The Billboard 1913-03-22: Vol 25 Iss 12 (1913-03-22)

The Billboard By Himself Adventures of Pete Codie. The present revolution in Mexico reminds me of the time we traveled with the circus in Mexico in 1866. We shipt from New York to Vera Cruz, and this was the first big American circus that ever traveled in that country. We opened in Vera Cruz for one week, and did big business. We had a fine ring show, and for the benefit of those who lived in that time I will give a list of the company: Conklin Bros.’ Great American Circus and Menagerie, Capt. Decamp, equestrian manager, and ring master Harry Cadona and wife; riders: Luke Rivers, John Barkley and John Saunders, and Lavithan Bros., gymnasts; Conklin Bros., acrobats; Julian Harvey, contortionist and wire walker; John Conklin, cannonball act; Renzo Meyers, Spanish clown; Pete Conklin, American clown. The menagerie consisted of seven cages of animals. The feature of the menagerie was Lovel’s California Grizzly Bear, the largest ever seen. From Vera Cruz we traveled by wagons over the mountains. The next stand from there was the City of Mexico. We opened fin the Plaza Detoris to an immense business. The show being advertised in thoroughly American style, which greatly excited the natives. We had to give a private performance to the Emperor and Empress Maximilian and Marshal Berzine, of the French Army. The ring show went off without a hitch, but Prof. Lovel met with an accident while performing with his trained bear. The cage was run into the center of the ring and opened all around. He concluded his performance by putting his head in the bear’s mouth. The bear closed his mouth and would have killed him, if_one of the keepers had not come to his rescue. He was taken out of the cage unconscious, but quickly revived. He started to run, and I guess he is running yet. He has never been seen since. It made it very bad for us, as this was the feature of the show, and the alcaldia would not let us go on with the performance without that act. My brother and I drew straws, and it fell to my lot to perform the bear. It had been rumored that a man had been killed the day before and the crowd was anxious to see another man killed. But I fooled them, and also fooled the bear. I played a game of poker with him. I had a private rehearsal with Mr. Bear, and I entered the cage with a red hot poker. Every time he would come for me I gave him the poker. With the poker I conquered him, and when I gave the performance before the audience I gave him a little game of bluff instead of the poker. I had a rawhide just the size of the poker, the end being covered with red leather, Whenever the bear was obstinate, I would poke the rawhide at him; and he went thru his performance in double-quick time. I finisht the act, but I didn’t put my head in his mouth. As we intended to go into the interior, hence we knew the animals would be no feature; and as the roads were bad over the mountains we sold our animals to the Emperor Maximilian. He started a Zoological Garden at his castle, Chepultepec. While we were there the proclamation of war was read to the French and Austrians from the American government, that they must withdraw their troops out of Mexico by the fifth day of May, 1866, or the declaration of war would be declared between France, Austria and the United States. The proclamation created great excitement. Marshal Berzine vacated Mexico and left Maximilian there to fight it out alone. He was overpowered and surrendered, and after he had surrendered the Mexicans took him out and shot him. We thought the Mexicans were our friends, and we started with our show thru the interior, playing in all the principal cities. Everything went well until we left San Louis Potosi. While on the road we were overtaken and made prisoners by a desperate band of Mex ican gorillas. Part of the French army had just passed us, and the other part were just in sight when the Mexicans charged on us. They were four hundred strong. They took us off the main road high up in the mountains twenty miles to an old fort. The scenes around the place were horrible. The trees were decorated with the mangled bodies of the French and Austrians. Soldiers’ heads were stuck on poles. Luke Rivers was so fright ened at the sight. he said to me: “What do you think they are going to do with us. 3y the looks of things around here it looks pretty bad.” PETE CONKLIN, THE OLDEST LIVING CLOWN. He began to cry, and I said: “Stop crying.” He said: “If it had not been for you I would never have been here.” He had $700 which he hid in his boots, and told me of it. I told him that the first thing the robbers would take would be his boots. a We drove into the fort. The head robber General Cortimus asked the colonel who had cap tured us: “Who have you got here?” He replied: “They say they are Americans.” The general lookt at us and said: “They look like Frenchmen, and what would they be doing here if they are not connected with the French army? If there is a Frenchman among them we will kill them at once.” So my interpreter told the general that we were Americans and had a circus. “If you can prove to me that they are Americans, I will spare them. But you look like a lot of French spies.” Fortunately I had my discharge showing where I had served in the United States army. As soon as he had looked it over, he said: “Alright.” The discharge saved our lives. The general turned to me and spoke English; before that he pretended he didn’t understand English. He said: “I am now convinced that you are Americans and Americans are our friends. Put we are in war, and we are poor. We must have your money.” So they stood us in line and searcht us, and took all we had, and poor Luke lost his $700, which set him crazy. We had a false bottom in our ticket wagon where we had $10,000 which they took, and also took some of our best horses. He then set us free, and let us have money enough to get to Monterey. He said to us: “You will probably meet part of the Austrian army and they will want to know why you have been off of the road. You tell them you were grazing your horses, but don’t tell them that you met us If you do, we will get you before you reach Matamoras, and I will have every one of you killed.” He gave us a pass so we wouldn't be molested again by the Mexicans, so we journeyed on until we came to an old vacant house that had been used for a hotel. We thought it would be a good place to camp for the night, as there was a well on the place. I went there and lowered the bucket. I could get no water, so I looked down into the well and discovered the body of a French soldier looking up at me. I sald to my brother, “We will not camp here tonight.” He asked: “Why not?” I told him to look in the well, and he immediately gave orders to start moving. That night we ran into the pickets of the Austrian army They shouted in German, “Who goes there?” I answered in German, “A friend.” I told him we were Americans, and I wanted to see their commanding officer. He was delighted to meet us, and said it was so nice to meet one in this wild country who could speak German. I was taken to the general's headquarters, and the general received me cordially and asked what we were doing in this wild country. I told him we had a circus and were on our way to Matomoras. He was astonished and said: “What can you do in this country with a circus? The French have been over the road; they have eaten all the bull frogs and we have eaten all the lizards. Now, what it there left for a circus?” He advised us to return with them to the City of Mexico. Put I said we are so near Matamoras that we would journey on thru until we get to the Rio Grand River and cross over to Texas. He said: “I don’t think you will ever get there. as. the robbers are behind us. And they \will take your whole outfit and murder you all.” I then told him the whole story; how we had been captured and robbed. He wanted to know just where this vccurred, I told him twenty miles from San Louis Potosi; I gave him the name of the mountain (Saledo). He called in his colonel and I then gave him a ful! description, of which he made a map. He imdiately started with one thousand cavalrymen for the place. He invited us inside of their lines and said they would protect us while there, and gave us bread and rations. Had it not been for the German language, which I could speak, I don't know what would have become of us. We left them and went to Montera, but found the place torn up and deserted. We didn't try to show but went on to Runa Vista, and were again attackt by guerillas. After I showed them my pass it was all right, so we went on to Matamoras, and five miles from the city we campt. T went Into Matamoras to see what could be done in regards to showing. The first thing I saw was an American saloon. T went in and I said to the bartender, “This is an American saloon, is’nt it? He said, “It is.’ IT then ordered a little American red liquor. The bartender said: “Where are you from?” |! answered, “I’m from the Interior.” He said, “how did you ever get thru? Did you see anything of (Continued on page 153.)