The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-15
TALK WITH DEvoE BROTHERS
BOTH ARE ACRoBATEs WITH THE
JOHN ROBINSON SHOW.
Man That Invents n Daring Feat IL
the One that In successful-Lffe
of Circus Performers.

robats, athletes and gymnasts that appear
in the sawdust arenas. Nowadays many
Of the best circus performers 90 on the
vaudeville stage during the winter months,
and OF course these acrobats never run
the risk of getting "out of training" But
there are hundreds Of lesser lights that
find 1t difficult TO obtain suitable theat-
rical engagements In these days when there
are so many good acrobats In America,
and these people are obliged to work at
trades during the winter while they put
in all Of their spare time practicing at
their professional work in order TO main
tain the standard Of proficiency necessary
to obtain good circus engagements when
the balmy springtime comes again.
In the second story OF a barn on North
West street is a homemade gymnasium
belonging to two young men who are pro-
f~essionally known as the De Voc brothers
and who recently returned to Indianapolis
from an eight months tour with the John
Robinson circus. For an hour or more each
evening the young men, who are now en-
ployed in one Of the city's largest factories,
give themselves up faithfully to the per-
Torrance OF all their old acrobatic
tricks and the painstaking rehearsing OF
q number of new and exceedingly difficult
feats with which they hope to astonish
| circus audiences next summer.
BOYS A AWAY.
There was once a time when a boy,
who got the circus fever. could run away
and join a show without any trouble" said
Cue De Voc TO a reporter one evening last
week, as he wrapped himself in a big
blanket to rest for a while after INDUCING
in some violent gymnastic exercises, but
the performers of nowadays are not made
in that way. They have no time In the
modern circuses TO teach people to be-
| come acrobats and athletes. A performer
who is not frst-class when he joins a show
cannot hold his job, and it takes as much
careful preparation to become a good circus
performer as IL does TO become a good
physician or a good lawyer. A young man
ambitious to shine In the sawdust ring
may, after a few months, learn to turn
somersaults in the air, but the thing is TO
do it gracefully. Grace counts for more in
the circus than skill
"a great many OF the best performers are
born to the life and know no other life az
all. With our circus last summer there
were three generations Of bareback riders
an old fellow OF fifty-hve, who could ride
as well as many of the youngsters. his son.
a man a little over thirty, who was the
star rider of the show, and this sons little
boy, a small chap Of ten who 10 fast learn
Ing to be a very daring equestrian. That
boy will probably never know any other
life but the life under the canvas tent. for
he is already too valuable a performer TO
be spared. and each new year will add to
his value. The child possesses great cour-
age. and that is the most necessary quail
ihcation in becoming a star performer. His
brother, who is two years older. was given
a trial at bareback riding but proved en-
tirely too fearful of hurting himself. and SO
the father very wisely took him out Of the
business and put him In q public school In
Cincinnati under the care of an aunt A
boy that lacks courage win never make q
successful circus performer any more than
a timid college man can expect to shine on
the football team.
MY brother and 1 were not born to the
profession continued De Voc, but took
it up because the life appealed to Us. I
guess 1 was responsible for our getting
started in the profession, for as a young
ster I was always filed with a desire 10 be
a circus actor as / called II then. / sue
ceeded in getting my brother worked up
over the thing and then the two OF US be-
gan practice with all our might at learn
ing acrobatic stunts. My goodness. when I
think of the frightful tumbies / used to ex-
perience I wonder that I ever lived to get
my first engagement. We had no skillful
master to instruct us and were obliged to
teach ourselves in our own crude way. And
you can bet that IL was crude. too. IL was
not until we had been at it for two years
that we secured a job with a show-a little
one-ring tent show that was touring the
smaller towns OF Indiana and Ohio.
MUST DO DARING FEATs.
THE man who invents a daring feat
that is out OF the ordinary is the only one
that can jump right into the circus business
nowadays without previous preparation
Take, for instance, the case OF the man
who calls himself Diavolo. He had never
given a performance in public until he ac-
complished the now famous loop-the-loop'
act, and il was the same way with the
young Italian who was in indianapolis In a
similar bicycle act during the street car
nival last September. The man who first
rode a bicycle on a high wire Invented his
apparatus and at once obtained a position
with a circus at a fancy salary. though he
had never known anything OF circus life.
Another rode his wheel down a fight OF
steps. Many find entrance to the business
in that way. but few of them ind the road
very easy. Strength. courage and patience
are the principal features in the successful
career of circus performers. Although there
is a certain fascination about the life. most
of the performers would gladly get out OF
it after n few years experience. but the
trouble is that few OF them know what else
TO do In order TO earn a decent living for
themselves and those persons that are de-
pendent upon them.
What becomes of the old circus menf
Well. that's a question that Is hard 10 an.
swer Some OF the old riders become ring
masters or equestrian directors with the
larger shows. but when acrobats nave cut
grown their usefulness. goodness knows
what becomes of 'em all. though some os
them have been smart enough to SAVE