The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-23
SHE PLAYED MAZEPPA.
Wild BilPs Widow Was to Present IT.
In Circus Ring.

LNeW ork, aug. 23.-Mrs. Agnes EIic-
kok. widow of wild BiIl'' FJicio1r hat
ter known as Mrs. Agnes Lake Who
lled last night at 791 Montgomery street
Jersey City the residence of her son-in-
IA Gll robinson, who was the son of
the old circus man. John Robinson Mrs
f1IcKok would have been IS years Old
tomorrow. oAo
one, was the first woman owner of a
circus In this country and was the
nrst 70 adapt the drama to the circus
Ing one proouced version of "'Mazep-
pa In which she took the chief mart
She was accounted the best slack wire
performer the sawdust ring ever saw
anu sns was also an unusually skilled
r.uer. Her daughter, Emma Lake now
MRS Robinson, has been regarded as the
best high school" woman rider in the
country. IA N-0
MRS. Hickok was born in Doehme.
Alsace' In 1875. Her parents name was
Mersman. They came to this country
When she was about years old and
settled in Cincinnati. When Agnes was
ABOUT II there came to Cincinnati the
had with 1t an attractive young fellow
named Lake who was clown Agnes
Tell in love with him. She ran away
with him and married him and from
separately with the circus Her hus-
bands real name name was Thatcher
or the widely known family in Bor-
denstown, N. J.
Will an OAO fk1VGr Circus.
Spalding g. Rogers show was one of
the old floating palaces that went
down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers,
tieing up at big and little towns and
at plantations where thousands of
slaves could be assembled. A tug tow
ed the outfit, which consisted of an
enormous barge on which the ring was
set and several hundred seats were
erected. It was a paying business. The
young bride got tired of doing nothing
md hue
bands directions she practiced for a
slack wire performance. She soon be-
came so expert at it that she was
known throughout the circus world as
the greatest in her line.
For nearly fifteen years she worked
with her husband. They saved their
money and in the late fifties her hus-
band formed a partnership with John
Robinson. Robinson g. Lakes circus
followed. This partnership lasted
about three years. when each partner
went his way and Lake started a circus
of lis own. 1t was OF the old time
performers slept on the wagons at
night as they went from town to town.
With the Robinson & Lake circus
there had been a small boy named
Gordon, picked up in a hotel in Pom
tiac, Mich, to help Frederick Bailey,
one OF the chief employees. He took
Bailey's name eventually. When the
Lake show was started Mrs. Lake in
sisted against her husbands judgment
upon making the boy, who had now
grown up, general agent of the show.
That boy was the late James A. Bailey
of the Barnum & Bailey shows. Mrs.
Lake continued to perform in the
show.
Then Came "Mazeppa."
In the early SOS the great actress,
Ada Isaaca Menken had caused
furore in this country and Europe by
her performance of ''Mazeppa'' Mrs
10 1rn hor tn
cinnnati the Robinsons had lent Mrs.
Menken a horse for her theater act
when her own horse had broken down.
Mrs. Lake studied the '.Mazeppa"
play carefully and being able to speak
German went to Berlin and played the
part for a winter with great success.
Her husband stayed at home to run
the circus. When Mrs. Lake came
back she adapted the play to a cir
Gus ring.
The Lake circus used to strike out
for what was then known as the Far
West, Kansas and Colorado The cir
and while there Lake had trouble with
a desperate named Jake" Gillen, who
sneaked up behind him and shot him
through the heart. Mrs. Lake then
went on with the show and made
money.
Met Him in Abilene.
One day in Abilene, Kan, wild Bill"
Hickok the law and order man for from
tier towns. good fellow. generally, with
plenty of notches on his gun. caught
sight of Mrs. Lake. 1t was love at first
sight. This was in the early 70s. He
said he was going to marry her, and al
ways kept on Mrs. Lakes trail He
wrote to her and came to see her as
often as possible.
wild Bill'' had a protege, Buffalo
Bill'' Colonel William Cody, and got
him a job with United States scouts,
which was wild Bilrs" occupation for
several years Cody afterwards took
Mrs Lakes daughter to Europe with his
Wild West show and he'd her ride before
Queen Victoria. One of Mrs. Robinson's
treasures today are some dried flowers
of the bouquet which the queen sent
to her.