Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-04-28
THE LADIES OF THE CIRCUS.
Women Gymnasts and Trapeze Pc
Enr

Women Gymnasts and Trapeze Per-
formers.
[From the Chicago Tribune.l
Mile. Zoe is trim built young woman
weighing one hundred and forty-fve pounds,
and like all her sisters, possesses the bright
eyes and sprfngy step indicative of health.
She has been eleven years in the profession
first as trapeze performer and now as an
artist on the mid-air rings. A few years ago
she met with an accident in western town
and fractured her left knee through fall
upon the trapeze. Since then she has con-
fined herself to the mid-air rings, requiring
the of the arms principally. Next to
what she calls the shoulder dislocation trick
that is. turning double somersault while hold
ing the rings-her most difficult feat is swing
ing by the teeth. And yet she has not SO far
had occasion for dentists services.
'But don't you feel timorous before per-
forming these feats, and utter a prayer for
safety? asked the reporter.
80, l never have any fear,' said Mile Zoe:
II say my prayers both morning and night y
''And trust to the strength of your arms. ;"
"And the strength of the rope" she an
swered," which sometimes fails. My first
accident was when 1 was fifteen years old,
when rope parted and fell on some chairs
breaking two ribs. My corset did not save
me-"
''Ard do you ladies wear oOrsets while per-
forming?" asked tho reporter
80, yes; we would not look a good figure
without -
Every female gymnast by the way, is care
full Of her appearance They all hate matt
nees, because in the daylight, they say, they
cannot look well rs by an artificial light
Mile Zoe is a native of Binghamton, N. Y,
and began her exercises when she was a
schoolgirl.
The remuneration these performers receive
varies from fifty to two hundred dollars a
week The best of them, and of course the
few, can command the latter sum- But it
must be remembered that for several months
in the year they are idle. Many also have to
support q mother or younger brothers and
sisters. The latter is the with one we'll
known gymnast,-wh is the niece of United
States Senator. Her father in his later days
was financially unfortunate, and, dying poor,
left boy and girl to be provided for by his
eldest daughter. Her uncle told her she was
disgracing her family by becoming circus
performer, but she did not regard it in the
same light She said she was able to take
care of herself, the remuneration was good,
and her brother and sister had to be support
ed.
Nine Zarah is a heavyweight brunette.
who does daring feats of balancing on the
swaying trapeze. One of her acts is a swift
descent on sloping wire which she holds in
her teeth. But she particularly prides her.
self on ascending a rope hand over hand,
feat which she deies any other woman to i'm
itate. Now, many men, and certainly very
many women, have such a muscular arm ca
pable of doing the hand-over-hand work
She has been ten years in the profession.
She is married to q Spaniard named Cebal-
los, and they have one boy now about ten
years old. Nine. Zarah is of Scottish birth,
her maiden name having been Zarah Fergus,
Ict,o 10 H.
child. Her husband trained her for about
year. She is an excellent circus rider, but
gave up the practice because she could not
keep a horse of her own. With strange
horses circus riding is dangerous work. Nine.
Zarah is quite Enguist speaking Spanish
like native and French quite fiuently. She
also converses in the Malay tongue and in
Nine. Zuila is small but weli-built wo-
man. She is a high-wire evolutionist, what
Mr.. Barnum, when a young man, used to
call tight-rope dancer. She performs
some wonderful feats on the high wire, |
such walking across with her feet en-
cased in baskets, walking over blindfolded, |
and with a sack over her; but her most |
daring deed is riding across on a bicycle. !
She was born in Sydney, Australia, and |
was trained by her husband, Mr.. George |
Loyal. She has been in the profession |
thirteen years, has travelled considerably, |
and 1S proud OF decorations from the En-
peror of Brazil, the King of Siam and the |
Mikado of Japan. She has plenty of nerve
and is quite in love with her work. She |
has had one accident. Some years ago in
Indiana her balance pole broke and she fell |
from the wire. After ten days, however,
she was again performing. She has one
girl nine years old, who is trick bicycle
rider.
Mile la Fevre, seen in an ordinary black |
dress, looks little body, but when in cos
tune her development of arm and limb is
surprising, aud her achievements on the
zenith floating ring remarkable. She is
Californian, a widow and the mother of a
fourteen year-old girl Mile. la Fevre was
so unfortunate three years ago in Indian
apaGs to fall with trapeze. Her great
trick is the rapid descent of a rope face
downward, holding only by one leg Like
all female gymnasts, she is, she says, OBJ
ivious of her audiences. All these per-
formers are obliged to concentrate their
whole attention upon their work, and ap-
plause or disapproval is quite lost upon
them for the time being.
Most of these ladies have an exalted |
opinion of their profession, and wonder
4hy society does not take to them more
kindly. They consider themselves quite as
good Nilsson, Patti or an Ellen Ter
y, and would scorn the idea of appearing
1t ffteen-cent show. Their great delight
s to have Turner" audience, such as
he German population alone can furnish,
md then they are seen at their best. |
These people are experts" they say, ''and
IAN appreciate us. They understand the
difficulty of our tacts,' and applaud in pro-
portion. Many of your opera singers don't
AXE half as muc. pains to please the pub
ic as we do, and yet are thought more of.
I'd like to see Nine. Patti turn somersault
IN trapezel"
r
he revenue steamer Samuel Dexter, has been |
ordered to Washington for examination for |
A. P Sturtevant, of Norwich, has pur-
chased the Riddle property in Groton, one of |
jhe most desirable locations on that side of |