The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-08
THE FINAL TOUCH,
SeIls.DOWns Shows About to
Come Into Light.
Have Been alternating at the
Fair Grounds.
RING PEOPLE HERE.
Entertainers AreDevoting Their
Time to Practice.
Season VIII Open in Topeka
April 20.
RING PEOPLE HERE.

with a blare Of trumBets from the
four circus bands and 2 glittering panop-
" of red-gold painted wagons the Sells
Downs shows win open up for the sea-
son on the afternoon of April 29 with
a parade down Kansas avenue. The
steam calliope and the elephants will be
there as well as the small boy in the
wake Of the clown The shows viii open
uD for two performances here. one in
the afternoon and the other on the even
ing Of the 18th and from here go direct
to LeavenWorth where their tents will
be spread on Monday. april 81. They
will then be started on their all sum
uner's circuit From Leavenworth they
win jump over into Missouri for a ser
les Of dates and then swing back into
Kansas. The exact routing has yet not
been fixed and it is too early to give out
what has been accomplished. There are
opportunities, splendid ones IN the snow
business for taking advantage OF the
other fellows plans and turning them
to your own profit. The matter OF the
routing is one of these and it is a secret
which is ieaIOusIy guarded early in the
season before plans have been definite
-1y made by all. I'VE have to be mighty
careful said p. i. Brannan, the gen
eral agent Of the Sells-DoWns shows;
'just the other day we had man apply
for a job as roustabout and upon IN
VestigatiOn found that he had Just quit
another show and had come here to spy
and find out our booking.
The long days Of preparation for the
commencement Of another season are
practically over. The circus wagons
have returned from the hands of the
painters and the wagon makers The
horses are being given a careful daily
grooming in anticipation of their early
appearance before critical eyes. The
bare back riders and the trick perform
ers have been daily practlc1ng their
particular features which are glaringly
announced on the posters and getting
some of the stiffness out Of their limbs
which has fingered there since last Oc-
tOber. The new tents have come from
the hands of the manufacturers and
there is an entire prevalence Of newness,
of gilt, brightly shining, and Of varnish
around about the whole place.
The fair grounds is the headquarters
of the Sells-DOWns shows. Here are
kept the trained horses the ring per
formers, A of them. Here are also the
wagons. the tents, the advertising cars
and the sleeping cars for the perform
ers. A few of the animals are kept here
such as the IIamas and the camels. The
camels were grazing about on the young
green grass close to a large Over-spread-
ing elm tree. From distance it did not
take very much effort to produce the
feeling that one was in an oriental
country possibly in old Palestine. The
camels are shedding their hair and as
the shedding does not occur in a very
systematic way they look very unpre-
Eentable as a result. Long stretches ex-
ist on the body where the hair has en-
tirely come off and in other places the
great shaggy winters growth still re-
mains. A camel at his best is not a
very attractive looking beast and at
this stage of the year he couldn't enter
in a beauty show
over at the great shack Of a building
which used to be the main exposition
Kansas state fair are Quartered the
forty odd horses trained to the ring. A
number of these were broken to the new
life this winter. It takes a long while
before a horse discovers or understands
exactly what is expected of him but
once trained he takes as much interest
in the life as his master. A temporary
ring has been erected at one end of the
building and a number Of the bareback
performers We're training One of the
women bareback riders in bloOmer COS
tune was perched upon her favorite
mount and swinging about the ring in a
lively fashion. Following her one of
the clowns made an effort to perform
some trick riding upon a fractions bur
TO The riding was not especially sue
cessful and the attempts of the rider
created great deal of merriment
among the expert riders and performers
VINO were standing interestedIy around.
TO guard against any serious injury in
training a rigging is constructed in the
center Of the ring. The rigging looks
not unlike a small derrick. It consists
of an upright piece with a swinging arm
TO which is attached a pulley A line
fastened to a belt around the waist of
the performer runs freely over the pull
ley down the upright piece close to
which one Of the ring assistants stands
and keeping a firm grasp upon the free
end of the rope is ready at an instant's
notice to yank the rider free from his
mount IN. case of an ENHANCEMENT or a
threatened fall. In show terms the in
strument is known as a mechanic"
Quite a number Of the ring perform
ers have already drifted in and before
another ten days have elapsed the ma
5orlty Of them viii be on the grounds
training The expense of keeping the
performers through the period of train
4Hg FANS upon the show management
The nfty-fOur wagons which form the