The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1894-05-24

Walker,

Monday 70 ~ dttle square
built man calr 1# hired dray,
loaded a strong b = I'D a heavy,
jointed pole into it d i drove up
town This peculiar chest and pole
were dumped out on the sidewalk on
Main street. In short time the Gu
rious crowd which gathered around
was rewarded by seeing a rope
stretched from the top OF r G. John
sons furniture store across the street
and over the gable Of the Watauga
Bank. To this rope hung small
parallelogram of canvas which told
the whole story and was evidently in
some way responsible for the coinci-
dent which caused thousand people
to meet on the street at the same hour
that afternoon. On both sides OF the
strip Of cloth was printed, "W, H. Da-
vison, tight rope walker, o'clock
today"
AT 4 O'clock the performance began
in the presence of a thousand specta-
tors, some of whom climbed to the
top of buildings in the vicinity lest in
some unheard OF manner the professor
might throw tent around below and
shut off free vision. They had come
there to see free show and did not
want to have any sudden changes in
the program at the last moment. The
crowd showed signs of uneasiness
when Prof. Dawson mounted a barrel
and began TO appeal to the free and
untrammeled contributing penchant
of his hearers, Those nearest him be-
gan to tall back as if the professor was
handling dynamite, but he was SEEM
ingly familiar with this side Of hui
manity, and manifested no surprise.
When he announced that bis wife
would pass through the audience with
the hat there was a general stampede.
Those who had stepped to the street
doors of their places Of bpsin 90 su |.
denly remembered Ia t, the AIR was
TO damp and cold for them TO stand
there bafehCaded, and they hurried
back into their stores to get their hats.
1t suddenly dawned on the eager
minds OF those who had come down
from their rooms and offices on the
second and third floors that they
could command a better view from
their own apartments and they has.
tened to retrace their stepe. Others
who had no rooms or places of BUSH
ness near the rope were reminded by
some mental Kaleidoscope Of some
purchase their wives had told them to
make, and al, the stores near the show
ground were strangely filled with GUS
toners who looked and looked, but
never found what they were looking
for until the woman and the hat pass
ed the door, then they slipped out and
saw it on slender thread spanning
the street.
During all this time, how' Yer, the
little man in tights was doing some of
the most daring and hair raising fcats
this city ever beheld. For an hour he
entertained those who contributed
and those who did not with a number
Of startling acrobatic features. His
exhibition was made up of the most
difficult aud dangerous fea.s known
to tight rope walking. He walked the
rope with his feet manacled in such
way that there was scarcely any free
dom to his step, sat in char, pulled
off his shoes aud put them on, and q
great many other tricks which showed
skill and experience. His greatest act
vas standing on his head blindfolded,
showing to what sensitive degree the
balancing faculty had been developed.
1t was a'good show and one to which
even the most fastidious Chose who
did not pay could find little fault.