Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-03-20

New York Journal.
Blondin was the best example OF the
man OF one attainment that | have ever
seen. He was a born rope-walker. the
child OF a family OF strol!ing acrobats.
who journeyed from village to village CIV
ing exhibitions OF iugglery and rope-walk-
ing in the market places and sending
round the hat for contributions. Biondin
himself told me NAM years ago how he
first essayed what afterwArd brought him
fame and fortune.
II was about I years old" he said. and
was j%ourney,ng about Europe with my pa
rents. IL was customary in those days to
stretch the rope from a stake driven hrm.y
into the ground 10 some high. strong
steeple. and ON the incline thus made the
performer would dane up and down TO
the music Of our little band OF three
pieces. My elder sister excelled in this art
and was indeed one OF the best Of the rope
dancers, as they were called then, to be
found then In any OF the migratory COM
panies. one morning we ali assembled in
the market place Of the iittie town IN
which we were stopping, and the peasants
gathered about us TO see the exhibition.
The music started ~. and my sister, with
her balancing pole in her hand, leaped
upon the rope and went skipping and
dancing away toward the distant steeple.
where the rope was fastened. A sudden
impulse seized me to pursue her. | seized
my fathers cane. climbed up on the roof
and dashed OFF after her, using the cane
as a balancing pole and running-so they
all said-as easily and securely as an old
professional. When my sister saw me
high above the heads Of the people with a
cane I'm my little hands, she was so fright
ened that she almost fell 20 the ground.
and how my parents managed TO get me
down from the rope / have never known
but / do know that my father said that L
was a born r~ope-walker. and from that
moment my career was mapped out FOR
That Blondin was a natural born rope
AXE is evidenced by the fact that dur
Ing a professional career OF more than
half A century, he never had the slightest
accident and never knew what II was to
be nervous while in mid-air. lie was the
only one in his calling who always i'm
pressed every one OF his spectators with
the fact that he was in no personal dan
ger while accomplishing his feats.
lie Travelled with his son as MS mainstay
and companion. carrying rope and other
apparatus to the extent OF several tons. and
always worked himself, in his shirt
sleeves. when putting MS apparatus into
position. He declared that unless he ac-
tualiy helped to put up the ropes and poles
he was not entirely sure that everything
was all right.
he knew scarcely anything. He had lived
nearly a quarter OF a century In England
and America without acquiring the Eng
Ish language, though ne a managed TO
forget a rood deal OF his native French.
He had journeyed all over the world, CIV
ing exhibitions in such remote countries
az India, China and Japan. and coming In
contact with a great many noted persons,
who were interested In him because or his
un,nue genius, Nevertheless IL was i'm
possible for him 10 talk entertainingly or
even with ordinary intelligence. about
his experiences. Soa or MS chi'oren m
land and IL engaged I'm commercial pur-
suits. His daughter became the wife OF
Frank Pastor, the brother OF Tony Pas
tor.