Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-03-21

| drove away great deal OF tilnilitv,
As told myself that man might PLAY
! snch antics for his whole life and never
fall Wei, as | said. we hal been do.
ing il about n month, when one even.
lng-wc took our places as usual. j
was an extra night. AMI the largest
balloon was % ascend; onr rope. too.
was 20 be heightened % thirty feet.
and at that distance below the car. W,
were 10 swing abont rs usual You
NAV saw we ought to have been use,l
70 it by this time; there are things
though which YOU never get used to
try how YOU will anu this was one o
them.
The bands were playing away theil
best the people were eagerly looking
ut the half a dozen pronauts who wer
To ascend the manager of he balloon
was there ; the signal was gwen and
was allowed 10 rise 50 high that ouI
trapcze swung clear. when hung from
II by my legs. holding cross-bar il
my hands over which Tom threw his
lcgs, and hang his head downwaris
and then away We went, up through
the soft evening air, 50 slowly that
Toms hands touched the top "t one oj
the clm-trecs as hc waved about 4 cuu
pie of days.
Oar custom was to hang quite Still
TIL We were NJ 400 or 300 feet, and
thcL To bc1II our twIuin. aui twisting
and we dld 50 nov, when Tom pitched
away the flags. aud we went through
nur tricks, rising higher and higher.
with the faces Of the dense crowd get.
ting mixed into a confused mass, aud
the strains pf the band growing fainter
and fainter. TIL all below was que,
mingled in a hmm.
We ruly hal Que more trick to do.
and that was to cast loose the BAT,
ami each man sw NJ by hi, own rope,
! hal loascncl my end, the per>pIra-
tion streaming doSn tie while, and
Tom had tone the same, when swing
tnE round towards IN. with 4 horrible
white face, hc exclaimed, Ben, old
man. I'm gojng IL ftll.'
Its no use couldn't ten Won what
trlt them II ha tried ever 50 hard,
only that in half second saw Tom
living Z horrible crushed corpse far be-
low and felt 50 paralyzrd that |
thought | should have u let 20 my
own and f.l myself. could act.
though. and dii, fOr in a lash had
ny self a2ai It rom. dnglng INV legs
round him and holding him tightly
and then, tired. ~ was. felt that
hai double weight 70 sustain. fur ON )
rope was swinging 10 and tro. anil as
,ny .cgs clunI around his body. his
have Ilil1rt,,.~ 80 and | knew he must
How managed 10 hold on can't
tell now. fpr though weak With all
had done, managed to give hoarsr
cry for help. and the next moment
heard cry OF horror from the basket
work car. THen felt the rope begin
to jerk as they began 70 haul Il, up,
ana managed 10 shricA ont. No
uo ' FIR II lhct hal hanIci amy longer
they must have jtrkal poor Tom lrom
iny hold.
often ask myself whether it was
ha,f ali Aour OF uuiy a few second, bc
fore saw . hi5 rope lowered with i
biz running moose, and then I've ! mis-
Is notion of having set ny teeth fast
On the rope, as felt dtcaiful weight
- OF lclj, drl-gin. at me. Then
frlt that Il was all over, ami ! knew
th1t | had been he death ofpoor Tom
for hc had seemed 10 fall, as felt Tn,
rope bv which hung jerk again vto
lentlv. saw the earth below l!k :
map and the golden clouds up aboy,
the great net covered ball, aud than Z
mist swan before iuv eyes. and al
seemed black and thick rs night
When came to- was lying on IN,
back IN the car, with Il man lpurine
urlndv between my lips. M first
words w-rc gaspcd out IA ! husky tone
lor III not know where | was ; am,
then remembered bursting ont into
quite sArck As crich: where
Iom,
Here, old man IN sail, t,r th'y
hal managed To drag us both into ti'
car, and tor the next hour We rat there
shiverlng, saturated with cold pcrspira
ton cvcl the mcI in the car bcIn.
silent, unnervcd, as | suppose, by ON
narrow escape.
Tom wanted to Z, again, bnt
wouldn't let him. Il did not tremblc,
he sa,d ii was only Il suilen iii o
gid,llness through being unwetl.
went up, though. many times al
forwards alone, on horses and on bulls
and | meant 10 have had a car of hy
ing swans for a grand hit. when gpT
crnment stepped in. and put a stop L
it and, as said before. very sorry
was, for it was my living.