New Britain herald., 1928-06-30
Circus ELIMINATES
HORDE Of CROOKS
Loses Its Glamor But Audience
Is Much Safer

eral impression OF both those who
did attend and those who refused
to attend any of the three big shows
which recently played in this vicin-
ity. And those who hold it attribute
this loss of glamor effectively to
the circus itself. regardless Of the
multiplicity of interests such as
movies and radio which have come
into such everyday use that any day
in the year can now be made the
equivalent of the old time circus
day.
But much of the glamor of the
circus always vas false. The antici-
patton was fully half of the eXcite-
ment, and the rest was derived from
ones own actual connection in car
rying water or from a seat high in
the bleachers from where every
thing looked neat and clean. A
closer inspection of wagons, ami
mails. and equipment revealed dis
appointing dirt and the prosaic or
dinariness which brought the reali-
cation that, after all, the circus was
composed of only material beings
end things.
The circus has changed. There is
no sense in denying that. But it has
altered for the better. as actual
compa rison with any of the old cir
Gus days will reveal.
Barnum e. Bailey
Barnum g. Bailey's Greatest
Show on Eearth' played New Brit
ain in 1903 for the third time in its
history--the previous years having
been 1854 and 1898. The grounds
were then located on South Main
street. The event was great one In
the life of New Britain. factories
working Saturday afternoon that
week in order that their employees
might be free to attend the show
without loss of any shop time
The day Was clear--the first one
In month. The circus had been I'M
able to put on it's parade for three
weeks, and on the previous day the
afternoon performance at Hartford
had been cancelled. So the Capital
City sent large numbers of people TO
New Britain, and others poured In
from Bristol. Berlin, Plainyille and
other neighborlng places.
The parade took place according
to schedule, the only difficulty be-
ing encountered when the largest
wagons were unable to pass beneath
the enclosed bridges connecting the
Stanley Rule factory buildings. They
were able to turn up Church street
however and rejoined the main pa
rade at Central park. 1t was esti-
mated that 10000 people witnessed
the street parade. while fully this
many attended the performances,
5000 that of the afternoon and H.
900 that in the evening.
"COlosSal'-Nothtng But
The show itself was such that the
Herald Of the following day stated.
"Probably there has never been
such colossal show put upon q
travelling basis in the show history
of the world" Specifically. it was
a huge success. But under the sur
face we're the conditions which the
circuses We're then fighting and had
6lllI u w eItOIlt.
Handicapped by the long rainy
spell, the show had battled against
mud for weeks, and the average
sleep of the employees had been
about two hours a night, snatched
while lying on pile of canvas.
green, and when it came time for
the show to start the seats had not
been put in place. Great crowds
were milling around the entrance.
and a number of women tainted be
fore the bleachcrs could be erected
AMI the damned stream OF human
ity flow into the tent
After the night show the work be
gan again, and there was trouble
among the employees. Completely
disgruntled with their lot, 90 quiz
the show before it left town, and
the remainder barely managed to
get the equipment packed for the
last train to leave here for New
Haven at O'Clock the following
morning.
One of the canyassmen came into
the police station and asked Officer
Scipel il he could spend the nigh.
there. He was examined and it was
found that his throat had been
slashed in a fight. The man refused
TO give the name of his assailant,
and Police Chief William J. Raw
lings could learn nothing Of the
Ease. The man was prepared for
death, but he recovered
Police Handle ely Gentry
These incidents were only an ex-
pected part of the circus in those
days. The period Of gang fights be-
tween the canvassmen and town
roughnecks were about over. but the
rough crow Of canvassmen was con-
tinually having quarrels within its
own ranks and getting into trouble
with the police. In. fact. the New
Britain police took unusual meas
ures to meet the conditions which
they knew would be created. The
regular policemen were released
from duty the night before and
were replaced by all available su-
pernumeraries. This left the more
experienced regulars fresh to
handle the circus crowds and
handle the ''fly gentry" who follow
ed the show about
BY 1908 the large circuses had
already taken steps to clean them.
selves up. At one time every shoa
had with it. almost as an integra!
part. collection of pckpockets
confidence men. short change artist
and other flinfIammers. The Ring
ling Brothers started to correct thi.
{ iii. and other shows We're forcon
to follow this lead. At the time o;
the show under discussion thes'
men had been driven out of the cir