Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-08-04
BREAKING THE HOODOO

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q There are various ways of break
ing shoodoo ]" but the management
Of the Gentry Bros. Famous Shows,
united, which some here Friday, Aug
5ust 9, thinks it has found a new sys-
tenn of breaking the bank IL Of hard
luck, and other shoWmen are priyileg-|
ed to take advantage of the expert
ence gained by the premiers of train
ed animal exhibitors.
The fourth of July some shines famil-1
iarly known as the Glorious Fourth
is generally a day Of terror to the cir
Gus magnate, for fireworks and train
ed animals and canvas tents do not
mingle well. The small boy and the
firecracker can start more trouble
around circus than the tax collector
in a bad season, while Roman candle
shooting fire into the interior Of
trained elephant is sure to make him
forget his education, a singed monk
ey is a sad sort Of sight, and no one
but brother would laugh at a dog.
with burned tail. y955 s#.s s5
|. The fourth of July has therefore
cost the Gentry shows many thou
sands of dollars annually, and this
season, when it became known that
the villagers Of Blue Earth, MINI,
and the peasantry Of the country side
were going to celebrate y the day the
Gentry was in town, Manager I. c.
Speers made departure for the.
shows headquarters in Minneapolis,
and when he returned he had $780,
"a insurance policy covering every
form of misfortune which might some
to the show in connection with the
celebration of the day Of indepen-
dence. $ Il
In this unique document were var1-
GUS clauses covering the different fea-
lures of the show. There was one
fixing the valuation Of the fire per-
forming elephants at $4,000; anoth-
er insuring the cream colored horse,
ida" which leads the parade, for
$3.50; a special clause for Il F itzsim-
mons, !" the star monkey performer,
and various other provisions calculat-
ed to partially reimburse the manage
ment for loss Of property.
Blue Earth celebrated" in a man
ner the equal Of which the oldest
inhabitant could not recall. but the
plan worked like charm and the
Gentry Shows came out of it I'M
scathed. 81
Onowa, Iowa, had long been on the
Gentry Shows books as a "hoodoo"
town. The first season the shows
were in that thriving little city It
rained SO that although some of the
wagons were gotten onto the sslot,a'.
they were never unloaded and it took
the better part Of the night to get
them back on the train again. The
second time the shows went there a
small cyclone struck the tents dur.
ing the evening performance and. al
though the crowds got out before the
blow down." it was close cali for.
all concerned. This season the Gen
try Shows were in Onowa July 20. B
Before they got there the contract
ing agent took out an insurance poll
cy. with a local insurance agency pro-
tecting the shows against rain. wind
and weather, to the extent Of SIS. 600.
Saturday, July 20, was perfect
circus day in Onowa. .5s5 ].
Nearly every circus carries policy
which protects it from railroad acct
dents while en- tour, but the insuring
against local conditions Is something
| new in circus circles and serves to II
Illustrate the business-like way the cir
Gus business is being conducted.