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Snakes and Elephants Highlight Circus Lore of Northern IowaEDITOR'S NOTE: North lowr's history is liberally sprinkled with bits of circus lor*. The following contains several anecdotes growing out ©f visits by the Big Top to Masor City and Algona. The Ringfmg Brothers famous circus has special significance. The brothers' father once ran a harness shop in McGregor. Their first attempts at a circus were described as follows: The old gray mare pulled a light wagon on which were tight cages—dry goods boxes— containing parrots, pigeons, raccons, snakes, guineas, a red foxr a bob cat, white rats and mice. The 'caravan' of beasts also boasted of a pack of 14 dogs, two educated pigs, a fourpronged deer and two goats with a mate each/'billyBy BILL WEBBGlobe*Gazette Staff WriterMason Cityans used to talk about the time that a huge 15-foot eircus python scared Frank Haase, a postal company telegrapher, almost out of his shoes, spats and all.The reason people don’t have much to say about “Rainbow”— that was the serpent’s name— or Mr. Haase anymore is that the incident took place more than 60 years ago.The postal company at that time had offices jointly with the Wells,Fargo Express Co. on the west side of the square off Central Park.Sees SnakeOne morning Haase was tap-CLOWN COP —The clown cop, too, is a comic of the past. Every clown act used to have its cop during the 20’s, heyday of the Keystone Cops.into the office only to come rush ing right back out again.“Ayeee, he cried as he sped past the telegrapher.While the two men were attempting to compose themselves, a broad-chested stranger with a tuft of red hair protruding from his chin crossed the street and I stopped, towering over them. Gestures Wildly “There’s a bi-bi-big snake in there,” blurted out Haase', gesturing wildly with his hands.Huh,” said the stranger, “I guess ‘Rainbow’ has escaped.” ping away on his telegraph key The stranger, as it turned out,(under the safe. Only the tail of the python was visible.“Excuse me while I take a reserve seat on top of my desk,” said Haase with rather a weak laugh.The two men held their breaths as Hank grabbed the serpent by the tail and slowly, straining— Haase could see the tendons standing out in the back of the circus man’s neck — extricated the writhing reptile from beneath the safe. As its head came out, he grabbed it from the underside. He then returned the snake to its box which also contained a number of even larger serpents,Hank turned to Hie two Mason Cityans with a grin,“That snake’s harmless,” he said. “It’s been handled hundreds of times and never bitten anybody,”Weren't ConvincedHaase and the express agent, however, really weren't convinced.Big snakes have played an important part in early Iowa circus lore. When the RLngling Brothers launched their circus from Bara-boo, Wis., North Iowa was on their itinerary. With them too were their snakes,C. Andrew Norwood, a former Algona resident, said that when the posters appeared for theaged to get into despite Matt Holtzbauer, the janitor, who was absolutely sure no boy was going; to get by him.“But the ways of boys are many and Matt never knew when from 2 to 20 would outwit him. Once three of us had to stay up in that tower an entire night.“The last trip we made to collect squabs was over to Chapin’s barn on the Bright farm north of Algona. The pigeons were at one end of the barn and, to get at them, we had to cross over hog pens on a 2-by-6-inch plank, “I went ahead and found about a dozen squabs in the nests. So I hollered to Lafe to bring the: sacks and he started over. Butj when he got about half way along the plank, the sack slipped. He grabbed for it and the extra strain broke the plank. Lafe fell into the hog pen down beside a big white sow with a litter of little pigs.Leaps to Attack “Lafe must have struck one with his foot for it uttered a squeal of pain and terror. The big sow sprang up with her mouth wide open and started across the pen toward Lafe who leaped over the side out of reach in nothing flat.”Meanwhile, there was young Norwood way up on the side of show, it meant for all the pigeons ihe barn. And below him was in the Algona area to take cover, the old sow7 just waiting for some-when something caught his attention in the express agent’s section of the room. To his horror, there was a huge snake weaving itself in and out along the wire netting and coming straight toward him.Haase, after sitting for a moment transfixed by the reptile’s hypnotic eyes, leaped, shoes, spats and all, through the door and almost into the express agent.“Th-th-there’s a snake in there as big as a telephone,” the frightened Haase stuttered.“You must have the tremens,” the agent said. He then walkedwas Henry {Rocky Mountain) Hank of the Luelia-Forepaugh-Fish circus. He had come to the express office to inquire after a box of big reptiles shipped from Philadelphia.“Where’s the agent,” Hank said. “He’ll have to get that fellow back in his box again.”“The agent’s on vacation,” said[; the express agent with a start.“And so is the telegraph operator,” said Haase, suddenly come to life.Under the SafeHank told Haase and the express agent to follow and went into the office. “Rainbow” was“It was known that the day the circus arrived in town the animal man would be on hand to buy all the squabs ‘us kids’ could gather. He paid 10 cents each for live birds, for the snakes ate only live squabs.Raid Barns“So the boys used to raid all the barns on the outlying farms and eye the church towers. The courthouse steeple was the one big coop that we always man-body to sink her teeth into. Norwood, however, discovered that one of the boards at his end of the barn was loose. He wiggled it open and shinnied down the outside to safety.The W. W. Cole circus was one of the first to come to Mason City. It came in 1872. An old-fashioned carbon light mounted in a wagon was the big attraction.It was July 4 and the circus•' '• 'i\: 7 ? ' /V'V:--’ V-' V. -’/-I; V-*- =:-A: ?-.? ^ ■?; f; £ -j;-v;. j.'*;. f- y...
Newspaper Details
Mason City Globe Gazette
Mason City, Iowa, US
Fri, Feb 22, 1957
Page 10
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 15 Jun 2020
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