Hamo, Hadj and Master Cassim
Nationality - American | English (Of an East Indian father and a Scottish mother)
Birth - c. 1845. Named: Edwin Fritz | c. 1850. Named: James Cassim
Marriage - Kittie Sharp | Catherine Potter, Norwich, Norfolk, England, 16 November 1870
Death - Unknown | Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 13 May 1879
Career - In 1835, batoute leaping became a group performance when a Parisian circus imported a group of Bedouin Arabs, who leapt single file from a stone slab-board, jumping over chairs, banners and men. Arab vaulters had appeared in England a year earlier than this. Hadj Hamo, whose true name was Edwin Fritz, came to Australia in 1876 with his performing partner, James Cassim, as members of John Wilson’s San Francisco Palace Circus. They toured Australia in 1877-78 as “Cassim & Fritz” with the circus of Cooper, Bailey & Co. They remained in Australia, touring with St Leon’s in 1878. Returning to the US, Cassim was killed in a rail accident in 1879. Hadj Hamo visited Australia in 1880 to tour with the English Circus but appears to have returned to the US thereafter.
Copyright - TBCSubject: Hadj Hamo and Master Cassim Date: c. 1878 Photographer: A.W. Burman, 209 Bourke Street East, Melbourne Courtesy: State Library of NSW, Mark St Leon Collection
At Norwich, Norfolk, England, November 1870
… James Cassim, the clever acrobat, East of England Music Hall … (The Era, 20 November 1870, p. 6)
At Shoalhaven, NSW, with St Leon’s Royal Victoria Circus, September 1877
… Hadj Hamo, The Arab Wonder from the Desert of Arabia. This peculiar man is the most astonishing Leaper, Tumbler, and Gymnast in existence. His acts are different from any other class of artistes, and so difficult are his performances that he has no imitator. One of his astounding feats is leaping from a solid slab of stone without the aid of any springboard, over a double file of men who will cross muskets, while he throws a somersault in mid air … (Kiama Independent, 31 August 1877, p. 3)
At Goulburn, NSW, with St Leon’s Royal Victoria Circus, September 1877
… On the opening night Hadj Hamo met with great marks of approval for his clever performances in summersets; during the execution of which he goes through some extraordinary attitudes and fires off a loaded gun at the same time, and also brandishes a dagger of ugly appearance … Hadj Hamo executing a summerset from a slab of stone over the backs of eight horses … (Goulburn Herald, 15 September 1877, p. 4)
At Geelong, NSW, with St Leon’s Royal Victoria Circus, January 1879
The wonder of St Leon’s Circus, Hadj Hamo, the Arabian athlete who performs some startling aerial movement, was the defendant in a case heard at the Police Court yesterday. He had according to the opinion of the police magistrate brutally beaten a boy named George Clarke aged 13 years because the juvenile being stiff through unusually heavy exercise on Monday night could not in practise on Tuesday satisfactorily ‘do’ the ‘bending back business’. It appears that the boy failed in practice and Hadj Hamo cut him several times on the chest and on the legs with a whip which caused blood to flow freely. As Hamo and his pupil did not appear to be on the best of terms, it was agreed to postpone dealing with the case until Friday as the Arabian promised to send the boy home to his parents in Maitland North today. Should Hamo do this the Bench intend cancelling the agreement apprenticing Clarke to the acrobatic business in the circus. We may add that the proprietors of the circus, to mark their dissatisfaction with Hadj Hamo’s conduct have given him notice to dispense with his services … (Geelong Advertiser, 30 January 1879, p. 2)
Hamo, Hadj and Master Cassim
American | English (Of an East Indian father and a Scottish mother)
c. 1845. Named: Edwin Fritz | c. 1850. Named: James Cassim
Kittie Sharp | Catherine Potter, Norwich, Norfolk, England, 16 November 1870
Unknown | Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 13 May 1879
In 1835, batoute leaping became a group performance when a Parisian circus imported a group of Bedouin Arabs, who leapt single file from a stone slab-board, jumping over chairs, banners and men. Arab vaulters had appeared in England a year earlier than this. Hadj Hamo, whose true name was Edwin Fritz, came to Australia in 1876 with his performing partner, James Cassim, as members of John Wilson’s San Francisco Palace Circus. They toured Australia in 1877-78 as “Cassim & Fritz” with the circus of Cooper, Bailey & Co. They remained in Australia, touring with St Leon’s in 1878. Returning to the US, Cassim was killed in a rail accident in 1879. Hadj Hamo visited Australia in 1880 to tour with the English Circus but appears to have returned to the US thereafter.
Copyright - TBCSubject: Hadj Hamo and Master Cassim Date: c. 1878 Photographer: A.W. Burman, 209 Bourke Street East, Melbourne Courtesy: State Library of NSW, Mark St Leon Collection
At Norwich, Norfolk, England, November 1870
… James Cassim, the clever acrobat, East of England Music Hall … (The Era, 20 November 1870, p. 6)
At Shoalhaven, NSW, with St Leon’s Royal Victoria Circus, September 1877
… Hadj Hamo, The Arab Wonder from the Desert of Arabia. This peculiar man is the most astonishing Leaper, Tumbler, and Gymnast in existence. His acts are different from any other class of artistes, and so difficult are his performances that he has no imitator. One of his astounding feats is leaping from a solid slab of stone without the aid of any springboard, over a double file of men who will cross muskets, while he throws a somersault in mid air … (Kiama Independent, 31 August 1877, p. 3)
At Goulburn, NSW, with St Leon’s Royal Victoria Circus, September 1877
… On the opening night Hadj Hamo met with great marks of approval for his clever performances in summersets; during the execution of which he goes through some extraordinary attitudes and fires off a loaded gun at the same time, and also brandishes a dagger of ugly appearance … Hadj Hamo executing a summerset from a slab of stone over the backs of eight horses … (Goulburn Herald, 15 September 1877, p. 4)
At Geelong, NSW, with St Leon’s Royal Victoria Circus, January 1879
The wonder of St Leon’s Circus, Hadj Hamo, the Arabian athlete who performs some startling aerial movement, was the defendant in a case heard at the Police Court yesterday. He had according to the opinion of the police magistrate brutally beaten a boy named George Clarke aged 13 years because the juvenile being stiff through unusually heavy exercise on Monday night could not in practise on Tuesday satisfactorily ‘do’ the ‘bending back business’. It appears that the boy failed in practice and Hadj Hamo cut him several times on the chest and on the legs with a whip which caused blood to flow freely. As Hamo and his pupil did not appear to be on the best of terms, it was agreed to postpone dealing with the case until Friday as the Arabian promised to send the boy home to his parents in Maitland North today. Should Hamo do this the Bench intend cancelling the agreement apprenticing Clarke to the acrobatic business in the circus. We may add that the proprietors of the circus, to mark their dissatisfaction with Hadj Hamo’s conduct have given him notice to dispense with his services … (Geelong Advertiser, 30 January 1879, p. 2)
