Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-09-10
OLD DAYS
Hugh CoyIe, Theatrical Press
Aeent, Figured in Exciting
Trial in 1881.
ROCKISLAND WASlNTERESTED
Tells of Fight He Led on Circus
Graft That Caused Revolution
in Business.


his general appearance might be mis- |
taken for a delegate to the Methodist |
conference, is in the city spreading the
news of the coming of my Dixie Girl,
which is to- be at the Illinois next Fri |
day night. He relates several amusing
experiences. he had at Burlington, from
whence he came to Rock Island and at
which place the Iowa Methodist con-
ference has been in session. Several
times he was stopped in the street by
clerical appearing gentlemen who
warmly shook him by the hand and
started conversations about something
pertaining to the conference.
Some % years or more ago Mr.. Coyle
was advance agent for the Forepaugh
circus, and he relates an incident that
will no doubt be recalled by many of
the older readers of The Argus, in
which the facts were pretty well aired
at that time Keokuk, Iowa, was the
scene of a riot in which the towns
people took sides against the showmen
and arrests and trial followed. The
case was of particular interest in Rock
| Island because of the fact that the
show came direct to this city from
| Keokuk
1T was about Aug. Z, 1891, that
was sent to KeOkuk to procure coun-
sci to defend Daniel Green, an emplOye
of the FOrepaugh circus for beating up
man named John G. Boyd of Mont
rose" said Mr. Coyle to an Argus rep
resentative yesterday afternoon. BOYD
had tried to forcibly enter a sideshow
while under the influence of liquor.
Green was arrested and held in $4,000
bond, but he was no more implicated
| in that assault than | was. and at the
conclusion of trial before Squire
| Lynch in the district court room the
prisoner was discharged. There was a
hot time in the old town the afternoon
and night of Aug. 5. 1881" Mr.. Coyle
continued. Boyd was put out of CON-
mission for awhile, and although the
show people said it was all his fault, a
number of residents of the community
had another opinion. So after A. J.
Hardin, who was then city marshal,
had gone to the Patterson house. now
the Hotel Keokuk, and arrested Green,
who was sick in bed, and taken another
employe of the circus named Charles
Derrick, in tow, there were dark NUT
terings on every hand and the fear
was openly expressed that personal
violence would be done the men who
were charged with the crime of laying
out the obstreperouS visitor who was
going through the front door of the
prevailed. however.
| On Advice of Vaudeville Magnate.
"B. F. Keith. then a performer in the
sideshow. but now the owner of a
dozen vaudeville houses and one of the
:, greatest theatrical men in the country,
Iadvised Mr.. Forepaugh to have me go
to Keokuk and look after the defense
of Green and his associate personally.
Mr.. Forepaugh sent me there with $3.50
: and later on sent $500 more, and you
: may depend upon it that the matter
of the assault was given a thorough
: investigation. when the case was
brought to trial before Squire Lynch.
|
August 10. Green proved that he was
in his room at the Patterson house al
the time the assault was made. Charles
Derrick, another one of the accused
denied striking Boyd, saying that it
was one of the canvasmen of the side
show whose name he did not know. G
B. Clark, the ringmaster, also gave evi
ldence to show that Green was not the
: man, being cOrroborated by Will Pat
, lterson. the clerk of the hotel, who was
< afterwards sheriff of the county. Jane:
3 Cannon, one of the men who made the
( concert announcements and sold the
3 tickets, was also there as a witnes.
< flor the defendant.
2 1.-THE case was one of the most hotl!
3 contested of any l can remember, boil
Z by the state and the defense. But thu
q burden of the evidence introduced b.
K the defense was so conclusive tina
9 Squire Lynch ordered the discharge
x of the defendant
81 Mr.. Coyle, who is one of the few oil
! time circus agents who was unalter
& ably opposed to graft of any kind, say
q that in the middle of the seventies III
= scrupulous people started to degeneI
s ate that happy form of public enter
X tainment, the tented shows or circus
G by introducing the criminal graft sys
y TEN. In other words, caring nothin
6 or hardly anything for the admissions
e depending wholly upon robbing the III
6 sophisticated country folks that coul
& be attracted by the gaudy advertiser
& to the places where these crafty mouI
G tebanking exhibitions were given.
< Wealth began to accumulate inordil
G ately to these concerns and it was nc
x long before nearly the entire circu
G field was inoculated with this poison
z Gus virus.
CT Make Great Money.
& In 1881, because of the novel attra
6 lion with the Adam Forepaugh shoV
= / 4 ouicp MODfao,Ie the $40 600 bpalt