The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-10
A WOMAN ATHLETE.
Nine. Antonio Began Her Work on the
Trapexe When Five Years Old.

Pail Mall Budget.
Il have been in training since I was Ave.
and that's twenty years ago ,on Nine ;nds An
Of the feats, that the Roumanian trapezist
as she now gives Londoners twice day at
the Royal Aquarium. One thing she does
is this; Having gayly mounted to the
falls backward into her net seventy feet
beneath She starts on her descent with a
SoWn her or Weight wen t0 Doubles The blow With
which she strikes the net causes her to
rebound nine or ten feetmae,eording as rt the
blow must be on her back; IL she. fell on
her arms or feet they would be broken like
broken matches; and it, on her neck, the
would stir more. Loud is the whirl OF
the air in her ears during that flight down
ward 1t strikes cold against her eye, too,
but her eye must be alert to see the net
beneath her she makes her double
her attitude before she strikes the net She
does not breathe as. she .descends, but she
thinks and md sees. Then there Is the cra ash
applauding crowo, the smile, the hand
waited kiss; and for half day more
Adelina Antonio has the assurance of life
Not so sensational but more deliberately
beautiful, is her descent Of the rope; . With
with no haste effort, she comes gliding
perpendicularly down.. floating and swaying
Nnere Goes Tie rope IOluf lST. by d. mere
twist round waist or ankle. There is no
sign of strain. The turning on the high
trapeze ., with ta mere srp IN, OF rhe Knees tn
tambourine, is perhaps less distinctive. but
it is marvellous feat of both grace and
strength Ten times or fifty times. without
the help of finger, the vigorous figure
wheels itself under and over this small
bar 50 quickly thar the mere spectator II is
does not know what blood to the head
means. and she remains white in face where
her arms are shapely when you might sup
pose that by development of muscle they
must appear mal-formed.
1T was in my blood to climb, explains
Nine. Antonio. When / was learning to
walk / climbed everywhere-on the chairs,
tables and windows. Petticoats were in my
way, so / was put in knickeroockers. 1
felt happy when / was aloft. My father
fpans Saps d At first ls % for o ab9s
practice, made my first public appearance
IN my own alive town of Bucharest. 1t was
excited. wanted to show all my friends
what could do, and got through my work
Wei. From that time TIL now I have never
short intervals I have been a learner all
my, life. have constantly tried to improve
and to achieve something fresh Which
sounds like the tea-table talk of the model
acade mician.
1t was about twelve months after her first
appearance that Adelina Antonio left her
native land. Paris, of course, was the goal
of this artistic also, The city of her prefer
rage, for here she met M, Jules Surnay, an
engineer of repute.
Nine. Antonio confesses to two minor ac-
cidents. The word CO. is always spoken
by her husband-her constant helper-as the
signal for her fall backward from the roof,
when he sees that all is right On un-
happy day some idiot said Coz in his
place, while the various flying trapezes with
which the performer had been working were
still swaying about. One of these caught
her in her descent, striking her crashing
blow across the face Another time. in an
other part of her performance, she missed
the net and dashed her shoulder against the
stalls. But even lacking such warnings.
Nine Antonio can never be without full
consciousness of her danger. 1t is in spite
of this consciousness that, she never fails in
the beauty of all she does or misses the
finish and eayety of her actions.