New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-11
SIivers. at Whom Millions
Laughed, Eulogized by
Blind Clergyman.
CIRCUS VETERANS
SURROUND COFFIN
Smile OH Clowns Face as his
Daughter Cries and Follows
Preachers Words.

lie never made any one cry. He
brought laughter to he hearts Of
million pcor.s.'
In the rear room Of an Eighth Ave
nue. undertaking establishment a clown
lav dead. The low ceiling looked down
upon his thin face. framed in crimson
yellow and white roses Outside NOR
bid crowd peered IN at the coffin; buried
I'M flowers. AZ the strange loohIns
vaudeville and circus folk, VINO perche5u
sttHv on camp chairs, and al the It1it
girl who sat at her fathers mead crying
silently. t.;-.or
CROPPED through Seriptural quosae' l.li
End all the set phrases OF tuneraI
cre.ion and found at last the fitting
reouiem for Frank Oakley. the gteas
.Sliyers' of circus0om until he dled
bv his own hand: lie never made
anybody cry.
Associates Gather Early!
Early last evening they began 20
Gather the men and women VINO nsu
known and loved and worked Win W y,
man who lay dead. There were sri4@'ess1
veterans of the time when Barnun
Bailey's was run By Barnum ana baiey'
Youths and girls of vaudeville circu'l u.
Gowns. too old and bent Tor urthel
Glowing. acrObats and Jugg'eis ut'f a..
20 retirement by rheumatism loIH.''
eouestrienncs now grown fat ana ma
tronly. Ali trooped IN, Ola ana young
shabby and opulent. -t.o
Once or twice one stopped ana spoAe
10 the little girl, Verona, VINO SAL =
small image in black, az the rear Oh
the room. She replied sol9mnly' ana
relapsed into silence, one mana press
ing a crumplcd handkerchief 20 mel.
cheek. the other clutching the arm OF
her foster-mother, Mrs. Josie DcMot.
Robinson. a retired circus rider.
when the last Of the fraternity OF
the big top" had entered the cnam-
Dor. and had. in accordance win the
whispered Injunction OF the Inournfui
undertaken. gone forward 20 view me
remains" members OF the Order OF
Elks. Lodge No. ]. read their ritual
and laid their offerings OF amaranth
and ivy on the coffin.
Daughter Follows Psalm.
Then the Rev. Stephen Merritt was
led forward and launched into his
Grafton. The little girl followed his
droning voice eagerly. When he re
peated the twenty-third Psalm, her
iips moved in unison with his. 1t
seemed as though she wished to share
i'm the services 20 her dead father.
All about the room men and WON
en- we're weeping. The rumble OF
traffic mingled with the voice OF the
minister. And in his coffin the pale
face of the clown wore faint, IN
scrutable smile. His quaint features
cleaned sharply in the light. HE
never made any one cry
A. A. Lowande. lifelong friend OF
Slivers. who arranged the funeral. bore
the final greetings Of Somerset Lodge
No. %. Knights Of Pythias, TO the COZ
fin. Others who attended the service
were Louis Rayelle. clown since - !;
Colonel Charles Seeley. Major John
Burke. a gun juggler in the times oil
our fathers: Edward J. Montague
whose cockatoos had often appeared on
tho same bill with Slivers; Luke VIII
son. an acrobat Of the palmy circus
davs; Dan Collier. of the Harrigan and
Hart company; Edward p. Temple
stage director at the IIippodrome when
the great clown appeared there, and
George Bickel. who. with Sllvers, or
gained the famous clown band IN the
old Forepaugh show