Billboard advertising (Jan-June 1900)

THE BILLBOARD The Billboard. Published IV.ekly at vj East Eighth Street; Cincinnati, Ohio, C. S. A. Address all communications or the editorial or business departments to THE BILLBOARD PUBLISHING CO. [Subscription, $4.00 a year: 6 mos., S2.C0; 3 mos , $1.00, in advance, ADVERTISING RATES: Advertisements will be published at the uni- form rate of .ten cents per agate line; no dis- Jount for time or space. Copy for advertisements Inust reach us before noon on Saturday previous (o'weelt of issue. Our terms are cash. try posters by a Western bill poster, ■rive the work out and cyllefit a. com- mission from this same bill poster who lias worked the business iipV More money is now lieiu? made iu commis- sions tban iu posting, and the number of men officially allowed to collect commissions should not be limited. The West should lie represented eijually with the Kast. My advice to this man is: "tie, knowing he is not' a gentleman, should endeavor to make people believe he is one. BUFFALO, N. Y. Whifmire & Filbrick are the b'.H posters of this city and Tonawanda. I was received by Air. Goldbrick—no, 1 mean Mr. Filbrick— who at once placed me-in -the hands of his solicitor. Mr. Howard Heller, a young man of good sense and judgment, and who at once took me around to the merchants. Buffalo has 400,000 population, and this plant consists of 30,000 running feet of boards. Bulletins, 1,600 feet, takes 300 8-sheet to make a good showing. Besides-the above men- tioned feet of boards, this firm has 1,500 :*p:" The Billboard is sold in London at Lotvs /•>- . rhange. S7 Charing Cross, and at American Ad- vertising NewspaperAgency, Trafalgar Build- ings, Northumberland Ave., W. C. In Paris, at Brentsno's,3j. Avenue- de /* Of era. The tradesup- tlieU by the American News Co. and its branches. i Remittance should be made by post-office or ex- M "' tress money order, or registered letter addressed ig ", tml made payable to The Billboard Pub. Co. ,| ■': ' The editor can not undertake to return unsolicited P'ji manuscript: correspondents should keep copy. X-i ■ When it is necessary to wire us the instructions 't zud copy for advertisements, great saving in the matter of telegraph tolls may be had by recourse to the Donaldson Cipher Code. i! t : Entered as Second-Class Matter at Post Office -j|~" %t Cincinnati, Ohio. Entire Contents Copyrighted. All rights reserved. Saturday, May 12, 1900. : The solicitor Question is one tliat will ^ie discussed thoroughly at the coming onvention of tile Associated Bill Post- ers. Judging from the existing feel- ing,' as portrayed iu the dissatisfied expressions of many of the smaller bill posters, the opinion will not be ?ntirely one-sided. The system as it Is at present practically renders life miserable for the country bill poster. "He must now deal with a middleman, instead of. the firm direct, and pay this man a heavy commission on much 'work that he would likely have' re- ceived anyway. But that is not what He ■ i lit lit inakes the little bill poster sa sore. Js willing to pay a commission 011 (work received. What'has turned him figainst the system is the fact that he floes not sret this j:— j promptly. When jthe bfJl poster puts up "paper direct Strom the 1-ompany he gets his money is soon as the showing is completed; in many esses before the paper is Seven put np. J Not so when he does work for some hf the "present solicitors. He is made o wait thirty.- sixty and even ninety 'days for his pay. The small town man -can not afford to do business in *bat wav. He should and must have t bis money promptly. ft i 'The Billboard" has always advo- Jeated many solicitors, for solicitors j| aiiint np new poster advertisers. The i|| foreater the number of firms induced •II fj to |s ive poster publicity a trial the bet- || Iter will be the business and the faster llfwill be the advance in favor of ont- ;« ■ - ■ ,f 3. door publicity. Why should a handful £?»./' if Mot men—all in one section— control a J§5 "great majority of the advertisers of t '4 ithe country? m WTiy is it that an Eastern solicitor is i§f jiallowed, as an official representative, "tt -to make contract with a Western firm ; •who has probably been Induced to They Say— That none of the cities in which R. J. Gun- ning is interested will join the new-fangled Protective combination project. That if Roaring Robert only had a journal to spout through now, what a load of hot-air could he wcrkoff h's system! But great is the fall cf a man who is a quieter. That some 'bill posters are unreasonable enough to assert that Stablbrodt exacts a commission on bis editor's salary. That Charles B. Heed, who should