The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-17
STATE FAIR SIDE SHOWS.
The Element That UsuaIly Gets Con-
sideratfon from the CrOwds

slderatiOn from the Crowds.
The "spieler'' for one of the side shows
came very near hitting the nail on the head
yesterday afternoon, when, during his elo-
quent discourse urging the crowd to Just
step inside and be convinced" he said:
The person that comes all the way out
here to the fair grounds and goes away
again without having taken In tho side
shows hasn't seen the fair properly-and
don't you forget it." Not that the side
shows differ largely from other side shows
the world over, but what would a fair be
without them, anyway? The "spieler" was
notpleading his own case, altogether. but dis
played remarkable originality by getting at
the thing from a philosophical view point.
After all. everybody likes the side shows,
and half of the people who pay their
sorts are not in the least particular as to
the merit of the entertainment.
Whether they are shows really worth see
Ing or simply fakes of the most deliberate
kind does not matter greatly TO the aver
age patron of them, who is "out for a good
time If it does cost a little money" Most
people that find that they have been made
the victims of a fake show will either take
the thing good-naturedly and laugh 1t OF,
or else sneak away quietly to some obscure
corner and bestow reproving kicks upon
themselves. But once in a while the man
ager of the tent exhibitions run up against
a tartar, as was the case at one Oh the
side shows yesterday when a heavy-set
little countryman stood in front of the
"spieler's' stand, just after a performance,
and had 1t out" with the smooth-tongued
speechmaker who had coaxed him TO take
his entire family to see the .'grandest enter
tainment for ladies and children ever Of
TERED the Indianapolis public" The fam
lily, by the way, consisted of a short, buxom
better half and three little pink children.
You said you would present anybody
who didn't like the show with a silver
dollar" the countryman said, land I'd just
like to have you make that offer good"
step this way, ladies and gentlemen"
of the family as completely as If there had
never been such a person in all the world.
This Is where you"
"Say-you," the countryman began again.
IT paid ten cents each for my wife and my
self and five cents apiece for the children,
and the show wasn't worth"
NOW, ladies and gentlemen" the show
man beloved in a voice that easily held
It's own against the brass band, which had
started In once more upon one of its half
hourly deliriums Of harmony, this is
where you see the real thing for ten cents
one dime. AS soon as the musicians have
finished their overture / will tell you about
the wonders to be seen on the i.side."
And as TIE band burst forth with in
creased vigoT into an ecstasy of melodic
strains the countryman gave up battling
panied by the disappointed family, made
his way through the crowd toward-an-
other side show. Fakes are so inviting!
y y
Where do all of the people Of the side
shows come from? They all seem to know
each other and have evidently travelled over
pretty much the same routes during the
summer months. Yesterday. when the
shows were giving their first performances
of the week. the people of the various
shows took turns in visiting from tent to
tent and viewing each others "acts.' At
the trained animal show a boy. with his
face painted in accordance with the variety
comedians idea Of a comic Irishman-that
is. bright red over the nose and cheeks, and
big white rings around the eyes-stood
leaning up against the center-pole of the
canvas, solemnly eating a ham sandwich
while he witnessed the thrilling perform
ance OF the marvellous Australian animal
trainer, who was engaged In the happy &C.
cupation of whacking Jupiter, the man
eating lion, over the head with a fiat stick.
In another corner OF the tent a girl, dressed
in a bright yellow, short-skirted costume
and wearing kaleidoscopial stockings, was
conversing pleasantly with the pretty bru-
nette who played the cornet in the ladies
brass band" The maiden in yellow was
really the wonderful lady without any
body" and she had no business disillusion-
izing the public by walking about in such
an uncalled-for manner. She belonged in
the palace Of mysteries" where her smil-
ing head was to be seen at the haif-hourly
without any other part OF her anatomy in
view. She and the cornetist were exchang-
ing condolences and telling each other how
fair again." when the announcer broke up
the tete-a-tete by demanding a dreamy
to the act of the performing Siberian
wolves. And the fair cornetist was obliged
to postpone the rest of her chat with her
friend until the dreamy waltz"-the
dreamiest ever heard anywhere-was at an
end.
At the vaudeville show across the way
from the animal exhibit the cannon-ball
juggler from a nearby amusement resort
was enjoying a cigarette while he watched
with critical eye the performance of Eva
leen, who eats, drinks. writes, sews and
does everything else but swear In a tank of
water with glass sides. Evaleen chal-
lenges any lady In the world to do an act
of parallel inertia challenge of something
like 5000. more or less. Now. people have
mighty little idea what a dificult thing
that is to do" explained the manager of
the show TO a newspaper man. ITO get a
good idea how hard that sort OF thing is
Just throw a few coins into a tub OF water
and then try to fish them out one at a
time with your mouth by plunging your
head down to the bottom of the tub"
Evaleen herself says it's all easy enough
/ when you know how to do IL. Il began my
underwater tricks by first picking up
twelve coins with my mouth" she ex-
planned. not without a little pride. 1t was
not difficult, for L never swallow any water,
though my mouth is never closed. and after
taking the last long breath / have no de-
sire for breath until l come TO the surface
again. i don't find IT at all hard TO remain
under water a minute at a time. What is
my method? No method at all. Simply
dive into the tank and stay under water
until / conclude the trick L am doing at the
time. It's a special gift of nature, l sup
pose. There Is no need of closing your
mouth while under water. If / tried to
breathe at all, or even thought OF doing so
while under water, / would have TO rise
TO the surface at once, but / never have
any trouble of that kind"
There Is precious little rest for the side
show people during a big state fair such as
the present one. when once the ball is
started rolling for the week. The first per-
formances did not take place in any of
the principal tents yesterday until about
noon, owing 10 the fact that everything
was not In readiness for the exhibitions.
but beginning to-day the initial shows will
commence each morning at 3 o'clock and
continue uninterruptedly at all of the
amusement resorts until the crowds have
drifted away in the evenings twilight.
Even during the noon hour, when all other
workers on the grounds are pausing In their
labors to steal a short recess while par
taking Of some refreshment the people OF
the sideshows are still pegg1ng away at
their continuous performances. only stop