SUNDAY MORNING OUT OF THE PAST: The Strange Mystery of Eliza Morris and Her Marriage(s) to Al Ringling ...

 

“The private married life of Al and Lou Ringling was one that is full of mystery from the beginning,” wrote Sauk County (Iowa) Historical Society President, Paul Wolter in 1915.

Indeed. And to the end.  By the most reliable accounts, Eliza Morris, born in 1851, was a dauntless woman of steely independence and diverse talents, from sketch artist to dressmaker, and then on to teamster, snake charmer, and equestrienne – after she became romantically entangled in the circus of Al Ringling & brothers, destined to reach the throne of American big top power.

First, The Facts

There are a few things we do know for certain: That Lou, as Al would come to call her, lived in McGregor, Iowa, at a period when the Ringling family also lived there.  That she eloped at the age of 16 with Jefferson Redding.  And that the date of his death is unknown.  That she later married Al Ringling, one year younger than herself.    
 
That Al filed for divorce in 1914, and three months later, after dropping the action, offered Louise $100,000 (2.5 million by today’s dollars) to smooth things over.

That Lou, who outlived Al by 25 years, was left with a lot of money — and more yet from Al’s will —  which she fearlessly if not foolishly invested in a number of real estate ventures that failed, one being The Fern Dance Pavilion at Mirror Lake.

That she died at the age of 91, in 1941, leaving her entire estate to William Prielipp, her long-time chauffeur, who 12 days later married.  But, as reported in The Billboard, the will was contested by Louise Ringling’s nephews and nieces, who prevailed, and the judge ruled that she had died intestate.  Her estate was valued at  $6,500 -- $167,000 in today's dollars.  I must say, I feel sorry for the chauffeur. 

What We Don't Know For Certain

 * How many children she may have had by Redding, and why virtually nothing was known about them.  Wolter claims that one census (date not given) showed Lou as “the mother of three children.”  And that none of them of them were living in 1910.

* How and where did Al meet Louise?  They may have met as children,  or at a dance, some McGregor locals believed, but in his book Circus Kings,  Henry Ringling North wrote “on his travels.”  Street Scenes from Ringling Road placed the event in McGregor.  “Albert met a young widow named Eliza Morris. Albert shared his dreams of the entertainment world with her, she listened, and together they collaborated and turned their dreams into a success.”  

* Where and when did Al and Louise marry?  By two accounts, they tied the knot in 1880.  But in a letter Lou wrote to Al’s mother and father dated  December 21, 1884, it would have been the year before on the same December date — five months before the brothers took out their first circus.

She wrote, “I suppose I should say father and mother, but it seems kind of strange to say that.  But it has been long anuff ago to not be strange by now... I supposed you knew all about Al and I being married and I think Al wrote it to you last winter just after we was married.”

Not so easy! There is yet another year and another place were they married. Kind of a circusy encore? No, I am not kidding you.  And I am on firm Sauk County historical ground. Yes, they tied a knot a second time, when in 1890, Al and lou went to Hoboken, NJ for a do over. I have never heard of such a thing, but we are in the world of Louise Ringling.  Okay, here I go, SPECULATING: (How I wish I could hire Sherlock)  Let’s say Al never wanted kids, because Lou was too much an asset as performer (not so easy then recruiting women), but gave in when they were now on rails and making good money, and let’s say that Lou got pregnant, and they did not want to have the child out of wedlock? Bit of a stretch? Lou would have been 39-years-old at the time.

 * Why did Al file for divorce in 1914?  (photo above taken that year) Adultery?  Maybe with her chauffeur, William Prielipp?  On Lou’s side, she was said to have made known that once Al became rich, he became “boring.” Somehow, the divorce was averted (court records specifying cause of action do not survive), and three months later, to “make amends,” the rapidly ailing Al gave his wife the whopping one hundred grand.  He died a year and a half later, on January 1, 1916.

 My Own Wedding Scene

In my musical Those Ringlings, there is an early scene shared by Al and Louise in a small hotel room in a small town,  alluding to their having just been  married. And now, after finding all of these new disclosures, the scene strikes me as suitably sketchy to where they were then in their lives.  A young staff member boy from the hotel enters to offer a gift.  And the three together form a kind of portrait — about as close as Al and Louise Ringling would ever get to having a real family of their own. 

2.24.21