Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-07-05
WITH A CIRCUS IN ASIA
CONTINUED From Page One.)

ly became the proprietor of the circus
and Just when things were looking sun
niest Mrs. Hart tripped on a wire af-
ter dismounting from her horse, and
fell on a sharp pointed tent stake. IL
pierced her heart and she died.
The. world war came on and the
English: government exacted:' restric-
.tions that made. the circus unprofl-
table. in India. The :iwar' took away
from the circus, :its best paying. pa
tronB.r,'i :.Hi :-!.,:,s ,!.:s..- = i>nf
: TO overcome the failure in. India the
circus was moved; up into: Mongolia.
There ':another woe befell it," Twenty
three members of .thetcompany died OF
q disease that closed. the. throat ,anq
caused. the sufferer to. choke: to death.
Among the dead were .Billy's: three
daughters and two sons-in-law. The
third son in law: escaped: by placing
caustic in his throat. This saved his
life, but destroyed his speech. He Il
running a small hotel somewhere In
Japan.
A 1900 Mile Trek.
Billy hurriedly moved the circus
from the scene Of the deadly plague.
They headed across the Monaghan
desert with nothing to guide them but
the Tartar wall. For twenty-nine
hundred miles they travelled to Nangko
pass, forty-two miles north Of Peking.
The performers were all Asiatics, and
his principal attraction in the side
show was troupe of Hindoo magic
workers. The show moved into Pek-
ing for two weeks; then crossed to
Japan for stay of several months.
The next move was to Java, where.
as as old BilIy tearfully relates today, he
met his greatest loss. He speaks Of
it as "the tragedy of my life" The
circus was showing in a. town called
Garoute. Nearby was an almost ex-
tinct volcano occasional tfemors and
bursts of smoke telling that THE noun
tain had not entirely gone to Sleep
One day his three grandchildren, Ella,
Morania. and Lolita. all named for
flowers OF the far east, went to picnic
with a group of English folk. They
found a spot in the shade Of a huge
rock on the side Of the mountain and
there spread their dinner. While they
were under the rock an earthquake
occurred The great mass fell and the
picnic party WIS buried utider it.
Wiped out by Typhoon.
Heartbroken, old Billy again moved
on his way with the circus going this
time to .Macassar, lin the. Celebes Is
lands, Then he determined again to
head back toward the mainland by
way Of Rorneo. The circus met its
end there: One day in 1919; while the
show. was. in a,.town called Balik- Pap
in, island of Borneo, a atyphoon struck
the town. The tents had just. been
pitched and the show seemed headed
toward new prosperity: All these
new hopes vanished in a twinNing'
for the typhooa swept the circus in
to the Pacific ocean. Not stitch Of
the canvass was left, and; the outfit
was wreck :: That was the end of
RfG> Hart'i in, the far, east :. -. ,.... :. =. ::
Thsigavernment tf Java came to the
RELIEF Of: the STRICKEN circus folk. "a
relief ship carried Billy, Hart and his
stranded troupers TO- ,surabaya, jaws
where they. held ther last council and
said good-by. The troupers headed
toward Madras; where they separated
and went home, leaving Billy Hart, old
and almost penniless. In : surabaya,
Rilly heard Of a Dutch vessel that was
to-. sail for America by. way of Indian
ports. Cairo and Barcelona: The. cap:
tain was Of the humane sort and took
the. stranded old Snowman aboard.
The ship played around the ports OF
the world for months. finally touching
at the Isthmus of Panama. There
Billy found passage to Porto Rico.
and after,two months there. made his
way to America