The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-02-21

circus man" literally is true IS evil
Idenced in the case of one of the en-
ployes of the Paducan Dry Docks
company, whose former career as a
Snowman extending over many
years, inculcated in him that Vestal
love-flame for the life. Though he is
on Inc downward slope of life's hill
and though he has had experiences.
usually with those stars of the old
line circuses. Dan Rice, Bill Lewis
and others, which ought to have
been sufficient TO take the edge off
of pyodigal youths love OF the ad-
venturous, yet, the sight of F. Gents
showboat and the invitation of that
veteran Snowman. are reviving the
old love, and one chest of tools like
ly will be left to fate and man. when
the time comes for the showboat to
leave.
This man, self-sty,ed the Ten
nessee Mountaineer", one-time show
man. weather prophet and at present
steamboat builder, presents no un-
commonplace appearance to the OBJ
server. but prosaic as his present oc-
cupation and surroundings now are,
beneath the heavy brow are eyes
which glow, when ne is reminiscent,
in a manner altogether peculiar to
men VINO have lead lives of adven-
ture. in the circus or otherwise. ami
whose minds nave been trained by
hair-raising experiences or sweat
bringing predicamenrs to a degree
OF activity unknown to the even ten
or Of the average life.
Trihes appear momentous in the
light of later developments some
times. The mere asking when the
snowboat would be ready to leave on
the summer cruise, in the hearing of
the mountaineer started him on a
reminiscent strain of former days
which oaly the patience of the au-
ditors limited. But repeated efforts
along the same line have been una
BILE to exhaust his store of yarns, and
marvellous stories of fleeing the
unsuspectirg public and of harrow
ing escapes out of town after their
victims "got on" Still, this is not so
remarkable when II is remembered
that Dan Rice ana Bill Lewis and
other picturesque figures in tne
show business in the days of oui
fathers, every day were called on to
meet situations which only the very
genius of resourcefulness could have
solved.
Bill Lewis was the particular sub
jet OF the mountaineer's reminis-
Icenses this time. Lewis Is known il
paducah, by the older inhabitants,
or ought to be for many of Padu-
cabs citizens have been worked"
frequently by him, and indeed by the
mountaineer. In the light of the sto-
~ of his life as told by the noun
taineer he stands out as one of the
first water old line showmen. Born
in Tennessee before the war, he was
in his prime 80 years ago when the
show business was not in the hands
of a trust, or carnival associations,
and wnen any man with grit and
mental alertness could get together
few curios and be a full-hedged
show. Usually Lewis had only the
grit and resourcefulness as capital.
BY a combination of the exlgen-
cies of show life, the mountaineer
fell in with Lewis, and together they
took trip over the country which
carried them to the Mexican border
before they got turned around, and
which more frequently found them
broke" than otherwise. In fact.
hunger usually was the mother OF
the necessity which called forth Lew
is talent as postmaster in the art
of fleeing the public for a living. 1t
was on this trip that the Dancing
Turkey" trick was originated by
Lewis.
Though there was not single sur
vivor of the famous Clusters las;
stand battle, Lewis used that battle
as the basis of a game which work
ed a New Mexico town for about
seventy-five dollars in fewer minutes
On this trip also the stump Water
racket was brought into play and al
Of them, described in detail, hereaf
ter. in a retrospective view, seem
simple to work the public with, ye
in their simplicity. in their absence
of elaborate and forced circumstan
ces. probably is found their success
In the telling. they are more con
WI slve than the most original min
strel show. That is, told as the noun
taineer tells them. When reduced t
cold print by a second person, nee
lessarily they lose much Of the charm
of detail which accompanies thu