The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-05-12


gorgeous trappings, in the robes
and headdresses of the fairy tales,
in their pride and might-the ele-
plants, the jungle beasts, the
strange creatures of the land, the
sea and the air. From the stolid,
fat hippopotamus to the stupid,
handsome ostriches, from the pink
and spangled kings and queens to
the balky, cunning burros-the IA
nous Rocky Mountain "Canaries"-
they are coming. They will roll in
to Richmond from Indianapolis
bright and early on the morning of
Tuesday, May Is, in three huge cir
Gus trains. They are members OF
the Sells-Floto Circus, which is this
year managed by the children's own
true friend-H. B. Gentry Of the
dog and pony shows, and he will
leave it to you, boys and girls, to
judge of his success.
He knows that young people like
clowns, really funny clowns, SO he
has gotten together fifty of the fun
niest white faced fellows you ever
saw. You will see them in the pa
rade humping along on the backs
of the sly burros, for that is the
way the clown band rides in the
two-mile street pageant, which is
agleam with red, white and blue
and silver and gold, from the first
great bandwagon to the last of the
five calliopes.
And the elephants! In parade
two of the littlest fellows-Kas and
Mo, twins, draw big, bright can
non. Others are hitched up to gilt
tering novelty wagons and patriotic
tableau floats.
Columbia is in the long parade,
too, Junior Folks. On a magnific-
ent snow white horse, which stands
on top white float, she rides, with
the American flag flung to the
breeze and aflame in the sunlight
with the spirit of Cur native land
aroused. Everywhere we will see
the flags, even on the little tiger,
lion and leopard cubs in the cages.
Then, too, Baby Bon, the hippopta-
mus, wears the stars and stripes
around his great, fat, neck.
In the afternoon at 9 o'clock and
at night at 8 o'clock, the big show
performances start in the great tent
at Athletic Park, where the 600 peo-
pie and 425 horses and 203 beasts
that compose the Sells-Floto fam
lily will entertain boys and girls of
all ages for one magic day.
America" is the opening number
of the circus performance. 1t is a
moving, stirring, patriotic, pageant
and it causes the blood to leap in
ones veins, for it appeals to Amer
lean children just as strongly as it
appeals to American grown-ups. AS
it concludes, it brings the great au-
diences-thousands and thousands
of people-to their feet, cheering
and waving handkerchiefs, hats
and flags.
Clowns Do Many Feats.
After the spectacle, the feast of
fun begins. High in the air, leap
ing, whirling and twisting are
clowns, who miss their holds on
slender wires and bars and fall into
the nets far below. There is Her
berta Beeson, who waltzes, jumps,
somersaults and dives along a tight
wire. There is Daisey Hodgini, the
wonderful and unusual bareback
rider, tossing lighted lamps in the
air while performing all sorts of
stunts on a madly galloping horse.
There are scores Of other aerialists,
wire wizards and riders, too. But we
must not forget that Mrs. Biggs,
the notorious widow. How she
makes us laugh before the big
show! You will see her in the hip
podrome track. She may stop
your papa, and, if she does, you will
always have something funny to re-
member. Watch for that Mrs.
Biggs.
Elephant Carries Woman.
Then there are the huge, perform
ing elephants. There is Snyder,
who hoe long fierce tuskS and who