Sawdust & Spangles: Stories & Secrets of the CircusCoup, W. C. (William Cameron)
History
Sawdust & Spangles: Stories & Secrets of the Circus
Coup, W. C. (William Cameron)
Circus
These telegrams would be used to head our other notices in the
Pittsburg papers, and whole columns would follow, setting forth the
merits of the show. With more solid indorsements these telegrams so
worried my agent's brother that he was at a loss to know how to
overcome them. He finally hit upon a novel and dashing plan. After our
columns had been set up in the various papers, he would then engage the
adjoining columns. In this space, in display type, he denounced our
telegrams as bogus, stating that he had seen his own brother write them
at the hotel. This announcement completely took the wind out of our
sails.
JUMBO'S FREE ADVERTISING
Many amusing things of this sort occurred in the war of opposition, but
others of a more serious nature would, of course, come up.
The greatest amount of free advertising ever received by a big show,
within my knowledge, for any one thing, was that which was incident
upon the purchase of "Jumbo." The elephant was bought by Barnum, Bailey
& Hutchinson from the Zoological Gardens in London. When the day
arrived for his removal, the elephant lay down and refused to leave his
old home. This created a sympathy for the dumb creature, and the
children became so interested that petitions were signed by
hundreds--yes, thousands--of children and adults of Great Britain,
protesting against the delivery of the animal to its new owners.
Jumbo's stubbornness proved a fortune to his new owners. Taking
advantage of the opportunity they began to work upon the sympathies of
the Humane Society, which made every effort to prevent Jumbo from being
sent to this country. The news was cabled to America by the column. I
happened to be in the editor's room of a daily paper in New York when
one of these cables came into the office. The editor laughingly called
my attention to it and threw it into the waste basket. I said: "What,
are you not going to use this?" He said: "No, of course not."
"Well," said I, "you will use Jumbo matter before the excitement is
over."
I saw how the excitement could, and surely would, in such able hands,
be kept up. I left that night for St. Louis, where my educated horses
were being exhibited, and made a call on my old friend Col. John A.
Cockrill, then editor of the Post Dispatch--when another associated
press Jumbo dispatch came in, with which they were delighted. I then
related my experience with the New York editor who had refused to use
the cable that came into the office while I was sitting there. The
colonel and Mr. Pulitzer said: "Well, we are glad to use it--this and
future dispatches."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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