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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1897)
THE COURIER. Tix& Chioao, Rock Island Gives you tho choice of Two Route?, one via COLORADO and the SCENIC LINE, and tho other via our TEXAS LINE and tho SOUTHERN PACIFIC. Our Texas line is much quicker than any other line through to SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA for Personally conducted excursions The ri-kliilra' Rook Island Exour slonN Are the most popular, and carry the largest business of any other California Route This signifies that you get the best attention and receive the best ser vice. The lowest rate tickets to California are available, on these excursions. Don't start on a trip to California un til you get our Tourist Folder, contain ing map showing routes and all informa tion. For rates and reservations appl to and agent of the C. R. I. & P. Ry., o address JOHN SEBASTIAN, General Passenger Agent, 4-1 Chicago ,111. 1 III Is the BEST to reach the NEW GOLD FIELDS in the BLACK HILLS. Call at office for valuable information. A. S. Fielding, City Ticket Ajrt,. 117 So. 10th St., Lincoln, Neb. Our spring stles of shoes and Oxfords are in, black and all shades of colors, We want j'our trade and will give you the best goods for your mone'. WEBSTER S ROGERS, 1043 0 STREEf. D. G. VAN DUyN, f COMMISSION MERCHANTi GRAIN STOCKS and PROVISIONS, BONDS. 2 AND 3 BROWNELL BLOCK, PHONE 766. Correspondent F. G. Logan. Member Chicago Board of Trade and New York Stock Exchange. STORIES IN PASSING. Under new management MERCHANTS' HOTEL OMAHA, NEBR, FAXTOK, HTJWT A DATXXFOBT, Proprietor. neUl tteto to ttate trade, Mr ut aitraTeiera. nraia "" "H" tkaeteMUasdfroBBtil arteMf Wirnlel travelers. ts. Mr. Gran Ensign feels the bloo.l tingle to bis finger tips whenever n big circus comes to town. It is not untier. fially known that he was once the princi pal owner of a sawdust ring with nil its accompaniments, but such was tho act. It is no fault of bin that tLe name of Ensign is cot iloatin? higher up on the Hug pole of circus faint than either Se'.U or Ricgling. It is solely on account of the fantastic freaks of tickle fortune. It was just twenty-five ears ago this pleasant month of May that the circus of Saxby, Dunbar ic Co., was organized in Lincoln. Saxby' and Dimbnr wero old members of tho "perfc3h"' and of course furnished the experience and not much else. The "company" consisted of Mr. Gran Ensign, who supplied most of tho capital, including the sock. Circuses were scarce in Nebraska in 1872 and thero seemed to bo a fertile field for the enterprise. Tho public were supposed to be pining for amuse ment. It had the local interest of a homo institution and it was quite a proud array that prepared to launch out from the port of Lincoln. All it needed was a smooth sea and favoring breezes, instead of which it struck a wet sheet and flowing streams everywhere, and like our unlucky batt'esbips had to be hauled Lack on to the dry dock bDforo making the bend. As all big circuses have an advanco agent Jaxby, Dunbar &. Co., had one who was a hummer. He made more friends in a week than a man running for office. Tho first town billed was Ashland and the way the trains ran he had to stay twenty four bourp. He wanted to make a good impression for the circus and ho began distributing complimentary tickets with eo libt ral a hand that his memory ha3 been a tlower garden ever since. Everybody got them. The owners of the ground, all tho hotels and livery t tables, all the stores where bills were hung or walls were used, all the teachers and doctors, tho town and county officials, all the men of leading iuiluence, all the boys who could find an errand to run, and everybody else who could think of any reason why he should have tickets, got them. By tho time the advance agont got away tho boys couldn't think of anybody .vho wasn't supplied. If any one had failed it was becauso he was out of town or didn't in tend to go. The circus started out early in May, traveling overland. It had been rain ing for several days and tho roads were in horrible Ehape. The night they started for Ashland it settled down into a cold, steady rain that would take tho enthusiasm out of a Cuban patriot and effectually close up any ordinary war. .When morning came not a wagon had shown up.They were stranded at various mudholes all the way between Ashland and Lincoln. According to report the decorations around certain -mudholes would have dono justice to a spring bonnet of 1S97. Towards noon tho