Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-08-27
LOVE n THE CIRCUS.
Two ROMANCsS WHICH TERMINATED
ON THE TRAPEzE
Low Sam Meyers Propo~ed and Was Ac-
ceptcd by His Annie-The Tragedy Which
Grew Out Of the Love of the Rowland
Brothers For Jennie Dunbar.

Brothers For Jennie Dunbar.
"Ah!"
"Ohr'
All the spectators Of the giant leap
for life i'll the circus teat 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 tees 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 non
chalarce, as if a swing for life Was no
more serious matter than signaling al
electric car.
Well might they be calm, for they
We're retired circus performers. and the
perils of the tents were old stories to
them, and then. as the show went Oh,
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, so that Sam Myers and An
ME johnson did not bear in private life
the names which adorned the circus
programme and the particclored itho-
graphs which inflame the circus going
propensities Of Young America.
lyon see, Sam Myers and Pete Will
son and Annie johnson were albinos
that season and did Il great act on the
flying trapezc, in which Annie made
ever so many jumps ACROSS the tent and
was caught by Sam, while Pete was
performing On Il 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 trapezc. Every
body wondered what it all meant, ard
after the act was over they soon found
| out.
''It seems that Sam and Pete had
both fallen in love with Annie, ard Just
before the act Pete confided to his chum
his intentions of proposing to the pretty
partner. Sam made up his mind that
he would not be left i'll 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 interruption:
as the young lady would swing bach
and forth and jump to and fro III tn,
regular custom of her performance
Finally the question was asked just Il.
she swung. Sam, hanging by his toes
waited until she made the next leap AMI
as he heard her say Yes he lifted hel
up and kissed her with such smacl
| that it could be heard all over the hi,
tent.
Everybody congratulated the PAL
but Pete. Somehow he had the impress
sion that he had not been treated square
ly i'll this proposal, and the firm brok'
up then and there"
THAT reminds me of another team
which was with a circus that was per
forming in dozen years ago. Tn
Rowland brothers were doing a doubl
trapeze act, with all sorts of DARN,
jumps, much the same sort as the on
we just saw. In the same circus tn
ri6 I,
was the cleverest little woman VIII
ever jumped through a hoop, and botl
the boys fell in love with her.
"She was really fond Of both of them
but when they proposed she accepte,
Will and told Fred that she could onl,
be sister to him. When Fred proposed
we were performing up in Canada, AM
the proposal was made Just before tn
afternoon performances. When the boy
came up for their turn, we all notice,
that Fred was pale and nervous, Will
Will was Just the reverse. Their nc
went ON just the same as usual, ali
finally came their last jump, which wa
the most daring of all. Fred hung b
his toes, and Will made the swing clea
across the tent. We never knew how
happened, whether Fred was SO nervou
that he lost his grip or whether he di
it deliberately, but just as Will cam
flying through the air Fred tremble
and dropped frOm his hold down int
the net while Will shot through the vi
and fell in the ring clear beyond III
edge Of the net. When they ran to him
he was dead. Jennie was almost Graz
, with grief. and Fred had an attack {
brain fever, from which he did not II
. cover for months
.'No one could tell whether he delil
3 erately dropped to get rid of his rivi
or whether he was SO sick that he coul
: not hold himself longer. At any rate
as soon as he got well he proposed I
Jennie again and was accepted The
are married now and retired from til
business. boston Journal.