West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-04-13
PLAYING WITH EDGED TOOLS
THE PERILoUS PERFORMANCE
OF THE PRETTY ENGLISH GIRLS.
How Kate Puts Herself Up as Target
for Clara to Throw Butcher Knives and
Battle Axes At, and is not Afraid.


for Clara to Throw Butcher Knives and
Battle Axes At, and is not Afraid.
Among the desperadoes of Mexico
and Cuba the throwing of bowie
knife is a frequent accomplishment
Many of them can fling heavy
blade, point forward, as straight as
an ordinarily good marksman can
send revolver bullet. The feat is
always a surprising and often very
pretty one. Rarely, however, is it
seen in such perfection as it is now
exhibited at the Madison Square
Garden, New York, by two young
and charming girls, whose beauty,
grace, and fearlessness in the peri
lous performance almost beguile the
beholders into temporary forget
fulness of its dangers.
Clara O'Brien, "a tai, slender blonde,
in whose modest face great steady
gray eyes CLEAN out of complexion
of mingled rose and lily. is the one
who throws the knives. Kate Gil
bert, fascinating brunette, with big
liquid black eyes and the figure of a
little fairy, is the one who placed
herself against board for Clara to
show how close around her the
knives can be planted without pierre
ing her flesh. Both girls are Eng
lish, neither is yet l9 years old, and
their first appearance in this coun-
try is their present in the great Bar
mum show. The knives employed
are straight, little over Il foot in
length, with very sharp points and
blunt edges, and weight about twen-
ty ounces each, their handles being
loaded with lead to give them prop
er balances. They are thrown dis
tance of about fifteen feet with such
force that each point is buried an
inch or an inch and a half in the
pine board against which Kate
stands. In throwing, Clara holds
them by the points, hurls them very
rapidly, and each blade turns over
one and half times before its point
strikes
First, Kate stands sidewise to the
target and nine knives are planted
in rapid succession, just above her
head, close in front of her bright
eyes, beneath her dimpled chin, al
most touching the nape of her neck
and outlining her shapely bust.
Next she places herself with her
back against the board and both
arms raised, in which position her
figure is closely outlined by Clara
with dozen knives. Then, one
knife having been driven deep into
the wood just behind her neck, she
bends her head backward over it,
and remains in that position un-
flinchingly, while another knife is
planted so close above her white
throat that it touches the skin, still
another just passes her eye-lashes
and sticks fast, and half dozen
more of the cleaning blades, grazing
her, sink deep in the wood and stand
quivering. Then she holds up one
of her delicate little hands. with the
fingers spread, and Clara plants five
knives beside the waist, and between
the fingers and forefinger and thumb.
For the final act, Kate again
stands with her back against the
board; ten of the big knives are
quickly driven in beside her legs,
her waist, her neck, and her appraised
white arm, and, last Of all, Clara
hurls at her two huge keen-edged
battle axes that stick fast close be-
side her little shell-like ears. The