never be forgotten by the bill posting fraternity, • is progressing very nicely in his new enter- prises at Havana, Cuba. That O. J. Gude realizes that he occupies a rather embarrassing position, but he dcesn't seem to worry over it in the least. That "Little Fil." heard mysterious threats ;'and mutterings when he signed Pratt's scheme. Was it the voice of his old'partner? That many cf the Western bill posters are just as d'ssatisfitd as .the Eastern ones are dsgruntled. Why not leave the question to a committee of arbitration; say, Hote, Gude and Gunning, for instance. That Hote. the racy-vernaculared genius, has an interesting stcck of stories to relate in connection with his partnershin with Stahlbrcdt. That Sir Peter E. Mylius has the abll'tv and talent to be in business for himself. He is one of the few great solicitors. That Clarence Runey quit acting as orderly fcr Campbell and went East so that he could get closer into the councils cf the rfal-thin" gang. Yet Clarence has ever endeared him- • self to us as a sort cf authority en suburban tanks and whistle stations. That Jim Curran resents the statement that the brains of the bill posting business dwell-, eth in New York. That Jim O'Mealia doesn't know whether he or. Pratt is going to do the parliamentary honors'at Atlantic City. That now that San. Robison has removed' his advertisement from Stahlbrodt's personal hand-bill, many others will soon do likewise. That many bill posters are puzzling the'r brains quite a bit lately, trying to pick out the right kind of presidential timber for the annual meeting. That Campbell could easily have been elect- ed president at the Chicago meeting last sum- mer, but the gang took him in tow "and talked him out of running. Now he hasn't got a ghost of a show to run for anything. That one of the features of Pratt's forty- cities scheme is a deliberate antagonism of theatrical bill posting. How many bill post- ers will countenance such a thing? That the smaller towns are in a perfect quandary and look. up to Pratt's proposed octopian trust with horror. That Filch's expenses will run far in excess f f Stahlbrodt's collections.from.the very out- set. But special assessments are easy to col- lect, sure. Levyne's Letter. To the Editor of "The Billboard:" Dear Sir—On my arrival in Rochester. X. Y:, I called upon the bill posters, as I do in all towns, before 1 see the merchants. I asked to see the manager, and a small, dried-up looking individual inforrr-ei me he was the man. 1 told bim who I was and my business. With a wave of his dirty hand, he sa.d he was too busy then, but for me to call again some time through the day. I said my time was limited and could not think or wasting half a day for the informat on he could give me in five minutes. "He could not stop his business to wait on me, and if I could do better do it." Then I "warmed" up and told him what I thought cf him. I wish to say right here, of all my experi- ence with bill posters, this is the second time such a thing took place. The fir3t t.me was in Milwaukee. I worked the town for two days and did not sell one sheet of paper. I- found the merchants much behind in their education on the bill board methods, owing to the fact of the unbusinesslike doings of the bill posters. I have since found out that my experience with this man (a Mr. West) is the same that almost everyone else has who has the mis- fortune to deal with him. The bill posters in towns of 100 miles radius who deal with him tell me strange things about this firm. "Dried-Up" West has money invested In the plant: and he wants to sell out, and, as he can't, he gets "nutty" at tlmeg and goes to pieces. -vantage .oft his displays and having sathples of work or specifications showing stock post- ers, which could be purchased in Bmall quan- tities and displayed In good locations. The man that goes after any kind of work should outline it pretty thoroughly to show tne possible purchaser what he is going to produce for him. In this way the man is interested from the start. Perhaps he makes some suggestions, usually for the betterment of the service and in that way the two work together^ It should not be so much the aim of.the bill poster to make money out of a local merchant or out of a general advertis- er^ His aim should be to see that the man who uses his bill board space made money .„. _,. „„. ..„.„ „.„ „„„ ..„„.