Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-04-29
THE GIRL.ATHiETE,S FALL,
Details Of the Accident.-1 he Scene in he
Circus Side.Tent AfterWard.
Philadelphia Time

At the afternoon performance of the
great combination circus yesterday,
just after Royal, who is styled in show
language the Human Cannon Ball, had
been shot from the mouth of the great
hOwitzer, in the Forepaugh ring, twenty
feet into the air and into the arms of
Mile. Zli!a, who hung head downward
from traptZe, and while the great au-
dience were breathlesly watching the
feats of the wonderful Davene family,
consisting of one man and three women,
who were going through their daring
trapeze acts above the London ring,
Miss Lucy Davene, who had just launch
ed herselffrom pedestal nearly twenty
feet high to make swinging leap and
be caught in the arms of her father, who
hung head downward fifty feet away,
was seen to quit her hold OH the bar of
the flying trapeZ9 and fall with sick
ering thud to the ground below. Men
groaned and women shrieked and hid
their faces. For an instant the poor
girl stretched out upon the ground like
one dead, save for slight tremor OF
her limbs. 1t was only for an instant,
and then stalwart athlete gathered her
IN his arms as he might baby and ran
with her all limp and senseless into the
ers enter the ring. "My God, my child!
Let me down." came a Cry from the
lips of woman in f1ashy tights and
blonde wig who hung by her feet from
a high trapeze, and who III turn held by
his feet Davene, who was to have caught
the girl if the leap had been successful
~ performed. The woman forgot that
she was circus performer and 10000
eyes were upon her. Davene
dropped to the ground, and his
wife freed herself in an incred-
IDLY short time and followed him, and
both almost flew after the swift gymnast,
who carried the bleeding girl out of
sight of the Mortified audience. While
this was happening, DR.. Frank Mullen
burg. of 1907 Chestnut street, DR.. T. HI.
Bradford, of 1905 Pine street, and Dr..
II. E. Goodman, of 1927 Chestnut street
left their places in the audience and
disappeared behind the curtain which
hung IN the passageWay through which
poor Lucy Davene had been carried
All this occupied but a few seconds, and
the audience had scarcely time to COM
prehend what had occurred before the
word came out "She is ali right" and
in a minute more Fish and Melville
were whirling around the rings in their
lightning bareback acts, in friendly
rivalry, and the performance went on
as though nothing had occurred, SO tar
as the audience could see.
But just behind the curtain which
separated the unemployed performers
from the public, on rude stuffed tick
used for tumblers to alight upon in
their prodigious leaps, lay the uncon-
scious girl, presenting q sight which
made old showmen turn away sick and
shudderirg. Her blonde wig was gone,
and her brown hair dripping with ice
water, was brushed back from her face,
from which every particle Of color had
fled. Her eyes were closed, and hel
breath came in short quick gasps. On
her left temple great blue lump near.
ly as big as q mans fist, had raised up
and to this one of the physicians was
holding lump Of ice. In the back oil
her head there was great cash from
which the blood flowed freely until it
was stanched by another physician
Lucy is little slight thing, and as she lay
there In her ring costume, which was
soiled and bloody, she looked like a
mere child, broken and dying. The
mother, sobbing wildly and talking in
cOherently, bent over the girl, bathing
her head in water, while Davene
was running around like one distracted
There was no lack of willing
hands and willing feet to lend
their aid to the relief of the suffer
er. 1t was strange and touching sight
to see the troops of performers, in their
fantastic costumes and horror stricken
faces, pressing around to offer their as
sistance. The grotesque painting on
the faces Of the clowns even could not
hide the looks of sympathy and kindly
solicitude. There were many express
sions of anger and indignation by the
male members of the company that
women should attempt such dangerous
feats. BY" said one of the clowns,
"this whole flying trapeze business
should be abolished; some one is always
getting crippled or killed by it. I can
not look at it. have known so many
accidents that the thought of it makes
me sick. The only merit Of a flying
trapeze act is its danger. 1t should be
forbidden by law" Many similar ex-
pressions were heard from other ath-
letes and gymnasts, who were standing
about. 1t was long time before the
cause of the accident was generally I'M
derstood, even by the members of the
company. Many said that the girls
hands were sweatly and had slipped.
The truth, however, ia, that as she
sprang from the pedestal and went to
throw her feet over the bar on which
she was holding by her hands, her
head struck, with terrific force, the
pedestal on which her feet had stood a
moment before This knocked her
senseless, and, relaxing her hold, she
stiffened out ard fell, without the power
to make an effort to save herself.
After the first efforts of restoration
had been. and the flow of blood had
been stopped, the mattress on which
the girl lay was picked up and carried
into the ladies' dressing-room, where
half an hour longer the physicians kept
up the efforts to revive the injured girl,
but without success. Many believed
that she was dying, and the word went
around that the physicians said she
could not live. This was an exaggera
ton, though at one time they said that
her symptoms were very unfavorable
and that her pulse WAR very weak and
uncertain. In half an hour six strong
men again took up the mattress, and
passing ont under the edge of the can