The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-05-24
LIzzIHDAvENB's DEATH.
The Operators Of Circus Catapult
IN BaFnum's Show Criminally
Responsible for Involu-
tary Aanslaughtef.

Tne Operot0ro OF Q circus Cotop0lt
IN Barnum's Show Criminally
Responsible for Involu-
tary Aanslaughtef.
Pailadel pha Times.
Lizzie Davene, who three weeks
ago was thrilling thousands Of spec.
tatOrs at Barnum's show in this city
by her daring flying trapeze acts and
still more daring propulsion from an
Internal machine. called by circus men
catspult. but differing materially
from the ancient war engine of tina,
name, was buried in Greenwood GENE.
terry. New York. yesterday, the vic
tim Of her own intrepidity. the un-
thinking or brutal curiosity of the
multitude aud the cupidisy Of money
getting managers. The cruel death
Ut this young woman has caused . Gen.
sation in this city, where . terrible &C.
cident to her little niece, Lucy, oc-
Cured . year ago. Readers Of the
Times remember the shocking details
of Lucy Davenes terrible fall from q
flying trapeze above the London ring,
when the great London-Forepaugh
combination Was performing down at
Broad and Dickinson streets in the
spring Of 1880; how. a. she started to
make swinging somersault. her head
struck the iron pedestal ON which her
feet had stood an instant before how
the blow knocked her inseneible how
she relaxed her hold ON the trapeze bar
and fell, with u dull thud, to the
ground twenty feet below how one Ut
the Laurences picked her up and ran
with her, all limp aud broken. out
into the dressing tent. out Of the sight
Of the Mortified spectators; how her
mother, who was hanging head down.
war;! Oh q trapeze City 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 some way AMI followed her biz ed
Ing child out into the side tent how
the ringmaster shouted that she Was
not hurt and the show went on, while
the poor little thing separated only
by the thickness OF sheet Of canvas
from the thousands Of spectators. Law
on iude pallet, all sOilsd and dis
heveled, unconscious and vomiting
blood, while y score Of circus men and
women stood around her weeping or
cursing and damning the practice
which would subject a woman to such
IN accident. Strong hands bore the
pallet or which Lucy lay to her board
ing house, near by. She MAS uncon-
scious for hours. she dill not speak for
days. but she finally recovered and ap-
peared with the rest Of the Dsvene
troupe with BarDum's circus, in this
city, three weeks ago, and still pefor-
ming the same dangerous feat. Lizzie
Davene, who was the sister Of Lucyis
mother. and whose right name was
Power, appeared with the
rest Of the troupe in the trapezs acts
and in ground gymnastics. but her
most daring feat was performed at the
concert" after the regular periorm-
ance. Here she placed herself, ~
ing flat Oh her back, on q sort Of lever,
which. by the action Of spring., work
ID at a given signal. leaped from al
tot vertical position With
'uch terrific suddenness and force as to
END the girl whirling through the air
, distance Of about seventy-6ve feet. |
She turned three or four somersaults
IN her flight and landed in . rope net.
ing spread to catch her. The ring
master announced the Performance in |
! rigmarol something like this /: |
Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Lizzie |
Davene, the world renowned female |
lcrobat, will now perform the won.
lerful feat Of allowing herself tn he
brown from the catapult, an engine
,sej by the ancient Romans for throw
ng p,Oectiles Of war. This powerful
nachin, throws the daring young lady |
J distance of 125 feet, and che makes |
our distinct revolutions during her
hight. This il not . performance
which requires q great amount Of
practice, but it is very dangerous and
here are very few persons Who have
he nerve to undertake it,"
This senseless and dangerous feat
vas performed BY Lizzie DsveDe twice
very day. and although the frigbtful
cap and whirl through the air make
he spectators shivsr and hold their
'reath she came down all right until
he show reached Wilkesbarre. There,
o Tuesday afternoon. May 8. she
allied to time her somssaults exactly
ight and fell partly upon her head.
Inc Strengthened out upon the netting
nd asked for help saying, in . Low
dice: IL cannot move hand or foot.
he was carried to her dressing room
nd q physician found that she Was
aralyxed in all her limbs. She Was
smoved to the New York hospital,
here she died on Friday. From the
me that Lizzie was hurt until she
led Lucy took her place on the cata-
nit.
Clara Belle se tho Bath.
Clara Belle. New York woman.
'ho writes letters about dresses and
'shions. thought to vary the monotony
nd write abOnt women in the bath.
o this end she visited the Turkish
ath. Here 10 her story:
So | went ssraightway IN one Of the
'veral large establishments during the
OURS when il IVES sacred to my own
x. Not . man Wa to be seen about
he place. A woman took my $3.50
the outer Office and let me into the
Ext room, which looked like the l