The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-05-20
The Girl Athletes Fall

cuage the human cannon ball, had been
shot from the mouth OF the great how
itzer, in the Forepauch ring, twenty
feet mp into the air and into the arms of
Mile Zuila, who hung head downward
from trareze, and while the great au-
dience were breathlesslv watching the
feats of the wonderful Davene family,
consisting OF one man and three women,
who We're going through their daring
trapezc acts, above the London ring,
Miss Lucy Davene, who had just
launched herself from pedestal nearly
twenty feet high to make a swinging
leap and be caugh' in the arms of her
father, who hung head downward fifty
feet away, was seen to quit her hold on
the flying trapeze and fall with sicken
ing thud to the ground below. Men
groaned and women shrieked and MD
their faces. For an instant the poor girl
lay stretched out upon the ground like
one dead, save for slight tremor of her
limbs. 1t was only for an instant, and
then a stawart athlete gathered her in
his arms as he might baby and ran
with her all limp and senseless to the
adjoining tent, from which the perform
ers enter the ring. ''Mv God, my child,
my child Let Inc 80 down :" came
cry from the lips of Il woman in tlashy
tights and blonde wig, who hung by her
feet from flying trapeze, and who, IL
turn, held by his feet Davene, who was
to have caught the girl if the leap had
been successfully performed. The wo
man forgot that she was a circus per-
former and that ten thousand eyes were
upon her, and only remembered that she
was a mother. Davene dropped to the
ground, and his wife freed herself in an
incredibly short time and followed him,
and both almost flew after the swift
rvmnast who carried the bleeding giil
out OF the sight of the Mortified audi
ence. All this occupied but few sec
onds, and the audience had scarcely time
to comprehend what had occurred be-
fore word came out "She is all right"
and in a minute more Fish and Melville
We're whirling around the rings in their
lightning bareback acts, in friendly ri
valry, and the performance went on as
though nothing had occurred, so far as
the audience could see.
But Just behind the curtain which
separated the unemployed performers
from the public on rude stuffed tick
used for tamolers to aiight upon in their
prodigious leaps, lay the unconscious
girl, presenting sight which made old
showmen turn away sick and shudder-
ing. 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 We're closed, and her breath
came in short, quick gasps. On her left
temple great blue lump, nearly as big
as a mans fist, had raised up, and to
this one of the physicians was holding
a lump of ice. In the back of her
head was great cash, from which the
blood flowed freely until it was stanched
by another physician. Lucy is a little,
slight thing, and as she lay there in her
ring costume, which was soilsd and
bloody, she looked like mere child,
broken and dying. The mother, sob.
bing wildly and talking incoherently,
bent over the girl, bathing her head in
ice 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
suffering. 1t was strange aud touch
ing sight to see the troops of perform
ers, in their fantastic costumes and
horror stricked faces, pressing around to
offer their assistance. The grotesque
painting on the faces Of the clowns even
could not hide the sympathy and kindly
solicitude. There were many express
ions of anger and Indignation by the
male members OF the company that
women should be permitted to attempt
such dangerous feats. "By -" said
one Of the clowns, "this whole flying
trapeze should be abolished some one
is always getting crippled or killed by
it, / cannot look at it. | have known
so many accidents that the thought of
it makes me sick. The only merit of
flying trapeze act is its danger 1t
should be forbidden by law" Many
similar expressions were heard from
other athletes and gymnasts who were
standing about. 1t was long time be-
fore the cause of the accident was zen