As I stated in the beginning of this chapter, our patrons at this early
day were very gullible. At one place the people had a great curiosity
to know how the circus performers slept at night. After filling these
questioners up with outlandish stories the attaches of the show decided
to have a little fun at their expense. To bring this about they bribed
the hotel keeper to let them have for a sleeping room one of the front
rooms which faced the streets. When it became rumored about the town
that the circus men would occupy this room a crowd composed of the
curious assembled on the sidewalk outside. When night came each and
every showman stood on his head. They ranged themselves in rows and the
countrymen who caught glimpses of them were told that this was the way
all showmen slept.
The advertising agents for a large circus of the present day would, no
doubt, get a good deal of amusement from the tales of the experiences
of the advertising men who traveled in advance of the old-time wagon
show. One time when I was traveling with a show owned by a man named
Yankee Robinson we discovered that we were almost entirely out of
show-bills. We were for a time in a serious quandary--but we were not
to be downed in this manner. We finally hired a "democrat" wagon and
with a single bill in our possession started out to bill the country
from which we hoped to draw our patrons. At the gate of every farmer
we stopped and called loudly. When the king of the soil appeared we
would hand him the bill and allow him to read it; then we would take
the bill and ride on to the next house. It was tedious work, but we
succeeded in drawing our crowd and felt repaid for our efforts.