CIRCUS DAYS 19 
might suffer the loss of their wardrobe or part of 
it, and probably their trunk, and ran the risk of 
being fired by the management for failure to be 
ready for their act. 
One case in particular I remember when I was 
with the R. W. Fryer’s Shows as Boss Property 
Man and transportation master. While the Show 
was still in Sydney, N. S. W., and a week before 
ending our eight weeks’ stay, I told one of the 
performers, the bearer of a brother act, that is the 
man that holds the other man on his shoulders and 
catches him as he jumps or turns somersaults, to 
get a new trunk as he had an old tin-covered one 
that had the edges all worn and broken, and every, 
time any of my men handled it they were sure to 
have their hands or clothes cut and torn. He 
promised to get one in Melbourne. We played 
Melbourne eight weeks and went from there to 
Ballarat, Victoria. He still failed to get a new 
trunk, and when the Show appeared in Ballarat, 
his trunk was amongst the missing, dropped or 
fallen off the train en route during the night. He 
was fired, and a day or so after got notice from 
the Government Railroad to come and get some 
of his belongings that had been picked up along 
the line. He got a new trunk. 
Another character with the same Show was the 
Musical Clown, named Shilleto, a really good fel- 
low, but seldom sober. I honestly believe that if 
he were sober he could not do his act. He was a 
