The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-07
CIRCUS ACTS CHEER
WOUNDED SOLDIERS
The Ringing Entertainers
Applauded by Almost $500
in Greenhut Hospital.
CLOWNS MAKE A BIG HIT
Giant Bursts Into Melody
With Original Song-A
Midget Gets lost.

The lame soldier boys and the sick,
the halt and even the blind shuffied
early yesterday afternoon into that part
OF the Greenhut soldier hospital at Sixth
avenue and Eighteenth street, where
only a few years ago It was the habit of
the youth OF the city to respond to the
call Meet me at the Fountain" But
there was no FLASHING waters yesterday.
only the rolling wheel chairs, the click
Of crutches and the scuff-scuff- scuff of
bedroom slippers as the wounded boys
in olive drab assembled to see the stars
Of the Ringing Brothers and Barnum &
Bailey combined circuses perform for
their benefit
There are about three thousand Eve
hundred soldiers in the one time depart
ment store. All except a few hundred
were on hand when the show which the
circus folks had concocted got under
way. The reason the other few hundred
were not down in front seats was that
they were confined to their beds.
The Vuylsteke troupe OF Belgian aero
bats, respondent In their lemon pie
tights, were on hand to entertain the
| legless and armless. So was Hillary
Long, the upsidedown man. who was
quite as dazzling in his green satin
! breeches and white silk shirtwaist. And
| the bill which the Ringing Barnum
folks had provided from the best of the
| momentous show at Madison Square
Garden included also the Dekees troupe
OF tumblers and acrobats, Clowns
George Hartxell and Billie Rice. the
| midget boxers, King and Prince; Mr..
and Mrs Doll. Mile. clifford. the sword
| swallower: George Anger. the giant;
| dog and monkey riders, Merele Evans
and his band, Equestrian Director John
Agee. and the full morocco lunged an
nouncer. Val Vino, of the circus side
show.
| Soldiers shake Stars Hands.
The soldier lads from Tombstone. and
Portland, and Horses Neck. and He'll
and-gone. to all OF whom Circus day.
is second only TO the Glorious Fourth,
for the first time in their brave young
lives actually shook the hands OF and
talked with the great stars Of n Ring
ling -Barnum circus aggregation. They
| playfully walked under the coattails OF
George Anger. the circus giant-eight
feet two inches tall. count the inches
gents-while awaiting the rising of the
curtain on the little stage where the
circus wonders were about to be pre-
| scented.
1t had been the hope of the circu,
people that they could bring their star
performers into the wards of the hospi-
tai. where the bedridden wounded among
the soldiers might look upon spangled
excitement only an armlength away
But as Sunday is visiting day" and as
all the wards. therefore, were crowded
| with parents and sisters and cousins anC
sweethearts and aunts, the medical star
| OF the army had to put a combined foo
down when the proposition was made tC
turn the performers loose In the wards
The doctors In olive drab and tn,
trim Red Cross nurses finally did weaker
to the extent OF letting Giant Augu
and the midgets and clowns-includint
the greatest of all clowns now living
the same being Butterfly Stelling-t'
amble among the little cots up in tn,
wards. And as the boys from Okla
homa and Hellandgone and Baltimore
and New Orleans saw the freak folk
and the silly clowns in whites and reds
the days of their youth came back anC
they laughed heartily again.
Circus Giant a Come dian, Too.
Giant George Augur proved to be
comic. Can you see me-" he beloved
thunderously. whereupon the WOUNDED
soldiers and marines, who could Sc
nothing else but George. laughed up
roariously. Then he sang a song o
his own making. "Hurrah. Hurrah. Hur
rah, I'm the Tallest Man" He toll,
the sick soldiers OF the great secre
sorrow that has made a misit of hi
young life: Every time he pauses oil
the street to mediate some one come vi
and mistakes him for a telegraph pole
everybody Is either scratching matche
on him or hitching horses to him. l
was sad to hear George tell OF hi
street curb indignations.
Sometime during the proceedings Mrs
Doll one of the circus midgets, naturall
got lost. Thereupon young Mr.. Doll mad
a terrible liar out OF Van Vino. the an
nouncer. Val had just announced MI
and Mrs. Doll-twenty-eix years mar
ried, still on their honeymoon. and neve
had a quarrel" They danced ther
beautifully. did the Dolls. But when.
few minutes later. Mrs. Doll was los
temporarily amid the cloud OF olive drat
Mr.. Doll began to cry pitifully and t
plead in choking tones. '"Muh sustain
Where's muh sustain? I want muh lii
tie sustain. -
Giant George Anger finally found Lit
tie Sustain on the lap OF the giant. II
Edmunds soldier and gentleman OF tn
Twenty-eighth Division. who had onl
an arm left. the right one, TO ring aroun
little sustain. And Hy gave up sustal
and she became Mrs. Doll again. an
she and the rest of the midgets and tn
clowns and Giant Anger went UP stair
to make merry with soldiers who coul
not leaVA their beds