The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-04-25

~ ALEB SIMPSON is an old man
now, and il Is with something
~ of self-depreciation that he
sometimes spins yarn of the
old days when he was In the circus
business with Simonides Patroclus
Price. A hot lunch and few friends
nearly as old as himself got him
started the other night, and he told one
like this:
"There amt any use going back to
the particulars of how / got in the
show business further than to say that
sold up old Pap Rockwell's show for
a feed bill he owed me, tried the game
for three performances, and made so
much money that i turned the store
over to my brother and set out for a
professional circus man. Rockwell cut
out and left as soon as he'd introduced
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 n bit sore when he found out that
1 had seized the show, swOrc that he
was ready TO pay up all the old bills
and assume the proprietorship himself.
But I'd had a taste of the game-l
was young then--and Sims talk con
vInced me that ! had hit on "A good
thing, so ] resolved to freeze on. Sim
got real mad then and sent me his res
ignation. ] 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 Mastodon Circus, Mena-
gerie and Hippodrome," and with that
hlgh.sounding title we left Indianap-
oils one Saturday night and struck into
the backwoods for ten weeks of one
day stands. Those were the days
when circuses Travelled by wagon only.
and we weren't two hours on the road
before | was blessing my stars that
Sim had come along.
''He knew more about the show bust
ness than ever learned or could learn
and no dilemma was too difficult for
him to wrggle out Of Then he was n
good and elevatng influence with the
thirty-siX 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
tralia. 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
thing Is possible-to what / might call
the tone of the outfit. OF course the
whole business was small compared
with these big modern. three.ring cir
cuses, but 1t was quite n model in its
way, and l was pretty well through
my first season Of il before | found
my self-respcct in any danger But
that will come later.
LAS a said, besides being an excel.
lent clown, a good manager and n reg
nlar martinez for discipline, Mr.. Price
i never called him Sim in those days
was always ready with the cash 10
help us out of tight place. | used
TO wonder ut his success in holding
onto his money, but as his wife made
big salary, as salaries went, and rs
his earnings as clown almost equaled
my two-thirds of the profits. ii wasn't
so unaccountable that he should al
ways have ready money. His wife
was perfectly devoted to him, and no
doubt they pooled their savings.
,rhn only sna.in11e trnnthl., ,,.n hnh a Z