The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1874-03-26
A Shocking Trapaze Accident.

NEW J ORR, March 20 The terrible fall
Of james Sylvester, the trapeze performer,
in the Thirty fourth Street Theatre. last
| evening was a most shocking affair Syl-
NrSter performed various Ieats in the air,
walking head dOWnWafds on the ceiling
making double somersaults from one ira
peze to another, and a double act with his
brother Baldwin From the statements
made 10y Mr. Jacob Berry, the lessee of
the house it appears that he was induced
to engage Sylvester and his confrere to
give Il trapeze performance for one week.
Nh Berry at first objected to the engage
ment owing to the dangerous nature of
the teats, but Sylvester assured him that
there was no danger and to convince him,
on Saturday last Sylvester and Baldwin
Went through the entire performance sew
eral times in the presence of the stage
| manager After this Mr. Berry consented
| to give them an engagement, and they
commenced TO take part in the perform
ance on Monday night The house was
| we'll filled last evening, and the perform
| ance progressed without accident until the
conclusion of the tapeZe business. Syl-
| vester with the aid of his cOnfrtre. had
| performed the various featS on the trapeze
successfully, and it was while doing the
act called The Leap for Life that Syl-
veser met with the fall which ended his
| life.
In this act the performer stands on the
horizontal ban Of the trapeze, and after
swinging back and forth sufficiently to give
him the necessary momentum, leaps from
the bar to a rope suspended from the cell
ing, and which is held by his partner, and
slides down the rope to the stage In max
ing this leap last night Sylvester miscal-
| cplated the distance and failed to grasp the
rope. He fell a distance of not more than
seven feet, but in the fall he struck the
back Of his head against the projecting
edge Of a private box on the right of the
stage, and dropped, a helpless mass, at the
foot OF the box. A shudder of horror ran
| through the audience, and many ladies
screamed and tainted. Sylvester was gently
borne into a room, where 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 Sylvester
fingered but a short time. His breath be-
came shorter and soon he died. After the
body had been taken to the Morgue the
mother of Sylvester, who had been hastily
summoned, saw the corpse of her son. She
kissed the cold lips and threw herself upon
the body, and in endearng words entreat-
ed her boy to speak to her Then, real
izing her loss, her grief found vent in loud
lamentations, The body was in blue and
tiesh-colored tights, with gold fringe A
pleasant smile wreathed the lips, and there
was no Indications of suffering His
mother and a young brother were depend
ent upon him for support and the mana
ger of the theatre has volunteered to give
performance for their benefit. 1t is said
that the net usually spread to protect
the performer of dangerous feats was en-
tirely insufficient. This poor protection
even was rolled up and removed before
Sylvesters final act, and there was nothing
to break his fall.
.Methodists think about doing away with the
itinerant system, which, in the opinion OF many
has outliyed the condition which made it effect
i've.