From Bill Powell #1

schell bros 1935 books012, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Buckles, I found this interesting note while going thru my mom's archives this past weekend. It is especially poignant given what our country is experiencing with the current recession and I wanted to share it with the blog. This letter summarizes the financial state of George Engesser and Schell Bros. Circus in 1935 during the lowest point of the great depression. To my knowledge George hung on to the show a couple more years but it appears that he was upside down about 4 grand after the 1935 season. The summation is brief and to the point even listing his dependents and a perceived valuation of the animals that had died during the year. The picture of Tiger McCue doing the head carry with Ruth the elephant somehow frames up the entire state of affairs.