„ „- out of the expense of putting up tb*se dis- sheet and 150 8-sheet boards. In looking over Plays. If the work is done carefully. jm B - this plant I noticed all boards - were wall ment used in selecting stands and dlSDlav " matter, the best results will follow It is surprising how readily merchants would take to this sort of advertising if "hi matter had been presented to them In the proper manner. The newspaper that has a man who visits the merchants and expla'ns to them the advantages of a special paper or of a special position, is the kind that al- ways has Plenty of advertising matter in Its columns. The bill poster should profit by the same sort of tactics. y The stock designs of the lithographer* would benefit a local business, and these can be purchased at such prices that the wide- awake business man would readily see th» advantage which the wlde-awnke bill poster could present to him.—Advertising World When asked for his opinions in rega?d to Pratt s proposed project. Colonel Burr Rob- ins, of Chicago, had this to say: "I was opposed to the scheme from the start but ad- mit that I haven't given it very close study However Eastern schemes are usually pretty phony affairs and I'm always leery of th 3 m Whenever I decide to buy anything that the New Yorkers place upon the market, you may rest assured that I'll be wideawake and free from dope. They can't sell me any green goods or varnished bricks. One thing I'd l.ke to know is, how can Solicitor Pitch in his pent-up condition, compete with an open field of solicitors who have free access to all his transactions? How's he going to earn any salt, I'd like to know?" blanked, even to a 3-sheet on a 5-high board Befo.e writing further,. I wish to say that I found the bookkeeper. Mr. W. J. Ferr s. an extremely agreeable gentleman—a man whose sole aim on earth seems to be to smooth the path to be trod by others. "Fill" is a "brick." What do you think of this man's gall? When he wants to ad- vertise a cemetery with a 24-sheet poster.' and I guess he will do it, too. As I was talk- ing to him a two-horse truck drove up to the door and unloaded a pile of boxes. I asked Fill what they were. "Oh, a small consignment of booklets from Shoop, of Ra- cine. Wis., to. be distributed—just 67.20-J.'* This firm (Whitmire & Filbrick) has dis- tributed over 2,000.000 pieces of matter since Jan. 1 of this year. 1 met here Mr. Mike Coyle, who is. ahead of Buffalo Bill's Wild West, and he said: "Levyne. I'll bet you $2 you will wire your tiou&e ir-y date in this town . in one hour." "No. Mr. Coyle. I won't bet with you: yet you are wrong, for I shan't wait one hour. "I'll do it at once, and I did. . OLEAN, N. Y. Olean Bill Posting Co.'s plant consists of 2,500 running'feet of boards. Mr. F. B. La lend is the head of this company. My stay in the town was only a short one, but was received by Mr. Lelend in a very hospitab e spirit, who did all in his power to make my stop profitable to both of us. BRADFORD, PA. I did n >.ake notes in this city, but found the bill . jSter, who is also the manager of the opera house, on hand to render me as- sistance. Mr. Wagner, placed me in charge of his son "Fred," who is a jolly Fat'Boy and stands well with the merchants. How is it all fat people are good? JAMESTOWN, N. Y. The bill poster—well, I shan't say any- thing, but when I next see Mr. F. A. Steb- bins I shall ask him why he wantel me to stop here. !bir. Nunn is wise, as he wouldn't get off the train as it pulled into the stat on for anything. Jan:estown does cot exist for him. nor for me in the future. Atlantic City Letter. Th .„ A , tlan '. i J' , Cit y. N. J., April 30. 1900. This beautiful seaside resort, which ha* been aptly termed the Brighton of America is now fairly well filled with people from all* patts of. tbe United States and Canada The spring season is now at its heght. and th« crowds will get larger every day until the opening of the sumer season, about^ Junl int r, r0m tha } time on there wi " be uoth'n, ana P&sm" ° f PeOP ' e IOOlc:nB for hea '^ ctl? e As! j 0 <=iated Bill Posters of the United States and Canada will hold their annual convention here, starting on July 12. j£ ?bl MEADVILLE, PA. ^ent^n^ Tthe^am^lm 1 ^ 5M George Knox is owner of the plant; 14,005 one of tne busiest weeks this resort has ever population; 1,200 running feet of .boards. „„ own I ^nasmuch as the Elks and b II post- Should have at least 3,000 feet. George says he can't keep what he has filled. Oh. the inconsistency of some bill posters. An advertiser writes to this town for in- formation in regard to locations, amount of boards and prices. In reply the advertiser gets this kind of a letter: "Meadville's population. 14.000: 1.200 feet of boards. Can use 25 3-sheet, 15 8-sheet, 10 24-sheet- Yes, I do posting for the' theater." In return. Knox gets 15 S-sheet, 7 S-sheet, 4 .24-sbeet, and he kicks because bis board3 are empty. " All advertisers suppose that bill posters overestimate their capacity. So they cut down just about 50 per cent of what the bill poster says . he can put up.and I don't blame them. A town this size in the "West woull have 4.000 feet of boards, and being its owner is a good, solid income. Any adve t'se.