St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-11-19
The Cruelty of Amusements.


Fol weeks past. flaming posters have
.,,n,unceJ tn the populacc of New
York that ..priucc Leo. the wee acrobat
w,s .xbibitiu" at the Tivoli gardens.
and those vino were attracted thereby
and we or, told that the Tivoli WAS
NIGHTLY filled with "immcm>c crowds
found there Il remarkably sweet and
interesting boy some seven years of age.
with an Intelligent countcnancc. but of
puuy plV Siuuc and under size. Nightly
Inc was put through" his acts 10y Il man
NAMED Walter Leonard. the proprietor
of the gardens. The child has now
been rescued from his brutal master.
who is undergoing an investigation be
fore the courts of New York city. and
the scenes both of his training and of
his urrtnruauccS have been graphically
described hy his re>rucr> and others.
At about nine o'clock in the evening.
he v;> usually brought on to the stage.
and. although trembling from head 10
foot. he w;l> compelled t" take Il heavy
piece of gas pipe as Il balancing pole
and walk backward and forward over
"A timht rope stretched horizontally
across the stage. With increased trcIn-
bling. spaSmudic twitrhim" of the mus
cies and with Il coumtenancc expressive
of excessive terror, he WAS hIindfnldcd
and again compelled to traverse tia"
rope. Later in the evening. Il rope was
stretched. at an angle of about forty
five degrees. IL distance of >iNtN feet
from the ceiling To the floor. and up tins
rorr. clinging thereto with his tees and
hoLIin" Il balancing pole in his hands.
this child painfully climbed. and on
reaching the top. stretched hi, loo;
backward crashing the rope between
two to,~ and ih,u with fearful velocity
Aid down the fearful descent and vas
cnu"hi in tie. AIMS of his maStl In
east. of an accidental fail. there WIS
nothing 10 catch him. save only that Il
cord WAS ticd tirhtlN mound the. hoi :
abdomen. the Other end being passed
tIrnuuh = block in the ceiling and held
by Leonard and in this rope WAS a
..,lark" of six feet. 50 that if the hoy
had fallen he must have. been inc, itabll
emf i'm twain
Su,I, v.,. H.. ...,,,o,t.,iuu,.,,t and
in. manner and result of the ho\
,,.,;,,i,,,, tLn- ,,i, go, u,. No.. t.,l,,.u
lrmrm an ..ornh,,i~. bo,r,." in phiI,d,I-
nI,i., I,y Jro,,,rd upnu REPRESENTATION,
fh, he and hi. wife wished ro adopt
him and ,nuiI n,iun him mn in rnu,t,,I1
TL,. hn,- I'm, u.v,,. h,.,u semi Ia ,,.hunI
and j. i,ru,.,ut even of tb,. ,inhahrr
h, L,s h,,u f,,rrrd tn r,.h,.,r,,. his nam.
in cold ,br,Il,.>. rooms. and Ina, been
I.i,.L,.j and L,,t +, u,.,.,. him an ou,.
~ ,L.. L.,II.t ,,i,I. t,.0,ii;,.. ,I,,t il va.
,,I,- Ia. ,,u,.I I,,.,ii,,,> that L,. ...,. h,,u
..,,i..i,t hi. n,.,tS I'M g, y,,.l, n, tyn
.,w,r .,tt,r WINNING linn ..trr,ihIy" h,.
-. ,,IJ tn me, tu,i, ., u,.,, t,..,i and an
dr,vuri,,, tn abe, u,rrruu,,. win tear
me fell 10 rh, floor. when Irou,rL m
stead of ,,,,rt,iI,ir,u whether 81 mo-, he.
.v.,. mined br.n md kicked him NM
him tn IN, mai ,,,.,iu and rhr,..,,,.I,,d
him if h, .huuId all ,o,iu Th, nh,
.;.;,,r. .,.,, ih,, I'm. law. -,,i,,,. !
..I,,,,,,.,Ih carved .,,J his ..l',I,n.,.,,
,,;.t,,,,,.J - ,I, ,...nI, ~ III i,.,,. anal
,I,.r ,,n,iru.,m,. vn,,IJ ,r,,Iur, r.,.
,',,,,.,,,,.ui L,.t,,u,i,, .,,,J n.,I,i,,,,
iLin,,
W.. hay, narrated ia, s,. fact, hrr.ul,,.
r!,, puhIi,. i inst NOW. L,tIii;,.d and
c\ritc,i over the disclosure. I'm VIM
j. lr>pnuSihl,. for this brutality J Leo
uard WAS The. brutal instrument. hut h,
WIS >implN laundering Ia the TASTES of
hi, ,Iuninlri. the "r,at nuhIir. TN.
ruhIir demand Silrl ,\hiiitini,.. th,.I,.
i u,,u,., in Them and then. me Lea
nard~ nil over the, country 10 >uppIy this
demand and take the lrnpl,'r none,
rlr,ctor. If such c>hihitinu- did nor
..ray." the, vnIIId NOT Ia. held. The,
.i,. moi confined to ti,,. cir, hut ~.
have. them in the country. Ey..r ,raI.
the. lal.,. cuuutI\ towns aI,. nI,r,I,Ird
with tlr~,. tl.nuir,.g hand bills, and the
new >rarri~ alc filled with a,lyrrtj.,.-