The Washington times., 1909-05-09
Ringlings, The Biggest and
Best" Comes in All
Its Glory.
USUAL RECEPTION
COMMITTEE THERE
ShovInen Have Trouble With BIG
Python and Are Forced to
Borrow Capitol Subway.

II vas a pretty puzzling problem that
confronted Alf Ringing and his corps
of coruscating press agents. when the
marvellous menage of the Wide World 5
Wonders rolled into washington along
about daylight this morning.
Willie, the writhing python from Paw
tucket, whose wiggles strike respon-
sive chord in every childish heart.
strained his eyes on the way down to
the Capital and for twnile it looked as
If Willie might be left at the switch
until some one thought of the Capitol
subway. According to reports, Willie
heard some one connected with the
circus reading the story of Adam and
Eve and the serpent in the Bible room.
he immediately fell III thinking his an
cestors might have been involved, and
refused to be comforted until one OF
the press agents bethought him of the
Almanach de Gotha- Willie stayed up
All night porinE over its pages. which
proved difficult reading, because he
hadn't studied French since he,went to
the Pawtucket public schools. Conse-
quently, when the circus reached Wash
ington he was suffering from a stigma
tism De Gotha and he couldn't bear
ilght Of any kind on his eyes.
Came In Early.
ihe show got into the yards at soutn
Capitol and G streets southeast cary
in the morning, and when whites.
keeper found him he could only utte-
unintelligible French words and could
hardly see to eat his morning meal c.9
peach meIba and 'possum It's a long
ways from South Capitol and G. streets
to Fourteenth and H northeast, where
the big show is to do business, so the
press agents had to get busy at once
and figure out bow Willie could make
the trip.
Some one suggested that they take
aim through the subway under the
Capitol, and Z sounded so good that II
wasn't more than a few minutes until
= procession Of circus men started out
with Willie tagging on behind. The
snake baked at first but when some
one showed him a copy Of Town Topics
ne went right along. They took him
INTO the House office building, down the
stens. and into the subway. The pro-
cessioiI wound its way through the
tunnel underneath the Capitol and then
into the tube that leads over to the
ciate the advantages Of this under
ground passage. for he wiggled his ap-
Droval frequently.
Willie Is Sent On.
When the parade came out iD the
Seuate office building the press agents
were waiting They had the tires from
four I75-horsepower automobiles all
glued together. They stuck Willie into
this tube headfOremost and then pIt
the whole arrangement on roller skates.
Willie skated the rest of the way to
Fourteenth and II streets without a
miss. His keeper rode on his head most
OF the way and guided him with a pair
of reins. With the help Of several Ocu-
lists he viii be all right by tonight
The circus DIDN'T come in too early
for the small persons who are always
intensely interested in such things BY
the time the first train Of long, low
yellow cars Haunting Ringing Broth
ers" on their sides. were backed up
close TO South Capitol street, that thor
oughfare was filled for a block with
men and boys and women. Although
there wasn't much interesting until the
elephants came later in the morning
the crowd stuck just the same and
watched the hushes jerk the cages Off
the cars.
The Lion Roars.
Along about $50 cage number AZ.
which, according to the markings. con-
tained Mr.. Rex Leo, the well known
roarer, was Jerked out to the end of
the cars ready to descend the last stage
into the street The rope which the
circus men used to hold back the heavy
wagons was attached to the rear end of
down the wooden causeway from the
car TO the street. About halfway down
the rope at the rear broke with a
snap, and the cage hit up a clip that
sent It at twenty miles an hour into an
other animal retreat lying parked over
against the west curb This animal re-
treat ought to have held a bear, but il
didn't worry Leo Rex any. Leo didn't
speak very loud, but his talk was right
70 the point. The crowd understood and
backed away.
It came back in a few minutes. how
ever, when IL saw there wasn't anv
danger, and after the husAies got a new
rope TO mold back with, the crowd stood
for hours and saw the rest of the circus
unload.
The Cook Tent Up.
Out at Fourteenth and II streets,
where the big circus viii show tomor-
row twice and on Tuesday twice, the
main work of Ihis morning was that of
putting up the cook and dining tents.
and cooking and dinisg. There was
quite a crowd about this end of the cir
Gus, too. and It watched with eager
eyes the maneuVers of the canvas men
and other fellows. It didn't take long
for the army to put the comparatively
small dining tent up, and arrange the
that had to be fed. The spectators sat
around and cheWed tobacco and ate
peanuts all morning waiting for the din
ner bell which didn't ring until late.
The usual string of takers and ice
cream and peanut peddlers and other
familiar ac1Ol1Ianiments 0f a real cir
Gus were on the job early The street
car conductors running out II sire #
were busy all morning answering ques-
tiOns as TO the whereabouts of the CIV
Gus and by afternoon the crowd around
the grounds was large and still growing.