SAWDUST & SPANGLES
STORIES & SECRETS OF THE CIRCUS
BY W. C. COUP
Herbert S. Stone and Company Eldridge Court, Chicago MDCCCCI
COPYRIGHT, 1901, BY HERBERT S. STONE & CO
CONTENTS
FOREWORD ix
CHAP. PAGE
I. BOYHOOD WITH THE OLD-TIME WAGON SHOW 1
My First Exciting Experience 4 The Intelligence of Elephants 5 Fights with the Grangers 6 "Doc" Baird and the Bully 9 Teasing Old Romeo 10 The Story of a Stolen Negro 12 Horse Thieves in the Circus 15
II. THE PERILOUS BUSINESS OF STOCKING A MENAGERIE 18
Beasts at Wholesale 20 The Professional Animal Hunter 21 Striking into the Interior 22 Hunters' Life in the Jungle. 23 Why Baby Elephants are Hard to Capture 26 Across the Desert with Captive Beasts 29 The Adventures of Specimen Hunters 31
III. FREAKS AND FAKES 35
The Burial and Resurrection of the "Cardiff Giant" 37 The Rival White Elephants 40 How the "Light of Asia" Embarrassed the Lecturer 41 The Wild Cave-Dweller of Kentucky 44 The Two-Headed Girl's Three-Headed Rival 46 Missing Links and Dancing Turkeys 49 The Salaries Paid to Freaks 50 The Love-Making and Merrymaking of the Freaks 51 The Exposure of the "Aztec Children" 54 An Adventure with a Circus Shark 56
IV. MOVING THE BIG SHOW 59
The First Attempt to Move a Circus by Rail 61 The Spartan Habits of the Old Timers 63 Seven Heartbreaking Days on the Long Road 64 Performing by Day and Traveling by Night 67 On a Runaway Circus Train 69 Panic Among the Animals 71 A Single Track and a Broken Rail 73 The Bronchos' Charmed Life 75 Old Romeo to the Rescue 77 An Unexpected Midnight Bath 79
Table of contents (by pages)
- 1: Sawdust & Spangles by W. C. Coup
- 2: Sawdust & Spangles by W. C. Coup
- 3: Coup at odd moments in the big show tent
- 4: Barnum in an enterprise of this character
- 5: Who was determined to open the Aquarium Sundays
- 6: The hay near which the Ceylon drove was staked
- 7: As a consequence showmen went armed
- 8: While we were showing in a county seat
- 9: But the sight of this posse made me decidedly uncomfortable
- 10: Awaiting the arrival of the horses
- 11: The Hagenbacks have almost monopolized the trade
- 12: THE PROFESSIONAL ANIMAL HUNTERThe head of the Reiche firm
- 13: Coffee and Indian corn biscuit for breakfast
- 14: The sheiks are paid in advance
- 15: As they are generally termed by showmen
- 16: As a walrus frequently weighs nearly a ton
- 17: You can have a Cardiff Giant that won't crack
- 18: Barnum and a Philadelphia circus man
- 19: These freaks want too much money
- 20: The Dahomey joined out with a side show in which
- 21: Is one of the strongest traits of the typical freak
- 22: The shows furnishing the transportation for the fakirs
- 23: In each side pocket of which I placed a loaded six shooter
- 24: Brigades of this kind are called skirmishers
- 25: Where I had hired Pullman cars for our performers and band
- 26: And this the yardmaster refused to do
- 27: And several times appeared to be almost toppling over
- 28: We ran back to Blairsville and switched on to a side track
- 29: In crippled animals and destruction of cars
- 30: The torches showed Hickey sunk to his armpits
- 31: The melodious voices of the Jubilee singers
- 32: Was followed by a fortnight of fair weather
- 33: The elaborate and gilded chariots
- 34: His approach had been noted by the boss
- 35: Others kneeling quietly in the wagons
- 36: In about ten minutes my bedfellow came up
- 37: Is how General Houston came to desert his Indian bride
- 38: NOVEL ADVERTISING FEATURESI early learned
- 39: These brigades are followed by watchers
- 40: And also the first ten sheet lithograph
- 41: The Indiana libel laws were very severe
- 42: I visited Milwaukee with my show
- 43: You will use Jumbo matter before the excitement is over
- 44: The advertising matter for Jumbo the lithographs
- 45: Regular numbers of hell benders
- 46: When about to exhibit in Albany
- 47: If not sold to the smaller showmen
- 48: The draught horses used by circuses vary in price
- 49: 00This price is above the average
- 50: The original showmen were Raymond
- 51: But the showmen would blanket a horse and send him ahead
- 52: And their magnificent plumage ruffled
- 53: Seemingly every portion of his body was lacerated
- 54: During our exhibitions in Fourteenth Street
- 55: But with these untamed animals I concluded to make a start
- 56: Headed by a certain spirited stallion
- 57: The royal Kraal of King Cetewayo of Zululand
- 58: This embassy consisted of three Zulu princesses
- 59: The principal element of danger to trainers would be removed
- 60: As we called this crack trainer
- 61: The trainer was back again in his old place
- 62: Or get into the cage with hot irons
- 63: Of course some trainers are killed outright
- 64: And then I told the trainer to begin his work
- 65: Riders are first trained to do their tricks on the ground
- 66: Some of which were rough and severe
- 67: The Texans appeared to come from every direction
- 68: It was a most foolish trip to undertake
- 69: The encounter was a terrific one
- 70: Where he would be ordered by the ringmaster to act up
- 71: The revivalists had been abusing the circus
- 72: Then we had a long chase after the stampeded elephants
- 73: From the child to the policeman
- 74: In which he described the jailer
- 75: That he owned more flags than the whole city of Elkhart
- 76: The only reason I was not instantly shot by the ruffians
- 77: Some one called this man Barnum
- 78: Barnum quick to grasp a situation
- 79: Showmen in the early days had a habit of agreeing
- 80: A thorough search of all our belongings
- 81: Of course we called him Bastrop
- 82: I have got a human family Master Eastwood of Ohio
- 83: I heard two waitresses talking about the show
- 84: The Aquarium was first opened in October
- 85: And the frightened whales take refuge in the bay
- 86: I contracted to send a living whale to A
- 87: Afterwards when I opened the New York Aquarium
- 88: On which was located our storage and supply aquarium