The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-02
LOVE IN THE CIRCUS.
HE PROPOSED WHILE HANGING
HEAD DOWN.
Kissed Her ON the F-ly-Hou One
Brother Let the Other Be Killed
So As to Win Jennie.

THAT jump reminds me of the way
Sam Myers proposed to Annie John
son ten years ago." said a retired
circus performer.
The Journal man noticed that the
veteran omitted the "Signor" and
Ma 'amselle'' from his conversation,
so that Sam Myers and Annie John
son did not bear in private life the
names which adorned the circus pro-
gramme and the parti-colored litho-
graphs which inflame the circus-going
propensities of young America.
You see, Sam Meyers 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 an
other was made all right by her, and
suddenly everybody was surprised to
STE 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 Everybody 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 conf1ded to
his chum his intentions OF proposing
to their 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 himself until they began.
when Annie made her first jump ne
started to pop the question, ana the
proposal continued with interruptions
as the young lady would swing BACK
and forth and jump to and fro IN 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 sucn
a smack that it could be heard all
over the big tent.
Everybody congratulated the pair.
But Pete, somehow he had the I'M
preston that he had not been treated
squarely in this proposal and the firm
broke up then and there"
THAT reminds me of another team
which was with a circus that L was
performing in 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
the leading rider was Jennie Dunbar,
who was the cIeverest little woman
who ever jumped through hoop, and
both the boys fell in love with her
she was really fond of both Of
them, but when they proposed she ac-
cepted WILL and told Fred that she
could only be a sister to him. When
Fred proposed we were performing up
in Canada. and the proposal was made
just before the afternoon performan-
ces. When the boys came up for their
turn we all noticed that Fred was pale
and nervous, while Will was just the
reverse. Their act went on the same
as usual, and finally came their last
jump, which was the most daring OF
all. Fred hung by his toes and VIII
made the swing clear across the tent.
We never knew how it happened,
whether Fred was so nervous that he
lost his grip, or whether he did it
deliberatel but just as Will came
flying through the air Fred trembled
and dropped from his hold down into
the net, while Will shot through the
air and fell in the ring clear beyond
the edge of the net. When they ran
to him he was dead. Jennie was al
most crazy with grief, and Fred had
an attack of brain fever, from when
he did not recover for months.
mo one could tell whether he DE
liberately dropped to get rid of his
rival, or whether he was SO sick that
he could not hold himself longer. AT
any rate, as soon as he got well he
proposed to Jennie again and was ac-
copied Boston Journal.