The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-01
HISTORY OF
THE CIRCUS
Oldest Snowman Living Tells
of Barnum and the Rest.
HAD SIAMESE TWINS FIRST
Many interesting incidents in
Lives of Big lent 6Ods,
HAD SIAMESE TWINS FIRST

1cl4c@ould44te, ", 0l--JuUBe IL Z.
ingalls,. the oldest living Snowman the
boon companion TO Barnum. Van Amburg.
Forepaugh. Pastor and Robinson the man
> who reaped fame and fortune with the
Siamese twins he who gained and then
lost half dozen fortunes. and, best Of
all, could beat Dan Rice at a game of
checkers, is now living in seclusion in
The little village OF Huntsville He has
Icing since retired from the circus bust
ness. But the scent of the sawdust and
gasoline torches stiH has a fascination
for the veteran Snowman. He like
the old war horse. though now untitled
for action, still wishes and longs for the
falcyon days.
Judge ingalls,. with his beautiful wife
and four children, lives in the little vii
lage OF Huntsville, six miles north of
this city. and il is there in the little
hotel which he conducts that he loves
10 sit and talk about his career in the
show business
1 supposed the boys had almost for
gotten the old Judge said the veteran
as he smiled pathetically
L was born" continued the Judge
'on the 18th OF March, 1926 near Mer-
rimac. y, II. I was farmer bog, and
from the earliest remembrances the life
of the Snowman appealed 10 me In the
Year 1850. when / was about twenty-four
years OF age. / went to New York City.
Times were tough for me then. and it
vas very difficult for me to make both
ends meet However. after earnest effort,
/ secured a position as street car con-
ductor. But the free life of the circus
man seemed to be calling and calling and
one day l responded. / Joined Frank
Carney's Hippodrome. and got my first
taste of open-air life. After a year or
two with this aggregation. l joined the
Welsh & Lent circus. and remained with
them for three years. l had during this
period raked and scraped together a little
capital. and then l started in the show
business myself.
1t was in 1854 he continued refiec-
lively. when 1 took charge of the old
Philadelphia Museum in Philadelphia.
Here it was that / became acquainted
. With Avery Smith. Old Man Quick. Dick
lands, Dan Rice. and others of the old
timers. I guess that most. If not all of
them. are gone now
Shortly before I came into possession
of the Philadelphia Museum, a Captain
Coffin owner OF a trading ship, arrived
fn this country with the since renowned
Siamese twins. He had obtained them
by some trivial contract with the King
OF Siam The twins were eighteen years
of age. 4 man named Zimmerman at
tempted to exhibit them, but the venture
was not a success financially. l then
obtained the Siamese twins, and exhibited
them first Of all. with great success, in
my PHILADELPHIA museum.
II was at this time that 1 became
SO well acquainted with P. T. Barnum.
Barnum had heard. it seems, of my
initial success with the twins, and the
one day approac hed me for an interest
IN them. The bargain we struck has
never before been made public. 1t was
as follows: y gave Barnum fourth
interest in my Siamese twins for his
long experience in the museum business.
and the exchange of certain curiosties.
We then toured the United States from
the Atlantic to the Pacific and exhibit
ed to mammoth crowds Then we went
to England. At the Crystal Palace. in
London. on a Good Friday, we cleared
Sc 100; fifty-flve thousand English people
saw the Siamese twins on ..iat day. Bar
mum and 1 showed for three years, but
when the twins arrived at twenty-one
years of age. they went into business
for themselves They made a fortune
and settled in kentucky. investing the /
money they made in the slave traffic
They lost their fortune during the war, /
ard afterward exhibited themselves over I
the United States again The Siamese !
twins died in Surrey county, North Caro- I
iina during the seventies.
While Barnum and l were together. |
j found him full of personal magnetism. 1
He was strictly temperate man, and when /
inviting us down to his country home /
in Connecticut. he would always say: !
Boys come down and see me Sunday 1
but il you want anything to drink you
will have to bring it along When 1 /
left for England. ne said 10 me on the /
wharf ingalls,. l believe YOU are a /
temperate man. but if you drink in Eng
land. be very careful They got me /
drunk over there once, and III never hear
the last of il
.Rarnurn was wonderful business man.
He was the only person l ever saw who
could talk business and write letters at
the same time.
I'm never forget continued Judge In
gals. my fist meeting with Dan Rice,
the clown. II was while l was running
the Philadelphia Museum. l had gained +
p local reputation as a checker player.
One afternoon a stranger walked into
nv establishment and. approaching me-
said. Is this H. P Ingalls, ! replied
that II WAS.
= Well said the man. my name is
Dan Rice. and ! am told that you are
something OF q checker player. l am
going to PLAY one game with you 10 see
II il Is true
II acquiesced. and the game was i'm
mediately played. Dan Rice was really
and truly DEBATED After that l was
his friend. and many a game OF check
ers did we play together Dan Rice was
Known at that time 70 every lad in the
United States He had 4 way Of collect
fri the children and taking them into the
show free OF charge He Travelled for
me for some time and repeated the trick
&c every stand. Stories have been told
since Rice's death Of his continued drink
ing. When I knew him he did not drink
| drop. After the show he would linz
the boys UP at the bar. but always took
drink of winter for himself
After I severed my connection with
psrnuu. toured England with Captain .