Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-10-12
THRILLING CIRCUS SCENE.
Astonishing Performances of a Fe.
male Gymnast- the Pr0digious
Power Of q Woman's law.

"
Power Of n Womans law.
! trrom III. San frarci 20 chmuiesil
We doubt if ii moro thrilling
. spectacle has cvs: boon presented
under canvss4 on lhc Pacific Coas,
than tlIa, which hu, hrcn for the
past two evenings introduced here
in tho Italian C,rri-. on Jackson
street the duuhlrl apcze porfor
names Of Mile. Marie Grace and
Henry Clar.. Vac ave electrified
the public by their marvellous dou'
die acts IN mid air The proprie
ty Of such exhibitions, attended as
they are, by imminent peri! to the
life and limb of the performers,
may well bo doubted; but so long
as the public crave tho excitement
of seeing their fellow mortals per.
il their lives for its amusemonts, so
long will tho excitement bo furn-
ished. 1t is difficult to give an &C.
curate idea Of the blood. d.curdling
spectacle. The lady is a model Of
female grace and beauty, 1.-the and
supple as cat in every movement,
but giving no outward indication
of the marvellous strength required
to act her part.
AS sho makes her appearance in
tho ring, an involuntary murmer
of admiration arises from the dense
throng OF spectators she makes a
grateful acknowledgement, stand
ing beneath tho trapeze, and grasp.
ing II line, ascends hund-over- hand, /,
and takes her place on the bar,
twenty feet above the ground,
where she is joined an instant
afterward by her fellow performer.
A moment of rest, and then follow
in rapid succession, all tho difficult
poses and dangerous acts usually
performed on the trapeze, every
thing being done with an apparent
ease and confidence that ehcits
rounds of applause. Another rest,
and then Mr.. Clark gldes to the
upper bar, and then follow n series
OF feats exciting to the last degree,
tho interest being greatly intensi-
fed by tho idea that ono of those
accomplished performers is q wo-
man. Clark, suspended by his
feet from the upper bar, places n
band over tho back of his head
Mile Grace, standing uprighs on
the lower bar, adjusis the suspend
ed loop to the back of her own
head, and kicking away the bar,
swings TO and fro for several Sec
onds in that pcrilous, POSITION
BuckIing stout leather strap
about her loins, Mile. Grace glides
up one Of tho ropes to her COM
panion, and in another instant is
seen suspended horizontally in
mid air, sustained only by small
leather strap held between Clark g
teeth, while he himself suspended
from the upper bar by his feet |!
All this is wonderful, and tho in.
terest is intense; but in another
moment the whole scene is rcvers-
cd. Clark dcscends to tho lower
bar, while tho woman takes his
place, and slight as che appears,
she apparently supports her com
rade, who is n largo robust man,
with as much ease as he had sup.
ported her; but when she per.
forms the herculean feat ofsustain.
ing for several seconds her robust
companion by n leather strap be-
tween her pearly teeth, returning
her place head downward at that
giddy height merely by her feet,
the interest ofthe spectators gives
place to downright astonishment
Clark then resumes his place on
the lower. bar, and in q few mo
mcnts begins series of perfor-
mances on his own hook, while
Mile. Grace on the upper bar takes
the rest she evidently needs. A
few seconds elapsc. Clark is lying
horizontily across the lower bar;
Mile. Grace is preparing to initiate
him, when she suddenly looses her
place and falls heavily on his
breast, whirling him from his po-
sition. An involuntary cry Of dis.
may arises on every hand but the
next moment Clark is seen sus-
pended from tho bar by one foot,
and Mile. Grace clasping one of his
strong hands, swings safely and
gracefully between him and the
ground. Catching the line, they
both descend quickly to the ground,
acknowledge tho deafening ap-
plause by profuse salutations to
the excited spectators and disap-
pear from the ring.