The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-10

awful fakir. He could not more resist
.jollying up an audience than he could re-
sist gas of liquid refreshment. He would
wind up his foolery by making speech in
which he told the people how proud he was
to be in their town-'the best town, by the
way. he had visited this season. he would
go on to add.
TROUBLE IN KENTUCKY.
81 remember one occasion when he got
himself into hot water down in Kentucky.
He had been enthusiastically applauded,
and, mounting to the top of the spring
board, his favorite roosting place, he made
a low bow and said: Ladies and gentlemen
In all my travels from season to season
there is no place 1 love to visit so much as
Burkesville. Your town has wonderful
attraction for me, and / always look for
ward to my annual visit here with pleasure
able anticipations. The audience, instead
of bursting into rapturous applause, re-
manned as quiet as if in attendance at
funeral instead of a circus. And then
voice roared out, If you think you're in
Burkesville, Dan Rice, you've got another
think a-comin' The fact was that Doc
Thayer, who had never been In that section
of Kentucky before, didn't know that the
original dates of the show had been changed
and that the circus was exhibiting in
town twenty miles from Burkesville. 1t
was a long time before Dan Rice could
square himself for his understudys blum
der.
"Barnum Is always credited with being
the original circus fakir, but there were
many fakes practiced before Barnum had
even thought about fooling the public.
remember one tent show, before Barnums
reign a circus manager had begun, ad-
vertising, in connection with the other wild
animals of its menagerie, a marvellous
Jungo-the only one ever captured alive.
Now, what in the name of common sense
is Jungo? You may search every natural
history from beginning to end without ever
encountering such an animal I paid my
money to see the Jungo along with thou
sands of other cheerful idiots. / was
young boy at the time and it was before L
had dreamed Of becoming a circus man
myself
KEPT IN A CAGE.
1.-THE funny part of the thing that
the jungo was kept in a cage packed al
most full of hay, and all that the inquisi-
tive spectators could see of the terrible
beast was the top of a shaggy brown head.
1t always CHANGED to be sound asleep in
the hay while on exhibition. The keeper
would always stand by and tell the people
who assembled about the cage that the
jungo was terribly dangerous and that it
had just gone off to sleep after keeping
every one connected with the show in
state of terror all morning long Human
nature isl such that when people are told
that thing of which they can catch but
an unsatisfactory glimpse is a menace to
life and limb they gather about all the
more eagerly, waiting for developments
Well, that jungo was the drawing card
of the show for the entire season, and
never met single person who actually
knew what the thing locked like.
1.-THE circuses do not resort to taking
nowadays. All of the big tent shows are
exactly what they claim to be. The me-
nageries are well worth seeing and the
performers in the rings and on the plat
forms are all perfect in their feats of dar-
ing, skill or strength. The evolution of
the American circus within fifty years
time has been wonderful. especially to the
old circus men who have watched the
gradual changes taking place. Am 1 going
TO the circus, did you ask? Well, should