- would sooner trust. 100 8-sheet to a town which had 3,000 feet'of boards than li s'ands to a town which had only 1,200 feet. I told Mr. Knox that he could not expect work un- less he could place it.- First b.U your toard and then advertise it. and you will find t_e adve:t'sers to slip in and fill the board to its full capacity. - Today for the first time I saw the May number of "The Billboard." Mr. Elitor, al- low me to congratulate you on its perfect on, for it is certainly perfect—just filling an ers are in a measure related to each other there will be a renewal of many old friend: ships during that week. Arrangements hav- been mad* for an Ideal meeting place for the ?»^f at -f S l ° ,h l ",1" Peers' convention Thl large dancing hall of the Ho'el Dennis hai S^l ae „ C „ , !, rea ' and , alEO a »»n.b 3 r of commo- dious and convenient committee rooms In J*"*; sa , m e hotel. This is one of the hand- somest hotels at this place, right on the ocean front, and the proprietor Is taking an nHrwiL in , te , reS } "J the invention i? 8 aS? one who Intends to attend the convention rT,n 7 r « e , .° him ne """" be Pleased It. give full particulars as to accommodations, rates etc., and If unable to accommodate tho« who write, or if they desire board at a mori reasonable rate he will see that they are placed in cottages or smnller hotels. It will be the biggest and best convention ever held and every one connected with the busness should endeavor to attend. The railroad' will make liberal concessions In the way of a.?»T« I deli S n,fu ' time Ts promised to an! yuite a large amount of commerc'al work h I i ,0W -. Seen „ on ? e ,ences and bill boards In this city As this is truly a cosmopolitan resort, with visitors from all part™ of th- worid the large general advertisers are com !r E here appreciate tne ™'»e °f advertfs- ,iTi ne r. P i?." t „ h o°, r . e _ , ?,- Unaer the control of the postc of the GANG. Yours truly. •M. L. LEVYNE. The Billposters and Stock Posters. empty void. I glory in the stand you take. ' B|1 J Posting. Sign Company, of Philadelphia and. with such a paper, backed by TRUTH a " d ; as Sanford H. Robison. the manager of and a knowledge of the requirements of all J na J company, gives It his personal attention the bill posters, it will live to see the death " , ,s always In good shape. To show tha value of advertising here, one of the propri- etors of a show on the board walk who has t^U", as . ,8n ? n hl f root - abo "t 300 squaw for th. J2 6, ,B ask ,' B S*;00 rental for the space for the season. The bill hoards on the board • j . re m 1 ny ln number, and are all so lo- cated that the many millions who pass along that structure never fall to see them ' ROME. It is estmlated that fully 75 per cent of the bill posting business which the official solic- itors secure in the West Is carried Eastwnrd to be posted. This Is because Western bill porters Innocently place so much confidence and power In the hands of the gangsters. Who stands the expense of these all-too- nnmerous meetings of the board of d'rectors cf the Associated Bill Posters? Why the memnprg who have no voice In the proceed- ings do, of course. And what is the purpose of. these almost monthly meetings? Slmnly to undo the work of the general annual con- vention. It Is high time for somebody to call a halt. "Place a full statement'of the condition of your plant with a neat little sum of money In my hands," warbles Fitch. And the bill poster who follows this advtre simply takes an ontlon on the chance of fighting for hlg plant again at some future date. A great many bill posters could build up quite a business for themselves if they went after it in the r'ght way. In ths large cente s of. population the bill posters are always pushing for business, and really get a great deal of display work from having regular contracts with large advertisers. But a b II poster in a town of from 3.000 to 21>,C00 usual- ly lets his boards remain idle when there is no patent medicine, proprietary art'ele or theatrical entertainment that comes h's way. There are so many'makes of stock posters on the market that it is surprising bill post- ers, as a rule, do not handle work of this character. They, .could usually obtain tbe agency for such, and the result from using it would be so satisfactory that the business would be profitable not only to the merchant to whom the local bill poster sold stock