The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-04-07
OTTO RiNGlING WAS A POPU.
LAR SHOW MANAGER.
Was Never Performer But Looked
After the Business Interests Of
the Gigantic Combination.

Otto Ringling's death has caused
a gloom to pervade the entire or
ganization Of which he was the bust
ness head The Chicago contingent
OF the organization was rehearsing
at the Coliseum when the news
came over the telephone. An aero
batic act was on and the perform
ers and attaches were watching
it. To them Otto Ringing has al
ways been known as The king"
When the message of death arrived
the word passed in simple form
around the ring, 1.-THE king is dead"
and the rehearsal crumpled like a
rag.
1.-THE Best Man in the World"
THE best man i'm the world said
an old clown. We'll miss him In
these words he summed the senti.
ment of the majority of those who
ling circuses.
Equally he came far from eX-
pressing the opinion of those who
have run afoul of Otto Ringing and
the Ringing forces in the business
world To these mostly unfortunate
ones Otto Ringing was known as
ruthless, persistent, indefatigable
competitor, possessed of tremend-
Gus capacity for profitable combi-
nation.
AS business director Of the five
Ringing brothers he added. one by
one. to their possessions, like beads
to a string, Forcpaugh-Sells, Barnum
& Bailey, Buffalo Bill, and. by a
other smaller circuses. He made the
Ringing brothers head of cOmb.
nation, which, by its mere proper
tons. fOrestallcd any chance of COM
petition.
Brusque, businesslike, immovable,
he conquered with one hand score
of circus magnates, and, with the
other. retained the affection of a
multitude of employees.
Never Took Part in Show.
Yet, Of the five members of the
firm, he was the only one who never
took part in a performance. When,
thirty-three years ago, the five boys
started out from Mankato, ALT Ring
Charlie was the lone man band"
John was song and dance special
list, AL was a juSgler, and Otto was
advance man, ticket taker cashier,
and general business head.
He remained the latter during all
the subsequent years, when the con-
cert company became circus, a
wagon show" when, in 1889, it dis
carded wagons for rails; when from
a one ring, unpretentious, five cage
"menagerie and hippodrome" it BIOS
sOmed into two, then three;
then, by process of division, six
and nine ring circus.
He was still business head when,
in 1907. the Ringing brothers com
pleted their final triumph, the pur-
chase of Barnum & Bailey's show.
He tolerated combative familiarity
much more readily than obsequious
acquiescence. One of his sayings was
that if a man didn't have nerve
enough to talk back to his boss he
was pretty poor sort of person to
be with circus. In Bridgeport,
Conn, he had invited canvass
boss"-he was known as Happy
Jack" by name-to go with him to
the theatre.
Liked Man Who Talked Back.
About three hours before theatre
time he dropped down by the grounds
and began criticising the color eff
feet of some canvas cars of which
Happy" had superintendent the
painting. His criticisms were short
but frequent Happy bore it in
silence for some time, then he broke
loose.
like the color of those cars you can
eat 'em. | amt no Rembrandt; I'm
a boss canvas man. Further, you
can take your blankety blank circus
and go straight to thunder" He
paused a moment and waited for his
employers reply.
by the way, Happy said Otto,
what time will you be ready for the
show?''
1t was through such things as
these that the circus men came to
know Otto Ringing as 1.-THE king"
and because of such things that the
rehearsal collapsed yesterday after.
noon when the news came that "the
king was dead.
Brothers Here Await Body.
AL Ringing, the oldest of the
brothers. and Charlie Ringing are
now in Chicago. ALI is in Baraboo
where all of them, except John, who