Wallace Modoc

Now, getting back to business. For some reason Jerry Mugivan wintered the Howes Great London Show (15 cars) at Willam P. Hall's place In Lancaster, Mo. the winter of 1920-21. Here is a picture of Danny Odom, the show's manager, Mugivan and Hall watching the train being loaded out in 1921. In 1923 Odom was made manager of the John Robinson Show wintering in West Baden and also new to that show was Cheerful Gardner whom the Corporation had just hired away from Al G. Barnes. When my dad got wind of this he made a bee line for West Baden to once again work for Gardner and Highpockets (Clyde Baudendistl). Shortly after his arrival there, he learned that the show would be moving up to Peru since a decision had made to close the Gollmar Show and the best of that shows equipment would go to John Robinson. The night before they were to leave, Highpockets went out to load some hay in the bull car and in so doing also decided to have a nip or two from the old jug, fell asleep, tipped over the kerosene lanten and set the car ablaze. Panic ensued since the car was coupled to the rest of the train. My dad brought out an elephant named "Betty" hoping she could push the bull car away from the rest of the train, unaware she wasn't broke to push. He told me that it was surprising she didn't take off across the countryside the same as Highpockets had done. The bull car was burned to the water line and after Cheerful and Danny Odom arrived from the hotel he noticed that Odom was carrying a pistol which accounted for Highpocket's hasty departure. Anyway, they eventually got to Peru and Cheerful started to work on the four baby elephants that had been delivered to the Gollmar Show the previous summer "Jewel", "Pearl", "Judy" and "Modoc". So here at last we have the Ralph Helfer Modoc.