The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-04-25
By William Allen Johnston.
Copyright. 1909. by the Now York IIersl,
Co. All Rights Reserved


& Copyright. 1909, by the Now York Hers Id
co. All Rights Reserved.
stTweetle. Tweetle,'' The ripomas.
ter's shrill whistle sounds high above
The mingled din of the big ihree-ring
3 SHOW and goes echoing down the hippo
drome track and into tbe back corridors
Of the great coliseum.
Tweetle. Tweetlei' The equestrian
dlrector, moving swiftly in and out of
waiting groups of gaily caparisoned
nervous horses takes it up. and now the
shrill call goes winging its way mp into
me dressing rooms, small. crowded
places, where hundred men and bows
-clowns. trapezists, tumblcrs. tight
ropo walkers, equestrians. strong men
are wriggling into tights. daubing on
grease paint, parting and Sticking down
their hair
Acrobats, here,' wells stentorian
voice: ''Beifords. Torches. Mont
roses. Three family troupcs file
swiftly ont, cool, fresh and eager: rs
many more come IN. painting and with
perspiration trickling down and streak
ing their makeup. Swiftly the little
Sdresssing-rooms readiust themselves.
'Twcetle. Tweetlc.' Again the
whistle sounds. the band changes its
tempo. and outside in the big coliseum
half dozen new acts arc off aud on
in less time than 1t takes to tell Of tue
cnange. In a moment n wave Of APP
rlause comes echoing back into the
dressing rooms
Msome ones done dangerous
the only thing would get Il hand
like that. - He painted the red wrinkles
of an artificial smile about his tired
mouth. snow | III go out and make the
children smile. - said he. "Tbey' re not
CORY minded yet, like their grown-ups" +"
And the clown, II would seem, spoke
the truth, as his kind have had the
habit of doing since the days of the
.conrt jester.
Danger. That s the drawing card
The circus folk know il.
The proprietor knows il. He has many
and diversified attractions-mnsic, pa
gcantry. comedy, animal tricks. meua-
gerics. freaks. raccs--but he would
as soon think of having tea party as
running a circus in which humans did
not risk their precious lives and limbs
IN sight of the audience.
The publicity man knows If. Some
'tlmes his announcements, with their
grotcsque cXaogcr3tlons and graudiosc
words. sound ridiculous. but they draw
the peoplc-like this one. for instance;
or autos red and blue through space
Eoth heroine ridden. ono red as gore,
Fierce. fiery steel-nadc steed:
Tic other all cold blue with terrible roar
DashIug and whrlng and awful speed. /,
And tbc acrobats know it--at least !
those who think do, Some prefer not |
10 think; others are too young TO think.
Tale of an Acrobat
An acrobat of thirty-fve years scrv- |
lee, George Bclford. smiled grImv over /
the idea. "Once. said he, - I broke |
my finger while performing as under,
bear That Is where YOU hold a man
pnd then another on your shoulders and |
catch and turn the top one as he comes
somersaulting down.
Il didn { catch him right ard my !
finger broke. You could hear it snap,
and the pain made me gasp and rub |
10 quickly against my side.
ttI wound my Handkerchief around
my hand and finished the act but YOU
when l WINGED. II hadn t applaudcd !
till then
u met more bloodthirsty crowd in
small city in Illinois, [ was .workiug'
up in the dome of the tent swinging
on trapeze. 1t was hot and my hands
got sweaty and slipped. Down shot.
head first and right through the seats.
fearing my nose TO splinterrs-you see
the scars-and almost gouging an eye
out. / didu e break any bones
"The crowd was scared at first. and |
then, thinking II part Of the act
howled with delight Tho manager
VIC didn t have many gentlemen in the
business those days-wasn t so delight
cd
50 sYou re drunkl' he yelled, rushing
up.
"No," said I, "only stunned. I'll
prove il to you by going mp again."
which I did
"Whcn ! got down, my face all
bloody and an eye blinded, the people
howled again. Oh! they do enjoy it,
IS rather hard. | suggested,
s. the constant realization that YOU
amuse most when YOU risk most
"1t's hard in this way said he.
one of our acts has taken four years