The Topeka state journal., 1903-02-24
ACT is GOOD.
Best Performers of the Big
Shows Are There.
Auditorium Especially Adapted
for the Indoor Circus.

I
began a weeks engagement there last
night, is positively the best show of all.
In fast it is the best circus since the
days Of Van Amberg, half century
ago. Van Amberg used to have one
ring and the performers appeared one
at time, not in stacks of six and eight
like hot cakes at a restaurant, and the
audience could see everything that went
on. Van Amberg was an old fashioned
man. with an old fashioned show in the
old fashioned way. Shipp is an up-to-
date circus man in the fin de seicle
days with an old fashioned show that
the audience can see without using wide
angle binoculars and twisting from side
to side
Shipp has almost everything with his
circus that he advertises. He doesn't
say word about managerie. He
hasn't one. Therefore no excuse for
taking the children to see the animals
He has about everything else that afirst
class circus has in the performing de-
partment except elephants. He has pick
of the ring performers of all the big cir
cuses, some who are paid 500. $500 and
$500 per week during the summer sea
sons of the big tops. Shipp hasn't a
tent. His show is under tin roof
When the Auditorium was planned
and built the architect made it quite
unsuitable for some things but he must
/ have had circus on the brain FOR the DIG
building is better for circus than a
tent; it isn't so hot, there is 10 dust, the
seats are comfortable and one can en-
joy the exhibition.
The indoor did not give a circus pa
race II came unheralded by the usual
unloading exhibition at the railroad
There was no rumble of heavy wagons
/ through town as the tents and nxlngs
were being hauled to the lot. There was
no lot There was no blare of brass
/ bands. No man riding along telling the
people to look out for the elephants
It wasn't the kind of a circus that went
/ to Boyville in the old days and there
was no chance to crawl under the can
vas or to carry water to the elephants.
/ But the small boys got in. Major Tom
Anderson made them his guests on tho
opening night. and if no one else had
| been enthusiastic the boys would have
furnished enough Whoop and hurrah to
start the show off right.
The ring for the indoor circus has
| been talked about so much in advance
/ 1t came near being the text or one o.
| divers sermons. The ring is built
! pitched, or formed, as you please in thr
parQuet Of the Auditorium The seats
are so close that the audience can see
the color of the performers eyes, some
thing impossible in ten-aere circus
tent. 1t is possible Also to see the dla-
mOnds in the earrings of the peerless
Kimberley. Rhine, circus or paste va
riety. The show begins at o'clock and
lasts over two hours. One act follows
another in rapid succession, but they
do not overlap nor do two occur at the
same time. for which Mr. Shipp de
serves praise and decoration of some
sort.
There are other things that ShipD
should be praised for. There is red
lemonade on the ground, or rather on the
floor, of the circus and plenty Of pea
nuts, but the candy and beverage butch
ers were not allowed to plough through
the audience, tramping on pet corns and
| disturbing everyone, shouting their
| wares for sale. Nor did the manage
ment have any large voiced gentleman
come forward and say there will be a
mammoth musical melange Immediately
after the big show in the form of con-
cert And the ticket sellers did not
pass among YOU with tickets for sale.
Neither old the show wind up with the
hippodrome chariot. horse, mule, mon
key and man races which are detested
by majority of the people who go to
summer circuses
What ShipD has is the best He has
cuIled the very best performers from tHe
big shows, Ringing. Forepaugh ,Barnum
< 33Iley's, Waliace'S and Campbell's.
Ships circus has nine head of stock
six Of the handsomest white horses on
record, a mule. q bull. and a dog. The
circus opens with the grand entree o.
SIX 2ofsemen clad IN scarlet uniforms
that would shame the full military re-
gala of King Edward. Then come the
performers in turn. with not a quiet
moment until the show is over Juiia
LoWande is the principal equestrienne
and one Of the features of the circus
Her daring bareback riding and her
trained horse Mizpah are two of the best
acts on the bill Nettie Carroll on the
tight wire and on the flying rings and
Cecil Lowande the somersault rider,
were favorites with the crowd.
one of the big features is the Da Coma
last season and was advertised by highly
ccl0Fed llfhosr pas as the highest priced
There are of them and they can
turn hip-hsus in mid air as easily as a
Rocky mountain miner can cause pan
axe to do 2 somersault in a frying pan.
Every well regulated circus has to have
in captivity. The indoor has Sunlin's fa-
NOUS trained bull, King Bill the only
one what is The big fellow did every
thing thar any other trained animal ever
did He Is the pioneer beef in the circus
There are % acts in the circus. count
ing the clowns, who had no trouble in
Keeping the younger members of the au-
Gience II laughter- Delano and CARMEL,
the horizontal bar performers. have an act
that IS seldom copied and never equalad.
IheiF work was done so easily that some
people in the audience almost believed that
they could do it.
The members of the indoor circus work
hard In the professional parlance they
double. /. G.. they do several turns. The
performers take turns being clowns bare
back riders. wire walkers. tumblers and
clown band men. This is not an irnova-
ton in the circus business. but in the big
tents the crowds are too far away to see
who is who. but in the Auditorium every
one sits so near the ring that they can see
the features of the performers and recog-
nize them despite the change of cos
4 tunes Every performer can do two and
three and four turns, all entirely differ
ent.
There will be. a performance every night
during the week.
The Santa Fe will have Colonist tick
cts to California on sale April 1 to June
Is. inclusive, at rate of $500 It VIII
pay you to wait for our rates. Service
] unsurpassed