Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1917-01-18
A. B. TRIMMER
AL. RINGLING'S }
FIRST STAGE NAME
Ed. Kimball Reminisces Enter
tainingly of the Days of
Long Ago

Who in all Baraboo ever knew that
the late AL. Ringing once was billed
In theatrical way al A. B. Trimmer
But such is the historic fact. That
was way back just forty years ago.
Then there was Fred Bogardus-a
wiry little acrobat who dubbed
around the old Western hotel as bell
hops, though no such designation as
that was known in the Baraboo of
that day. Bogardus on the bills was
Fred Hart-for are we not talking of
the show business whenever we
chance to mention a Ringing? All
this information, and more, appears
in letter received by o. D. Branden-
burg from Ed Kimbal1. The latter, a
polyglot musician, was Al. Ringling's
very first associate in dramatics. This
was in 1877, as Mr.. Kimball says-just
seven years before the Ringing cir
Gus started, every so small. But let
Mr.. Kimbal1 tell his own story.
Fort Lee, NJ J., January 2.-Mr. O.
D. Brandenburg, Madison, Wis. My
Dear Old friend: You doubtless will
be somewhat surprised to hear from
one you have not seen in thirty odd
years, but recent copy of The Bar
aboo News was sent me in which you
had an article referring to your very
humble servant, which certainly went
back a few years and gave me a most
pleasant and retrospective thrill of
the daye gone by. You have the facts
quite accurate, and your memory (if
you rely on that for your data is GER
tainly remarkable one, for / had
some trouble IN recalling some of
those past events myself, However,
it is very comforting TO realize that
you should recall such a kindly bog
raphy to the old friends in Baraboo
and vicinity, many of whom have
passed and gone.
| cannot tell you what a sad thing
it was to realize when read of the
death of my old friend, AL. Ringing.
You may not remember this circum-
stance, but it was in 1877, in February,
that Al. Ringing, Fred Hart (Bogar-
dus), Harry Wallace, Jay Prothero,
Ed Warn and I organized small con-
cert company and called it the Qufn-
tette Concert Co. In those days AL
Ringing was known ON the bills as
A. B. Trimmer. We had q season of
about three months of the most wild
and lurid transforming experience
that have ever known. If that short
season could be described and the tale
published in book form and given to
the public, it would make "Three Men
in a Boat" look like three cents, and
would not have to exaggerate facts
or fish for comedy situations. Il was
certainly most wonderful experience
for me, and one I shall always re-
member and never regret, for it pre-
pared me for a good many more hard
knocks | subsequently received in my
80 years Of theatrical experience. If
/ ever have the pleasure of seeing you
again, my old friend, I will be only
too glad to relate a few of them to
you. / ana quite sure you would ap-
preciate them, doubly so, knowing
them to be absolutely true. have re-
counted them many times to my pro-
fessional friends, and they have all
handed me the compliment Of being
the biggest liar outside Teddy RS IA
nous club. But I have always con-
tended that truth was stranger than
fiction. SO am satisfied I received
a letter from Brother Spencer in which
he told me that he had the pleasure
OF meeting you in Baraboo and talk
ing over old days when the Baraboo
Actives base ball club used to hand
it" to the other local clubs. Ahl ''Them
was the happy days!" and quite well
recall my dear old dads skepticism in
regard to a curved ball.
Your article about old school days
greatly interested me, too, particular
ly your mention of Belle Case, now
Mrs. La Toilette. How well remem-
Der her. She was to me the brightest
scholar in the school and / think /
was the dullest. was too much of
a dreamer. I could not get down to
study. By the way, I have always
been most ardent admirer of Sen
ator La Toilette. I have never had
the pleasure of knowing him, but
have waited with great expectancy
his advent into the presidential lime |
light, and l am as certain as anything |
that IL he had been the Progressive ,
candidate four years ago he would |
have swept the country. But live |
and hnno unf