The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1882-04-20
FALLS OF a GYMNAs1,.
William Hanl0n Tells of UnDre-
meditated Descents.

You have had sevelal very nasty falls ];
what Is the sensation like?"
Il have had three Of the bad falls that
marked the Hanlon family. You will
probably think it singular that neither
lose consciousness nor my presence of
mind when [ fall. My worst tumble /
think / got III Havana. We were playing
under the management Of Jim Nixton,
and we made great success. The same
people iii Havana 60 to the theatre every
night, and they demand constant changes
in the bill. Ny brother Tom was taken
sick suddenly. Ills ladder was up in the
doue ready tor tsthc leap for life, Y aud
the people began 10 clamor to have ssit
done." | finally agreed to do 1t. The feat
consists, after the performance of a variety
Of tricks on the ladder, in swinging your
self into motion, aud jumping to taut
rope, running from the ceiling at an in
cline to the wings. The jump was a long
ole, and the house was very quiet when
began TO swing, preparatory to taking the
leap. threw myself at the rope, and when
WtS in md-air, [ saw it was no go and
that Was doue | strdck out desperately
with my feet, in the hope of helping my
self forward, but | only reached the rope
with the tips Of fingers OF my left hand.
Both hands and both feet were extended
in spread-eagle form, If you like. / ought
70 have struck the rope with both hands
fairly in the center OF my body, with the
legs across the line, SO rs to distribute the
strain OF sustaining my weight over my
whole body. rs it was, it all fell on my
left arm, and my body swept in toward the
rope like q Whip-lash. Of course had to
let 60, and then / began to turn, spirally.
like a cork screw, and go down. I i'll
stantly realized that I must not land all
spread out. | gathered my left arm close
to my body, pushed my head forward, and
drew my legs together, struggling to get
into shape to fall on my side. did fall
just that way forty feet on q wooden stage.
My arm was driven into my side, and q
rib broken. The arm was shattered and
was laid up for many months. While /
was going down, III an instant saw over
again, as yividly AZ life, every fall that
ever witnessed. They came up in my
mind, one right after another, like success
sive flashes of lightning, and seemed 10
be experiencing them all in my own per-
son. But, worse than the shock of arriv-
ing, was the terrible shrek of agony that
went mp from the audience. It was like
one heart-bt eaking wall Of agony. | can
hear it yet, aud [ do hear it every time |
think II the accident. THAT is peculiar
ity Of our family. We all hear that shrek,
and none of us ever forget it. How did
the accident occur? Ny brother Tom made
Il mistake in the measurements, because of
a miscalculation Of the space III round
dome. The rope was two feet further
away from the ladder than it ought TO have
been.''
sDid you ever find yourself growing
timid after a hard fall -
s'Neyer. Few gymnasts of the right
sort, with the proper amount of pride and
ever do. Falls are usually the
result Of insufficient practice, ,and inatten-
ton to necessary precautions, or mistakes
in measurement, such as have described,
and when the victim RECEIVERS he becomes
more careful for awhile at least. But we
never think Of giving up. Ut Chicago Neps,