Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1906-04-06

matter with Bryant" and the audience
got UP on Its hind legs and yelled
that 10 the white folks did-and then
wt marched around tae other way, and
yelled, Teddy Is the stun! Teddy 10
the stun" and the negroes in the au-
| dience yelled. Then my crowd mel
| pas crowd right by the middle ring,
where the elephants mad formed the
pyramid that closes their act. and the
Japanese jugglers were in the right
hand ring. and a party Of female tum-
Tiers. with low-neckel stockings were
| standing at attention in the left-hand
ring.
There was no intention Of having a
riot. but when pa yelled. what's the
matter with Bryan" a negro in my
crowd yelled. That's what's the mat
ter with Bryan and he hit pa over the
head with his Chinese lantern, loaded
with a warm hornets nest as big "a
u football. which hal taken fire from
and began to fight hornets. and then
all the white trash in pas bunch
rushed up and began to whack my
poor down-trodden negroes with their
Chinese lanterns. or course. my fell
lows couldn't stanl still and lie
mauled. and the candles had warmed
our hornets nests so the hornets were
crawling out to see what was the trout
bic. Then every negro whacked a
white mar with a hornets nest and
the audience fairly went wild with ex-
element.
The hornets got busy and went for
HE elephants and the Japanese jug
eieis. and they stampeded like they
never met a hornet before.
Tho female tumble.5 found hornets
IN their stockings. and Everywhere,
anG they CAV a female war whoop and
rushed for the dressing room. The
elephants got stung and they came
down off their pyramil and went out
to the menagerie tent %trdmpeting. and
switching their trunks. The negroes
and the white politicians were getting
INTO a race war, 50 the circus hands
rushed in and separated them, and my
negroes found that the ietty | had
them rub on themselves did not keep
| Tie IlDTltiS lTOHl Sttl.SlHS lupm. ~
they stampeded.
Then the hornets beGan TO go for the
audience. and the n yelled MUIR
DEF and pulled down their dresses 10
cover their shoes, and the men got
stung. and the whole audience STAN
Ieded into the open air.
Then I met pa. and he was a sight,
,nI nnya unt CHING ~ Thn vnon-
ayers tried to get tho band to play
some tune that would soothe and hold
the audience till an explanation could
he made, but somebody had thrown
hornets nest under the band seats ant
tie horn players got stung on the lip
so they couldn't play. and the band al
liz out for a beer garden. Before
realized 1t the show was over, and
detective that detects for the show hat
a meeting of the managers. Pa wa
;hC prosecuting attorney, and tolt
them that | didn't run my politics fair
cause I had brought IN a lot of ring
ers. The managers asked me how tn
hornets nests came TO be in the Chi
ncse lanterns. | told Them they woul'
u have to ask the negroes for how wa
/ to know what weapons they had con
CCaled about their persons any NOR
than pa was responsible if his politi
Il cans carried revolvers.
They said that looked reasonable
Lu: they believed | l:new more abou
Z II than anybody. bus as we had t.
II lack up the show ard make the mex
u Town they wouldn't lynch me till tn
" next day. Pa got me 70 put co'd crear
y on his stings, and then he said, Hen
" merry, you are the limit"