The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-10-17
Deadly Struggle on Tight-Rope,

men, women and children who thronged
the public square of Agram, Croatia,
on the Doth of September, anticipate
that they were about to witness a specta-
Gle such as has, perhaps, never been
seen before, mortal struggle in mid
air. The occasion of the gathering was
a performance on the tight-rope. The
acrobats, Andreas Kolter and Francis
Pergowitch, were to appear on the rope,
which had been stretched from win
dow in the fifth story of the courthouse
to a window in an opposite house, a
distance of $50 feet. The acrobats were
to meet midway, and then to pass each
other. When the clock struck II, the
acrobats emerged from their respective
windows dressed in tights, and without
balance-poles. Kolter walked rather
cautiously, while Pergowitch came to
meet him from the opposite direction,
with nervous, quick step. At last they
met, and the suspence of the crowd
underneath changed the hext moment
to a feeling of indescribable horror
Pergowitch suddenly uttered an angry
exclamation, and dealt Kolter a terri
BILE blow on the head. Kolter staggered
and fell, but in so doing, succeeded in
clutching the rope with one hand, while
with the other he grasped the left leg of
his assailant. Pergowitch now fell, like
wise, but passed his right arm around
the rope, so that he hung upon it in
comparative security. And now began
life and death struggle. Kolter with
his right hand, tried to drag Pergowitch
from the rope, while Pergowitch kicked
Kolter with his right foot, and with his
left hand endeavored to loosen his an
tagonist's hold. No one was able to in
terfere, and the result, it was easy to
foresee, must be the death of one or
both of the acrobats. Many women
tainted, while strong men wept like
children. What added to the general
despair was the appearance of Kolter's
young wife at the open window, from
which her husband, few moments be-
fore, had set out upon his fatal walk.
Her piteous screams were heard above
the din below, and her appeals to Per-
gowitch to spare her husbands life
would have moved the heart of aH Ap-
ache. The struggle in mid-air lasted
perhapsa minute, when Kolter suddenly
uttered last cry and lost his hold. He
fell to the ground, striking it violently
and expiring instantly. While the peo-
pie gathered around the corps of poor
Kolter, his murderer ON the tight-rope
managed to get on his feet again. With
a diabolical expression on his face he
uttered yell of triumph. The prefect
of police ordered Pergowitch to sur
render. In case he should not do so
within five minutes he would be shot
down like a dog. Finally he raised
himself to his feet and ran quickly to
the courthouse window, where he sur
rendered, begging that he might be
protected from violence. There was
great danger of his being executed by
the people, who loudly clamored that
the murderer be given up to them but
the military by bayonet charge cleared
the public square. Pergowitch, being
asked what caused him to perpetrate
this crime, said that there had been
grudge between him and Kolter ever
since the latter had married young
Rosita Serganoff, Polish girl of rare
beauty. Kolter in a fit of jealousy, had
told him he knew one or the other of
them must die on this account. Andreas
Kolter was the youngest member of
the distinguished family of acrobats of
that name.
Expanding the Chest.
Take strong rope, and fasten it to
beam overhead; to the lower end of the
rope attached to a stick three feet long,
convenient to grasp with the hands.
The rope should be fastened to the
centre of the stick. which should hang