The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-12
BARNUM & BAILEY'S.
Interesting Stores About the Circus
In Euorpe Five Years.

The New York Press prints the fol-
lowing about the Barnum & Bailey cir
Gus. 1t reached New York Saturday
after an absence of five years:
The happy family filled the steamship
Minneapolis and lad been nine days in
crossing the Atlantic from Dunkirk,
France.
Never before has ship come into any
port with such a varied collection of
animals But the real interest for the
great circus loving public, from the boy
who chews peanuts to the bald-headed
uncle who winks knowingly at the
antics of the bareback rider, lay in a
grand and comprehensive gathering OF
the most marvellous freaks ever seen by
the eyes of man.
When the Minneap polls moored al
West Houston street the first man up
the gang plank was "Tody' Hamilton.
who returned from France few weeks
ago. go
At the top of the gang plank Mr.
Hamilton met the Telescope Man. He
wrung his hand warmly. Then turning
to a group of newspaper men, ''TOdy'
addressed them thus, with profound
gravity:
This, gentlemen, is the only tele-
scopic marvel in human form in the
world today. He stands 6 feet 2 inches
high at times. Whenever he desires or
chooses he can raise himself to seven
feet. His name is William Doss. and
now he will give you an exhibition of
his unrivaled feat
The Telescope Man began to draw
himself out His neck grew longer and
his body heightened like piece of rub
Der until feet inches had been regis
tered. The group lost the incredulous
look and appIauded, while "Tody' said
innocently: TT never pays to exagger-
ate in this business.
Developments followed speedily. The
ttTliSlOCa finnjSf'' III his f1nrprS of
joint shaking hands, and Herman the
Expansionist, burst all the buttons off
his vest swelling in pride.
Soon San and Tang San, the Chinese
twins, came to blows. Soon San wanted
to shake hands with ''Tody'' first and
Tang San coveted the same honor. The
boys are ID years old and never have
been in America before. They are join
ed near the middle of the breast, and
at will can reverse sides in walking.
Soon San held out his hand to Hamil-
ton and Tang San knocked it down
This angered Soon San. and he talked
his mind freely to Tang. The twin SEEM
ed likely to resort to violence with him
self.
The Telescope Man shouted for San
to come out of the clinch." and that
person was told by the Expansionist to
shut up San swung a vicious right
for the chin, but was blocked neatly.
and then the press agent settled the
| trouble by catching the boys by the
shoulder and offering a hand to each
| half of the twin.
/ half an hour after the ship had been
berthed by the Lion-Faced Man break
ing away and running wildly in Houe-
/ ton street He was pursued by the
| Telescope Man and a score of workmen.
| The Telescope Man got within a foot of
the Faced Man. but could not re-
duce the distance Suddenly a brilliant
thought crossed his mind He kept on
at top speed and began to lengthen. Be
fore the racing freaks had gone a half
a foot, and the Lion-Faced Man was Ia
ken back to the ship a prisoner. This
story is vouched for by "Tody" HamiI-
| ton.
One of the most interesting arrivals
was Barnqm's What-Is-It? This is tie
freak that amused cfrcusgoers for "a
years before going to Europe with the
show.
On the trip over few of the animals were
i'll. The sea was smooth. with the excep-
ton of one day, when there was a heavy
| swell. On the ship were twelve tigers
| five lions, four leopards, four bears. foul
panthers, one hippopotamus. fffty-foul
monkeys, two giraffeS, four kangarOoS
one horned horse, three deer. one emu. on,
tapir, one aoudad, one Philippine buffalo
one nylghau. one warthog. one orix, foul
anteIopes, one m oufflon, twenty-three ele.
plants seven camels, nine dromedaries
four zebras, one buffalo and 1872 horses
Four thousand birds also were brought
over.
The elephants were imprisoned in hugs
oaken boxes which fitted into the hatche:
in the forward end of the ship. One of the
largest of the herd. Mandarin. became S,
unruly it was decided to kill him sooT
after the ship reached port He had bat
tered at his prison until his head wa!
swollen to enormous proportions.
Sorrow was universal in the ship whe1
Jesse. the most lovabie of the monkeys
died because of the loss of his mate. Jess
was a big fellow from Abyssinia. On tn
European tour of the circus he found
companion in Ruby. Just before the cir