CIRCUS TRAIN WRECK AT CHENANGO FORKS

The Cortland News, Friday, May 21, 1886.

TRAIN ACCIDENT.

Forepaugh’s Circus Train Broke in Two—One Man Dead.

   After leaving Binghamton and when near Chenango Forks last Saturday morning, in route to Cortland, the train conveying Forepaugh's Circus broke in two severely injuring several persons, and badly damaging some of the wagons belonging to the circus.

   The wrecked train was composed of an engine and about thirty large flat cars and on account of the heavy grade another engine had been detailed to help push the train up the heavy grade near Chenango Forks. After the "pusher" had been detached from the train a link broke, causing one of the cars to jump breaking down in the center and immediately several cars were piled up in an inextricable mass. Several of the canvass men were sleeping under the wagons on these cars and all were more or less injured, William Shaw, of Southbridge, Mass., and "Jack" Williams having many bones broken. The injured were taken to the Stowe House, at Binghamton, and attended to by physicians.

   Shaw died shortly after twelve o'clock Monday morning and his remains were sent to his home in Massachusetts. The others are in a fair way to recovery.

   As a consequence of the accident the circus train did not reach this place until after ten o'clock Saturday morning and before things could be straightened around it was too late for a street parade, thus disappointing an immense crowd from the out towns who had gathered to see the sights. It was after three o'clock before the large tent was erected and four [o’clock] ere the afternoon performance begun.

   On account of the short time, the performance was necessarily cut short but what was given was of the best.

CIRCUS SHARPERS.

Get Away With Another Old Gentleman’s Money—The Cash Refunded With Interest.

   A little game that was played while Forepaugh's Circus was here last week shows that all circus attaches are not strictly honest.

   An old gentleman, Stevens by name, was on the grounds Saturday afternoon waiting for the ticket wagon to open in order to procure one of the pasteboards necessary to gain admission.

   Long before the ticket wagon was open one of the "scalpers" by the name of Jordan, commenced selling tickets, but as his price was too high the old gentleman concluded to wait. He had taken out his pocket book and Jordan saw that it contained a good sized roll of bills of large denomination. Jordan wanted to give small bills for the large ones, as he said it was a nuisance to carry so many small bills around with him. Stevens concluded he would take small bills for a twenty and the two stepped into a small tent adjoining to avoid the crowd. Jordan counted out eighteen one dollar bills and took the twenty.

   As they were handed to him, Mr. Stevens placed the small bills on top of the large ones and in order to count them over, laid his pocket book down upon a box. In counting over the money he discovered that only eighteen dollars had been given him and so informed Jordan. The latter expressed surprise and asked Stevens to let him count them over.

   Accordingly Mr. Stevens handed the whole roll of bills to him. Jordan counted them over, and, sure enough, discovered that there were only eighteen. He expressed sorrow that such a mistake had happened and said he would have to give him silver for the other two dollars, at the same time putting his hard in his pocket and bringing out two silver dollars. As he placed the silver on top of the bills he said: "Look out, old man, some one will be taking your pocket book," upon which Mr. Stevens stooped to pick up that article, and as he did so Jordan deftly slipped the large bills, amounting to $85, from under the small ones, handed the latter to Mr. Stevens and went out and commenced selling tickets.

   This little piece of sleight-of-hand was so neatly done that Mr. Stevens did not notice it and placed the money in his pocket book. He discovered his loss Saturday evening and made up his mind where the money had gone to. Accordingly a warrant was sworn out and Sheriff Van Hoesen and Mr. Stevens went to Syracuse on Monday and arrested Jordan, who said that he did not take any money, but would rather settle the matter than come back to Cortland. The Sheriff informed him that he could settle nothing with him. Jordan was locked up.

   Some of Jordan's friends sought Mr. Stevens and by paying him $105 induced the old gentleman to believe that he could scarcely identify Jordan as the man who changed the money for him. Altogether it was one of the neatest and cleanest little bunco jobs that we have seen, and Mr. Stevens may deem himself lucky that he recovered his money.

TOWN CORRESPONDENCE.

Preble, May 19, 1886.

   There was a light frost Monday and Tuesday mornings. The climate is very cold in Preble but the people are very warm-hearted.

   The chances are that those who planted corn so early will have the pleasure of repeating the exercises.

   Many of our citizens were cheated out of the [circus] show on Saturday last at Cortland.

South Cortland, May 20, 1886.

   Rev. J. L. Robertson, of Cortland, will preach at the White church in this place next Sunday at 3:30 o'clock p. m.

   Very sudden and shocking came the news to us last Saturday of the death of Andrew Sheridan from typhoid fever. The funeral on Monday was very largely attended, which was held at his sister’s in Lafayette, Tompkins county, where he had gone to work in a cheese factory. The deceased was an honest upright young man and is sincerely mourned by a large circle of friends in this place. His age was about 30 years.

Harford, May 18, 1886.

   There was a temperance meeting at the Methodist church Sunday evening, the exercises of which were quite interesting. An essay by Mrs. W. H. Bradley and one by P. Nealy were the principal features of the occasion.

   Harford is to have a brass band; that is, we have one sprouted and if we don't have a frost it may live till Fall.

   Dr. Perry, of Whitney's Point has decided to locate in Harford. He has purchased the medical effects of the late Dr. Knapp, and may be found at Dr. K.'s old office.

Virgil, May 20, 1886.

   Mrs. S. K. Jones has returned home from Syracuse where she has been under medical treatment for some time; her health is much improved.

   The lecture by our Rev. Mr. Farley Smoot at South Cortland last Friday evening was largely attended and is highly spoken of.

TWO BALLOON STORIES.

An Hour’s Ride That Turned a Man’s Hair White.

   In a talk with John Forepaugh I heard several interesting stories of adventure with hot-air balloons.

   "We used to inflate the balloons and send them skyward at every stopping point of the Forepaugh show," he said, '' and I remember now one incident in regard to these balloons which occurred in 1874 at Chester, Pa. There was a large crowd on the grounds and a man we called Big Smith was inside the bag while it was being inflated. At last the balloon bulged out, nearly full, and Smith crawled from under. Twenty-five men were holding the balloon, and Smith, after he got outside the machine, saw a candy butcher named Mitchell standing near him. Before anyone could count five Smith grabbed Mitchell, threw him into the basket, and yelled, 'Let go!' The men dropped the ropes, the balloon shot aloft like a rocket and the ten thousand people strained their eyes as they saw it grow smaller and smaller, until it was out of sight.

   "When the balloon was first skipping toward heaven Mitchell's head could be seen over the edge of the basket as he yelled, ‘Help, for God's sake!’ When the big bag floated beyond the range of vision a dozen men started northward—the way the wind carried the balloon—in teams. They drove eight or ten miles and they found the balloon with the wretched Mitchell lying helplessly in the basket on the bank of a creek. Mitchell's hair had actually turned white from fright in his hour's ride in the clouds.

   "Several years after that, in another town, Big Smith was inside another balloon while it was being inflated. After it was full of hot air he crawled over the edge of the basket and another man got in for a trip through the ozone belt. Someone yelled, ‘Let go!’ The ropes were loosened, but one rope, on the side on which Smith was getting out, took a torn around his leg, clutching him tightly and as the balloon shot skyward it took Smith with it by the ankle. His terrified companion in the basket, who heard the cry of horror that swept over the crowd, could not help him, for, if he changed his position, the chances were that the basket would upset or that the rope would uncoil. After about ten minutes the balloon came down with Smith unconscious and his head full of blood. However, he recovered and is yet in the show business.”

Cortland News, Oct. 1, 1886 [Narrator unidentified—CC editor.]