The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-23
AN OLD CIRCUS QUEEN DEAD
Ems. LAKE. WAS PERFORMER AND
HiN iGER ron NAVY YEARS. d.
llrsr Woman owner Or q Circus In America.
Imroduccr of Novelties and widow Of
we Bir' HlckOck Dies IN Jersey
CRN -GaNe Bailey His First Boost.

Nrz Agnes Lake, died on Wednesday even
ing At 71 Montgomery street, Jersey
CIV. The residence Of her s~on-in-law, Gil
Robinson. who was the son of tho old time
circus man. John Robinson. Mrs. Lake
y would have been 81 years old to-day. She
4 died or infirmities incident TO old age. She
va he first woman owner of a circus in
this country and was the first to adapt
Inc dra.,a to the circus ring. producing
4 VERSION Of "Mszeppa,- In which she took
INC chief part herself. She was accounted
the best slack wire performer the sawdust
ring ever saw. She was also an unusually
skilled rider. Her daughter. emma Lake.
nos Mrs. Robinson, has always been re-
csrled "a the best high school" woman
rider m the country.
Mrs. Lake was born in Doehme. Alsace,
in ,s2e. Her parents name was Mersman.
They came TO this country when she was
about four years old and settled in Cincin-
ratl. One brother later went to 81. Louis,
where he died several years ago. a million
aye 4 sister married into the K%atterhorn
family Of Cincinnati, a family well known
IN he grocery trade in that city. When
Agnes was about II there came to
II CINCINNATI on one OF Its periodic visits
tho famous Spalding a Rogers circus.
Il had Will il an attractive young fellow
named Lake, who was a clown. In those
lavs a clown was a man of keen wit, well
/ educated. good looking and a fairly good
A singer. He was the stamp Of man that
court testers used to be made of. Agnes
fell IN love with him. They ran away and
we're married. From that time on her life
vas linked inseparably with the circus.
/ fer husbands real name was Thatcher,
/ n the well known family of Bordentown,
y L.
Sralding 4 Rogers's show was one Of the
/ Cd floating PALACES that ven down the
/ OHIO and Mississippi rivers. tying up at
H re and little towns and at plantations
Il where thousands Of slaves could be as
| eemhlAd. A tug towed the outfit. which
consisted ~ an enormous barge on which
tte ring was SET and also big enough to
erect several hundred seats. 1t was a
| rsvIns business. The young bride got
\ ti~ed If doing nothing on these journeys, and
under her husbands directions she prac-
used for a slack wire performance and soon
became so expert at it that she was known
II throughout the circus world as the greatest
Il ID her line.
For nearly fifteen years she worked with
her husband. They saved their money
and IN the late ffties her husband formed a
rartnership with John Robinson and Robin
4 son n Lakes circus followed. This partner
snip lasted for about three years. when zach
rsrtner went his way and Lake started a
clrcus Of his own.
II was of the old time variety. with forty
cr fifty wagons. the performers sleeping on
the wagons at night as they went from
town 10 town. With the Robinson A Lake
srcus there had been q small boy named
| Gordon. picked up In a hotel at Pontiac.
| Mich. TO help out Fred Bailey, one of the
| chef employees. He took Bailey name
eventually. When the Lake show became
| me Of itself Mrs. Lake insisted, against her
tusnsnd's judgment. in making the young
4 fellow. who had now grown no. general
agent of the show. That Young fellow was
| The late James A. Bailey Of the Barnum a
Bailey show. Mrs. Lake continued TO rer-
form IN the show. She not only walked
me slack wire but rode in the ring on a
| spirited horse and helped out in the ge-
ment. The Lakes had a beautiful home
| rack ~ C~ovington, Ky. across the river
from Cincinnati, and there Mrs. Lake taught
her only daughter. Emma. how TO ride.
In the early sos the great actress. Adsh
ls3scs Menken. had caused a furore in this
country And Europe by her performances
If 'Mazepna Mrs. Lake knew her and
one time in Cincinnati the Robinsons had
lent Mrs. Menken a horse for her theatre
sct when her own horse had broken down.
Mrs. Lake studied the "Mazeppa" play
carefully. N being able TO speak German
went 70 Berlin and played the part in the
theatres for a winter with great success. |
Her husband remained at home to run the
circus. When Mrs. Lake came back she
adapted the play TO the circus ring. She
fought with the Prince and at the proper
time was tied on the white horse. which
49, 4 A. I-.l :. 1900. A. - /
several times. and finally run into the side
tent II was a great hi: and the Lakes made
a lot OF money.
The Lake circus used 10 strike out for
What was then known as the Far West,
kansas and Colorado. The circus stopped
O. Cranky. Mo-, one day. and while there
lake had trouble with a desperate named
tako killeD, who had had one eve shot ont
M Western encounter. They used 10 give
concert after the show. killen had not
bought = ticket and insisted on staying.
lake had him put out. Lake was at the
ten door watching his wife take in the
ncke's Of new customers when killen
tneaked mp behind him and shot him through
Ne heart. killen was tried; but ssrved only
about three years for IL. When he got out
he went after the man who had shot his
eve oui. The other fellow saw Killen first
and he troubled circus shows and the world
IN general no longer.
Mrs Lake then went on with the show
- 100. ''.N ChN Noy Ohb III ItlChC l
Nan. Wild Bin Hiykock. the law and
CIDER nan for frontier towns, good fellow
generally, with a lot of notches on his gun,
caught sight OF Mrs. Lake. IL was love
a. first sight. This was in the early seven
uss He said he was going to marry her.
Wild Bill was always sent for when the
mon Pacific railroad was advancing
across the plains to deal with the bad men,
once he killed nine soldiers himself in a
saloon row. He was cut up and shot and
hen he dragged himself for miles across
he country 10 escape. Sixteen men had
gone down before that terrible gun of his.
re was quiet, unassuming. but brave as
they made 'em.
Hlckock kept on Mrs. Lakes trail. He
wrote 10 her and went to see her as often
as ,posslble. Wild Bill had a protege'named
bl Cody and had got him a job with the
:. scouts, which was Wild Bills occu-
pation IN the old days. Cody afterward
..ook Mrs. Lakes daughter, Mrs. Robinson,
70 Europe with his Wild West show and
had her ride before Queen Victoria, and
one Of Mrs, Robinson's treasures to-day
! some dried flowers Of the bouquet which
ne queen sent to her. Cody thought 80
much OF Mrs Robinson hat he presented
2 her a silver mounted brdl made from
ne sCAlpS and hair Of Indiana that ha al