The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-22 00:00:00

A Female Blondin Killed at Birmingham.

Tho woman lately known as the let,male Blondin
has fallen s. victim to the morbid taste for sensation
performance. While she was crossing a high ropa
on Monday at Aston Perk, Birmingham, the rope
broke, and she was dashed to the ground and in-
stantly killed.

Everything (says the local Gazette) seemed to
favcur the Foresters' fete. The weather was fine,
and the public, taking, much interest in the festival,
thronged the streets to see the procession as it
passed. The Foresters assembles.' at Bingley Hall
before 12 o'clock—more than 2,00( of them coming
from Leicester, Warwick, Tamworth and Brierley
Hill, as well as from Birmingham. ney disported
themselves in their insignia and their regalia, and
their chrystopes, and scarves, and horns, and every-
thing gave promise of a day of pleasure. The pro-
cession was followed by crowds to Aston Pa.ck, and
in the earlier part of the day thousands Were
amused by the volunteer bands and by nigger ape-
lodists, dancers, clowns, and gymnasts. A balloon
ascent was watched with interest by a vast con-
course of people, and then all eyes were turned t•O
the rope upon which a woman, who was known to
the public as :Madame Geneive, the Female Blon-
din, was to wq.form extraordinary feats. She had
been advertised in the newspapers, and by placard
and handbill, as " the only real and legitimate per-
former of Blondin's great feats of walking the rope
shackled in chains, feet in baskets, blindfolded, en-
veloped in a sack," &c. Her coming was heralded
with all the sounding phraseology at the command
of the writer of the official programme, and her
appearance on the rope was looked for with eager-
ness. The crowd pressed around the space set apart
for the poles and stakes by which the rope was
supported, but the police kept the space clear. At
half-past six Madame Geneive ascended the ladder,
and taking the balance-pole in her hands, stepped
out on the rope with much confidence. She walked
half way across the rope, and then returning she
had two very heavy chains tied to her hands
and feet. Her action was not impeded ; for the
right foot was tied to the right hand and the left
foot to the left hand, the chains being sufficiently
long to allow her to make free use of hands and
feet. Toe chains encumbered her only by their
weight. Again she walked along the rope without
the slightest trepidation. She walked the whole
length of the rope, stepping over the point of the
upright pole by which the rope was supported in
the centre. At the other end of the rope she re-
ceived from a man who was in attendance a bag or
sack, which she placed over head and shoulders.
Again she went upon the rope, stepping with con-
fidence, and had only gone about a yard when there
was a crash, and, before the cry of horror had died
from the lips of the spectators, Madame Geneive
had fallen at the feet of her husband, and was dead.
The crowd rushed towards the spot, but the police
were able to keep a small space around the dead
woman.

Everything that was possible, under the circum-
stances, was done with the view of inducing respira-
tion by artificial means ; but all was of no avail.
Madame Geneive appeared to have died the instant
her body struck the ground, her death having oc-
curred from concussion or rupture of the spine. She
was six months advanced in pregnancy.

Madame Geneive was in appearance about thirty
years of age. She had, we believe, several children,
who are still living, and who are of tender years.
The name by which her appearance at Aston was
announced to the public was assumed. She was
the daughter of a man who was formerly known to
some people in Birmingham as "Funny Joe." Ho
was a showman in a small way, and his daughters,
of whom he had two or three—Madame Geneive,
as we have said, among the number—were all reared
to " the profession." They were very clever and
very successful, and out of an income which at least
one of them earned by risking her life, and by
losing it at last, they made an allowance to their
father during the last few years.