Variety (June 1907)

VARIETY PAWNEE BILL'S. Pawnee Bill's Wild West show made its first appearance in Chicago last week and exhibited on the old Washington Park race track grounds, at (53d street, for four days. The inclement weather did not seem to discourage the large throngs, and at every performance a crowd of several thousand people remained seated until the last feature was introduced. As a ''wild west" exhibition "Pawnee Bill's" is different from any other of its kind seen here in late years. Not only are Western types and their mauoeuvers represented in the exhibition, but there are natives from the Orient and interesting people from other lands. The show is owned by Major Gordon W. Lilly (Pawnee Bill), and is not associated with any other en- terprise or "syndicate." There are over twenty features, varied and cosmopolitan in size and splendor. Many Indian, cow- boy, South American, English, Mexican and Cossack riders give exhibitions of ex- pert horsemanship. The riders show won- derful skill and give an interesting and most daring performance. The dancing of Cingalese with weird ac- companiment on "torn tonis," aroused curiosity and interest, as well as the In- dian cremation scene and the stage coach robbery, both given wtih marked real- ism. Other Western episodes with thrills and sensations enthused the large crowd. The detachments from the ranks of Eng- land and the United States made a splen- did showing, as did the Cossacks and Mexican riders in the tournament. The cowboys also gave stirring exhibitions with perfect ease. One of the strong features is an "Automobile Hold-Up," with special scenery representing a moun- tain, on which a miniature automobile is seen gliding around until it reaches the tower level, where an ordinary sized ma- chine is substituted without injuring the panoramic effects. When the "auto" reaches the landing it is besieged and "held- up" amidst shooting and excitement. A herd of elephants in various tricks and a number of camels are exhibited. May Lillic gave a good demonstration of skill in equine training, and Captain F. E. Bennett showed remarkable marksman- ship. Pawnee Bill himself is one of the pic- turesque personages, and in the centre of the proceedings, which ran smoothly. The show is large, unique and highly divert- ing. This week the organization is ex- hibiting at Loomis and Harrison streets. Frank Wivshcrg. GIRGUS NEWS. That the wires are being pulled for a stringent circus envelopment of the op- position by the Barnum-Bailcy executives is generally accepted. The llagenbeck- Wallace circus and the Pawnee Bill show arc the prey that the combination intends crowding to the wall if possible. This will bf attempted by Bending the Fore- paugh-Sells circus after the combined show, while the Ringling Brothers will head west to catch Pawnee Bill in a pocket, flanked on the other side by cither the "Big Show" or Buffalo Bills, presumably the first -named. The Fore- pa Ugh-Sella is claimed to be the lwst Of the three circuses in the amalgamation, and for this reason has been selected to seek the hide of the Hagenbeck-Wallace organization. Operations should soon be in order. Chicago, May 31. The Buffalo Bill show emphatically ob- jected to the invasion of Chicago by Paw- nee Bill. The latter started a campaign of the South, West and North Sides two months ahead of the "Bill Show," which is announced in Chicago for July 22. The action of the Col. Cody forces in sending advertising crews to Chicago eight weeks before the show is scheduled to open is regarded by the most conservative as the first indication of what will ultimately result in a circus revolution. It is said that the Buffalo Bill people had to buy the rights to the billboards from other ad- vertisers, owing to the sudden arrival of the show's advertising corps and their eagerness to plaster all the dead walls with announcements of the opening date during the engagement of the Pawnee Bill aggregation. Ten thousand more sheets than Pawnee Bill used are here for the opposition. On nearly every wall or stand where Pawnee Bill is announced appears a large lithograph of Buffalo Bill. John Bingling is friendly with the Hagenbeck- Wallace combination, which, it Is said, will come to Chicago late this summer, and will be threatened with the Forepaugh- Sells or the Barnum & Bailey show if an attempt is made to exhibit here this year. John Hingling's asserted intention of re- fusing to affiliate with the "trust" next year will benefit the "outlaws" in the ter- ritory covered by the others. Mr. Ring- ling was the last to sign the agreement with the "trust," and it is said he did so reluctantly. Boston, May 81. The circus condition in Boston at the present moment is peculiar. Kingling Brothers arc playing in the city, and al- though it is known that Buffalo Bill's Wihl West is coming to town within three weeks at the very most, no billing has been placed, nor has a "Bill" car ap- peared. Not even an advance man has put in an appearance vet. It is believed that Buffalo Bill plays Boston week June 17. Some newspaper men talking over the situation yesterday developed that the "Big Four" have an agreement that no one of the combine crosses the others in notices, billing or otherwise. In con- sequence, if this statement is true, the Buffalo Bill organization is not permitted bv the agreement to breathe aloud its name here until Bingling Brothers shall have terminated their Boston date. It is expected that the billboards will be alive on Monday with "Bill" posters. Nothing leaked out this week regarding the prospective location for the Hagenbeek- Wallaee circus if it plays New York City. It will be I sensational surprise if the com- bined show goes into Madison Square Garden, which is practically disposed of already by tin Garden being converted into a skating rink for the summer season. A vague conjecture of the site, other than the Hippodrome, if the show plays in Manhat- tan Borough proper, is the Polo Grounds, where the baseball fins assemble during the Giant* 1 