The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-10
OLD TIME CIRCUS
CLOWN IS GONE
Funny Papers and Three-Ring e
Circus Finished Him
SUCCESSORS ARE NO GOOD
Henry w. Wilson, Once Famous Clown,
Tells Some Experiences of Old
Days, When a Clown
Had Individuality.
SUCCESSORS ARE NO GOOD

business said Henry W. Wilson the
other day. Wilson was for many years
a circus clown. and one of the best
and funniest in the business. lie is in
the lecturing business now.
afhe blaeked-up end man stll lives
mores the pity-but the real circus jester
has passed into the history like George
Washington. Napoleon and other famous
characters" he continued.
in the days of Dan Rice and Yankee
Robinson the crowds went to see the
clown, aud they felt. when there was
good one. that they got their moneys
worth whether there was much else 10
the show or not. There was an individual
ity about the od-time jester Just as
there is today about the actor Some
clowns We're greater than others Today the
ten or twelve monkeys that jump around
in the three-ring circus are all alike to
the spectators. For all they know the
performers are graduates from the tramp
class. and they probably are. The big
circus has developed the real jester out
of a job am not complaining because
| quit the clown business before the DAYS
when they began to use monkeys for
clowns | got converted and Went to lee
turing. 1t don't pay quite as well, but |
retained my individuality, and that is
something
Old Jokes Turn Up.
Every now and then l run across one
of our old jokes in a newspaper or mag
azine, and IL brings back fond mem
cries. Dan Rice was famous for creating
unique situations which would set the
crowd to roaring with laughter. In the
rural districts it was a common thing
to see young couple perched high up on
the seats-in the skyline row-the boy with
his arm around the girl and both eat
ing candy and popcorn with supreme con-
tent. Dams keen eyes never missed such
splendid subjects and he would turn 20
the ringmaster. Then would follow
dialogue about like this, Dan taking the
lead:
e" Say, Mr.. Smith. do you know that I d
rather be one of those people up there
than to be President OF the United
States?'
"a'Whatn'. exclaimed the ringmaster in
great establishment; 1 can't imagine any
man in this crowd who is Tucker than
the President of the United States
"'Well, there is; come here and I'll
show him to you
Dan takes the ringmaster by the arm
and rushes hilu to the side of the ring
and then points to his victims up on the
high seats.
There he isl he shouts. I'd rather be
that young man up there with his arms
around his girl than to be the Pres
ident'
'If you don't think that brought a laugh
down. you never attended circus. But
Dan made 1t worse yet He would start
to go up the steps with his hand pointed
to the miserable couple and say as II
| trying to soothe them:
=" That's all right, youngster; just go on
| like YOU was and we won't say any more
about 1t. l had no idea these people
would be SO unmannerly as to laugh
Vintage of 'e6.
This is one of my jokes which entered
| upon this life about the year 1866, and is
still doing time in some of the almanacs
| rush up to the ringmaster crying as II
my heart was being shivered to pieces.
The ringmaster, sympathetically, wants
to know:
"sWhat on earth are you bowling
about? You act like you had lost every
| freio on earth
Fairly roaring out my sobs I would
reply:
You'd cry. too. if you had had the
miserable luck that came to me today!
| well well, there is no use going on
that way tell me what your trouble Is
and maybe I can help YOU
Nobody can help me! It's too ter
rible,'
TEL it. man! Tell it, commands the
| ringmaster
| "'They had wreck on the Santa Fe
| railroad yesterday. Two trains that were
/
! into each other and every man. woman
and child on both trains was killed in a
minute
More bowls.
Well says the ringmaster, I don t
see what you're blubbering about You
! didn't have nay people on those trains,
did you?'
No; that's what's the matter with me.
Ny mother-in-law had a ticket to go on
one of them, but was late to the depot and
missed it,
Rinqn1aster Used Whip.
| "You know how the ringmaster pops his
Whip at the clowns 1t sounds like he S
| whaling the life out of them, but he
| don't need to hurt them unless he wants
| to, But once we had ringmaster who
| not only pretended to strike me with his
whip. but he did it so realistic that he
| raised great black and blue marks on my
| back.
at happened that this ringmaster had
| an uncle in one of the northern cities. who
| was not rated as strictly honest. 1t was
said that he had contracted some heavy
| obligations with friends, and by some
clever transfers of his property had evad-
| ed payment Nearly everybody In that
town knew about this dishonest transact
| ton and was down on him. When we
reached that place j saw chance to even
up with my tormentor for the sashing
know what was coming and 1t seemed like
he was trying to pay me up that night
for all the feeling the people had ex-
pressed against his sanity uncle. So you
will understand what follows I'll explain
that the ringmaster didn't get up the
Jokes in those days; he was simply OF
follow the clowns lead. His part was very
easy. and could be prepared without any
previous study. By and by my time came
and / fired an old conundrum at him.
which every schoolboy in the land had
heard over and over again:
Say, Mr.. Smith, did you ever see me
jump?'
NO. never saw you jump Can you
jump high?
THAT don't express it. Why I can
jump as high that 200-foot center pole
there,
Impossible. I'll bet you 500 against a
nickel that you can't do it, he says.
THE alleged money was put up into
the hands of a general utility man and
then / Jumped a foot or two in the air.
| The ring master in great glee demands
his money but I tell the stakeholder TO
| hold onto it until we see how high the
pole Is goin to jump. That's the end OF
| Byrd. Katie Davis. Anna Davis. Amy
| Dinsmore and Mrs. Matte Webb. Messrs.
| NJ L. Davidson. l.. Caldwell. Mack Jones.
| Arthur Jenkins Frank Alexander Will
| liam Duke. W. f. Davidson, James B.
| Tarrant John Long. Arthur Myers, W.
Bishop. Luther Greer, s. L. Gibson, A. II.
| wiltshire and W. r. Wiltshire.