Milford chronicle., 1931-04-03
GLENDALE

Ihe Old Time Circus (cOntlnued)
The writer in the concludin
pages of the narrative of the Oh
Time Circus will give some of tn
incidents which transpired man
years ago when the first show whicl
the writer can remember when h
was a lad, pitched their tents nea
the outskirts of the county seat o
Sussex county.
The first circus the writer as ;
boy can remember was Rivers ant
DOrlns. While called wonderful il
those days with its wonderful array
of performers, today it would moi
measure up TO q fourth place, with
such shows as Barnum, Ringing
Brothers and others of equal merit
whose shows are exhibiting in diff
feTent parts of the world today.
Your correspondent will never for
get the first appearance of a steam
calliOpe with a circus when he was
q lad. 1t was advertised extensively,
but the people did not know what il
was. They saw it on the day of the
arrival of the show, but never for
one instant compared ii with any
thing that would produce music
it was taken quietly TO the ground
from which the show would exhibit
and remained there until the time of
the parade. The people wondering
all the time what the thing really
could be.
They soon found out.
The parade had formed. the wag-
on containing the band at the front
and the calliope occupying a posi-
tiOn near the end of the line.
The streets of Georgetown were
lined with people, both white and
cOlOred and they were enthused with
the scene before them-as the par
ade entered the square from one Of
the side streets the band was play
ing a Jig tune and the white and
cOloTed people were taking a step,
when the calliOpe broke loose with
such an awful noise that resembled
both the roar of the lion and the
yell Of the hyena mixed together.
The jigging ceased and the col
Ored and some of the white people
broke for cover, and some of them
it was said did not stop until they
reached their homes miles away. We
don't think ii was as bad as report
ed.
The attendance at the afternoon
and evening performance of that
day was very slim.
This episode happened before the
Civil War, when the eOlOred people
were nearly all slaves and very few
were free.
1t was q time when most of the
colored race and not few whites
believed in signs, charms and tOk-
ems, and today some OF the older
white and cOlored people believe in
the same things and no argument
you can advance will convince them
of thNir mistaken ideas.
Another incident, a circus which |
was to give an exhibition in George
town advertised among its other at |
fractions a real live elephant. Shows |
in those days had but very few ele- |
plants and a desire to see one was .
universal on the part of the white .
and colored people. A cOlOred girl
was working for a family near the .
edge of the town where the show
would pass on its way to the tent !
ing ground. She was bewailing the !
TACT that she knew that the show
people would have the elephant Gov
cred UP so that she could not see it,
Us she had never seen one, and
wanted to get good look at the an
she did. She was wash
ing the day of the show. The pump
where she had her tubs was near
solid board fence. She continued
washing looking UP now and then as
The show in sections passed along.
She was very busy with her work
when the elephant in passing along
smelled water and being thirsty he
simply went to the fence and putting
his head over dropped his trunk in
The tub where the girl was wash
ing. She happened to look up and
seeing the beast, she gave one
mighty yell, fell backwards and on
getting up fell down again and run
ming toward home yelling at every
step "the devil, the devil, the devil!"
Ind fell into the door. The lady of !
he house had quite a time in getting
he girl pacified, and some one ask .
ID her if she was going to the show.
She said no, indeed, she would not
20 to any show that haPbored any ,
iuch beasts as she saw that morn
ng. In after years if you really
wish to get move on you, say to
his girl did you see the elephant?"
FOUR movement would have 10 be ,
wifi or you would come in contact !
With a brick.
Another incident, the Forepaughs =
Ienagerie, one of the best ever in ,
sussex county, having the greatest +
isplay of living animals ever seen 4
t one time by the residents, came ,
0 Georgetown one day in the early y
pring. Accompanying this show was =
man known for his great strength
nd he was carried along for the
urpose of keeping others from f
the show at any time h
ussex in those days had some Hen \
{ great fistic powers and one of 2
hese having heard of this man p
fhich the FOrepaughs were taking y
18th them, concluded to match his q
trength against the powers this
ian was said to contain. So after r
light the Sussex man made his way c.
} the show and at once commenced n
} look for the man he was seeking.
.e did not have to look long for the .
Lher man was also seeking him.
20 nff in a 7