The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-08-14

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Grew out Of tho Love Of the Rowland
Brothers For Jennie Dunbar.
"Ah!"
"Ohp'
All the spectators Of the giant leap
for life in the circus tent held their
breaths with terror while the 1.-THE aero
bat plunged forward, released his hold
and shot through space, to be securely
caught in the firm grasp of his partner,
who hung from his toes from another
treacherous trapeze.
Twelve thousand nine hundred and
ninety eight persons caught their breaths
again as the feat was accomplished.
The two remaining persons Of the 49,
OOO-a big circus tent always holds 49,.
900 persons, you know-watched the
proceedings with an air Of perfect nom
chalance, as if swing for life was no
more serious matter than signaling an
electric car.
Well might they be calm, for they
were retired circus performers, and the
perils of the tents were old stories to
them, and then. as the show went on,
they began exchanging "reminiscences,
while the listening Journal man forgot
all about what was before him in his
interest in these yarns.
"That jump reminds me of the way
Sam Myers proposed to Annie johnson
ten years ago."
The Journal man noticed that the
veteran circus man omitted the "Sig-
nor" and ma 'amselle" from his con-
versation, 80 that Sam Myers and An
ME johnson did not bear in private life
the names which adorned the circus
programme and the particolored litho.
graphs which infame the circus going
propensities Of Young America
"You see, Sam Myers and Pete Will
son and Annie johnson were albinos
that season and did great act on the
flying trapeze. in which Annie made
ever so many jumps across the tent and
was caught by Sam, while Pete was
performing on third bar way up
above them. One jump after another
was made all right by her, and sudden
ly everybody was surprised to see Sam
lift Annie in the air as he caught her
and kiss her before she turned to, make
the leap back to her own trapeze Every
body wondered what it all meant, and
after the act was over they soon found
out
1T seems that Sam and Pete had
both fallen in love with Annie, and just
before the act Pete confded to his chum
his intentions of proposing to the pretty
partner. Sam made up his mind that
he would not be left in a case like this,
but he had no chance to speak for him
self until they began.
when Annie made her first jump,
he started to pop the question, and the
proposal continued with Interruptions
as the young lady would swing back
and forth and jump to and fro m the
regular custom Of her performance.
Finally the question was asked just as
she swung. Sam, hanging by his toes,
waited until she made the next leap and
as he heard her say Yes he lifted her
up and kissed her with such smack
that it could be heard all over the big
tent.
Everybody congratulated the pair
but Pete. Somehow he had the impres.
sion that he had not been treated square.
ly in this proposal and the firm broke
up then and there"
'That reminds me of another team
which was with circus that was per-
forming in a dozen years ago The
Rowland brothers were doing double
trapeze act, with all sorts Of daring
jumps, much the same sort as the one
we just saw. In the same circus tho
leading rider was Jennie Dunbar, who
was the cleverest little woman who
ever jumped through a hoop and both
the boys fell in love with her.
"She was really fond of both Of them,
but when they proposed she accepted
Will and told Fred that she could only
be sister to him. When Fred proposed,
we were performing up in Canada, and
the proposal was made just before the
afternoon performances. When the boys
came up for their turn, we all noticed
hat Fred was pale and nervous while
Will was just the reverse Their act
vent on just the same as usual, and
inally came their last jump which was
he most daring of all. Fred hung by
lis toes, and Will made the swing clear
cross the tent. We never knew how it
happened, whether Fred was so nervous
hat he lost his grip or whether he did
deliberately, but just as Will came
lying through the air Fred trembled
nd dropped from his hold down into
he net, while Will shot through the air
nd fell in the ring clear beyond the
dge Of the net When they ran to him,
c was dead. Jennie was almost crazy
nth grief, and Fred had an attack Of
rain fever, from which he did not re-
over for months.
"No one could tell whether he DELHI
rately dropped to got rid of his rival
r whether he was SO sick that he could |
OF hold himself longer At any rate,
J soon as he got we'll he proposed to
ennie again and was accepted. They
re married now and retired from the
nsiness. boston Journal