New Britain herald., 1927-06-11
CIRCUS CONTINUES
 T0PR0VIDE THRILL
But Reception to "Bunalo BlI'
 Was Day of Days

Was Day of Days
 One American institution which survives the ravages of time, al- though it has changed in many im- portant features, is the circus. Boys of eight or eighty look forward with pleasant anticipations to circus day" and many Of them will never outgrow the habit of staying up late at night to watch the show unload.
 Most of the great circuses of the country have played New Britain. The old BarEum & Bailey show brought it's stellar attraction. Jum- bo here. Among others which have played here are Forepaugh & Sells. Sells-Floto, Christie Bros. and Wal ter l.. Main. And of the Wild West attractions, the two largest used to stop here almost annually. These were the Buffalo Bill outfit and 101 Ranch of the Miller Brothers, which was here last year. The first circus lot in city was at Walnut Hill. This was when that large tract was private property. Since it has become a city park its use for shows has been forbidden, the only excep- tions in recent years having been the "Old Home Week" carnival and the annual Chautauqua. New grounds were found on South Main street, and later the circuses made their home on Shuttle Meadow avenue. Both of these fields have been com- pletely covered with residences, and the shows have retreated to Eib- berts lot on Stanley street, where they are once again being crowded into smaller compass each year.
 One of the local men who has al- ways had a passport into the inner most secrets of the circuses is Fred C. Monier, ST. Mir. Monier, through lis connection with the North x Judd Mfg. Co.,, came 10 know most of the circus owners, since his firm sold them saddlery fittings and oth- CT hardware. His business relations were usually expanded into personal Friendships. and Buffalo Bill, Paw nee Bill. and the Miller Brothers al- ways visited him when their shows came to town and invited him on hunting expeditions with them fin the West. The late H. C. Noble of the same firm was another close friend of the showmen.
 One of the great circus days in New Britain was when the Buffalo Bill show appeared here in 1902. The whole town was athrill. The schools closed for the day. The fac tories did likewise. the men working until g o'clock nt night for a week beforehand in order to make up for the time which would be lost. De- spite the fact that the show was rated as secord-class, the excitement and celebration attending the day were so great that newspapers called attention to the fact that the holiday was observed much more generally and whole heartedly than Memorial Day had been.
 Despite the fact that for once the show actually got into New Britain on scheduled time, long before dawn, several hundred people were at the station to sec 1t arrive. By o'clock the canvas was up on the South Main street grounds and local resi- dents were mingling with the strange Chinese. Cossacks. cockney English. Mexicans. Indians, Boers, and others who were with the show. One of the performers almost got himself mobbed by asking "wot tn nyme of the bloody town might be-"
 The parade attracted almost everybody in town and must have been worth it. The feature was a detachment of the famous Tenth cavalry the Negro regiment which Arizona, while troop from the Sixth cavalry (white) was also in line. X float contained a group of life savers and their boat, and there were the usual cowboys, Indians. and all the rest. Mr. Noble rode with Buffalo Bill in the parade.
 Fully 10000 persons mobbed the tent for the afternoon performance and another 5000 were present in the evening, an exceptional showing for city which could boast of only some e0.0o0 inhabitants. Col. Will liam F. Cody. the redoubtable "Buf- falo Bill" made his personal appear ance on a dashing steed and favored the crowd with speech about the rough riders of the world. The usu- al exhibitions of riding and shooting were carried out in even better fash ion than was anticipated, and then the climax for New Britain came.
 This was the presentation of a pair of gold spurs to Buffalo Bill by Mir. Noble The spurs were made by MT. Moniar at the North X Judd factory. Mr. Noble presented them to the idol Of romancers and Col onel Cody promptly attached them to his boots. wearing them for the rest of the day to the huge delight of the large crowds.
 That was before the circuses had begun to take stern measures in ridding themselves of crooked tick et-sellers and hangers-on. and New Britain abandoned it's policy of haV- ing only one policeman on duty dur ing the day. Chief William J. Raw lngs put five more regulars on day duty, while Deputy Sheriff Gihney. Deputy Sheriff Cowles, and Con- stable Taylor also hung about the circus grounds to look out for the "ny" people travelling in the shows wake. They did pretty well but the pickpockets managed to take a DOT tion of their usual grist.
 One Of the semi-humorous affairs