Dan had formerly been "featured" as one of their attractions; but, some
trouble arising, he had left them and started in business on his own
account. He experienced the usual ups and downs of a showman's life,
finally "went broke," and was at last cleaned out to what he boldly
announced as "Dan Rice's One-Horse Show." With this little affair he
courageously fought his former associates and did a large business.
During the performances he was in the habit of singing a song entitled
My One-Horse Show, which took the popular fancy and materially helped
him. In this song he told how the opposition had placed false buoys in
the river, thereby misleading his pilots and throwing him on sand bars
where his craft stuck for days.
For the information of those unacquainted with river travel I will say
that buoys are placed by the government in dangerous parts of the river
to point out the only safe channel. Now, whether or not the opposition
was really guilty of this trick, Dan's verses gained him the sympathy
of the people, and with that sympathy came their dollars. In fact, to
such an extent did Dan work upon the sympathies of the people that, at
many points, they actually refused to allow the opposition boats to
land. At some of these places the opposition had themselves incurred
the displeasure of the people by touching at the landing only long
enough to receive their audiences, and then going into the middle of
the river to give their performances, thus avoiding the payment of the
license fee.
This lasted through the winter, and when summer came both shows took to
their tents and traveled toward New York State. There Dan's enemies
succeeded on some charge or other in getting him in jail. While in his
cell he composed the song "Blue Eagle Jail," in which he described the
jailer, whom he disliked, as "Dot-and-Go-One," from the fact of his
having a wooden leg. This song made the one-legged jailer notorious all
over the country.
One thing I must say for Dan Rice: He was the only original clown I
ever heard--with the single exception of Dilly Fay. The latter was an
erratic individual who actually became a clown that he might save money
to complete his studies in Paris. Fay was educated and original, but
lacked the physical power and deep voice of Rice. I never heard of Fay
after he started for Paris, but presume he never reentered the ring.