Ben Wallace #1

When John Herriott and I were in Peru last Spring we visited Mr. Wallace's grave site, an impressive memorial. His first season on the road with an overland circus came the same year as the Ringlings, 1884 but on a much more solid footing, having already been a successful businessman in Peru, Ind. in the livery and cartage field (horse trader). This venture included a partner, James Anderson, and the equipment was acqired at the Nathan & Co. auction at Garnett, Kan. and also unlike the Ringlings, a liberal amount of grift accompanied the show. In their second season Wallace & Anderson was loaded on a large side-wheeler steam boat that towed four barges on a route that took them from Indiana to Pennsylvania to Texas. They must have done well since they went out in 1886 on 15 railroad cars, a 100' big top with a 50' middle and a 100' menagrie. Also added were two elephants from the auction of the Miller, Stone & Freeman Show at Columbus, Ohio, "Gypsy" and an African "Jeanette" and finally rose to four with the purchace of a tuskless male "Pilot" from Sells Bros. Circus also in Columbus.