Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1860-07-12
The Rope waIher al NlaEara.


Mr.. Willis, in the Home Journal, thus de
scribes NJ. Blondins passage over the Niagara
river in the character Of an Indian chief
AFTER being dressed in his Aesh-colored
tights, wampum apron, bead necklace, and
moccasins, he came out with his particularly
uncombed sandy hair uncovered as yet by ts
crown Of feathers) to look q little into the ar
rangements for his performance. For fifteen
or twenty minutes the little Tecumseh was
hopping about trying the cords which held
the ropes TO the stanchons, cooking the pistol
which was TO be fred to announce his return,
giving directions for the music, binding the
ligatures Of his balance-pole, and answering
very merrily all the jokes aud questions Of
the lookers-on. In his motions, back and for
ward, he took no regular step; he simply
bounded Like child's soap bubble the diff
fculty seemed to be to get to the ground-to
keep from floating away During oil this time,
Of course, had the desired opportunity for
the study Of his face. II was one which 10
persons out Of 20, on seeing II in a crowd,
would pass over as wholly uninteresting-
twentieth and more observant man giving him
a good look; as one of the most coolly deter
mined and honestly spunky little fellows he
had ever seen. The top of his skull, of course,
is very high with his bump of hrmness. His
cheek-bones are prominent, his nose straight
and with thin expanded nostrils, his lips thin
and firm, his cheecks hollow and pale, and he
wears a sandy moustache and imperial--a Ia
Louis Napoleon, Though anything but a
beauty, he is a man II is impossible not to
take fancy TO.
Retiring to his shanty for minute or two
after all was arranged, his reappearance wns
announced by grand utmost-iana from the
band, and forward came Tecumseh with a
thigh crown of meny-colored feathers on his
head--not with slow pace, as would be exc
pected from an Indian chief, but dancing a
lig all the way to the precipice II was
curious, however, TO see that the smile on his
lip, and his other signs Of merriment for the
many, were altogethir mechanical and artif.
cial while the cosely-pressed eyelid, through
which his keen blue eye was hardly visible,
showed the inner minds utter absorption aud
concentration in the work he had TO do The
rope wns drawn from shore TO shore, eight
hundred feet across, and two hundred and
fifty feet high over the Niagara rapids
perilous bridge for human feet TO walki
took hold of his arm as he stood trying the
rope for moment with the ball of his foot
It was like bunch of iron wire, wholly unim
pressible. And away he went--his mocoasin
ed feet hugging the two sides Of the swaying
cable, his balanee-pole playing up and down, his
little figure gradually diminishing as he walk
ed steadily on and reached the middle Of the
| chnsm, where he proceeded TO stand upon one
leg and hold thel other out at right angles,
The spectators Of course, were all breathessly
silent though found II much more breathess
to think Of afterward than to see it done. He
did II with such apparent ease and certainty
that il was like seeing a bird fly or spider
walk the ceiling--not to be wondered ut for
that kind of creature. am inclined to think
it would be more startling (better enabling one
to imagine himselfin the performers place) Il
he were TO do it in common clothes
Looking scarcely larger than butterfly as
he reached the opposite shore, Bondln re
mained fifteen or twenty minutes out of sight
and then the pistol was fred to announce his
return. He came quietly on to the centre
where he stopped TO lie down at full length on
the rope, and execute various postures and
gymnastics; and, between this and his reach
ing our shore again, he made several preten-
ded trips, as if losing his balance--the
screams of the affrighted ladies', al this, very
comically varying the tune which was being
endeavored by the band As he came up the
slant of the rope again, saw that his lips
were tightly drawn together and his features
were rigidly set with the mental exertion, and
it WINS an expression Of face that would be
worth painting as type of determined will
Through all the anxiety of a spectators sus-
pense, could not help admiring the little
man exceedingly, and | was the first to give
him hand as he stepped on the cliff II was
a cold, clammy grip that he gave me in return,
and his fingers felt icy and wet Everybody
who could reach him gave him shake Of the
hand on his way to the shanty, and the enthu.
siasm for him seemed universal And so end
ed 'the show" of human life put fearfully in
peril Mr. Blondin, was afterwards told, has
a wife and several children and resides at
Niagara, having adopted it as his theatre OF
performance His professional profits amount
| 10 ten thousand dollars "a wear