New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-04-23
THE MARTY KS OF THE TIE PEE Z

someihin. az the ,si.ory OF an Aero aiie
Family.
x (Erom the Kalamazoo ,Mlchiean) Telegraph J
Seeing in many city papers an account
of the accident which occurred in Balti-
more recently, to little Zoe De Lave, the
frat female gymnast in this country, and the
first femnle that performed the now less
novel feat OF 1.-The flying trapeze," [ am
tempted to write for your readers few
facts concerning the troupe of which she
is a member. My information is from a
lady who became acquainted with them
during stay of week or two they made
at hotel, at Grass Valley, California.
The de Lave Troupe" or 'family,"
consists of Monsieur (whOse speciality and
sole part of their entertainment is an act
on the tight rope); his wife, German
girl about twenty one years now, and who
is advertised as Lila, and Zoe, child
about twelve years old, his daughter by a
former marriage. In the first part of their
entertainment, before the real f1tiguipg
business commences, Lila dances some
of the fancy dances, well known in the
days of the ballet. Then she and Zoe do
the double aud single trapeze, rings, paral-
lei bar, ETC.. in short, all the business that
the Hanlons are SO famous for, only that
they co different parts much more rapidly
than the Hanlons. Zoe also does an act
on the tight rope. M. De Lave once
crossed Niagara river on rope, with
Zoe, then six years old, walking 10 front
of him. One of her feats is for Lila TO
precipitate herself from the gallery ceiling
of theatre, catching trapeze or ring
hanging from about the centre of the cell
ing, where she hangs by her feet, and Zoe
6ings herself to her, is caught end is again
hung to some one on the stage. whose
business it is to catch her, and who does
1t or not, as the case may be, as we had an
instance of in Philadelphia this fall. Mrs.
De Lave has warned her husband time and
again that the child was getting too heavy,
and some day she should be unable to
catch her. This and the flying trappze act
are the most dangerous of all the feats
they attempt, and IN doing these, Zoe is
continually missing her hold, and has
narrowly escaped death several times.
These girls detest the life they are
obliged to lead. Mrs. De Lave says every
night, when she goes upon the ropes, the
cold perspiraion, started by sheer horror,
breaks out over her, so the rosin put there
to prevent slipping will not stay upon her
hands. She enters upon every perform
apce with protest. Zoe has mus cal
talent, that, il cultivated. would lead to
fortune much quicker than the means
she at present is obliged to adopt. She
is small OF her age. Slender, though very
muscular-her face thin and peaked-she
is not what would be called a pretty child.
She is ignorant-does not even know how
to read. She is self-wiled-w not even
venture upon either tight or slack ropes
until satisfied they are secure.
Her father has educated her to believe
that as long as he stands by the rope or
bar she will never be hurt, at least dam
gerously. This, of course, gives her con-
fidence. He excuses his sternness to them
by saying that unless they do just as be
orders, they would, in many instances,
have been killed. But this will never
palliate the brutalities he was known to
have been guilty of in Philadelphia. At
the time nay informant met them, De Lave
was independently wealthy, aud promised,
after exhibiting Zoe at the Paris EXPOSE |
ton, she should be Withdrawn and placed
in convent to be educated. But the |
pledge has been broken, and last month |
she was so injured in Baltimore that it |
was thought she would be cripple for |
life, and SO l suppose her life will be held
thus cheaply by her inhuman father until
she is crippled, or death intervenes and
sets her free from daily contact with the |
things she loathes.
Knowing this, and that there are
parallel cases. as for instance the appren-
tees the Hanlous have, one can not bat |
wish that freedom might always be the
reward of bravery, ana wonder which is |
the most to blame for this cruelty to these |
girls-the Frenchman, De Lave, or the !
real power behind the throne, the public |
who patronizes and applauds these life
1mperiling performances?