The New York herald., 1921-05-25
The Old Time Circus Man.


sentative of It's old time circus men
than JOHN f. ROBINSON, whose death
Is reported from Miami, Florida
where he had lived since his unwilling
retirement from the big top in 1900
He came near being born in the tan
bark ring He made his first appear
ance as performer when less than
two years old and for more than half a
century his show was known and not
unwelcomed from one end Of the coun-
try to the other. From its headquar-
ters at Cincinnati ROBINSON soon af-
ter the civil war took his circus. a
small road enterprise, into the South
and the border States; the unsettled
conditions and prejudices against the
Northerner made this a hazardous
venture. The showmans Hey,
Rube!" was then call to a battle of
defence; the ring might become rifle
pit, the animal dens and property
wagons n barricade, and circus men
and town rowdies frequently died In
the fight
p. 7. BARNUM had not then emerged
from his New York museum or col
lected his Greatest Show on Earth.
JAMES A. BAILEY was then good
advance man with brain filed
with big ideas. CooprR, his partner.
was scarcely started in the show busi-
ness; the four SELLS brothers were
just making their first trial and the
seven RINGLING brothers were play
ing at circus In their back yard. VAN
AMBERGs menagerie-its chief attrac-
tion an elephant, the chief act the
balancing of m acrobat on the top of
pole held by the trunk Of "this
monster moving mountain Of fesh"--
was making Its way by road over the
country.
HowE's Great London Circus was
beginning It's tours Of the Eastern
States. DAN RICE, the clown with
his trick white horse, was playing to
the full capacity Of his small tent.
Girard. Pennsylvania, one of the cir.
Gus mans great centres, was sending
out Colonel HENDERSON, show and
CHARLES STOWE, the Dexter Fellowes
Of the day, with wagon loads Of new
and wonderful show language. From
Philadelphia went ADAM FoREpAUGH
JOHN O'BRrEr and Colonel RosToN
with good sized wagon shows. From
Lansing, Michigan. hailed "great
moral and educational combination
unuer the mang cement Of JOEL WAR
NER. the best speaker, according to
tradition. who ever talked In defence
OF circusdom from the tanbark ring
From New York city went l.. b
LrNr's show. one of the best Of Its
day, travelling over the North In the
summer and the South In the winter.
In those days originated many Of
the picturesque expressions which be-
came part Of show literature. One
Il the names for an animal and circus
combination was the Unparalleled
Great Royal CIrque-Zoolodon. 1t
survived only year. The trans.
portation was by wagons; the show
loaded up after the last performance
and travelled by night to the next
stand. II was hard life, but life
with a fascination from which those
who began Il could scarcely ever re-
cover There was the frequent peril
from the rowdy md there were dan
gers OF flood and storm. The route
was often along the old National road
10 Columbus. Ohio. and then to the
Mississippi valley or to GAINESVILLE
Ohio. and from there on the Marys.
vile pike to Kentucky and the South
The trick was to get In day from
one county seat to another.
The roads of southern Ohio. m es-
pecially profitable field for the circus
were at different times of the year in
exccrablc condition. There was one
stretch from the county seat Of Mus
kineum 10 that Of Perry which always
remained vlyldly fixed In the old
showmans memory. A small stream,