Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-09
NOMADIC CIRCUS LIFE
HAS ODD FASCINATION
MEN OF MANY ATTAINMENTs IN
SHOW
EmpIoye of Norris G. Rowe Tells Of
Romance and Romances of
the "Tented
City"

A big circus is city in itself. 1t has
its classes and it's creeds, and the class
line is as strongly defined as in society's
four hundred. 1t has its laws; true, they
are unwritten, but they are strictly ad-
hered to, and woe to the unfortunate be-
ginner should be break one of these COM
mandments. The strictest is the respect
demanded for the women of the show.
Their department both on the train and
on the lot, is sacred, and not man OF
the show would dare to even think of
invading their portion Of either place.
During the long season many are the in
cidents, romantic and sordid that happen.
These incidents seldom find their way into
print, for the management hardly con-
siders them news items.
]. H. Fitzpatrick of the Norris & Rowe
staff was caught in an expansive mood
last evening at the Hayward hotel. He
smiled in recollection of recent roman
tic happening with the big circus and
told the following series of sketches OF
the unwritten life of circus.
''In the magic world of the arena there
are many titled personages. This is espe-
cially true of the side show or annex to
the big show. Here live the princes, the
kings, the queens, the majors, the colonels
of the mimic world, and though their
titles are more or less unsettled, yet their
sway for the moment is as great as the
real rulers of the world.
Midget Princess
Among the inhabitants of the tented
city is the Princess Nouma. The princess
is a charming little person, a midget,
some twenty-eight inches high and "a
years of age. The little princess is able
to walk under an ordinary chair, yet her
heart, evidently is as large as that OF an
ordinary person.
"With the show is bright young fellow
named Frank DeHaven. He Joined. as
others have Joined, by simply attaching
himself to the show. Frank was given
3 position as stable boy or groom in the
rnenagerie tent He was a quiet chap,
rinding his own business. 1t was only
recently noticed that he visited the side
show tent more frequently than the 9TH
ers. At about that time 1t was also incl
dentally noticed that the little princess
had taken an inordinate interest to the
stock in the menagerie and fingered longer
than was absolutely necessary around the
thoroughbreds young Frank had charge
Of Putting two and two together, 1t was
determined that lovemaIing was in
progress
Gas all the world loves a lover the
Inhabitants of Norris & Rowe's tented
city sat up and took notice and helped
the game along. Mr.. Rowe took a father
Iy interest in the young couple and so
arranged matters that they could be mar
rtcd. So a public ceremony took place
upon the big platform in the side show
before an interested audience.
Nicknames the Rule
"Almost every one with the show has a
eobriauet of some sort, and sometimes
for an entire season a man will not hear
his own name excepting when he comes
10 the pay wagon. Norris & Rowe are
referred to as the governors, or as the
old men. There is Scissors Bill for in
stance, so named because he was Sod
buster or one unfamiliar with circus life
when he Joined out. There is Sleepy
Niger who is the very reverse Of the
name bestowed upon him. There Is Slim
Lee. big, quiet fellow from North Caro-
Ina There is Ringing and b. b. so
named for their associations with those
shows
.Muldoon, the solid man. because he
ss strong and husky There is Bull
Green, SO named because of his associa-
ton with the bulls or elephants, and sc