What are the odds of three men named Charles being killed by a single lightning strike at the same place and time?
Charles Smith and Charles Walter were killed instantly while erecting a circus tent in Wahpeton. Foreman Charles Miller died later from his injuries.
Of all the mysterious legends surrounding the event, the mathematical probability has never been addressed. It remains an unsolved footnote.
Reports vary on how many men and boys were working to raise the big top. One account said 22 men were erecting the center pole when it was shattered by lightning. A dozen were knocked senseless.
Still, the tent was raised and the show went on, with 7,000 people attending. A collection was taken up for a proper funeral, with a hearse and a clergyman.
The two men were buried that same day at nearby Riverside Cemetery, also known as the Bohemian Cemetery. The broken circus pole served as a temporary grave marker.
A few months later, an impressive granite monument was erected. The base is shaped to represent the canvas tent, from which the broken center pole rises.
Engraved in the granite sculpture are images of lightning, chains, ropes, and pulleys.
Travelers and circus people visited the grave each year, leaving flowers and trinkets by the monument. Some locals called it “the elephant’s grave.” Others believed it was the resting place of a Romani king or a Bohemian magician.
To this day, floral tributes and balloons still appear at the circus monument in the old cemetery south of town.
On this date in 1897, The Richland County Gazette reported that the Ringling Brothers circus parade, held the previous day, June 10, was the largest and finest ever seen in the city.
Among the marvels: 205 beautiful white horses, 12 elephants, 5 camels, 1 calliope, 1 chime of bells, 4 bands, 51 carriages, and 32 small ponies.
The Wahpeton Times wrote: “The Ringling Brothers have a right to claim the greatest show on earth. The parade is simply immense.”
Dakota Datebook by Lise Erdrich
Sources:
- The Wahpeton Times, June 10, 1897, Page 1
- The Richland County Gazette, June 11, 1897, Page
- Famous Circus Story, Retold. By Newell Grant, Editor. The Wahpeton Daily News, August 4, 1972, Page 1
