Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 220, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 September 1911 — ONE BIG DAY MADE HORSE SHOW SUCCESS [ARTICLE]

ONE BIG DAY MADE HORSE SHOW SUCCESS

Unfavorable Weather for Three Days Followed by Glorious Day That Brought Great Crowd.

A SPLENDID EXHIBIT

Light Hamess, Saddle and Draft Horses in Large Numbers and a General Satisfactory Week In Every Respect Saturday was a glorious day and a great crowd _ visited Rensselaer and put in a ful] day of amusement. It was the only first class day from a weathpr standpoint and also the only real good day in point of attendance. Thursday was a very good day so far as a crowd was concerned and would have been much better except that the early morning rain was followed by heavy crowds that oVerhung the city all day and threatened to deluge this section of Indiana at any time. While there have been more people in Rensselaer in--a single day. than there were last Saturday it has been only on rare occasions and restauranteurs, confectioners, concessionists, show proprietors, hitch barn owners and the merry-go-round proprietor were all quite well pleased, both with the business of the day and of the week.

Opening up with some disappointment because all of the promised shows were not on hand and because there were no entries for the pony class and because there seemed to be some general doubt as to whether we would have enough attractions to please large crowds if we got them, and followed with the largest rain Thursday morning that has visited this part of Indiana in years and by another big rain Friday morning, the event closed Saturday night at midnight with general satisfaction on all hands.

The show of horses and colts was the best of the three years ttyat Rensselaer has given a horse show and the greatest satisfaction exists with respect to the Friday and Saturday exhibits. There would have been many more entries but for one thing. This was the fact that late summer pasture has been very poor and many well bred and first class horses and colts were in poor show condition on this fact and their owners did not show them. The driving and riding exhibition Friday was all that could have been asked for.

Saturday was draft horse day and some of the individuals in stud, mare and colt classes are among the best animals in Indiana. Crowds lined th* street to watch the exhibits from morning until after the big parade of all the horses shown, and expressions of approval came from all sides. The most pleasing of the Meek attractions seemed to be the marry-go-round, which was the best ever seen in Rensselaer and which did a S6OO business during four days. The “African'Bin” was another popular street concision. A good natured darkey occupied a trap seat above a tank of water. The trap was controlled by a spring that was released when a disc above the darkens head was struck with balls thrown by patrons of the game. In front of the darky was a screen with balls thrown by patrons of the game. In front of the darkey was a screen of poultry wire to protect him from being hit, and whenever the disc was hit the darkey would fall into the tank of water. He kept up a continual jollying in his talk and the concession did a lot of business.

ing cruel to the little dumb beasts, most everyone crowded about to witness the act twice each day, remaining until 10 o’clock or later at night to see it

The Vontella and Nina trapeze act was not very sensational and added but little to the free show. The minstrel show did a very good business and was about as good as is usually seen with carnival companies, which is not a very high compliment. The vaudeville was a little better and also did a good business. The “10 in 1” show did a big business. Some freaks, living and dead, a few snakes, two crocodiles and a boxing kangaroo constituted the show. The management of the carnival feature of the horse show for the commercial club, D. M. Worland and J. H. S. Ellis, are well pleased with the result. They were able to settle satisfactorily with Mr. Meek, who brought the shows here, and that end of the business paid out even better than had been expected at the start. The shows all moved out Sunday. The diving horses went to Illinois, where they joined another company. All the other attractions went to Remington where they will appear during the week. Remington will also give a horse show from Wednesday to Saturday, inclusive. Mr. Meek has promised another free act to replace the diving horses. The prizes were awarded in the horse show classes as follows: GENERAL PURPOSE CLASS Best 3-year-old and over—John O’Connor, first; John F. Kelley, second; Cyrus Rice, third. Best 2-year-old and under 3—A. F. Kiper, first Best 1-year-old and under 2 —Jesse Nichols, first; John Kolhoff, second, Jesse Nichols, third. Best suckling colt—Lloyd Parks, first; John R. Lewis, second; John M. Price, third. Best general purpose team —H. W. Pierson, first; John R. O’Connor, second. MULE CLASS Best pair mules in harness, 3 years old and over—Joe Thomas, first; John Zimmer, second. Best mule, 3 years old and over— Joe Thomas, first and second; John Zimmer, third. Best mule, 2 years old and under 3 —John Zimmer, first. Best mule, 1 year old and under 2 James Lane, first; Dave Yeoman, second. Best suckling mare mule —Jesse Beecher, first; Alf Hoover, second; M. I. Adams, third. Best suckling horse mule —E. E. Garriott, first; John Kolhoff, second; James Lane, third. SWEEPSTAKES Best mule colt under nine months old, any sex—Jesse Beecher. SPECIALS Best 1911 mule colt, any sex, sired by Lucero, D. S. Makeever, owner— Jesse Beecher, first; Alf Hoover, second. Best 1911 mule colt, any sex. sired by Henry Clay, Omar Kenton, owner —E. E. Garriott, first and second.

The diving ponies, Max and June, were the leading free attraction. The beautiful little Arabian horses would mount the stand from which they jumped into a big tank of water as though they were anxious for the dip. They usually waited for a time, however, after looking twenty feet below into the great tank of water, and had to be coaxed a good deal before they cut loose. Their owner, a woman, stood below and soon persuaded them to leap, and they plunged into the tank and then swam to the sloping bank and came out. One of the horses frequently jumped without being coaxed. It was quite a performance and while some objected to it as be*