Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1917-05-03
D. w. Watt of GAINESVILLE Makes
Observations While a Guest of
Famous Showmen

ID. w. Watt in GAINESVILLE Gazette.)
Gu Tuesday last accompanied by
friend, I went to Chicago to take
look at the great Ringing show which
was located in the coliseum building
on Wabash avenue and Fifteenth
street, and this is the twenty-feurth
year that the Ringlings have opened
their great show every spring in. Chi
cago.
6 This was, however, 4athe first year
that the Ringlings had opened with
matinee performance in the afternoon.
Heretofore they had always opened
the show with an evening perform
ance, and the vast crowds that gath
cred round the Coliseum for the open
ing matinee was evidence enough that
the matinee performance was to be
success, as it took many special po-
lice to handle the great crowds and
keep them in line until the box office
opened.
This was evidence enough that the
popularity of the great Ringing show
than three weeks to come.
On our arrival on Tuesday evening
we were given a warm welcome and
the best seats in the house, and is. 1t
any wonder that the Ringlings have
made the success that they have in
the business, for they are the kind
that never forget and it is always a
pleasure to them to look after old
friends in the business that they
made more than 80 years ago.
We had just got seated when John
Agee, equestrian director, came to our
box and shook hands, but had time to
visit a minute, for it was already
time for him to announce the opening
of the show, and right here [ want to
say that John Agee is one of the most
tireless workers with the great show,
and yet he knows every movement
of the show so thoroughly that it !
would seem to an outsider that it all
came easy to him.
While there are few new faces
around the. front of the show, there{
are still many others that have been
there all the way from Is to 25 years,
including Lou Graham, the announcer,
whose voice can be heard to the farth-
est corner of the building.
A moment later j. J. Richards, the
band MASTER and. the man. who has
composed much of the music for the
beautiful Cinderella, for the first over
ture played america, Z WhileFthe vast
audience all stood and cheered the
great band to the echo.
Then the great curtains rolled back
and the beautiful Cinderella marched
in and the dance was on. The ward
robe this year is all new, and that,
with the catchy music, made a spec
tacle worth going miles to see While
many of the old acts were retained
this year, there are still many new
ones that the public has never seen
before, among these being May Worth,
the worlds, greatest bareback rider,
who turns forward and back somer-
sau1ts with as much ease on the bare
back Of a horse, as the average per-
son would walking on the street
I have seen all the famous bareback
riders for the last thirty-eight years,
but they have all got to hand it to
May Worth. The vast audience seem
ed to almost go mad over her per-
Torrance, which they made a feature
of by throwing calcium lights into
the ring all during her performance.
I heard many spectators say that
her act alone was worth the price Of
admission.
Another great feature with the
show, entirely new to the public, is
Hillary Long, known as the upside
down man." who after doing the most
wonderful act I have ever seen, fin