post- ers, but also to'the house that manufactured these posters. Many men who have a flush season and a dull season could overcome tho dull portion by' activity In pressing the ad- THE BILLBOARD ^■M:f TENT SHOWS. When the First Show Comes. They're coming to the depot—fifty vans are in the street. And 1 hear the dizzy clatter of a thousand busy feet. Tuen 1 hear the bossman's orders—then I see the riggers swing. And I know It is the circus—the same as every spring. I watch the dreamy hustle, the stars are on the wane, And the line of big quadrupeds leave the special circus train. And 1 see the yawning giraffe, -with his rubber neck so lank. And a herd of Eastern Jumbos just about to walk the plank. I see tbe sea of canvas, the sun Is shining bright, And the tented show Is ready for the matinee and ntgbt. The sawdust will be flying, pink lemonade will flow— - The same old rancid peanuts and the very same old show. A Winter Circus. will last for several years, and Dr. Gray's plan will be pushed by bis company. Circus performers will thus bave an oppor- tunity for employment the yeaf. round, and Dr. Gray can be addressed regarding the win- ter circus in care of "Th Billboard." V Doing Well. The Wallace Show has been doing a won- derful business since its opening. At Peru it broke the record, getting 300 more than last season. At Indianapolis people were turned away, afternoon and evening. At An- derson business was big in the afternoon and turn-away at night. At Marion (in the rain) big in the afternoon, capacity at night. At Muncie ,big afternoon and night. Leaving Muncie, they pulled out a draw-bar, and were late getting into Dayton, O.—9 a. m. A long haul to the fair grounds further delayed mat- ters, and the parade did not get out until after 1 p. m. Although the doors did not open until 3 p. m., the afternoon was fairly good. At night people were turned away. The performance with the Wallace Show is great in every sense of the word. Nickel Plate Shows. Conditions and tastes on tbe part of the public seem to demand a return to the "old- fashioned one-ring circus."—that which our grandfathers and grandmothers described to their grandchildren as far more marvelous in their eyes than the. big, glittering, mystifying three-ring circuses ot to-day. y The circus holds a tender'spot in the hearts of the people, owing to the pathetic and in- teresting stories written ot it, describing in a mysterious -way tbe many and interesting romantic incidents that occur in the life of the circus performer. History continually re- peats itself in the description of ambitious youths who run away from home to join the circus and become a glittering, bewildering monarch of the arena. There are few boys in this broad land of America to-day, and in fact, few men, who have not at -some time in their life had.an ambition to stand on the back of a piebald horse and execute the ap- parently easy movements of the artist they were watching while munching their peanuts, or else going through the air executing some difficult feat upon the trapeze: , With the tremendous increase of populations in America, circuses have grown within the past few years from one ring to two, three and four. The effect has been wonderful and bewildering to the people, and circuses have no doubt proven money-making institutions to the proprietors, but with all this glittering effect there has been a desire upon the part of thousands'of peo#4e to see the-old-fashion- ed one-ring circuB where the public could feast their eyes on the performers they knew .and!loved. Tbe circus, being as a rule only an annual event in: many districts, made its visit more enjoyable to the people. Even with the tremendous increase of population in America, circuses have kept apace with the people, and to-day their name is legion, numbering into the hundreds, from the small- . est little forty-foot round top up to the great white villages, consisting of tents of all sizes and shapes necessary to carry the large ag- gregations of to-day. To prove the fact that the old-fashioned one-ring circus has remained dear in the hearts of tbe people, many of them have made reasonable fortunes every year in dif- ferent parts of America, and in many parts of the country they are preferred to the big shows. They furnish employment to many people, and give wonderful performances, many of tbem, at popular prices. The winter circus has been attempted many times in cities, with an effort to make it a permanent institution sucb as exists in a ma- jority of the large cities of the Old World. In those countries the circus is so popular that special buildings are erected and are , used for no other purpose but