Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-06-20
HORROss OF THE TRAPEzE.
Am Outrageous Performance fn Phil
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| From the Philadelphia Inquirer, June IA.
A scene Of considerable excite.
ment occurred at the American
Theater, on Walnut street, above
Eight, on Saturday evening, during
the flying trapeze performance of
two artists announced on the bills
as Lila and Zoe. One of their feats
consists in Lila, full grown young
woman swinging herself by two
ropes suspended from the ceiling,
from platform erected in front of
the gallery, entirely across the AUDI
itorem, until she touches with her
feet trapeze that hangs at eonsid-
erable altitude over the orchestra.
Securing herself on this trapeze
with her feet, her body swings
downward, and she remains in that
position while Zoe, child of eleven
years old, mounts the platform in
the gallery, and seiziDg the iron
rings attached to the ropes men
toned, throws herself OFF, and darts
toward Lila, and when nearing her
the child throws somersauit in
mid air, and her only chance from
being crushed to death by falling
from the dizzy height among the
audience in the parquet, is being
caught by Lila, who hangs with her
head downward from the trapeze. 4.
Certain death would be the result
of the slightest mistake made by
either of the performers, On Sat
urday evening the feat was success
fully performed, it is true, but Lilla
barely caught the child as she re-
yolyed in the air. As the latter,
was descending, however, to the
stage, the manwhose duty it was to
catch her from the hands of Lila,
failed to do so, and the poor child
fell to the platform placed over the
orchestra, distance of several feet,
and struck her head and otherwise
injured herself. B l-e
The child was picked up, when ]
she Immediately placed her hands
to her head, and it was apparent
that she was seriously hurt. Not
withstanding this, she was most inr
humanity ordered to remount the
platform, in the gallery, and repeat
the feat. The child obeyed, but
such conduct on the part of those
having charge of the exhibition was
too much for the audience to stand,
and there was s unanimous cry Of
~No, nor "Shame, shame y Take
her back, take her backiv etc. In
the meantime the child mounted the
platform, and then stoody ready to
repeat the feat, but the audience
rose en- maSse, to their great credit,
and prevented the ropes from being
handed to her. Unable to combat
such display of public indignation
and reproval, the child was ordered
to retire, which she did amid the
most tumultuous applause. b Now,
whether she could have performed
the feat again in her then condition
will be seen from the following:
After she had retired, the man
ager advanced and stated that she
desired to perform another feat, and
that she was not injured, and the
consent of the audience was asked.
There was a general cry of 'No,
no." and considerable kissing but,
taking advantage of a few cries of
%Go on from the boys in the gal
lery, the child again appeared,
and mounting the platform, took
hold of the rings, and swung
herself off for the purpose of catch
ing the hanging trapeze with her
feet, and then making somersault
while descending into an out.
stretched net. AS the audience felt
would be the case, the child essayed
the feat, but failed to catch the
trapeze, owing to her nervous state,
which was natural under the circum-
stances, but she was saved from
injury by her eommendable presence
| Of mind in not letting go of the
ropes. The consequence was that
she swung backward and forward,
amid much excitement, and was re-
lieved from her psrilous position by
the audience, who caught her and
carried her to the stage. Il