Ringling Barnum COMBINED TITLE SHEET (1919)

Ringling Barnum COMBINED TITLE SHEET (1919), originally uploaded by bucklesw1. From Chris Berry While doing some research today I came across this great little item on a long forgotten incident that happened at Madison Square Garden. (I have attached a photo of a poster that is no doubt similar to those which led young Vincent astray on that spring day nearly 89 years ago...) MISSING BOY WAS AT THE CIRCUS Father Takes Home Son Who Wanted to Train Elephants New York Times - April 8, 1920 Resplendent in the bright uniform of a circus attendant, Vincent Valenzano, 16, stood on the edge of the arena in Madison Square Garden last night watching with rapt wonder the "amazing aerial exhibitions" "performing pachyderms" "wonderful wire walkers" and all of the other things alluringly announced in the pink circus posters all over town. The smell of the sawdust, the blare of the band and the hooplas of the horseback riders filled him with contentment - a contentment of the moment unspoiled by the disquieting fact that members of his family were probably looking all over for him since he shook the dust of 413 First Avenue from his feet on March 24 and hit the sawdust trail. The show was nearly over and Vincent, with the other attendants, was hurrying to the arena for the hippodrome races when he felt a touch on his arm. It was John Ringling, one of the proprietors of the circus. Vincent's heart gave a bound. He had confided to one of the circus managers his ambition to be an elephant trainer and had asked that Mr. Ringling be approached on the subject. Now, doubtless, Mr. Ringling had decided to give him a chance. He saw his name in big letters on the program, and -- "Sonny," the circus proprietor was saying, "why did you run away from home?" Vincent's heart sank as he saw behind Mr. Ringling his brother-in-law, Anido Cocchi, and a police lieutenant. His game was up. The big letters on the program were far away. "All right, I'll go home", he said. "But when I get a little bigger -- " Anido cut him short and went with him and Mr. Ringling to the paymaster's office where Vincent got his back pay. "I thought that is where we would find you," Anido said as they left the Garden. "Marie heard you had been all day looking at those circus posters. We have been to the circus twice before but we couldn't tell you from the other attendants. Then we got Lieutenant Treanor, of the Welfare Bureau of the Police Department and he suggested we try again."