a perpetual circus season. Owing to the climatic con- ditions of this country; successful circuses Bav e always performed under canvas, but within the past year or two many large auditoriums have been erected, with an eye to the giving ot general shows, and by small add inexpensive alterations dressing-rooms for performers and stabling roomB for they horses have been built. S Fraternal and social orders have increased in proportion to the population of the cities, and many of them, desiring to increase their charity 1 funds, endeavor to combine amuse- ment by so doing, and during the winter sea- son they usually hold one or two events for this purpose. Among the many attractions and entertainments they organize in connec- ' tlon with their own local talent, the circus- is most popular with them. ,, Dr. Q.' D. Gray, general manager of thVv International Exposition Company, has a very thbrough knowledge of tbe circus busi- ness, having run away from borne when a small hoy to follow the red wagons, and having owned circuses of bis own ln South Africa and the Orient; and he proposes to send out old-fashioned one-ring circuses on" a tour 'pt many cities next winter, covering a period of sixteen to twenty weeks. He will lease circuses and play - them under the auspices of fraternal and social organiza- tions, for there is a demand from these sources^ and he has already guarantees as- sured him In-the different-cities he hat book— ed. There Is no doubt, from the present in- dications, that this new fad, a winter circus. W. H. Harris' Nickel Plate Shows showed in Newport, Ky., May 7. The afternoon at- tendance was large, but In tbe evening peo- ple were turned away in crowds. The per- iormance was a particularly pleasing one, several of tne acts being worthy of special mention. Among those with the shows are: W. H. Harris, proprietor and manager; Chas. C. Wilson, general agent; Clem. Kerr, press agent and treasurer; Col. Jas. Keenan, inside tickets; Frank Shafer, privileges; AI. Ar- mor and Dan Costello, equestrian directors; T. Cooney, leader of the band; Bob Abrams, boss hostler: Claude Meredith, side shows; John Watson, trainmaster: Col. Thomas Pow- ers, the well-known lion tamer; Jas. O'Rourke, elephant trainer; Albert Allen, boss canvasman, big top: Lew Williams, boss canvasman, side shows, and Harry Arlington, boss porter. Circus Regulation. A regulation restricting the showing of cir- cuses in the District of Columbia was re - cently passed by the Commissioners of the District of Columbia. It provides that no circus shall hereafter be located, operated or conducted on any lot or open space without the written consent of 75 per cent of tbe resi- dents keeping bouse in the square on which it is proposed to locate the circus, and in the squares confronting such square. Though the Commissioners bave passed this resolution, it is by no means a certainty that the resi- dents will support It. They should be only too glad to bave a circus come and show in their neighborhood, and no doubt will. A. Winsted Circus Mad. Winsted, Conn.. April 30.—(Special.)—Busi- ness of all kinds was suspended here this afternoon in order that an appropriate wel- come might be accorded a visiting circus (Ringling's). Every factory in the town, all the schools and many of the stores were closed, and the whole town turned out to the < circus. Even tbe local newspaper was pub- lished at 11 .a m. in order that- the employes might enjoy the holiday. Two weeks from to-day another circus is scheduled for Winsted, and another holiday is expected. A. H. Kohlund Dead. Tbe Well-Known Circns Agent of that Name Succumbs to Pllthysis at Crip- ple Creek, Col. On May 1 a telegram to W. H. Donaldson from Oscar Lampman, Cripple Creek, Col., announced the death of Al Kohlund, the vet- eran circus agent. He died of plithysis April - 30. Deceased was a railroad contractor of wide and varied experience, and a general agent of considerable ability, having been connected at various times with the William Sells Shows, J.-N. Rentfrew and John Hum- mel Shows. Of late years he had been doing newspaper work in Salt Lake City, Leadville and Cripple Creek. His relatives in Louisville and bis brother in St. Louis were notified ot his death. in oils, water color, pen and ink, pencil, wash and other art processes. Some of the Indi- ans who have contracted the model fever dress themselves with as much care for the art students as they do for the spectators at tbe regular performance. Cowboys, with characteristic gallantry, also pose for the stu- dents, and incidentally tell them tales of Western life, wilder than those evolved by the imaginations of the authors of half-dime novels." New Cincinnati-Chicago Road. At a meeting of magnates in Richmond. Ind., April 28. a subsidy of $225,000 was voted toward a new short-line railroad from Cin- cinnati to Chicago. It is intended to have the new road go through Muncie and Rich- mond. Ind. Robinson Car Burned. Marysville, O., May 5.