Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-03-08
A TRAPEZE TRAGEDY.
Fatal Fall Of a Female Acrobat at Detroit.
Detroit Post and Tribune.

Detroit fOSt anu ITlDune.
Shortly after 10 o'clock last even
ing a thrilling and beart-rending
accident occurred at the Theatre
Comique, in this city which may
possibly result in the death of q
young woman, a trapeZe performer
known to the bills as Marie
Azurine, who was attacked with
vertigo while flying through the
air, and fell a distance of nearly
thirty feet.
Mdlle. Azurine, a handsome and
shapely woman, evidently above
the level of the common performer,
commenced an engagement at the
Theatre Comique at the time of its
reOpening some weeks ago. She
acted in conjunction with "part-
ner," an acrobat named Frank
Monroe. Her speciality consisted
in performing several daring feats
in mldair, and the ease and grace
with which her movements were
invested soon caused her to become
favorite with the patrons of the
Comique. The closing act per.
formed by Mdlle. AZurine and
Monroe consisted In q series of dar-
ing aerial flights. Monroe hung
by the legs, head downward, from
small bar suspended beneath the
proscenium arch, just above
the footIights, in readiness to
catch the woman. The latter,
grasping at arms length bar sus-
pended from the dome of the thea
ire, was to swing through the air
and, quitting the bar, leap into the
grasp of her fellow-performer. She
commenced her terrible flight
through midair TO gain the neces.
sary momentum, aud had reached
her highest altitude, about on a
level with the upper gallery, and
was just about to swing back
toward Monroe, when she was
seized with vertigo. To the horror
of the spectators her hands released
their grasp of the bar, her head
dropped upon her breast, and down
she plunged with terrible force. In
the descent her body described a
partial revolution and struck on top
Of the seats directly under the gal
lery and then rebounding, fell to
the aisle with a dull thud.
The audience, who a minute be-
fore had been gazing in mute Won
der at the daring woman as she
sailed slowly and gracefully
through the air, Were for a moment
horror.striken at the shocking and
unexpected ending ofthe perform.
ance. Then score of men rushed
to the spot where the unfortunate
woman was lying on the floor,
alive though unconscious. A num-
ber of the attache, of the theatre
seized her in their arms and
bore her TO her dressing room
under the stage. Drs. Ewers
and Richards were imm edi-
ately summoned, and at once took
measures to restore her to con.
seriousness. The physicians labared
assiduously for over an hour before
Mdlle. AZurine was able to speak,
then it was found that her collar
bone was broken and she had sus.
tained internal Injuries of serious
nature. After the performance at
the theatre was concluded, she was
conveyed to the Revere House, and
at the hour Of going to press was
alive, although believed to be very
badly injured.
One of Mdle. AZurine's feats con.
sisted in "walking the ceilipg"-
traversing with her feet row of
rings hung from two parallel bars
suspended from the ceiling. Be-
meath these bars a network was
stretched, in order to break the fall
of the lady should she chance to
lose her hold upon the rings. The
accident last evening happened
after she had passed beyond the
netting. OF course no such acci-
dent as the one which befell Miss
Azurine was ever contemplated.
This Is the second time she has
fallen during ner engagement here,
having dropped into the netting on
Thursday night, but escaped with
out injury.