The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-10-07

amount. IS soon as h first performs
ance was over he had a force Of men
to remove the wall Of the menagerie
canvas TO the outside Of the city limits
and hence the performance last night
was given entirely out CT the city.
Soon after the performance began last
night Chief Furlong made a demand
on the manager for the sum OF $50, the
amount OF tax due for the morning
performance, but he refuced to pay il. A
warrant was at once issued and gen.
eral manager, Mr.. Warren B. Iron, was
arrested for giving a performance with
out paying the city tax. He put up the
$50. the same 10 be held by the city in
case il is decided that the same should
be paid. Mr.. John d. Bellamy has
been employed by Iron 10 represent
him. The case will come up before
Mayor Springer this morning and it
Is understood hat Iron will contend
that not enough Of the tent was in the
city limits to make them liable.
OF the people who attended the
show yesterday. al least 75 per cent.
were from Wilmington. At the two
performances there were something
like 1c,0 900 people and it can be easily
seen what this amounts to at 80 cents.
not 10 speak of the amount derived
from reserved seats, the best of which
so cents extra was charged for, and %
cents extra for many Of the other seats.
1t is niggardly in the extreme in the
management of a show to refuse to
pay such an insignificant tax when
they have derived so much from the
town. There are many towns no larger
than Wilmington that charge several
hundred dollars for each performance
and the manager of Robinson's circus
has established himself as being a
kicker of the first water in refusing to
pay the small tax charged in this city.
When the next circus comes here, they
should be required to pay the regular
city tax or give no parade.
The mere fact. of a part of the show
tent being in the city, puts the show
on the some basis as if it were all in
the city.
Car Service Not Adequate.
There was considerable complaint in
regard to the service given by the
Consolidated Company. 1t is true the
suburban cars were used, but the num-
btr run were not adequate to handle
the crowds. 1t had been stated that
trailers would be used, but they were
not. For several hours, both coming
and going to the grounds, the cars were
packed, the people filing the plat
forms and hanging on to the outside.
By the use of a few trailers this could
have been easily avoided.
1t is to be hoped, for the comfort of
those attending and the good of the
show, that the next one will not be
held at the location where Robinson's
show tool place. Better locations can
certainly be found, but it would be
next to impossible to find a worse one.
An Orderly Crowd.
1t is very seldom that a 0roWd at
-nn6inc o. n oirnrrc 30 &c a-IarIy &c rrn q
the n on yesterday. There was not
a single arrest as a result of the circus,
and during the day only two people
were arrested n neither of these were
near the circus or got in trouble as a
consequence of it's being show day. A
force of about % policemen were on
duty at the circus all day and main
tanned order. This the management
of the show readily accepted from the
city, but when it came TO paying the
insignificant city tax of s55, they
kicked.