The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat., 1920-07-02
HALL IS SIGNING
HIS CIRCUS FOLK
Lancaster Man Is Preparing for Next
Year and is Getting His Con-
tracts Out to Per-
formers.
SEEKS AN OLD CLOWN
Man Ninety Years Old and Partner to
Late Dan Rice Is One Of the
! Men Sought by Veteran
Manager.

Billy" Hall of Lancaster, is sign
ing up attractions for his circus next
season, and he has already offered
contract to one of the oldest clowns
i in the business. A story from Kansas
| City tells of the career of this man
who was partner of Dan Rice at one
time
| The Kansas City story is this:
| Bill Jerome Fisher, 80 years old
May 5, clown for Dan Rice for many
years, has been asked to sign con.
tract to go with Diamond Billy Halls
threering circus and menagerie next
season And it may be stated that if
the old gentleman signs the contract
he will be physically able to make
good. He doesn't look over SIS or 10,
yet he was born in Champlain county,
New York, in 1880, and joined Dan
Rice's circus as clown and comic
song singer at st. Louis in the sum-
mer of 1S49.
after l had seen Dan Rice's round.
top for the first time I would have
hooted at the idea of being president
my ambition was to be a clown and
make that big crowd around the saw
dust ring split their sides alaughin',"
said Fisher the other day in his home
town of Shelbina, Mo-, as he sat with
ia group of cronies on park bench.
! Down ON the farm a mate and
had been practicing on the horizontal
bar and in tumbling and when we
went to the circus we hunted up the
manager and showed him what we
could do" continued the old clown,
"and he said he'd call Uncle Dan.
That meant we'd do. 1t seemed like
/ a dream come true. was only II, a
one -gallus country boy.
Joined In 1849.
/ Uncle Dan Rice, stocky, kindly
/ faced man, shook hands and slapped
us on the shoulder. He had 'em lay
the carpet on the sawdust and told us
to go to it. And you bet we did. We
performed stunts that made Uncle
Dan clap his hands and shout He
was Snowman every inch Of him, and
4 the most encouraging boss poor chaI
4 ever worked for wanted to go with
the circus then, and Dan sent rider
to Essex to see if my father would
consent. But pap put his foot down
on it,
Two years after that Fisher went
west to visit some relatives, and a
Chicago found Dan Rice's circus was
there. That was in 1349. The circus
was travelling overland, as they did II
those days. Dan Rice remembered the
country boy This time Fisher sane
some of the popular songs OF the day
for him-"Blue Eyed Mary, "The
Girl Left Behind Me" Sweet Mary
and the sleigh ride song.
He ioined the circus and Travelled
through Springfield, to Quincy ant
then to st, Louis, where he first Wen
/ into the ring in costume. Rice agreed
tn take him if he would remit $500 Il
| square I'D with his father for his serv
Ices until he was Il.
! old-Time Circus Humor.
| Except st. Louis the towns "er'
| small. and the circus made them owe
| country trails, travelling at n1ght am
showing every day but SUNDAY
| crowds were the rule everywhere
The country wasn't settled then as
is now but the people came iron
| everywhere, in OK wagons, on hores
| hack and many would get up at mlo
night to walk in before day.
Refore he was with the show yer
long Dan Rice picked Fisher for
o1otyn which was about the blSges
iob in the show then. A clown /
those days was clown-he had 10
fnnnv The humor was rather broa
for today. and many of the jokes R1c
ond Tm1is Kile, the ringmaster, an
TIsher worked up would never -gee
across as humor today, but they mad
the crowd laugh, and that was tn
essential thing. Many of the hits Wer
e' -.roII,, o-ir;ye at the lan(