Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1881-05-26
FATAL CIRCUS CATAPULT.
Lizzie Davene's Death-Operators ola Cir
Gus Catapult Criminally Responsible


Lizzie Davenes Death-Operators ola Cir
Gus Catapult Criminaliy Responsible
Scenesof Horror.
From the Philadelphia Press.
Lizzie Davene, who three weeks ago was
thrilling thousands of spectators at Bar
NUNS show in this city by her daring flying
trapeze acts and still more daring propul-
sion from an Internal machine, called by
circus men q catapult, but differing mate
rally from the ancient war engine OF that
name, was buried in Greenwood Cemetery,
New York, recently, the victim OF her own
intrepidity, the unthinking or brutal curl
osity cf tho multitude and the cupldity OF
money getting managers The cruel death
of this young women has caused sensa-
ton in this city, where terrible accident
to her pretty little niece, Lucy, occurred a
year ago. Readers of the Times remember
the shocking details Of Lucy Davens's ter
London ring, when the great London Fore
paugh combination was performing down
at Broad and Dickinson streets in the
spring of 1880; how, as she started to make
a swinging Somersault, her head struck the
iron pedestal ON which her feet had stood
an instant before; how the blow
knocked her insensible; how she relaxed
her hold on the trapeze bar and fell, with
dull thud, to the ground, twenty feet be-
low; how one of the Laurences picked her
up and ran with her, all limp and broken,
out into the dressing tent, out of tne sight
of the Mortified spectators; how her mother,
who was hanging head downward ON a ira
peze fifty feet away, holding by his feet her
husband, who Was to have caught Lucy had
she made the leap, shrieked: "My God,
my child! let me down." how she got down
someway and followed cher bleeding child
cut into the side tent; how the ring master
shouted that she was not hurt and the show
went on, while the poor little thing, separ-
ated only by the thickness of sheet of can
vas from the thousands of spectators, lay
on rude pallet, all soiled and dishevelled,
unconscious and vomiting blood, while a
score of circus men and women stood
around her weeping Or cu1sing and damning
the practice which would subject q woman
to such accident. Strong hands bore the
pallet on which Lucy lay to her boarding
house, near by. She was unconscious for
hours, she did not speak for days. but she
finally recovered and appeared with the
rest of the Dayepe troupe with Barnum s
still performing the same dangerous feat,
Lizzie Davene, who was the sister of Lacy s
mother and whose right name was Eliza
beth Power, appeared with the rest
of the troupe in the trapeze acts and in
ground gymnastics, but her most daring
feat was performed at the concert" after
the regular performance. Here she placed
herself, lying fiat ON her back, on a sort of
lever, which, by the action of springs work
ed at given signal, leaped from a horizon
tai to vertical position with such terrific
suddenness and force as to send the girl
whirling through the air distance Of about
seventy-tve feet. She turned three or four
somersaults in her flight and landed in a
rope netting spread to catch her. The
ring master announced the performance in
rigmarole something like this: Ladies'
and gentlemen, Miss Lizzie Davene, tn e
world-1enowned female acrobat, will now
preform the wonderful feat of allowing her
self to be thrown from the catapult, an
engine used by the ancient Romans for
throwing projectiles of war. This power
full machine throws the daring young lady a
distance of one hundred and twenty five
feet, and she makes four distinct revelu-
tons during her flight. This is not per-
Torrance which requires great amount of
practice, but it is very dangerous and there
are very, few persons who have the nerve to
| uuuofldke IL.
This senseless and dangerous feat was
performed by Lizzie Davene twice every
day, and although the frightful leap and
whirl through the air made the spectators
shiver and hold their breath she came down
all right until the show reached Wilkesbarre.
There, on Tuesday afternoon, May 3, she
failed to time her somersaults exactly right
and fell partly upon her head. She
Strengthened out upon the netting and asked
for help, saying in low voice: 81 cannot
move hand or foot" She was carried to
her dressing room and physician found
that she was paralyzed in all her limbs. She
was removed to the New York Hospital
where she died on Friday. From the time
Lizzie was hart until she died Lucy took
her place on the catapult.
When ex-Mayer Fox, president of the
Society to Protect Children from Cruelty,
was informed of the facts, he said: "It is
awful and believe that the persons who
assisted at the killing of that girla guilty
of involuntary manslaughter. Our society
cannot act in the case, because the girl was
twenty one years old, but the attention OF
the district attorney of Luzerne county,
should be called to the facts through the
public prints.