The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30

ANY time you visit a circus and notice
a good natured looking gentleman adorned
with many secret order insignia it's safe
to bet you are looking at the fixer. IL
some one falls through the seats, is run
over by a circus wagon, is injured by a
falling pole, falls over a stake or a guy
o or is injured in any way, h the hxer
Immediately gets busy.
elephants, a road be damaged by the heavy
wagons or a show horse be tied to some
farmers shade tree, then the fixer has to
right things. It's funny but a fact that
a town guy can run all over a farmers
garden and not a word will be said to him,
but just let a circus guy climb the fence
and the loss the farmer has sustained is
something awful.
Once the Santelli show got caught in an
awful ~blowdown. The whole show was a
wreck, but to make matters worse a num-
Der OF those on the seats were injured and
/ think a couple were killed. For a month
afterward the actions that were brought
against the show were heartbreaking and
the amount sought for would have bank
rupted all the shows on the road.
The fixer got busy and succeeded In
rounding them all up be fore they reached
the courts excepting one case, and that was
a woman who lived in North Adams. She
was holding out for 81 900. Nov the funny
part of il was that in the scramble that
night she lost her ~cravenette n it had
her name inside of 10.
at was found by one OF the showmen
and turned over to the fixer. He thought
his good intentions might count for some
thing IL he should return It to her. He
took it bach to her himself, making a jump
from Bangor, and when he returned It he
got her to sign a receipt Tor II.
That settled it. The supposed receipt
for the oravenette later turned up in the
form Of a receipt in full for all claims for
damages h held against the Santelli
show. Pretty clever, but / don't think
it would have stuck had il been listed.
D course every one knows that a circus
when it comes into town has to pay a city
license, and the license must be paid to the
city before a street parade or a performance
can be given. The contracting agent in
the advance arranged for the license, but
it's up to the fixer TO pay It as soon as pos
slble in the morning.
There is where the fixer Ia popular.
He pays the license and he has hardly made
known his mission before every n in
the city hall IL aware OF his presence. The
fixer is not treated a an ordinary citizen.
He is asked behind the counter n into
the private Office.
Here he has the pleasure OF meeting all
the known and some unknown city officials
From the Mayor to the Sergeant-at-Arms
every n Is delighted to see him, and the
way they brace him for tickets would make
you think they were doing him a favor by
filing up the best grand stand chairs. The
county officers butt in, h police force tell
him he has only TO say what he wants, the
various justices OF the peace figure in a few
able bodied voters when ASK ed can
be done for them, and lucky 10 the hxer
who can wear the same smile when he
shakes the last hand that he did when he
shook the first.
-Uniortunate u the aKer who Overlooks
any OF them. Some boiler inspector will be
on hand during the day TO tell him how
necessary IL h to have a permit to run the
boiler In the oalliope. An ofioer from the