The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-27
WALLACE CIRCUS TODAY
BIG SHOW COMES FROM RENSSE-
LAER FOR TWO PERFORMANCES.
The Great Pride of the Proprietor Ii
His Well-Kept HOrses-Street
Parade This Morning.

The Wallace circus, with it's army of men
and women, its acres of canvas and its
three hundred and ninety head of sleek,
well-fed horses and ponies, together with a
big menagerie of everything that is worth
seeing from almost every quarter Of the
globe, arrived in Indianapolis yesterday
morning ABOUT 1C O'Clock. The time was,
twenty-five years ago, when the circus
might have arrived overland, dragging it
self into town over dusty road. But not
so these days. Three sections of stanchly
built, well-kept' trains, comprising forty
cars in all. brought the circus to the city.
The show came from Rensselaer,, where
two performances were given on Saturday
to big crowds The Jasper county farmers
are prosperous this year, and they put aside
the moving machine and the pillow to go
into town and see the circus. The Wallace
show is especially popular in northern In
diana. Peru Is the home of the show and
the home of the proprietor. Benjamin Wal
lace has frieri is and acquaintance all over
Indiana. His close friends expect to insist
some day that he turn aside from his circus
business long enough TO take some part in
politics. They believe he would be vote
getter.
Mr.. WALLACE HERE.
Mr.. Wallace does not travel with the
show all the time, and for the last few
days he has been at his home in Peru. He
was on hand yesterday, however, when the
circus arrived. and spent a good part of the
day in the city. He has a great many
friends in Indianapolis, who always look
for him when his show comes to town. An
unusually large crowd of people visited the
circus lot west of the river yesterday and
no of no
The cars going out about were so
crowded that even the proprietor himself
was unable TO find standing room and a
friend took him out in his buggy
In the language of the press agent, the
tents rose like magic" BY or o'clock
Laid off, for little rest. Yesterday was
pay day with the circus, and between $1,000
and $4,000 was paid out to the employees.
The Wallace show pays of once week
and generally on Saturday. 1t must not be
supposed that circus people do not know
Sunday from any other day. The Wallace
people yesterday took the first opportunity
to clean up a bit and get some rest.
When a circus arrives in town, among the
first tents to be erected are the dressing
rooms for the performers. These rooms
after the show had reached the city. The
men shaved and brushed their clothes and
boots and the women put on fresh, cool
shirtwaists. With the Wallace show are
take advantage of the opportunity TO visit a
little with each other. Some of them have
children with them, and Sundays is good
time to enjoy a little romp with the young
sterS.
"One must not get the idea," said an
employee of the circus, that people who
go with big shows of this kind get weaned
away from home life, for, indeed, they do
not We have some women with our show
who are thoroughly dOmesticated and moth
ing suits them better, when they are not
fray vel settle a
home somewhere and keep house Tor Sew
weeks"
MANY PEOPLE EMPLOYED.
With the Wallace show about five hun
dred and eighty-five people are employed
in different capacities. They are well paid.
we'll fed and we'll dressed and there is nat
urally self-respect among them. Among
the performers there are some very clever
men and women and some pretty, we'll
dressed girls. For the most part they are
orderly and dignified. for Mr.. Wallace will
not tolerate ''rowdyism" with his show. He
demands that they maintain their self
respect, proceeding on the theory that cir
Gus people can be decent" as well as other
people.
The Wallace show has been West the
greater part of the season and the business
agents of the show report prosperous bus
mess. Circus people keep in touch with
the public. 1t might be said that the skill
full circus manager at all times has his
hand on the public pulse. If the Western
farmer is 'hardup" financially, the circus
is about the first TO find it out. People will
go to the circus if they can raise the money
and If the crowds fail TO come, the astute
circus man naturally reasons that there is
no money. with the exception of a few
days in a locality where the people suf-
great business in the West said one of
| the men, land We found a prosperous and
contented people,
This morning at 10 o'clock the Wallace
show will give its regular street parade,
which promises to be worth seeing.
Leaving the show grounds the parade will
| come east on Washington street TO New
| Jersey north on New Jersey to Ohio, west
on Ohio TO Illinois, south on Illinois to
| Washington. and west on Washington to
| the grounds.