Melees involving towners and circuses could break out anywhere. But in the years following the Civil War, Southern stands could be especially risky.
Part 2 of a series. Click here for part 1.
By Russell Working
THE NOTORIOUS “HEY, RUBE” BRAWLS, matching towners against circus showmen, could happen anywhere from Montreal to the Gulf of Mexico.
But amid the bitterness that followed the Civil War, Southern stands could be especially dangerous for Northern troupers.
Following the war, Southerners were inclined to see the circuses, usually headquartered in the North, as Yankee intruders, lion tamer George Conklin recalled in his 1921 memoir, The Ways of the Circus.
“In spite of the fact that the show, as a show, was popular and well patronized by the people,” Conklin writes, “nevertheless they looked on us as ‘damned Yankees’ and treated us accordingly as much as they were able and dared.”
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