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

New DIX journal.
Rlondin was the best example Of the
man of one attainment tina | have ever
seen. lie was a born rope-walker, the
child of a family OF strol.ng acrobats,
who iournryed from village to village Civ
ing exhibitions of jugglery and rope-walk-
ing in the market places and sending
round the hat for contributions. Blondin
himself TOLD me many years ago how he
first ossaycd what afterward brought him
fame and fortune.
81 was about I years old" he said, and
was iourney,ng about Europe with my pa
rents. 1t was customary in those days TO
stretch the rope from a stake driven iirm'y
into the ground 10 some high. strong
steeple, and on the incline thus made the
performer would dance up and Town to
the music OF our little band OF three
pieces. My elder sister eXcclled in his art
and was indeed one Of the best Of the rope
dancers, as they were called then, to he
found then in any Of the migratory COM
panies. one morning we ali assembled in
the market place OF the little town IN
which we were stopping, and the peasants
gathered about us to see the exhibition.
The muse started up, and my sister, with
her balancing pole IN her hand, leaped
upon the rope and went skipping and
va AtA us wv" A'"AA' ~ 80 ~ ~ .
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 in my little hands, she was so fright
ened that she almost fell To 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 I
was a born rope-walker, and from that
moment my career was mapped ont for
me-
That Blondin was "A natural born rope
wake 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 1t was to
be nervous while in mid-air. lie was the
only one in his calling who always inn
pressed every one OF his spectators with
the fact that he was IN no personal dan
ger while accomplishing his feats.
He Travelled with his son as his mainstay
and companion, carrying rope n other
apparatus to the eXtentof several tons, and
always worked himself. in his shirt
sleeves, when putting his apparatus into
position. lie declared that unless he ac-
tually helped to put up the ropes and poles
he was not entirely sure that everything
was all right.
he knew scarcely anything. lie had lived
nearly "A quarter of a century In England
and America without acquiring the Eng
lish language, though he had managed TO
forget "A good deal OF his native French.
He had j%ourneyed all over the world, Civ
ing exhibitions in such remote countries
as India, China and Japan, and coming in
contact with "A great many noted persons,
who were interested in him because of his
UNIQUE genius. Nevertheless II was inn
possible for him TO ak entertainingly or
even with ordinary intelligence about
his experiences. None of his children in
herited his talent. HIS son lives I'm Eng
land and is engaged In commercial pur-
suits. His daughter became the wife OF
Frank Pastor, the brother OF Tony Pas
tor.