The Placer herald., 1873-10-18
AUBURN PLACER COUNTY, CALIFORNIA OCTOBER is,
A COMBAT In MID-AlR.

Little did tens Of thousands of men,
women and children who thronged the pub
lie square of Agram, Croutla, on the 18th
of August, anticipate that they were about
to witness a spectacle such as has, perhaps
never been seen before--a mortal struggle
in mid-air. The occasion Of the gathering
was performance on the tiglt-rope. The
acrobats, sAndreas Kolter and Francis Per-
gowitch, were to appear on the rope, which
had been stretched from the fifth story 81 ths
court house to window in an opposite
honse, distance of $50 feet. The acrobats
were to meet midway, and then to pass
each other. When the clock struck IL
the acrobats emerged from their respect We
windows, dressed in tights, and without
balance poles. Kolter walked rather eau
tioOsly, while Pergowitch came to moet him
from the opposite direction with a nervous,
quick step. AT last they met, and the
crowd underneath changed the next moment
to scene Of undescribable horror. Per-
gowitch suddenly uttered an angry exela-
nation, and dealt Kolter terrible blow on
the head. .Kolter staggered and fell, but
in SO doing succeeded in clutchng the rope
with one hand, while with the other he
grasped the left leg Of his assailant Per-
gowitch now fell likewise. 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 Pergo-
witch from the rope, while Fergowitch
kicked Kolter with his right foot, and with
his right hand endeavored to loosen his
antagonist S hold. No one was able to in
terEere, and the result, II was easy to fore
see, must be the death Of one or both The
acroba.s. Many women tainted, while
strong men wept like children. What ad-
ded to the general despair was the appear
ahce Of Koiter's young wife at an open win
dow, from which her husband few mo-
ments before had set out upon bis fatal
walk. Her piteous screams were heard
above the din below, and her appeals to
Pergowitch to spare her husbands life
would have moved the heart Of an Apache
The struggle in mid-air lasted perhaps a
minute, when sKolter suddenly uttered last
cry and lost his hold. He fell to the
ground, striking it violently and expiring
instantly, While the people gathered
around the corpse Of poor Kolter, hip Yur-
derssna1tha tiEbtsngIsrsnz nznz
his feet again. With diabolical expression
on his face he uttered yell of triumph.
The Prefect of Police ordered Pergowitch
to surrender. In case lie should not do so
within five minutes he would be shot down
like dog. Finally he raised himself to
his feet and ran quickly to the court house
window, where he surrendered, begging
that he might be protected from violence
There was great danger of his being exc
cuted 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 sin,e the latter had
married young Rosita Serganof, Polish
girl of rare beauty Kolter, in fit Of
jealousy, had told him he knew one or the
other must die on this account. Andreas
Kolter was the youngest member of the dis
tinguished family of acrobats by that name.