The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-04-09
DEATH LEAP IN A THEATRE.
A Terrible Somerset From a Flying
TrapeLe.

Terrible Somerset From Flying
| TrapeLe.
James Sylvester, one of the Sylves.
ter brothers, gymnasts, performing in
the Thirty fourth Street Theatre, New
York, was killed. His first act on the
trapeze was to swing with his might
and when he calculated that he had
force enough he turned a somerset from
the trapeze and caught rope suspend.
ed from the ceiling in the back part OF
the auditorium. Under this rope was
stretched netting to shield the per.
former from injury in the event of miss
ing the rope, and to protect the au.
dience over whom he takes the flying
leap. a.
Young Sylvester came out as usual
and executed his various feats, until
the last grand leap; then he swung
himself until he thought he had gather.
ed sufficient force and let himself go.
But he miscalculated and swung him.
self too far. With tremendous velocity
he shot by the rope and struck against
the boxes with an appalling thud.
Thence he fell in heap to the floor,
striking on his head. The force of the
fall was so great as to break the heavy
iron chair upon which he struck.
Ladies in the boxes tainted, and tn
spectators were transfxed. All was
confusion. Two physicians were in the
theatre, and attendants from behind
the scenes hurried to the assistance OF
the injured man.
Sylvester was gently lifted and borne
into a room. There the physicians
found him to be alive, but without the
least consciousness. A terrible cash in
the back of his head marked where he
had struck. The skull was beaten in,
and large clots of blood and pieces OF
brains oozed out upon the slightest
pressure.
The play was hurried on, but the
house soon thinned out, leaving the
theatre empty.
Sylvester fingered but short time.
His breath became shorter and shorter,
and soon he died. He was f9 years ol
age. The body was then laid in shell
and taken to the Morgue.
There Sylvester's mother, who had
been hastily summoned, saw the corpse
of her son. She kissed the cold lips
and threw herself upon the body, and
in endearing words entreated her boy
to speak to her. Then realizing he1
loss, her grief found vent in loud Ia
mentations.
The mother said that her son had
been printer, but that his splendid
physique led him to become an athlete.
His partner, with whom he had been &C.
customed to act under the title of Syl-
vester Brothers, was not his brother.
Some days ago, his mother added,
her son had dream of falling from q
house-top. He had believed it to be q
presentiment, and was much troubled
by it. CHOW the dream is realized.
Ny poor darling He was always good
to me and never uttered an unkind
word in his life. Oh, God What have
L done to be thus STRICKEN" cried the
broken-hearted mother, as she detached
a bracelet from her sons wrist, and
kissing him again was led away by hel
| friends.
The body was in blue and flesh color.
ed tights, with gold fringe. A pleas
ant smile wreathed the lips, and there
was no indication of suffering. The
surgeon oil Bellevue Hospital said that
the vertebral column had been dis.
located, and that there was also frac-
ture of the skull at the base of the
brain. He gave the opinion that Syl.
vester was utterly unconscious from the
| instant of the fall