The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1902-06-12
TheGreat Fall of
Dumpy Humpy
BY JOHN H RAFTERY.

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CALEB SIMPSON is an old man
now, and it is with something of
self-deprecation that he sometimes
spins yarn of the old days when he
was in the circus business with ST.
monides Patroclus Price. A hot
scotch and few friends nearly as old
as himself got him started the other
uight, and he told one like this:
"There amt any use going back to
the particulars of how I got in the
show business further than to say that
Isold up old Pap Rockwells show for
feed bill he owed me, tried the game
for three performances, and made so
much money that | turned the store
over to my brother and set out for
4 professional circus man. Rockwell
dueed me to his general manager-Sim
Price. Besides being manager of the
show Sim was the clown, and, by the
way, to this day think he was the
funniest clown that ever wore grease
paint. He was a. bit sore when he
found out that / had seized the show,
swore that he was ready to pay up
all the old bills and assume the pro-
prietorship himself. But I'd had D
taste of the game-I was young then
land Sims talk convinced me that l
had hit on a good thing, so resolved
to freeze on. Sim got real mad then
and sent me his resignation. I
couldn't afford to lose him, for all the
paper we had was splashed all over
/ with his pictures. | agreed at last to
take him into partnership. We had
lot OF new posters struck off, reading:
Rockwell-Simpson-Price Great Triple
Aastodon Circus, Menagerie and Hip
podrome," and with that high-sound-
ing title we left Indianapolis one Sat-
urday night and struck into the back
woods for ten weeks of one-day
stands. Those were the days when
.cireuses travelled by wagon only and
we weren't two hours on the road be-
fore | was blessing my stars that Sim
@eo CoIle dlOuS.
He knew more about the show busi-
ness than | ever learned or could
earn, and no dilemma was too diff
cult for him to wriggle out of. Then
he was a good and elevating influence
with the 36 people we carried. found
out that he'd been educated for the
ministry and had even conducted a
church in some interior town of Aus
tralla. His morals were above re-
proach, and his wife-Mlle. Du Barry,
the equestrienne and bareback rider
was the bright, particular star of the
troupe. They were really an edifying
couple, seemed to have plenty of
money, travelled in private carriage,
and in every way added-if such a
lnlng is possible-to what I might call
ane tone of the outfit. Of course the
Whole business was small compared
With these big modern, three-ring cir
euses, but it was quite model in its
way, and | was pretty well through
my hrst season of it before I found
my self-respect in any danger. But
that will come later.
As | said besides being an excel
leht clown, good manager and reg
uiar martinez for discipline, Mr.. Price
= never called him Sim in those days
was always ready with the cash TO
aelp us out of a tight place. l used
% wonder at his success in holding
onto his money, put as his wife made
sspig salary. as salaries went, and as
MS earnings as clown almost equaled
NY t"o-thirds of the profits, it wasn't
81 uhaccountable that he should al
ways nave ready money. His wife was
peflectiy devoted to him. and no doubt
'aey pooled their savings.
Inc only serious trouble we had
: hrst was in keeping our troupe to-
ee'her' Sim was everlastingly firing
s.hieoody-mostly for drunkenness I
aamit, but always for something.
'aought he was too exacting with the
leh' out IN spite of all l could say
"ouiont tolerate any kind of loose
MSS OF speech. habits or manners.
.ne preacher habit was so strong in
IN mat ne thought nothing at all
y oischarging a hostler for cursing
que OF the animals, and as for drunk
Ahess-no man ever came back to the
tent drunk more than once.
aeii' we were down in West Viz
s.aia somewhere doing a one-day
's1o "hen the town marshal dropped