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Hall has since gone on the offensive to defend the sideshow life. In 1994, he denounced experts who wrote about exploitation shows, telling the Chicago Tribune, “Until you’ve sat up all night with the fat lady in a hospital room or consoled a brokenhearted dwarf, you’re no expert.”

The Magic Ballot Box

Florida’s circus and carnival folks have a certain shared cynicism when it comes to media and politics, which might be more acute than in other communities.

“As a person who slips on banana peels for a living, it’s nice watching the Washington folks have a try at it,” says Steve Smith, former dean of Ringling Bros. Clown College, which closed two years ago, after training thousands of would-be bozos.

“If you think slipping on a banana peel is easy, try doing it three shows a day without breaking your neck,” says Smith, 49. “The election folks have a pretty entertaining thing going, but I don’t think they could take it on the road. It’s a one-time thing strictly, so I’d leave the comedy to the pros.”

For real answers to the mysterious missing ballots and why the vote count seems to change by the day, The Wolf Files went to Roy Huston, better known as “The Amazing Huston,” who has made tigers and showgirls disappear from the center ring of a big top. At 60, his touring days are over, but he still builds and repairs magic tricks.

“Oh, this disappearing act is nothing new in Florida. Politicians are the real magicians,” he says. “They make money disappear all the time. My next trick might be the magic ballot box.”

Buck Wolf is a producer at ABCNEWS.com. The Wolf Files is a weekly feature. If you want to receive weekly notice when a new column is published, join the e-mail list.