The sun., 1901-07-21
BUFFAIO'S NOISY MIDWAY.

BUFFALO'S NOISY MIDWAY.
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Bsdlam 1t loose would b - peaceful
q prayer meeting compared with the
Buffalo Midway In full swing. The Pam
American may fan tribe short OF sxpo-
sltious - they are grown In Chicago and
pasis. u doesn't pretend 10 be . worlds
fsir. Bot when II comes 10 the sort OF
sucosss known q howiinS. Buffalo hikes
. megaphons into position and bellows
dsAantiy 10 the world.
sHIko' b quite the correct word N
tAis placs. Some Of the Midway mega
pAonss ars % bls that they are hung from
bracket or projection. They are too
havy 10 b held up to the mouth. even BY
ths big-lungsd men who shout through
them.
Ths man behind the megaphone b the
wonder Of the Midway. There are forty
Attractions In this realm Of fake and fancy
and eaoh attraction has platform In front
q T. Every platform has its shout@
"a almost every shouter has his mega
phons Some Of them are Of xinc and about
I -four fsst long. This refsrs to the mega
phonaI The shoutsrs are chiefly Of brass
asd vaSy from I'VE TO six fest In length
Ths combination b paralyzing
Most Of the time the megaphone artists
bray at the crowd. but occasionally they
turn their instruments upon ono another
apd blars and blow until the Midway reeh
sHd rochn with the roar Of 1t all A mega
phone duel y fsarsoms thing
The Bostock trained-anina show has
two msgaphones all Its own. Behind the
meaaphones are two mon who are CON
slant spur TO each other. Ono talks up
the Midway and the other talks down. and
between them they beat every band In
the neiahborhood. II b not easy to re-
port Midway megaphone on paper. There
= IN indefinable something lacking. A
subtle soulfulness. which strikes tho listen-
er's eardrum with a bang, Is somehow
lost in the shufie from megaphone to paper.
For example:
In front Of the animal show is case
containing two or three Lion cubs about
the size Of Newfoundland puppy. They
are soft. cuddling little things, tickled
With q rubber ball and almost overcome
with Joy II anybody scratches them be-
hind the ears. When the men behind
the megaphones have gathered q bunch
Of people in front Of the place an East
Indian, In scarlet turban and tartan uni
form, takes one Of the cubs from the cage
and carries It out to the platform. 1t is
worth Roing to Buffalo to hear the little
megaphone man then below In q sepul-
chral tone:
Don't be alarmed. ladies and gentle
meni I am herel"
.Aw," brays the man at the Living Link
show next door. get into your megaphone
and shut yourself of! Ladies and gen
tlemen, II that there fellow got just one
look at our Living Link he'd run from here
to Niagara and Jump over the Falls. He
b the only man or woman In this crowd.
though, that would run from our great
attraction. The rest Of you arc going to
run 10 ret In and see the wonderful creature
We arc enabled to present to your amazed
notice. What y It? Ape or mani That
= the question:
well, It's a question that anybody can
answer" shouts the nrst megaphone man;
The thing talkin' through the megaphone
there IL an ape. Tho mans inside. Don't
pay your good money to look at man wher
you can SEQ man-eating lions and tigers
You can even see snakes here. and for q
cents only. II there's any man In thi'
crowd that osn sec snakes anywhere els'
for that money. wen let him In freer'
And 90 the merry war OF words goes on
Every barker has his own trick to catch tn
crowd. Most Of them depend on noise. bu
there is one man who saves his lungs b!
the exercise OF his wits. In front Of the
show which enjoys his services he has al
easel and platform He is discovered. q
the playbooks say. In the act Of touchin,
I'D picture on the easel. Somebody stop
to watch him and In q minute or two dozel
sauntsrers are grouped In front of the place
Then the man begins to tell them about tn
picture. Finally he says:
Now, ladies and gentlemen. l am goin,
TO have one OF our young lady dancers Civ
you dance and then we will set fire TO thi
picture and you will ace what happens.
The young woman comes out and take
her place on the platform. and the man. witt
a-Fipt want 10 tell you about our wonder
full show launches into an enthusiastic
description OF the attraction he Is barkin,
for. When he has said all he has to ga,
the girl gives q little dance and then, witt
most winning smile. the man says
Now, ] don't know whether there
any one here whs doesn't like q joke.
hope there isn't, for | have to confess tha
Ihave played a little Joke on you. wante'
ths confusion and hooraying around here
and listen2 30 got you Interested In tn
picture. and then. ladies and gentlemen,
kept you interested by promising to burr
that beautiful work Of art before you
eyes.
That, ladies and gentlemen was q la
am not going to burn that picture pal,
Ave good round dollars for that picture
and am not burning money just yet. hav
kept you here by telling you a lie, but tha
was the only one have told you All
oaid about our performance was gospe
truth. Step right inside and prove t. Onl,
IS cents admission. and"
From this point the harrangiis b the old
familiar one The man doesn't AWAY