Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-05-03

of their own; then the bar and roof with
its beams and girders flew away from
me. and tremendous repentance of the
folly l was committing rushed upon
me, with a distinct presentation of
every detail of every story l had heard
of people falling through nets improp-
erly fixed or badly mended, and a to-
tally Independent calculation of the
surgical effect which the legs of the in
verted chairs 1 had observed piled up
in the area below the apparatus would
produce upon the human frame falling
from height; the whole accompanied
by perception that was gradually,
very gradually, inclining backwards;
which opened a new vista of the proba-
bilities of my demonstrating the truth
of the sideways neck theory. l seemed
to be suspended between earth and sky
for about week, and was always
reconciled to the position, when l sud-
denly and unexpectedly found the Grim
son mattresses billowing up about me
and surging over my face, and woke to
the fact that l had really fallen. l
landed on my back, fiat; but there was
no shock, nor, indeed. was 1 conscious
of having stopped; which perhaps was
due to the elasticity and rebound of the
net. The only part of the adventure
which was disagreeable physically was
the walking, or rather stumbling and
crawling, over the net to the ladder at
the farthest end, very quaky, sea-sick
sort of business.
Acrobats and gymnasts usually prac-
tice during the morning on the stage of
some theater. Even when not working
at any new trick, they always practice
once a day, if their engagement does
not include two performances. Some
times they have to 60 through as many
as six or seven. When man intends
to bring out some novel and special
feat, and wishes to keep it profound
secret until it's production, he hires an
empty school-room or public hall, or
even a theater, for his own exclusive
use, and there exercises with his appli-
ances and assistants until he IS perfect.
No stage performance is ever rehearsed
at home. 1t is somewhat disappointing
to find that the music which seems such
an inspiriting accompaniment to the
spectators is disregarded by some pro-
fessiOnals, who, indeed, aver they would
rather be without band-clatter!"
Salaries vary enormously, of course.
OF late years, there has been demand
for female gymnasts, and some have
been forthcoming; but, as might be ex-
pected, they rarely excel. Still, they
draw good houses, and the morbid taste
of the public enables some of them to
command fifty or hundred pounds a
week. Troupe salaries run even higher
than this in exceptional cases; but man.
ayers always want something that no
other company has presented, and the
art is therefore a progressive one. All
manner of things are introduced to
impart a spice of novelty to old
tricks in every department. Aero
bats juggle with balls, knives,
hoops, fans, bells and burning torches
while tumbling; or throw somersaults
while playing the violin or tambourine;
or mount themselves on roller-skates
and bicycles. Gymnasts are "fired"
from spring boards concealed within a
gigantic cannon, let off pistols in their
flight through the air, or 90 through
their evolutiOns amid blaze of squibs
and rockets. The various 'linesh of
business, too, while more numerous and
diversified, are not so distinct and sepa-
rate as they used to be. Trapeze, fly
ING rings and horizontal bar work are
now combined poles and ladders still
hold their ground: but tight-rope and
slack-wire walking-feats more easily
acquired than any others -bottle-per-
formers, ceiling-steppers, pedestal aero
bats. and modern Samsons. are drug
in the market. CIT is denied, blythe
way, that the ceiling-walking, which at
one time created such sensation, was
ever really performed by atmospheric
pressure or by magnetism, as was
alleged, hooks having been employed.)
Equilibrists are rather in the ascend
ant just now. 1t seems incredible that
any one should be able to sit in a chair