Variety (December 1909)

VARIETY 17 W. L. MAIN WANTS COLE SHOW VISITED CORRY TRYING TO BUY His Money Is Up Awaiting the Decision of the Estate of Martin Downs. There are rosy prospects that Walter L. Main will again become an active factor in circus business. It has been known that l€or some time he has wanted to re-enter Che game again and now comes a story from Corry, Pa., where the Cole show is wintering, that he is pretty close to buying that outfit. It is known that when Main left Corry for a trip to New York last Tuesday he loft behind an agent with pretty close to .$100,000 in Government bonds to cinch the deal if the estate of Martin W. Downs came to his terms during his absence. With Main to New York came a representative of the Cole show which makes it all the more probable that the deal is pretty close to consummation. The Geneva showman, if he "comes back," will do so on a larger scale than he ever has operated before, and there is no doubt but that he will be a prominent factor in next season's festivi- ties if his present plans go through satis- factorily. The Walter L. Main name is strong in the middle west and south particularly and it is in that section where the shows of those owners who are opposed to the Ring- ling Bros, will operate most extensively next season. The Martin Downs estate is valued nt $100,448. of which $37,000 is on deposit in Toronto banks. Main has made an offer for the property, which, according to all reports, Martin Down's son is satisfied to accept. Out of the estate the widow receives $1.~>.000 and the rest, excepting a few obligations and bequests, jjoes to the son, James Downs. It is generally accepted in New York that Main will acquire the property, only a few details remaining to Im* completed lK'fore the transfer is actually accom- plished. Circus people recall that Main was mar- ried in Pittsburg to a very rich bride last June and shortly after that event he U-- jran preparations to return to the circus end. having had a representative visit the Cole Show and jzive it a thorough looking yer during the summer. Main has in winter quarlers in tleneva enough" circus property to out lit a twenty- ear show, and with the Cole Show prop- erty added he could put a fort v car equipment on the road next spring with- out iinv cfl'ort. Although he has not been active for two or three sca-ons. Main has retained the principal part <>l his original show, leasing horses and niicIi other prop* ' city as he could to other cirell-cs. ENGAGED FOR CUBAN CIRCUS. William Melrose and Miss Meets (Mrs. Ci-or^e ltro\\n) have formed a new riding act and will be part of Pubillones Circus in Cuba the coming winter, (ieorge Brown li'iuains in the States playing vaudeville time. Others who will join the circus arc Tode Siegrist and his troupe of aerialists. FLOCKING SOUTH. Dolph Pacheco is on his way south from New Orleans, from which city he sailed with a circus. The outfit carries a 100- foot roundtop and two 50-foot center- pieces. The show is made up of a number of acts with the Barnum-Bailey Circus. It was taken into the same South Ameri- can territory by Pacheco in partnership with Deltorelli last year. The latter is not interested in the present enterprise. The circus will be on the road all winter. DISSOLVES LONG PARTNERSHIP. After a partnership lasting twenty-two years Horton and Linder, acrobats with the Ringling show the season just passed, have separated. Charles Lindner retires from the profession to take up a commer- cial occupation in England. Walter Hor- ton sailed for England this week. He will take a new partner. The act has been re- engaged for the Ringling show. RINGLINGS BACK FROM EUROPE. John Ringling and wife and Alf T. Ring- ling and son arrived in New York on Tues- day after a six weeks' automobile tour of Europe. They went to Bridgeport, Wednesday, where Otto Ringling is in act- ive charge of the Rarnum & Bailey win- ter quarters. While abroad the Ringlings engaged several novelties for their three circuses, but the list could not be obtained owing to the immediate departure from towr of both the brothers. PARKER SHOWS IN SPOKANE. A dispatch from Spokane intimates that the huge canvas tent which covered the big apple show recently closed here may be purchased for shipment to Australia for use by The Australian Amusement Co., which operates a big circus. IT. S. Tyler, of the Great Parker Shows, is interested in the antipodean enterprise. He made the advances for the purchase of the top. Mr. Tyler is here with the Parker show in winter quarters. LUKENS BUYS ANIMAL SHOW. Reading, Pa., Dec. 2. Harry laiken has purchased the animal show of (Jascow's, now wintering in Mem- phis. Tenn. The aggregation will be transferred to Mr. Lukens' winter quar- ters in this city. Fifty-six animals are in the collection. With nine animal acts now traveling and Mr. Lukens' latest purchase he has more trained