Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-06-03
4 Tragedy in a Russian Circus.

Gus struggle between the two brothers
Reiner during performance of the
Wollschlager troupe at Innspruck, In the
Tyrol, on the 9Th of August, 1912. But
an event Of still more interest took place
on the 31st of March last at the kissef
Circus, in Novgorod, Russia.
The Kisseff Circus is one of the largest
in Eastern Europe. 1t is known through
out the Russian Empire, and its perform
ers rank very high.
It's clowns were native Russians, and
their quaint capers and Jokes were
among the chief attractions of the per
fOrmanCes.
TIE best of these clowns was Maxesoy
Lidersky, a young married man of thir-
ty. He seemed to be born Centaur;
his body seemed to be destitute of bones,
and his face, all muscle, was susceptible
of the most wonderful changes. He re-
ceived a higher salary than any other
member of the Kissetf Circus.
Among the funny acts in the perform
ances of the latter at Novgorod was an
English horse-thIef's capture, sentence
10 Tic SdllOWS anu luuICtOuS escape,
when already dangling in the air.
The horse-thief was personated by
Lidersky, and his miraculous escape
from death by the halter was effected by
his jerking himself from the cross-beam
to which the rope had been fastened,
and the spectacle of the culprit making
his escape from the galIows after kick
ing the air for few seconds, and then
running away with the rope round his
neck, would invariably elicit thunders of
applause from the cOnvulsed spectators
For ten nights in succession the horse
thief scene had been enacted without an
accident, but on the 31st Of March it ter
minated in a terrible tragedy
Lidersky, who received salary of one
hundred silver roubles a week, was a
man of extravagant habits His princi-
pal pastime was playing at cards for
nigh stakes.
On the Both he had won from another
member of the Kissetf Circus nearly three
hundred rubles. The loser, Mazzef Tier
ring, had asked the loan of fifty rubles
from him, which Lidersky had some
what sCornfully refused
T5erring had left the bar-room of the
tavern, where they had been playing,
muttering threats against Lidersky.
These threats had been overheard by
waiter Ivan Grossyk, who spoke to Ii
dersky about it.
Oh, he is nothing but a braggart,"
had been Lidersky's reply: When he
gets his next weeks salary I Will give
him satisfaction, but not with my own
money"
The two circus men met at the even
ing performance, and Lidersky adj
dressed playful remark to Tjerring.
Don't speak to me, dog" had been
the surly reply of the latter.
The horse thief scene was enacted that
evening, and it passed off as usual.
Lidersky slipped from the cross beam,
which, to facilitate the escape, had been
planed and creased, and bowed to the
applauding spectators.
" 1t is strange" whispered nerring to
another member of the troupe, "that
Lidersky is not afraid of meeting with
some accident while enacting this scene"
This remark attracted no notice at the
time but it served to fasten, in connec-
ton with the facts which we have re-
lated, the guilt of what followed where
it belonged
Next evening the circus was again
densely crowded. When the manager
announced the hor8e-thief scene there
was an ali! of suspense among the spec
tators.
Lidersky, in the oddly exaggerated
costume of an English jockey, pushed
fellow from his horse, was caught, SEN
fenced to be hung by a Judge dressed up
as King Louis the Fourteenth of France
horribly grotesquely costumed hang
man appeared, put the cross-beam into
the hole in one of the wooden pillars,
and then marched the culprit clown up
the ladder with the rope round his neck.
The rope was fastened round the cross
beam, and then Lidersky was launched
into eternity! Yes, into eternity; for
the rope did not slip off as usual; but it
remained fixed to the cross-beam, and the
poor clown kicked and struggled in real
ity for his life.
Horrible to say, the spectators be-
heving all this to be in the play, APP
plauded the desperate struggles Of the
poor devil in the most enthusiastic man
ner.
For full two minutes had he been sus-
pended in the air when the truth flashed
at last upon the manager that there was
something wrong. The ladder had to be
brought back to the cross-beam; the rope
was united; Lidersky was lowered to the
ground-he was dead.
The scene that ensued in the circus
beggared description. The arena was at
once filled with a surging violent mass
Of indignant men, who wanted to know
how their favorite clown had been
brought to so untimely an end.
Surgeons endeavored to bleed him, but
without effect. He was stone dead