Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1873-07-04
MO 2z
The IRON Jawed Woman.

| AT Fayetteville, Tenn, last week, cir
Gus tent blew down and fatally injured the
performer, know as 'sThe iron iawed wo
man." She had become famous for holding
thousand pounds by her teeth, and SINH.
lar feats. The Express of that town saws
of her:
'Her feats were really wonderful, and
the immense strength evidently lodged in
her jaws and the muscles of the neck ex.
cited general establishment. There is no.
thing in her personal appearance to indicate
she concentration of unusual physical pow
er about her mouth, face or neck. She is
little above medium height, rather stout,
but symmetrically proportioned, somewhat
masculine, perhaps, in form aud feature,
with pleasant amiable face. rather broad
at the lower part. and mouth too large to
be called either pretty or feminine. Upon
the whole, she might be called, without
bordering upon aattery, very fine looking
and handsome woman. But few of the au.
dlence that saw her in the ring, glittering
with tinselled ornaments, and smiling With
we'll stimulated delight, imagined that she
was taxing her physical powers dreadfully,
and subjecting sensitive nervous orgapiza-
ton to acute torture for their amusement.
Such, however, was the case. and few
hours afterwards the poor creature, who a2-
peared so radiant under the canvass. and
performed super-human feats of strength
with apparent ease, was lying in room at
the hotel, shorn Of her borrowed splepdor,
convulsed by continuous nervous shocks
and quivering with intense pain. After
having gone through with her part of the
performance she retired utterly Frustrated to
private marquee, and while removing her
costume the centre pole OF the tent was
blown by the high wind, striking her on
the spine as it fell, and inaicting severe in.
JuFies. This accident, together with the eff
sects of her terrible exertions in the ring,
threw her into violent commissions.
Saturday night 81 was unable to
perform, and Sund .rning when the
circus left she was st ill that she had
to remain behind. s 2eived the best
medical attention in t..4s. - H., and her pe-
culiar condition aroused the sincere sympa-
thies of her physicians. The real history of
this singular prodigy is simple enough when
coutrasted with her ford biography as it APP
pears on the illuminated posters of the cir.
GUS. She is now only eighteen years old,
although she would easily pass for woman
of twice that age. Left an orphan when
wee little child, poverty forced her to &C.
cept employment on farm, where she per.
formed the work of common laborer until |
she became twelve years Of age, when she |
married man by the name of Leslie, a |
gymnast now attached to the International |
circus. She then entered upon her profes.
sionsl career, and has pursued it without in. |
PERMISSION ever since That her present vo- |
cation, suljectiog her as it does to unna-
tural and cruel exertion, will speedily kill |
her, is fact she seems fully acquainted |
with. Hence she manifests great desire |
to abandon her present occupation and en-.
ter into some quiet sphere better suited to
her sex and condition, where she will not be
required to yield up her life in daily install
ments for the nomentary qualification of Gu
rious crowds. During her illness, the in
divldual whom she calls her husband never
once visited her. He was in easy reach,
and she requested his presence several
times but be displayed no interest in her
whatever. Sunday morning this gymnast
with the iron heart packed up his trars and
left his afflicted spouse with the iron jaws,
without bothering himself about any for
malties in the way of leave taking.