—(Special.)—While John Robinson's circus was exhibiting here this afternoon, one of the sleeping-cars caught fire while standing on the Big Four tracks and was almost consumed by the flames. The loss is quite heavy, as it was a fine car, and nearly all tbe contents were con- sumed. Art and the Shows. A dispatch from New York to the Chicago Inter Ocean says: "Girl art students, Indi- ans, Arabs, cossacks, cowboys, English, Irish, German and American cavalrymen are on terms of great friendship, and hobnob every morning ln the arena of Madison Square Garden between the hours of 10 and 12. - Tbe pleasure that Buffalo Bill's show gives'to tbe small boy Is nothing to the satisfaction which the girl art students get out of the presence ln town of so many odd 'subjects.* Great numbers of the girls beseeched Colonel Cody for permission to visit the garden ln the morning hours, and every day representa- tives ot every art school in town can be Been working Industriously- In-the arenas- -Tne~In-- dlans and cossacks are particularly happy to " stand for hours while the girls picture them Notes. I H. C. Rigall bas signed as general agent of A. H. Reed's circus. James Butler, the aerialist, will also be with Reed's show this year. This makes his tenth season with the show. Buffalo Bill was booked for Norwich, Conn., June 2, but the date has been can- celed. . A Wilson Snow will probably run out a large ten, twenty and thirty-cent vaudeville show under canvas this season. F. J. Taylor is having another trial at it this year. The show opened well and has been doing a good business to date. It could stand stronger billing than it gets. Send us in your routes. H. W. Link Is still at liberty. His address is 83 Seventh avenue. New York. We want a correspondent with every show. Geo. Sipe's dogs and ponies will take the road in about five weeks. They will not be under canvas, but will play opera houses". Sipe had to give so much attention to .the new opera house which he is building that the dog and pony show suffered. W. J. Max- well now has it in band and is booking it. Send us news—real news. Do not lie about the dimensions of your top,' the strength of your parade or the number of your cars or horses. Confine your claims to facts. The Western Gentry Show is playing the Sacramento (Cal.) Street Fair. S. H. Barrett suffered a severe attack of pneumonia in Boston recently, but has now almost entirely recovered. The Sells divorce case, which was set for hearing April 27, was postponed until May 11. The many friends of Mr. Peter Sells will be glad to hear that his lawyers feel sure of the outcome. It is said that the opposing attor- neys are merely sparring for time'and mak- ing every effort to secure a settlement. All their overtures, so far, have been met with a quiet, firm refusal' by Mr. Sells. Our friends will oblige us if they will start a small "rough house" in book stores an-J newstands which do not keep "The - Bill- board" on sale. ' J. R. W. Hennessey recently purchased a car from Jim Sturgis. Sturgis' wife, who owned the car, objected. Now there is liti- gation, and plenty-of it. Bob Whittaker will ride with the Wm. H. Gillmeyer Shows this season. DeForest Davis is general agent of the Ed P. Davis Shows. .* Kick when you can not get "The Billboard" at a newstand. William Sloman was a "Billboard" caller May 1. A clash between the Lemen Bros, and the Wallace shows is imminent. The Sells-Gray Shows are billed at Aurora, Ind., May 12; Jefferson, 14; New Albany, 15. It Is said that they will then cross the river and take the L- & N. to Bardstown and Springfield. They are in the passenger de- partment of the L. & N., although they bave ten cars and one ahead. Mamie Forepaugh will ride with the Gill- meyer shows this season. The 'Wallace Show, at the split, is a rather tough proposition to encounter in opposition. Every show that carries a menagerie Is, in' a sense, an educational institution,. and should be encouraged and fostered as are zoological gardens. Instead of being taxed to death. ' H. S. Rowe will make his headquarters at Portland, Ore., for the next two weeks. A large delegation of Clncinnatians visited ■■ the-Wallace Shows at Dayton, O., May 5. A. H. McPhall joined the Wallace advance May 7. He is special agent. A. H. Reed inaugurated bis twenty-third: season at. Vernon, Ind., April 23. He stillt