wild animals in his posses- sion than any one man in America. Billy ("Suds") Gillette, formerly with the llarnum &. Bailey Show, who last season ran the privilege car for a few months with "101 Ranch Wild West," is now employed at Madison Square Garden, New York. LEAVES RING FOR STAGE. St. Louis, Dec. 2. Irene James, daughter of Frank James, the one-time Missouri train bandit, will forsake the spangles of a circus rider for the limelight of the stage, the Post Dis- patch says. For two seasons Miss James has been one of the star equestriennes of the Ring- ling Brothers' circus. She is about to be- come a member of the Imperial Theatre Stock Company. Irene is well known here, where she was Mrs. William P. Dyer, of Ferguson, St. Louis county, and she used to "break" fractious horses. She secured divorce In East St. Louis and given her maiden name last January. BABOON ATTACKS MAN. Portland, Ore., Dec. 2. Frederick Wilson, an animal trainer from Brazil, Ind., had to fight for his life here last Saturday when a pink-tail baboon in the animal show Wilson it traveling with attacked the trainer while in its cage. The fight lasted for thirty minutes. The baboon had Wilson by the throat, but the trainer bested the beast while stand- ing. When he fell exhausted, the animal viciously attacked him. Monkeys in the cage shrieked, and this attracted the at- tention of employees who rescued Wilson. He is in a precarious condition. Charles E. Corey, general manager of the Hagen back-Wallace Shows,- will be married in Lafayette, Ind., Dec. 0, leaving at once for Europe to secure attractions for next season with the circus. James H. Gray, formerly part owner of the Sells-Gray Shows, is now serving the last months of a two years' term as mayor of Santa Rosa, Cal. He has been negotiating with a view to returning to circus life if the right opportunity af- fords. Max Dillae and Geo. Searcy have signed with the Forepaugh-Sells Show for next season. There is a report that Charley Thomp- son, last season adjuster and assistant manager with the Buffalo and Pawnee Bill Shows, will be with the Forepaugh - Sells Shows in a similar capacity next season. The Sells-Flo to Show has placed an or- der with a New York animal dealer for a giraffe and a hippopotamus, which is taken as an indication that its menagerie will be further enlarged for next season. "Punch" Wheeler was called to his home in Evansville, Ind., last week to attend the funeral of his brother; going thenee south for the winter. Joseph Mayer left this week for Billy Muldoon's physical culture resort, north of the Harlem River, for a fortnight of rest. He is suffering from a nervous breakdown. George Heckman, who was manager of the Sells-Floto No. 1 Oar, has been en- gaged by the John Robinson Show as preee agent for next season. E. H. Wood has retired from the circus business and settled down to mercantile pursuits in New York. His last circus en- gagement was as manager of Buffalo Bill's No- 3 car, last summer. Geo. H. Degnon, excursion agent for the Buffalo and Pawnee Bill Shows, has gone to Chicago to spend the winter, departing from his usual custom of staying at hie home in Newark, N. J. Roy Gill, who was treasurer of "101 Ranch Wild West" this season, has gone to St. Paul, Minn., to be treasurer of the Shubert's new Lyric, opening about Dec 1. Fred M. Hall, press representative with the Buffalo and Pawnee Bill Shows, has returned to his regular winter work with the New York Press as special writer. RELEASED1 Jokes iK'iinl in Now York thin week, witb probable dntra wben flrxt told. Will you be true when I'm gone? Yes, but don't be gone long. (Pastor's, 1005.) Don't you wish you could dance? Yes, don't yon? ((Jould and Nuratt, 1907.) Would you call for your Ma and Pa if I were to kiss you? Why is it necessary to kiss the whole family? (Howard and Harrison, 190S.) A "two act" mixed up over a query. The finale: How did you come to nsk such a question? (Favored by (Jernian teams since 'J)5.) "What is the size of your hat? (>%. "9-10-11," says the other fellow. (Other fclloic8 did the same two or three gent rations back.) It must be hard to lose a wife. Hard! It's almost impossible. (Popular in '92.) Jf a t,'irl is five years old and a man thirty-five years old, the man is seven times aa old us the girl, isn't he? (Yes.) In five years the girl is ten and the man forty. Then the man is four times as old, isn't he? (Yes.) In five more years the girl is fifteen and the man forty-five. Then he is only three times ns old, isn't he? (Yes.) How long will it be before the girl catches up? (First eondundrum given children at the insinuation of the Xormal Sehool system in Ameriea, 1780.) Archie was told that twins had arrived in the family, and replied, "My mother always gets a bargain." (Sydney (irant, 1JMMJ.) "The doctor soys I must take this bottle of medicine two days running and then skip a day." (Long ago.)