The Washington herald., 1910-06-26
HIPPODROME SHUTS
DOWN In A HURRY
TrOupes Are Left Stranded
When Treasurer Departs.
LEAVES NOTE ON HIS DESK
..Our People Are Tired of Putting
Money in This Proposition" Says
Official in Farewell Message.
PandemOnium in Dressing Rooms.
Crowds Are Turned Away.

The Hippodrome fell through with a
dull thud last night.
The important man with the cash had
left town at noon. and some thirty per-
formers and twenty property men were
left stranded.
The crash came unheralded, About
o oclock, just before the gates were to be
opened. Resident Manager w. B. Moore
showed Slivers, the clown; Babcock, the
loop-the-Ioop man. and several others a
lead -penciled note.
Dear Moore" il read, "our people are
tired Of putting up money for this prop
osition. We can't get another penny cut
Of them" 1t was signed Cole
Cole Local Treasurer.
Cole was the local representative Of tbs
American Hippodrome Company.
He had drawn every dollar that va:
due the local company from the week:
receipts, and was then on his way tC
New York. He had left less than two
hours before Moore found the note OF
his desk.
As SIivers expressed It afterward. th'
revelation took him off his feet"
The news spread like wildhre. and il
less than two minutes there was almos
pandemonium behind the scenes. The
men swore at the d-bloodedness of th'
act. and tried to make Moore tell then
where Cole was. But he could not hell
them. The women collapsed in disma1
on their trunks, some crying and Others
hardly restraining their
mot a cent" cried one German girl
"and I used my last s24 in expenses get
ting here from New York
Crowd Waiting Outside.
Outside a crowd of 1900 persons wa
waiting for the gates to be opened. Som
energetic one ran about among the dis
tracted troupes and tried TO drum VI
their courage.
we will give a performance on on
own hook" he cried. land, perhaps. ge
part of our money back"
| A number quickly agreed to this sug
gestion. and began making preparation
to go on with the show. The blow
though, was too much for the majorit
and they could not find the confidence t
so ahead.
| In the meantime, the crowd grew
larger and boisterous II was Just tn
/ usual impatienee of such crowds how
| ever, and the impatience quickly sub
| sided when ii was announced that ther
| would be no performance.
| No explanation was given, and the
filed away. Within five minutes the en-
trance was deserted. while two police
men were stationed at the entrance I
the grounds to inform later arrivals tha
| there would be no show.
| Performers In Lurch.
Unable to suggest any redress, the per
formers and property men RENAME
! practically spellbound for an hour. Som
one suggested starting Immediately 70
Baltimore and make a demand on tn
management there Others thought abou
attaching the property" This. how
ever. was found somewhat impraetcablt
| 4 bark covering Of the diamond was tn
only tangible asset. The bleachers an
grand stand belonged to the baseba
park company.
Finally. one man started to drag or
his trunks and began packing up. Fac
of the troupes followed suit, and 500
every one was regretfully taking of h
stage trapplngs and packing IN.
1t was a sorrowful duty. Every on
seemed up in the air, and the packin
proceeded slowly. The Matsuda group
/ japanese acrobats hung of by themselvt