
BEATEN BY THE TRAINER.
MY mother he said, was some
times very cruel to me. I always kept
still however and took everything that
got without ever mentioning it to my
father.
More than once when the trainer
was teaching me something new he
would beat me unmercifully I have
marks on my body yet he continued,
which testify to the liberal manner in
which he used to lay the whip.
When we would go into winter quar-
ters a great deal of time would Of
course be occupied in practice of old
tricks and new ones for the next season
My father used to turn me over entire
" to the care of Ferdinand never sus-
pecting the treatment which he gave me-
And lbeing young was afraid to tell. He
had me thoroughly scared. One time
was in the big barn learning a trick
which was very difficult for me and the
hot-headed little Frenchman becoming
exasperateG at my prolonged futile ef-
forts set upon me and would have
11ogged me nearly to death but for the
help of some of the other men who were
at work in the barn who came to my
assistance
At another time after an afternoon
performance while we were doing a few
practice turns in the show tent he set
upon me and Professor Heck, now OF
Topeka, who was then our band leader
1nterfered- The ringmaster would have
had the best of the scuffle which ensued
had not several of the band boys Jump
ed down and taken our part
FANORITE WITH ATTACHES
Little Willie Sells was always a ia
vorite with the people connected with
the show He was good-natured. ever
ready TO do an errand or obiige them
in any way in his power.
After the incident OF the hogging in
the barn became known among the men
the trainer was given to understand
that If a recurrence of that event ever
happened he would be the worse on for
It.