Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-05-25
4 Child Rider in a Circus.

AN attendant upon recent circus ex-
hibition in Detroit gives, in the Free
Press, the following account of one por-
ton of the performance:
A couple of very brisk little ponies came
galloping in and took up my attention.
At first it seemed as if they were riderless,
but as they came dashing around the ring
L saw on one of them little child about
four years old, tightly clutching the shag-
| gy name with both hands. He was a
handsome little boy, with fair, curly hair
and bright, WinsOme face, which was
now deeply marked with lines of fear as he
swept past, clinging to his perilous posi-
ton. After going around the ring he
tried to stand on the pony; twice he
failed, and each time savage snap from
the ringmaster's whip encouraged the lit
tie fellow to try again. At last he stood
erect, and then amid the applause of the
crowd, he managed to get a foot on each
pony, and, waving one hand, he hurrahed
IN answer to warning whip-snap, and
and his shrill, childish voice was tremu-
lous with terror. At last one foot slipped,
and he fell partly down between the po-
MES, but saved himself by getting an arm
over the neck Of one and tightly grasping
the name Of the ether, as he hung between
them while they galIoped more wildly
than ever. | expected to see a dozen
ring men spring to his rescue, but no one
stirred-only vicious cracks of the
whip as amid the breathless silence of
the crowd the little boy vainly tried
to regain his place on the pony's back.
Twice around the ring he went and then
the tiny hands Ioosened, and the poor lit
tie fellow fell between the ponies. Every
body wondered why he didn't reach the
ground, but it was '-nO fall" The child
was tied, not quite as tightly as Mazeppa,
to the ponies; and as they raced around
the ring he dangled within few inches
Of the ground, without the luxury of fall
ing and having the agony over. 1t seemed
wonder that the life was not crushed out
Of him when his fiery little steeds iammed
together as they swung around the circle
At last they were stopped, and the child
was taken by the arm and set on the pony
with an emphasis that spoke palmer than
words: There, stick on next time"
Hurdles were then placed before the
horses, and, after wild canter around
the ring, the little boy again fell off and
hung in his ropes while the ponies leaped
over the barriers, each time jerking the
breath out of the unfortunate little child
that hung between them. have heard of
dead criminals being hung IN chains in
time past, and l don't suppose they made
any complaints about it, but to hang
living creature. and that child of four
years, with ropes between two galloping
ponies, seems to me trife more barbar-
Gus. l would be pleased to see the ropes
anG the hanging applied, but in a differ
ent manner, to those who force him to do
this dangerous work. They also made |
the child walk a tight rope, and, as might !
be expected, he slipped and this time fell |
to the ground, the heavy pole striking |
him in the face, but he smiled and said |
g All right" kindly persuaded to do SO by |
the iron grip of his master on his puny |
arm, and had to repeat theperformance |
How many 60 to a circus in the fond |
hope that they will see somebody kill him
self. This is very laudable desire, and |
have nothing to say against it, for If a
man, rather than learn some useful trade,
chooses TO perform and break his neck,
thus manning himself for life, it is no.
body's business but his own; but when a