The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-26
CIRCUS CLOWN FOR So YEARS
FUN MAKER OF THE BIG TENT SHOWS TELLS OF HALF CEN.
TURY SPENT UNDER THE CANVAS

we showed IN Peoria, ILL.,. and we had
to cross h river to get into town.
me river was bridged and they would
not let us take this elephant over the
bridge. and We had to put her in the
river. She had a fine time. They
sent men in skiffs to bring her out,
put she would MOI let them, and she
drowned three of the five mon; then
she came out herself.
The boys Of the town where we
would show would sit up all night to
get to see the elephant go through
and the country boys would do the
same. An elephant in those days was
a sight t" sec. The elephant would
start over the road and get into the
next town before daylight and would
DC put in a closed barn until the
show came i'm. Then she would be put
INTO the canvas with a canvas over her
or him. as the case might be.
In those days Of the ona-ring cir
Gus the clown could he heard by all
the people in the tsnt and his work
made up q large part Of the show. One
ot the songs ] used to sing was:
Il care l for gold or silver,
VT all the money that's in this
| land:
All l want is a pretty little wife.
A good old horse and a peanut
stand.
Another mi was:
Old "a lifornia. that Ia the land for me.
l am bound for California, the gold
dust for to see;
IL ralned all night the day I left the
weather being SO dry,
Tho sun so hot I froze to death. oh,
Susan. don't you cry.
When entered the ring I would
introduce myself: Good afternoon
ladies and gentlemen and the color
ed population
Then there was this one: Clown
TO "ait-Ts) Bill. o go over there;
ohn o 20 over there
"Ringmaster-'That is enourh NJ
that sir
"Clown-That's all know
"R. MI will do the ordering
"Ciown-'Ordcr me a bottle OF
beer
"R. M suffer no spirits here
"Ciown-Just order tho spirits and
l Will do the suffering
Here is another gag: Clown
My dear Isabel. II catch YOU with
that, fellow l will smack you over
the head with my umbrella
"R. M.-'Who are you?'
"Clown--I am a lord
"R. M.-Lord who?'
"Clown-Lord only knows
But to return to the clown and
his work. You may not think so.
but he has as much pride in his work
as any S~hakcspearean actor. 1t gives
me a thrill to think of the great men
OF that day. for they are nearly all
gone. The first OF the American
clowns was Daddy Rich. He wa. a
black face clown and the black face
MINISTRIES developed from him. Some
OF the people of today never saw a
kings jester or a Shakespearean les
ter in the ring. but there was many
OF them in the forties and ffties. Then
there was the talking and singing
clown-there were no knock about
clowns in those days. The old time
clown in the early show made his
tame by jest and song. He had to be
a natural born mimic and witty and
he had to have good
I'm my time l travelled with the
John Robinson circus: then / MAS
with Dave Rice, Spaulding e. Rogers,
Burr Robinson. Cooper * Jackson,
Sells Bros, F%orepaugh. Ringing Bros.
London European Show and Yankee
Robinson. Some of the old time ac-
tors were the Buckley family. Bill VIA
terman and Madam Bridges: clowns
were Sam Lathrop. Dean Stone, Sam
Lang and Tony Ashton: riders were
the buttons. Lowandas, Dcrmotts and
S~tockneys."
The last time Tony appeared in pub
lie was in Polly of the Circus in
Winfield, February 10. 1910.