Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Boys From Baraboo #4


Scan00000010033, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

From 1897 Ringling Bros. Route Book #1

"The brothers Gus and Henry, excluded from the wall in John Ringling's office at CA' d' ZAN"

Posted by Buckles at 12/15/2010 06:16:00 AM

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gus left home and married a Catholic girl, taking conventional employment out of Wisconsin. The brothers hired him, as an employee, to manage the advertising car when they went on rails in 1890. He never owned any portion of the circus, joining after the six seasons overland, 1884-1889, and the concert company tours. After his 1907 death, his children sued the brothers for what they felt was his portion of the show. It was a public battle the likes of which were never seen until after RBBB was incorporated decades later. The case didn't pass through the courts, the brothers made a substantial financial settlement upon Gus's children, who relenquished any further claim on Ringling circus fortunes. The episode did result in a fracture in family relations.

Henry was also not one of the five circus founders in 1884. He obtained his share following the death of Otto.

The five Ringling brothers who founded the show and suffered through the years before it was a sure thing must have had a special bond that eclipsed all else.

15 December, 2010 10:03

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