Evening star., 1946-12-22


/ Toapnsfolk all athril /
| 1876. This is a photogrdp
from operations in the Cap
the Sarrel-n . winter circus va
opened up in Washington, The va
filled the city with soldiers ant
they spent money freely. Coyl'
further suggested that rs the circu
he had been with was doing moth
ing he thought it could be brough
here, but that to make it as attrac
tive as possible there should b
some animals secured.
Barnum's Main Stock
Consisted of Old Bears
up to that time Barnum hat
been before the public only as thu
proprietor of hall shows and mu'
seums. 1t was known that he hae
about q dozen old bears in New
York which the people there hat
tired of, and he thought they might
be secured.
| Correspondence was entered intt
with the owners Of the circus, Adam
Forepaugh, James E. Cooper ant
John O'Brien. Upshot Of the mattel
was that Barnurn agreed to con.
tribute his bears, handled by Grizzl,
Adams, the father Of Grimald
Adams, famous since rs = clown;
Forepaugh, Cooper and oBrien tt
furnish their circus and Sim tt
furnish the lot, pay for advertising
bill posting and the city license
The proceeds were to be divided up
Barnum to get one-third, the circus
one-third and Sim the remainder
col. Sim got permission Of B. B
French, then commissioner Of pub.
lie buildings and grounds, to estab.
| lish the circus on Louisiana avenue
between Ninth and Tenth streets
As Barnum was favorably known as
a museum owner, the establishment
was styled p. T. Barnum's Circus
Museum and Wild Animal Exhibi-
tion.' The museum part consisted OF
lot of stuff which had been saved
from the fire when Barnum's mu-
scum in New York was burned. The
bears were rather old and out OF
form, but they went just the same
Barnufn's principal contribution was
his name, but the concern paid
handsomely. ERR .-l'-'' .'e'
''Two performances were given
most every day, and the audiences
were made up almost wholly OF SOL
diers and others brought here by the
war. The riding of , bareback
horse was then a sensation on ac-
count of its novelty. We played
there the fall and part of the win
ter. Barnum was pleased very much
with the amount Of money that was
sent weekly Is his share Of the re-
ceipts."
Circus Shows Were Given
On Monument Lot
The Monument Lot also was occas
sionally used for circus purposes
many years ago. The first circus
the writer ever saw was at Ninth
and S streets. 1t was O'Briens, the
one-ring variety, and he will never
forget the monkeys, dressed in their
little red jackets, riding the ponies
around the ring, and the spirited
tune played by the band. Indeed,
there are scenes of childhood we
can never forget, and with me this
is one.
This particular circus ground was
between Ninth and Tenth, S and 7
streets, and was for = number Of
years annually used by both Bar
mum and Forepaugh, and, as the
writer recalls, the sideshow was on
the northwest corner Of Ninth and
S streets and the ticket ofice and
main entrance were just to the
north, on Ninth street. In the side
show were the tattooed man, the
sword -swallower, the legless man,
the woman who wrote with her toes,
the giants and midgets and all sorts
of freaks and oddities.
Buffalo Bill also gave perform
ances on this square, and, as the
writer recalls, upon one occasion he
was accompanied by Buck Taylor
advertised as king of the cowboys.
When the Spanish American War
came on Taylor went with the
Rough Riders and died few years
later in Providence Hospital, this
city, from tuberculosis.
Addition of Tom Thumb
Brought Great Publicity
At a much earlier date, how
ever, Barnum brought Tom Thumb
here. He was a Bridgeport dwarf
whom he had engaged for exhibi-
ton purposes five years before, when
he was but five years old, but whose
age the Snowman advanced to
eleven years for business reasons.
Tom Thumbs real name was
Charles s. Stratton, but Barnum
thought "Gen. Tom Thumb" sound
ed better, and so thereafter this was
his name. He appeared here =
number of times, but upon this par
ticular occasion the National Intel
ligencer of April 10, ls47, said:
Gen. Tom Thumb has drawn
numerous and fashionable COM
panies to his popular levees at
Jackson Hall during the three days
and nights of his exhibition in this
metropolis. The general is most
symmetrical parsonage, and although
formed in one of natures smallest