teams began to straggle in and all day long the bedraggled and bespattered vehicles canio into port like ships working in after a tt. rm. Some never did get in. During the afternoon the tent arrived, which was raised at once and arrange ments made for an evening performance. The various artists were rounded up and the gaps made by certain ab-ent ones tilled in as well as possible. Iho rain had sla:ked up during th0 day but it began again as night came on. Jt was the kind of a night that makes any man ponder whether to go out or to stay at home and lose his ticket. Mcstof tho ticket holders went, esppcially for the reason tint there was not a soul from out of town to whom a ticket could be given. The band played and there wab quite a littlo noise and stir in and around tho tent. Thero was a ticket teller's slnnd near the entrance but hardly any one teemed to notice it. Perhaps it was a little quieter there than anywhere else. It was prett' rlialy demonstrated that Sixby, Dm bar & Co., didn't need an advance ng nt and a ticket seller al-o. One was certainly enough. Insido tho tent tho show went on as well as possible with a littlo of the machinery gone and wator over the track part of tho time Tho groups of men and bos entertained themselves during the waits by lajing bets as to whether there was any one in tho tent who had paid to get in. Tho circus got away 6ometimo during tho night and started for Flattsmouth, whero it was billed for the next day. Thirty live miles of rain and Ii'iIIh and bottimles3 mud! They couldn't make it nor como anywhere near doing so. Flatts mouth was finally sighted on the second day out, the date on which they were billed to EhowinGlenwood. They pushed desperately on, hoping tocutch up with their dates fomehow, but reached Glenwood the day after they were to appear in Red Oak. The latter placo was finally reached but it became evident that the dates were hopelessly lost. As it continued to rain most of the time it was plain that the goddess of good luck was not boarding with Saxby, Dutibar&Co. Doubt and discourage ment would creep in in spite of all re training orders, which perhaps is not to be wondered at. Tho show was aban doned right there and seme of the at tachees were back in Lincoln before their goodbye kisses had become cold. Mr. Ensign certainly lost considerable money in the enterprise. Ho had barns full of trick ponies and circus para phrenalia for a long time afterwards But it tliJ not ruin him or break his heart or spoil his temper, He tcok it in nervy, good natured way, as ono of the incidents of life, and his business went en as usual. No doubt he looks back on that experience or a week a quarter of a century ago with a good deal of interest and perhaps amusement. And when the gaudy pageant of the modern circus rolls up O street he certainly maybe pardoned if his thoughts should weave fanciful p;cture3 of what might have been if he hadn't been vanquished by mud. HARRY GRAVES SHEDD. Mrs. Henpeck I see a man out west sold his wife for S12. What do jou think of that? Mr. Henpeck She must have been a good one. OGCOOOOO ocoocccoo cooocooo CYCLE PHOTOGRAPHS ATHLETIC PHOTOGRAPHS PHOTOGRAPHS OF BABIES PHOTOGRAPHS OFGROUPS EXTERIOR VIEWS The Photographer 129 South Eleventh Street. CCOO00000000O0O30 00O3OCOO Q9a0.frQOfrOO DEI Ml mm 11151 O Street. Finest lice of millinery in the city. Novelties in trimming of all kinds. Trimmed and un trimmed hat?. IW.WILLIAMS. E$'-OO-0C-C00.00 5-HI dd iSS ui ip9. 0To5V Actual timo traveling. 31 hours to Salt Lako. Gl hours to San Francisco. C8 hours to Portland. 77 hours to Los Angeles. -FROM- LINCOLN, NIB City office, 1044 O street. Free Advertising Whit a lot of freo ml vertiaing the Burlington must ruceivo if it is true, as some people my that "a pleased passenger i9 a railroad's be&t advertise ment!" To all points east, west, north and south, tho Bur lington has well equipped and unparalleled service. mil Geori;e V. Bonnell, &SLrYaaffaVK R TIE OUT ROUTE TO THE Come 3xacl See U tL O. TowsszjfD, F. D. Corj m, Agt. C.P.AT.Aft Ol .P. AT. fi-'- Louis. Ma 1201 SALESMEN- WANTED TS oach county to take orders for Nursery gtock, and are willing to pay well for pood work. We agreo to REPLACE FREE anything that dies from nat'iral causes. We also have a choice lin of SEED POTATOES. Give us rt trial. THE HAWKS NURSERY COMPANY Milwaukee. WU. fSS5iSS You will find Hartshorn's (nrmrr 2 upholsterer at 231 so. 1 1th street. DEMER X BREESF, CABINET MAKING UPHOLSTERING Mattresses renovated. New pieces made to order. DSSXSXS).