The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-09-19
In THE LIONS DEN.
The Tragic Death Of a Fair Circus
Performer.

Circuses are in ill repute among some
people, as | am very well aware: and
when / say that | am a circus perform
err, and that my parents were circus
performers before me, l do not expect
much interest or sympathy from that
class of people who believe that circus
performers are a grade below the aver
age of humanity.
But, nevertheless, it is a fact that we
people who ride bareback horses,
swing at the risk of our worthless lives
from the giddy trapezc, leap through
blazing hoops, and double ourselves in
to footballs-it is a fact, l say, that we
have hearts-nay. even souls-quite as
much as legs and stomachs.
My mother was a refined
and ran away from a home of luxury
and pride for love of my father, who
was a somewhat celebrated tight
rope dancer. And although it would
seem that she gave up everything and
gained nothing, l do not think that she
ever regretted it.
Not hat l would be understood as
counseling wealthy young ladies to
elope with circus performers; / only
mean to be understood that my mothers
love for my father outlasted passion,
poverty and time itself.
She used to ride in the ring
times, but my father was never willing.
Still she persisted, because her grace
and beauty attracted so many more to
the circus, and you know that upon the
crowd a show of this kind draws de-
ponds its existence.
One night, when I was about ten
years old, and had begun to make my
self useful in small Juvenile parts, we
were exhibiting in Monmouth, a large
town which gave us extra good patron
age. The people were loud in their
calls for Mime. Zelnaire, for so my
mother was designated on the bills,
and she, anxious tc please them, ap
peared on Sultan, her favorite horse.
l was riding, balanced on my fathers
shoulders, when she dashed into the
ring, and even now l can recall just
her very looks as she few past us.
She was tall and slight, with raven
black hair and eyes, and a complexion
puTc anu CREAMY dS u "dttI lily. but
now excitement had lent her cheeks an
unwonted flush, her eyes were like dia-
monds, and her white shoulders
CLEANED like ivory through the misty
lace which dropped Owe them.
l felt a slight shudder shake my
fathers frame, for he had grown
strangely nervous of late in regard to
her riding. and he put out his hand as
II to stay her course. She smiled gayly,
and shook her head at him. and as she
did so, crash came one of the heavy
tent poles to the earth, and as it fell it
swept down in its fatal course Sultan
and his rider in a cloud of dust.
My father flung me away from him
as If 1 had been a stick or a stone, and
went down on his knees beside the
dead horse and the dead woman! For
both were dead-my mother with the
smile frozen on her face, and the sweet
eyes wide open just as they had last
lifted themselves to meet the gaze Of
him she loved.
My father raised her up and bore her
away to our w private tent, and
shook off the kind friends who would
have given him help and sympathy, as
If they were wild beasts
Poor man. said the ringmaster, |
''his wits have left him! Let him alone!
he'll be better by and by"
And then they all tried to soothe my
childish grief, but l knew no relief I'M
til some time in the gray dawn of the
next wretched day I sobbed myself to
sleep.
The ringnaster was right. NY
fathers mind was utterly lost and the
day after the funeral of my mother he
was found dead on her grave. The
never limited to mt how he died, but I
have little reason to doubt that he
persisted by his own hand.
After everything was over, Mr.. Page,
n of the proprietors of the circus.
called me to him, and said:
well, Tommy Crestmore, my boy,
what are you going to do?"
i burst into tears, and said I did not
know. / only wanted to die and be
with my dear mother.
Mr.. Page was one Of the kindest-
hssrtsd len N tho world. and hs