Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-07-10
BAD DOLLAR STARTS CIRCUS
True Story of the Foundation Of the
Ringing Show.
FIVE BROTHERS WITH ONE IDEA
Early nay Boat show Plants Germ
that Has Grown Into MiEhty
Business in the Amuse-
ment world.

EUriUg OF letAt as u ulu lll lll' Ndi''N' ''''N
towns along the Mississippi The small
boys OF the town were ia transports Of ac-
robatic ecstaoy. notably five brothers the
youngest OF whom was only years Old,
the eldest Is.
No railroads reached McGregor In those
DAYS. but now and then the river shows
that piled the Mississippi made the village
a stopping point IL was one OF those
boats with its siren whistle that lured the
five brothers to the river bank 10 witness
the arrival OF Obadiah Green's big show
And It happened that they we're honored
BY personal and pleasing contact with the
great Obadiah
As they looked upon him in those days
he was seven feet sud eight inches 10
height. lie carried himself ike general.
It was before the days of the fur collar
and the lofty lid" but Obadiah wore a hat
that would make Buffalo Bits, look apollo
Reuc. He spoke a language that was pic
torial and wonderful and he had been as
lar west as omaha.
The boys had arisen before daybreak to
thee the show come in. The sounding of
the whistle when the boat was four or tiVe
miles up the river had been their cue
When the clumsy and water-soaked tup'
with its belchnE stack and rear Wheel
drew into the landing aud threw out It's
Rangplank they sat in row on the bank
their wondering eyes fastened on Obdiah
Green, who directed the work of unloading.
wonders In the Boat.
From the depths OF the boat came the
sound Of growls and Kisses. II spoke
elouuently Of the world wonders that
must be concealed there. 1t was such
noise as must have emanated, so the boys
Thought. from the lower deck OF Noah's ark
in fly time. A horse in the sere and yellow
Of life had it's forlorn head out OF the stoke
hole and was looking with yearning eyes on
the green pastures beyond.
IL took twenty minutes, TO unload the
worlds wonders" With the exception Of
two canvas and pole wagons and single
cage the wonders walked out Besides the
four or five horses there were two camels'
one elephant and any number Of dogs. The
handful OF performers helped unload the
wagons and put up the one tent. Even the
wild Man Of Borneo was useful. He washed
the breakfast dishes, carried water, bor-
rowed a chew from the town marshal and
swore in the purest English
1t was in the early afternoon, after the
parade had passed through the towns one
street, that the boys met Obadiah Green.
They were seated by the roadside in con-
sultation over the question OF how TO raise
the funds necessary to admit them to the
show, when the immense frame OF the
Snowman appeared before them
young men, said the circus king "can
you direct me to harness shop?'
The question was asked of no one OF
them in particular. John, the youngest,
was at that age when bashfulness is
child's chief asset He hung his head and
with his great toe bored vigorously in a
crawfish hole. The hand that now can
draw check book from any pocket,
twisted nervously at the folds Of his blouse,
His tongue glued itself to the roof Of his
mouth and refused to wag.
But Al was IS and he spoke right up.
Five minutes later they were all in the
shop of their father, who, as fortune would
have It, was q harness maker. The article
the Snowman needed was handed over, ana
Obadiah slid dollar across the counter. He
did not throw It down; he slid it gently.
The elder Mr.. Ringing, for that was the
family's name, slipped 1t into his pocket
without looking at It,
And the Dollar Was Bad.
Next morning an idol had fallen from
It's high place. The fragment lay at the
feet of the five brothers. The butcher
had returned the dollar. 1t was lead.
Several dogs were also missing from
the village, numerous washings had been
taken from the lines and the cows for
a mile up the river had been surrep-
tiously MIXED But tae circus germ had
been planted In the breasts of the Ring
ling boys They resolved that they should
be showmen--not of the Green stripe.
but In a grander and bigger sense than
tie circus men of that day dreamed of.
A few years later the family moved
70 Baraboo, Wis, and the old folks be-
gan to plan for the future of their sons
but the boys took no interest in the
trades and professions suggested for
them. They did not want to be lawyers.
they laughed at the idea of becoming
teachers, they refused to be storekeep-
ers and the scalpel and the pill bottle
had no charms.
shortly afterward they started a con-
cert company, AL was an expert juggler.
EN balanced plough on his chin and
tossed knives and plates about with the
skln OF a wizard. Alfred T. led the silver
cornet band and gave Hibernian recita-
lions. John was the German dialect come
dian. Charley gave a musical act that
in those days was wonder, and Otto
looked after the advance, Simple as this
may seem. It was equal to making them
enough money to build small circus In
the spring of 1883. The tent was home
menagerie. The five brothers gave The
performance, They all doubled in brass
The first performance was given in theil
home town. One of the biggest mer
chants Milwaukee remembers that per
Torrance. Ho laughed at 1t, and he sayi
that IN frosty weather he can sl.n fee
where Alfred T. kicked him for hi
levity.
Growth of the Idsa.
1t was not until lss that the boy
made their first appearance with rail
road show. Year after year the SHOW
grew and improved. In the early ninetie
the Barnum Bailey people began L
look over the tops OF their spectacle
when mention of the Ringing boys wa
made. 1t dawned upon them that the.
had an opponent in the field It would b
advisable to watch. They did a heap o
watching, too. and while they wer
watching five men sat up late in the pri
yate end OF a circus coach and planne
and figured.
when the advertising war began-and
vas the greatest in history--they went int
the thick OF the fight. They were pluck
aud they fought with tooth and nail An