Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-06-01
THE CIRCUS HABIT.
INDIANS HAVE THE Widest CRAZE
FOR THE TENTED SHOWS.

After the Red Men the Negroes VIII
Go to the Greatest Lengths to Sc.
the Performance, and Third Place
In Held by Cinnamon.
you may talk about your city circus
goers," said the old circus man, "but
the Indian. the wild, untutored red mar
of the plains, has got them all beaten
to death. There's no circus goer In the
world like the North American aborlg
Inc. He will travel farther, endure
more prlvations and skimp himself
harder to get the price of admission
than any other human being in the
world. What's more, believe he real.
ly enjoys the circus better than the ne
gro, though he doesn't make any fuss
over 1t.
1.-THE negro. as every circus man
knows, will sell the family cook stove
to get money to see the elephant, but
the Indian will barter off his papoose,
his sQuaw or even his most cherished
possession, his horse, to get n ticket.
After the negro comes the Chinaman.
The Mexicans, too, are not slow in re-
spending to the loot Of the calliope. The
LATEST greaser on the Texas border,
who never paid debt in 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 fiend Of all.
"In the west our circus is known
among the Indians as the heap big
brothers show 1t Is the only circus
that attracts the red man, and he waits
for It's yearly appearance as confidently
Mlssoula, Mon, one of our regular
stands, fully one-half of the audience Is
made up of Indians. They come from
as far as 200 miles 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.
"On circus day 1t is a case of every
man for himself with the Indians. The
lord of the tepee brings enough trlnkets
in the shape of moccasins and bows
and arrows to peddle around town and
in this way gets money for his own adj
mission ticket. His squaw brings will
low baskets and has to hustle for her
own ticket. They generally come in
couples astride Of a pony, and If the
market is overcrowded with Indian rel
les they will sell the nag.
when the show trains arrive in
these western towns early In the morn
ing 200 and 800 tents have already been
pitched by the Indians, some Of which
have arrived the night before. Their
little colony Is almost as interesting as
the circus itself. 1t Is a veritable ba-
zaar Of relics and papoose exhibitions.
While the old squaws are getting
breakfast the children are playing
games and the chiefs are taking their
to the market. They are
the first ones after the doors of the big
tents are opened to land on the blue
planks. They fill good part Of the
arena, and they never move during the
entire performance. Applause Is I'M
known to them. They make as little
show of enthusiasm as their brothers
In wood In front of the white mans ci-
gar stores. If the trick elephant were
to climb the center pole, they would no
doubt enjoy the performance, but they
would make no more show of surprise
han If they were nodded from clay. If
the performing mule were to walk out
on the hippodrome track and make
concert announcement in the Indian
tongue, they would only grunt.
after the show Is over the chiefs
proceed to ill their skins with the
white mans firewater. and the squaws
with the papooses wait on the lumber
piles till the gray streaks begin to
;prout over the hills, when the I'M
teady train winds out Of town over the
rail
along the Pacific coast the China
men are among the firm friends Of the |
circus people. Like the Indians, they |
Ire good patrons Of this particular
how. In San Francisco at least $4,000 |
Cinnamon saw the circus one season.
some Of them came in coaches drawn |
~ handsome horses, and they sat In |
,oxes. MongOlian merchants worth |
heir millions gave matinee parties, the
men wearing richly embroidered gowns
nd the women clad In costly silk cut |
lot in the form Of dresses. but as
nan wears his broadcloth. At one |
matinee given In the California city
1000 Chinese and fully 1000 Japs at
ended. The remaining few of the
pectators were Americans. The Chi
aman is as undemonstrative as the
indian. He expresses his appreciation
f the performance by attending time
fter time.
probably the strangest mixture of
eople that ever attended a circus was
ound beneath the tent of our show one
ay at Tucson. A. T.. when Indians,
Iexicans, greasers, Japs, negroes. Chi
amen and a few American cowboys
airly packed the big canvas arena and
at promiscuously mixed over the blue
eats. Though the Cinnamon and In
ians are undemonstrative. the COW
unchers, Mexicans and negroes made
S much noise that day as was ever
lade at frontier massacre. The COW
oys yelped like q pack of coyotes
rhen Nine. Noble rode the bucking
orse, the Mexicans yelped at every
ct, and the negroes laughed at the
owns till the earth shook. That night
le cowboys and greasers turned the
,wn into a shooting gallery. emptying
leir revolvers at the stars and mani
ssting their sorrow at the departure of
le circus by licking up all the refresh
tents in the town.-Cleveland Plain
'ealer.
Improving the Old Homestead.
Farmer Whiffletree-Since yew got
n or ft,rn, co11pOa vpvv don't cpam IN |