The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-07-01
From the Philadelphia Inquirer, June IA.
WH0RRORS OF TEKR TRAEsEZE-



scene of considerable excitement oc-
CURED at the American Theatre, on Wal
nut street, above Eighth, on Saturday
evening, during the flying trapeze per
formance of two artists announced on the
bills as Lila and Zoe. One of their feats
consists in Lila, a full grown young wo-
man, swinging herself by means of two
ropes suspended from the ceiling, from a
platform erected in front of the gallery,
entirely across the auditorium, until she
touches with her feet trapeze that hangs
at considerable altitude over the orchestra
Securing herself on this trapeze with her
feet, her body swings downwards, apd she
remains in that position while Zoe, child
of ten years of age, mounts the platform
in the gallery, and seizing the iron rings
attached to the ropes mentioned, throws
herself off, and darts towards Lila, and
when nearing her the child throws a SOM
ersault 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 downwards from
the trapeze.
Certain death would be the result of
the slightest mistake by either of the per-
formers. On Saturday evening the feat
was successfully performed, it is true, but
Lila barely caught the child as she re-
yolyed In the air. As the latter was de-
scending, however, to the stage, the man
whose duty ii was TO catch her from the
hands OF Lila, failed to do so, and the
poor child fell TO the platform placed over
a L. i &c .-or-1,.a1 Cot
and struck her head and otherwise mjur-
ed herself.
The child was picked up, when she i'm
mediately placed her hands to her head,
and it was apparent that she was serious
lv hurt Notwithstanding this she was
almost inhumanly ordered TO remount the
platform in the gallery and repeat the
feat. The child obeyed, but such con-
duct on the part of those having charge
of the exhibition was too much for the
audience to stand, and there was a unan-
imous cry of mo, mol" ''Shame, shame!"
"Take her back" &c. In the meantime
the child mounted the platform, and then
stood ready to repeat the feat, but the au-
dience rose en- masse, to their great cred
it, and prevented the ropes from being
handed to her. Unable to combat such
a display of public Indignation and dis
approval, the child was ordered to retire,
which she did admid the most tumultu-
GUS applause Now, whether she could
have performed the feat again in her then
condition be seen from the following:
After she had retired, the stage mana
ger advanced and stated that she desired
to perform another feat, and that she was
not injured, and the consent of the audi
ence was asked There was a general cry
of ''No, no., and considerable kissing;
but, taking advantage of a few cries of
ego on" from the boys in the gallery, 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 trapez with her feet and
then making a sommersault while de-
scending into an outstretcned 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 circumstan-
ces, but she was saved from injury by
her commenpable presence of mind in
not letting 60 Of the ropes. The conse-
quence was that she swung backwards and
forwards amid a scene of much excite
ment, and was relieved from her perilous
position by the audience, who caught her
and carried her to the stage.