Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-04-02
A VICTIM OF THE TRAPEZE.
The Mishap That Befell Young Woman
Who Made a PrOjeciile OF Herself.
London Letter ln New YORK Tribune

i name Is probably jenkins or thompson,
bit VINO is known to the public as Z&o.
! She IL professional gymnast or aero
bat, and some ten days ago she had
the ill-luck TO meet with an accident Of
a peculiar kind, which led to not a
| little discussion both Ms to this particu-
lar mishap and as to the propriety OF
allowing public exhibitions OF women
who do dangerous feats. IGo il the
successor to another young woman
named Iazel, whose pride it was to be
shot out of cannon. As the public
after while wearied of Xazel and her
cannon the managers who make mer-
chandise of her body, devised what
they called catapult-a machine
which no longer appeals to the imagin-
alton by burning gunpowdcr (Which IS by
no means the propelling force,) but
makes up for this by adding new
and obvious risk to the life and limb of
the performer. The cataput il simply
platform of size to hold a human
body. Rubber springs are concealed
beneath and at one end is a hinge on
| which the platform makes u partial
revolution. | decribe the thing as /
have seen il; complications may exist,
but they can't much effect the principle.
The force OF the spring, | was told, had
been calculated to IA fraction; il was
far safer than the flying trapeze or 9TH
er Contrivances where momentary
failure Of the nerve or presence of mind
of the gymnast would be fatal.
On this platform, raised some twenty
feet above the floor, Zno places herself,
| lying on her back at full length. When
she has adjusted her body to her liking,
with number Of preparatory bitches
and undulations, she gives the word to
her assistant by her side and he pulls a
lever. The springs beneath thrust the
platform and its human freight sudden
ly upward, as if about to describe a
complete circle. The human part OF
the machine, not being in any way at.
tached to the rest of it, does, in fact,
describe \ complete circle, and some
thing more. The momentum and di-
rection impaired to the body by the up
ward thrust are sufficient to cause it TO
perform somersault in the air during
its progress forward, and the body is
expected to fall fiat into net about fifty
feet from its starting point, and some
ten feet lower than the catapult. When
! saw this exploit everything worked
smoothly, and the female missile was
accurately projected into the net. But
il happened the other afternoon, accu-
withstanding, that the missile was flung
through the net and down ten feet on to
the floor. The good-looking young We
man who moment before had been
SHINING ut the spectators was u heap Of
quiyering and apparently lifeless flesh
and broken bones. As il turned out, no
bones were broken and the life had not
gone out of the flesh. With touching
Considerateness toward the public the
manager shortly after wards placarded
~ medical certificate to the effect that
as Zro was suffering from slight con.
custom she would not be able TO APP
pear vt that evenings performance.
A week later her temperance was
advertised. Some people, who have
no fancy for seeing cruelty and risk OF
woman's life turned to showmnn's
profit, wrote to the papers protesting.
The Snowman replied in u letter which
ID masterpiece of its kind. He duly
expressed his regret MT the accident"
declared the accounts of it exaggerated
and gave nm account of his own in these
words: "On Saturday, January 81,
Zpo, in the concluding feat, slipped
through the net, but broke her fall of
about eight feet to the floor by catch
ing,the meshes of the net in her descent"
Nothing could have been more
satisfactory than this, but unluckily a
fresh letter appears this morning, the
writer OF which tells us he was standing
within three yards of where this poor
girl fell. He helped to pick her up
and carry her to the stage; and he has
M ost distinctly to state that she did not
catch in the net in heI decent; that she
was flung through AZ the net had been
composed of thread, and that when
picked up she was insensible. only show
ing that she was alive by feebly
moaning. lie adds that had she been
thrown two yards further she would
have been dashed against the Orders
of the gallery; had she fallen one yard
short she would have alighted on the
spiked barriers that surround the re-
served seats.
This is not the first accident Of this
kind not the first that has happened to
Zmo herself. 1t is not long since that
she was performing at the Alexandra
palace ON n similar, or, perhaps, the
same machine. The accurate calcula-
tions did not prevent her from being
cut about the head by some part of tn
apparatus ~ she took her flight, and rs
she landed bleeding and senseless, the
net however not giving away on that
occasion. The writer above quoted
adds that on the day of the last acct
dent, and Immediately after il occurred
he overheard M employee OF the aquar'
ium say to one Of the orchestra who
with callous insensibility to his employ.
ers interests, had remarked that il was
time such exhibitions were put n stop
to. Eyes, indeed, you may say SO;
and If you had seen the shaves have
dozens Of times, you would say it was
murder allowing them to continue
Lively Court Proceedings in Nevada.