from The Adventures of John Wilson Murray
The Following is a true story, told in the autobiography of John Murray, the Provincial Detective for Ontario in the late 1800's. It's a good story, nicely suggestive of a game. Now all we need are the clowns, townsfolk, tents and elephants....
"The Glengarry lads were famous fighers in the bygone days, and it was through a fight, that lives to this day in the history of the county, that Murray went among them. There are firesides in Glengarry were old men sit in the winter evenings and spin, among their tales of prowess, the yarn of the great battle of 1877, when the men of Glengarry fought the travelling circus, and drove it, beasts and all, out of Cornwall.
"John O'Brien, of Philadelphia, was the owner of the circus. It was travelling through Canada, and pitched its tents in Cornwall, the county seat of three counties - Glengarry, Stormont and Dundas, fifty miles west of Montreal. The lumber-men and shanty0men had come out of the woods with their winter's wage in their pockets. they were stalwart, lusty fellows, and they gathered from far and near to see the circus in Cornwall. They strode the streets in gorgeous red or rainbow shirts. (note: I assume he means plaid?) they say the grand parade in the morning, and joked about the freak features that caught their eye. there was no talk of trouble, no premonition of a row. The men of the woodswere out for a jolly day, expecting to bother nobody, and expecting nobody to bother them. They formed in a long line by the ticket waggon to buy the red pasteboards for admission to the tent. Some fell out of line to wrestle or spar good-naturedly, but all were waiting their turn.
"A shout a theother side of the big tent steadied the line. It was the cry of a Glengarry man. Following it came the crack, crack, crack, of heavy blows, and around the side of the tent appeared one of their men, backing away, and whirling a long tent stake, as he came. Pursuing him were three circus-men, each with a club. Blood gushed from a big slash across the Glengarry's face. He was shaking it off as he swung the heavy stake. He dared not turn his head to look for help, but with eyes set and arms waving he whirled his weapon so that the three circus-men were held at bay. A flap in the big tent was raised as he passed; a fourth circus-man crept out behind the Glengarry, and as th estake swung around the new-comer dealt him a heavy blow with a club, and he went down like a log.
"A roar burst from the line of lumber-men, a roar like that of the entire circus menagerie if the beast had howled in unison. The line quivered, swayed, and broke. In a wild rush the lumber-men sprang forward, seizing clubs, tearing up tent stakes, jerking out ples and pins and stanchions. The foru circus men yelled for help, and out of the big tent swarmed canvas-men, helpers, acrobats in tights, gymnasts in tinsel, clowns in paint and powder - every man the show could muster. They were needed too. The lumber-men had formed in long open lines, like fire-fighters, and they moved into the thick of the tangle of men and ropes and canvas, beating right and left with their long clubs. The weapons rose and fell, whack, whack, whack, falling with terrific force, smiting whatever was within reach. When a man in the line fell another stepped forward into his place.
"Herd them! Herd them!" was the cry.
"The lumber-men were striving to surround the circus-men and drive them into a hudled mass, and then - woe betide them! The force of the onsluaght, the impace of the furious assault, drove the circus-men back to the side of the big tent, so that when the lumber-men beat them in on three sides they had the tent behind them. There were mighty deeds of daring done that day. Shanty Donald, it is told, took five cracks on the skull and laid three circus-men out in a struggle where they had him three to one. Big McGregor seized an acrobat by the neck, and flung him skyward, and when he alighted he wildly begged for mercy. The strong man in the side show seized little Joe Sumac, and, when they fell apart, the strong man's left arm hung limp and useless, snapped below the elbow. One revolver flashed, and before it banged again, the circus-man who held it lay senseless, with his face trampled like a cleavered beefsteak.
"The circus-men retreated under the flaps of the tent as the lumber-men crowded them. Knotty O'Brien, of Glengarry, one of the foremost in the lumber-men's line, dived under head first. His feet suddenly flew up, his limbs jerked, and he lay still. The lumber-men fought up to where he lay, and theysmote the canvas side of the tent with mighty blows, ripping it to shreds, and as it tore away they say little O'Brien gasp, half rise, choke and fall back dead. None spoke, none shouted as they beat before them. it was like a battle of mutes. Slowly the fought their way into the tent, when from the menagerie came the keepers with the elephants, and rushed the great beasts to the front, and ran them to and fro.
"'Tis like smiting a mountain!" quoth Big McGregor, as he drove his stake against the towering hulk. The next instant Big McGregor was flying skyward higher than he had tossed the tinselled acrobat. He came down with a thud and plunged in again.
"The lions! The lions!" shouted the circus-men, and it is related that sure enough, a big beast came slouching forward with a keeper at his side.
"In the tale as it is told, forward sprang Danny McLeod and faced the king of the beasts. Even the men of Glengarry paused. The lion shook his massive head and tawny mane. Danny suddenly struck the keeper full in the pit of the stomach with his boot, and seized the lion by the tail and twisted it around and around. With a roar of rage and pain the king of the beasts wheeled and fled, galloping pell-mell back to his cage, and clambering into it. But the elephants won the day. Both sides drew off, and the circus left Cornwall. Little O'Brien was buried, and the lumber-men sat them down to nurse their wounds and heal their scars."
Tell me your circus fight stories!
C'mon send them along! ehpeaell@yahoo.com
When Glengarry Wrecked the Circus