waldemere, bridgeport. ct.

My dear Clemens

Yours recd I hope I sent you the letter from the man who was going on a lecturing tower!

I have heretofore destroyed a multitude of queer letters but henceforth will save them all for you.

I wonder if you have ever seen my great Hippodrome. If not I really hope you will have a chance to do so during the week or two that it will remain open. I enclose several “orders” to that end.

I’ll not disguise that I have a small axe or hatchet to grind—though if you take hold of it, it would soon swell to an immense tree-chopping implement. But if you dont happen to take to it, understand I shall be quite content—I merely throw out the hint as one “casts his bread upon the waters”—if it dont “return” I’ll be just as well off as if I had not tried for a small harvest.

Your comet article in the Herald last year wherein you had me for an active partner of course added much to my notoriety at home and abroad—now my “axe” is that if you should happen to be in a writing mood and could in your inimitable way hit my travelling Hippodrome so that people could get an idea what is coming next spring & summer, it would help me, but I neither ask nor expect nor desire such a thing unless it so happens that in the way of your literary labors you can make the Hippodrome the subject of a portion of your article. Such an article in Harpers Weekly would be immense and of course proportionately so in any other publication. My object is to reach country readers where my Hippodrome will travel next summer. If you cant bring it into your regular work—I shall be very glad to pay you the same as you would want from any publisher & I’ll have the article inserted in some paper & then mail marked copies of it to every paper in the Union. You cant well get a good idea of Hippodrome without seeing it—but I’ll herein sketch a little about it.

My daily expenses in New York are nearly $5000. They will be more than that while travelling. Last August I had an immense tent made over 800 feet long by 400 broad and transported it to Boston where I built seats to accommodate 11000 persons & I transported my entire Hippodrome to Boston. There were over 900 1200 men women & children engaged by me—750 horses—including 300 blooded race horses & ponies—camels—elephants Buffaloes—English stag and stag hounds ostriches, &c. &c {Don’t mention menagerie of lions tigers & other wild beasts for I dont take them travelling with Hippodrome.}

Now the cost of tent, seats and transporting the entire Hippodrome & paraphernalia to Boston by rail was over $50,000—and yet though I was in Boston but 3 weeks, I was fully reimbursed and had a handsome surplus. We accommodated over 20,000 persons to our two performances each day and frequently turned away visitors for want of room. Cheap excursion trains ran daily on all the roads leading into Boston—and thousands daily came in them.

Now by having two of these 800 feet tents—so as to keep one continually a day ahead I shall next summer take the entire Hippodrome on 125 rail road cars of my own, to all the larger towns in New England and the middle & western states—frequently stopping but one day in a town. I can easily lose half a million of dollars next summer unless I can in advance so awaken and electrify the country as to have everybody join in getting up excursion trains so as to hit me where I open the Hippodrome. If I can do this I can make half a million—so it is a pretty big stake to play for—hence my anxiety. I take along sleeping cars wherein nearly all my 900 1200 employees lodge every night—(I put up berths in ordinary passenger cars) and I take along cooks and cooking tents where all except 150 of my 900 1200 employees get every meal they eat during the travelling season. Horse tents also accommodate my horses—elephants, camels &c. I carry blacksmiths & blacksmith tents to do all my horse shoeing repairing of chariots wagons &c. I also carry harness makers. I carry carpenters and builders who precede the show ten days to build the seats. I carry ward robe men and women to repair and care for the wardrobe which has cost me over $70,000—and which I use in processions and all the various plays scenes and the great street procession which occurs every morning. I take two immense Bands of Music—first class.

My Hippodromic exhibitions include the Roman Chariot races and many other acts that were shown in the Roman Colosseum 1600 years ago and on a scale that has not been witnessed in this world during the last thousand years. My Roman Chariots are driven by Amazons instead of men!

But I show besides scores of thrillingly interesting scenes which Rome never saw. I give a scene called INDIAN LIFE ON THE PLAINS wherein scores of Indians of various tribes appear with their squaws pappooses ponies and wigwams travelling as they do in the Indian territory. They encamp—erect their wigwams engage in Buffalo Hunts with real Buffaloes, give their Indian war dances—their Indian pony races—snow shoe races—foot races against horses lasso horses and other animals and both Indians and squaws give the most amazing specimens of riding at full speed. The Indian Camp is surprised by Mexicans and then ensues such a scene of savage strife and warfare as is never seen except upon our wild western borders.

The great English Stag hunt wherein 150 ladies and gentlemen appear on horseback all dressed in appropriate hunting costumes—with the English stags and a large pack of real English stag hounds depicts a scene worth going a hundred miles to see.

Then of course we have Hurdle races by ladies—Roman standing races (the riders standing on bareback horses). Flat races by English American and French jockeys, with the best blooded race horses to be found in Europe Races by Camels ridden by Arabs—Elephant races—Liberty races by 40 wild horses turned loose Ostrich races—monkey races and the most remarkable performances by Elephants and other animals. Taken altogether this is a Colossal travelling exhibition never before equalled, and what no other man in this generation will ever dare to wish. It involves a capital of nearly a million of dollars. My expectation is to take it all to Europe next autumn, for it will prove even a greater wonder there than here.