suffers from the old nervous trouble, but is*i slowly recovering. Reed is fifty years old, I but does not look to be forty. , Colonel George W. Halt (Popcorn George)^ is putting a show together for the fair sea-* son. The veteran is hale and hearty. ' John F. Robinson keeps a private car al-: ways at his disposal at Terrace Park, so: that he can Join the show whenever the no-, tion seizes him. His health is improving. ' The Robinson menagerie is long on camels.. They have, indeed, a caravan. • The roster of the Thomas & Pearl's Show" is as follows: John Thomas, owner and man-t ager; L. Thomas, business manager and press, agent. Pearl Thomas, glass dancer, song and 1 ! sketch artist: Wm. H. Thomas, Jobn Thomas') and Frank Varo are among the performers.; The show is newly equipped, the stock is in.* the best of life, and the season-has already! .proved a'prosperous one. "1 The advance of the Rice & Davis United* Shows Is as followsr E. H.- Jbnes,~ general^ agent; Chas. Marten, contractor; Edward) Fox, lithographer; B. Sampson, F. Lewis. A.f Fitzpatrick and P. T. Donovan, bill posters. | Bonheur Bros.' New Golden Allien Shows ( opened at Augusta, Okla., April"26, to large' crowds. Everything about;the show"wa%"in? great shape, and new equipment and fresh* paint were in order.' The wagons have all) been painted a new gold and showed up well:! The horse tent is a new and larger one, and; the black tent Is a new attraction for after- noon and night exhibitions. The snow was; given-a great send-off by its native town.- < Harrison Bros.' spectacular production, un-i der canvas, of the New and Ancient South,'- has opened well. It is a novel show. There are, twenty-five buck and wing dancers, twen-j ty' comedians, and an Afro-Octoroon sextette.) graduates from the Louisiana Conservatory] of Music, and reputed to be the sweetest sing-; era of the colored race. The New and An- cient South presents the pastimes and amuse- ments of the colored race from the olden days to the present hour. Mention has already been made in "The Billboard" of the Har- risons' original parade feature and the cos- tuming of the show. Circns men, send in your news and routes. The notice of "The Billboard" is worth hav- ing- .. . r. . ....«$ The Wintermuth Bros.' Shows opened at: Palmyra, Wis., May 5. A leading feature of! the advertising staff is a complete dog and) pony show. The following performers have- been engaged for the shows: John Schneider,i Ed Boyden, Chas. La Verna, Arthur Near, I "Wm. Weir, W. B. Lock, Herman Vonquett,! and a band of eight mouthpieces. Pete Fate, boss bill poster. New Brunswick BUI Posting Co.. writes that the Ringlings did finely when- there on April 26. The license at New Brunswick has been $250, but the, Ringlings brought'it down to MOO. Pete says. "Mr.'Lambert and Mr. Peck certainly did do excellent work while here. ; Mr. A. G. Ring- ling bad a splendid line of "fighters" on Car No. 1, as did our old friend Tommy Daly on Car No. 2. Frank B. Hubln, who has been associated! with many tent shows, is at present manager of Roving Frank's Gypsy Camps, three dl-j visions in all. T. J. Cash is general agent with Dick Parr's Historical Wild We3t. "The Billboard" win soon be recognised! as "tbe only circus paper." Albert M.' Wetter baa decided not to put a show on the road this -season, but will go abroad instead. - The following is tbe roster of Advance Car No. 3 of the Ringling Bros.: Geo. W. Good- hart, manager; Joe Brown, boss bill poster^ Dick Leslie, assistant; Foster McLeod, litho boards: Charles Sellers and Charles Bost- wick. lithographers: Joe Horton. program- mer; James Tucker, banners, and twelve bill posters. ' , Routes. i 1 5s it If -! * i j i», *- IF BUCKSKIN BILL'S WILD WEST—Fulton, Ky., May 11; Cairo, 111.. May 12. THE FOREPAUGH-SELLS SHOWS —1 Scranton, Pa.. Majr 10; Middletown, N. Y., May 11; Poughkeepsie, May 12. GOLMAR BROS. WAGON SHOW—Wono- woc. Wis., May 10; Hillsboro, "Wis., May 11; Ontario, Wis., May 12; Soldiers* Grove, Wis., May 15. HARRIS' NICKLE PLATE SHOWS—Mont- gomery, W. Va., May 10. MCDONALD'S, WALTER J.—Kensington, Kan., May 9; Smith's Center, May 10; Leb- anon, May 11: Burr Oak, May 12. THE NORRIS & ROWE SHOWS—Corval- lis. Ore., May 10; Albany, Ore., May U; Sa- lem, Ore., May 12; Portland, Ore., May 14. THE RICE & DAVIS SHOWS—Glencamp- bell. Pa.. May 7: Hastings. Pa., May 8; Pat- ton.Fa., May 9; Barnsboro, Pa., May 10; Car- relltown. Pa., May 11; Clearfield, Pa., May 12. RINGLING BROS.' Mass., May 15. WALLACE SHOWS-Marietta, O., May 9;; Columbus, May 10; Cambridge, May 11; Can-t ton-, May 12; Akron, 14; Youngstown, May-15.' " WELSH BROS.—Reading, Pa., May : 7,tp 12! SHOWS—Gloucester^ ,!