tenancy of the lot. Paring this month the ball players will be on their first Western trip, leaving the field free. The diamond is in the pink of condition, and it is questionable whether any scheme could be hatched up to prevent the destruction a circus would cause. Tbu. possibility will be the greatest bar to the leasing of the grounds for a tent show. The reported in- tention of the Hagenbeck-Wallace to play New York this summer is causing any amount of talk and discussion. Mendota', 111., May 31. Three are dead and many injured here as the result of a general riot with the canvasmen and followers of the John Rob- inson Shows last Friday night. The trouble commenced while the men were loading the canvas on the train. Beginning with a trifling quarrel, a number of citizens were drawn into the row until it assumed the proportions of a serious riot. The circus people bested the local police and locked them in the waiting room of the depot. The canvasmen were .pretty generally drunk, according to witnesses, and the fight with the citizens continued until a local man drew a revolver and opened fire. Four men dropped before his "gun" was emptied. The trouble stopped there, the circus people retiring with their wounded. Two of the men died on the train while being rushed to the hospital at Dixon. The dead are Emory Mclntyre, John Falk- ner and George Sown, all showmen. An- other version of the affair is that one of the show managers took a Mendota girl to supper and later became engaged in a fist fight in which the show people joined. Gil Robinson was suddenly summoned to join his brother's circus, the John Rob- inson Shows, in upper Illinois late last week, to take the helm of management. .John Robinson ("The Governor") has the year delegated the general management of the outfit to his eldest son, John, Jr., who was taken seriously ill in Dixon, 111., with an attack of blood poisoning. The man- agement devolved then upon E. C. Cullcn, the assistant general manager, and things moved well enough until the latter in turn was stricken* with pneumonia. It was then that Gil Robinson was called upon to take up the family succession. He may be on the road with the show several weeks. Cincinnati, May .'51. The whole John Robinson family unites in denying that John A. Robinson was in- jured in the circus fight at Mendota, III., a week ago. He arrived here Wednesday night, very ill with blood poisoning. It is asserted at the Robinson home that he was lying ill in his car when the brawl occurred. John G. Robinson ("The Governor") left his Terrace Park home Sunday night to join the show, where his brother Gil, hastily summoned from New York, was in charge. Cincinnati, May 31. W. 0. Penpard, who was with the John Robinson Circus at the opening of the sea- son, met with an accident recently. His arm was broken and still gives him not a little trouble, but he is arranging to take out two shows in spite of the injury. The Barnum & Bailey and Ringling secret service is Inning its own troubles this week in a constant effort to keep track of Advance Agent William A. Franklin, of the Wallace-Hagenbeck out- fit. Franklin has done some smooth work in covering up his tracks and getting his billing brigade into towns unobserved. Saturday they billed Brooklyn from the Bridge to Jamaica Bay, announcing the coming June 10, and it was Tuesday before the other show managers .learned that Jersey City and Newark had been artisti- cally decorated with the lithographed an- nouncements that the Wallace-Hagenbeck outfit would play those towns June 17 and 18. Under the Barnum & Bailey-Itingling agreement it was understood that these towns were to be left undisturbed to Ringling, but now the Wallace-Hagenbeck outfit will play there first. In this con- nection it is generally reported that the Wallace-Hagenbeck management docs not contemplate a long stay in the Eastern territory, preferring to slip into the best towns, get the money and then jump back West. It is said the show will travel back West after the New Jersey week. It is reported about this week that the Barnum & Bailey directorate has offered the Buffalo Bill show for sale, having made prominent managers, including Klaw & Er- 1 anger, a proposition to purchase. The offer was universally declined, according to ihe same report. Rumor says that the last year the "Bill" show spent abroad was an expensive one. Between two and three hundred thousand dollars is* the amount set down as the loss. At the rate business? is now pouring into the Wild West's tents, there will be no further cause for alarm over the financial prospects of the exhibi- tion at the end of the season. From all sides it is said that Buffalo Bill has never drawn larger crowds than so far on the present trip. Ed E. Daly was especially engaged by J. Ben Austin, general agent of the Fa- mous Gentry Shows, to handle the press work for the show in Dayton, Springfield and Columbus, O. This show follows the Hagenbeck-Wallace in these towns and has a clear field. In addition to this work Mr. Daley will continue to handle the Park Theatre at Indianapolis, which does not close until June 22. Fairmont, W. Va., seems to be a hoodoo town for tent shows. The Barnum k Bailey show entered upon its season of hard luck there September 13 of last sea- son, and a terrific storm May 18 made it impossible for the Hagenbeck-Wallacc Show to give a night performance. The Fashion Plate Show, a thirteen - car enterprise, is now appearing in Penn- sylvania. The "paper" prominently dis- plays a line "under the direction of Wal- ter L. Main." All the big shows arc featuring trained animals in their press stuff, which might prove the Hagenbeck trained wild beasts are a big circus attraction. Wan ; Patrick is no longer Chicago representative of a Cincinnati paper, and it is said his "write up" of the Ringling opening in Chicago is tT>o reason. Guy F. Steely, preM representative back with the Ringling Show, is responsible for the newspaper!) giving the performance more than the i irsi^rnhry amount of space.