The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1899-06-15
A BALLOON MYSTERY.

re&n&EtlFA hoa1ea- we BAD been talking al
that particular play, aud had turned 20 tbs
balloon scene, when he related this storys
II came very near being thrown cut Of q
balloon once niJweif. Did yeu ever bear al
Wash DuhAidsenf He WAS the balioonlss
fer the Bsrnum & Ha.iss show mere than %
years ago. Donaldssn was sn athlete. He
was Of perfect phyaiqae and had a face which
made women crazy. He was naan Of travel
and = captivating taikeE. He was ths hero
Of more than a hundred triFa 10 the
skies. The ascension took place luat before
tha afternoon performance. lie opened
| the season Ia the sumner OF rs en- thu
lake front In Chicago. WAS invited to 20
mp with him. There werr three oshers. The
basket party consisted Of four persons. Dou-
aldaon took his place on the bar between the
/ baske. and The neck Of the balloon. The day
was hot Donaldson was In his shirt sleeves.
| Part Of the time he was harshcsded. The dag
was perfect. As We took our fight and sailed
out over the lake, reaching an altitude Of
nearly mile, the intrepid pilot, looking
| down upon his passengers, ehatted about bic
travels and experiences while the airship
/ above turned slowly and at times seemed 70
stand still.
This, my first ascension. was accidental
The arrangement, for my trip was for the sec.
! eond day. But two other persons, also in
! vited 20 20 up 90 The second day, appeared
on the fret d~y and asked 70 make the a..
scenSon then. This occaaioned pariey. II
was settled by the tosa Of a coin BY this
won. The two who lost then threw for the
ascension mex. day, ioF Dohsl3soH hsd asla
tia. =s.z- sAs fra. ==--.s.s-. ~ ---s..AA .sa=
only one person.
''I'his frat ascension was without incident,
ave for the novelty Of Il to those who had
never before been up in The air. The ship
landed about where the Auditorium hotel
now stands After we had left the basket
went with Donahlson 10 hia hotel aud dined
with him. A woman at the table, enc Of the
profession. vas Denaldsnn'a aihanosd birdie,
She had become infatuated with Donald.
son, and became a circus woman. They wrro
10 nave huUH married al inc riusc 81 thai
season lie had promised her to make no
more aScenaicns after their marriage.
II ssked him what he would do II, in an
ascension with only one person II became
necessary 10 order to escape IN safety TO I'm.
load the basket lie said, in matter Of fact
way, that the law Of Felfpressryation was
the same IN midair az 1t was on the earth.
bet Of your balloonr asked the woman, TO
whom the possibility q sueh thing had oc-
CURED, apparently, for the first time. Don
aldaon replied that he would be justified IN
such an act, where his own life was involved,
and be told me Giterward that he had con
suited q wsll-kEown criminal lawyer IN New
York on that very question, and that the In
formation was IN accordance with wha, be
had said in reply 10 the woman.
'eThe next day went 10 the grounds TO
see Donaldson make his second ascension Of
that engagement. The sky was threatening.
The lake was a sea 81 whitecaps, A storm
eume ~ out Of the southwest The two
men who had tossed with INC the day before
were al the side Of the basket. The younger,
who he'd won the toss for the second days
ascension, was a mere lad from an interior
town Of lllinos His name wna Grimwood.
The other was A Scotchman lie wanted the
young man 90 toss over again, but the young
man replied by quoting the old ndaEe about
q bird IN hand Donaldson said to me, In an
aside,
at hate TO take that boy to-day, for this
balloon, which Is not the one we had yeater.
day. Is patched, and not as safe a. the other,
aud, besides, II looks DARK ovrr head. How
would you like TO take his piaeey
II do not know what ms answer might
have been. There was no occasion 10 reply.
for the young man. evidently afraid he might
lose his place, had jumped into the basket |
before I could speak. Knowing Donaldson
a. did, With faith in hls courage and admir- |
ing his intrepidity. I think should hAvc |
gene with him In his second fight
. & 4
"a rut the rope. The balloon went up IN the 1
midst Of lightning and thunder. Not a cheer
followed lie stormy flight. The spectators !
looked upward from under their umbrellas I
In silent awe. The balloon crossed the laks
IN a nofthwesieriy direction aud was aeon /
lost from sight by intervening clouds. This /
afternoon was stormy and the fury Of the
gale increased during the night. No tidinFs .
were received Of the voyagers on the follow
Ing morning, That afternoon the frat hal.
loon was inflated on the circus grounds and
M ascension was announced None took
place. Donaldson had not returned. Nee.
Fages were sent out 20 towns in the north.
west asking for any news Of the balloon. the
cirrus management offering to pay literally
for such information. No answers were re-.
eeived The next day and the next day and
rvery succeeding dsy while the circus re-
msinei the balloon IN which We made the
first ascension wss inflated, but the ropes
were never cut. There were no morc ssern-
Hons.
"For weeks after the circus had 2nne con.
ficiing stories were received Of q balloon
Reen In various places. sometimes in the cir.
with dead man hanging bead downward,
tangled In the ropes. followed by birds:
sometimes Of the balloon in the waters q
The lake; sometimes IN the branches IT q
forest; sometimes In the camps of lorgers
IN the pineries II that region. But none
proved true. People quit talking about II.
until one day II was recalled hy a story. well
written, 10 the effect that Donaldson had
'esn seen alive in london The circus REQ
pie and nonaldsoh'a friends denied this. A
little later n similar story lceating him In
Africa was printed. and this was denied. To
dve these stories 4 shading n truth, for a
number werr printed later on, they soa.
aimed the statement, which was true. that
he woman In this case had left the circus
md had gone 10 meet her lover. She had left
he circus. Finally the stories about Don.
ldsnn biting alive. like the ones about y. |
Wilkes Nsnth being alive. ceased. A long
lime after, several months. I think. portions
II human body were found In the sands on !
he Wisconsin shore ~ Take Michigan. |
There was nothing 81 identify the remains
'xceTt piece Of jewelFy which a young
youan who knew Grimwond said she had |
'ven to him. This. with few bits Al rus-
srisl found nearby. thought By sarns 10 he
'srss OF the balloon canvas, led TO the be-
LET IN some quarters that Grimwood was
brown from the basket hy ponAdson. |
Every man of che two aseensions, ezreEa |
nyself. II dead. and each one died In a pecr,.
lar way. The scotehman who lost the sesa
a the SECOND day went mad few years
sn aHd rsrsped from the asyinm. His body
vas found some timr after In crrek.
"lonsldson's fate remains a mystery.
BID he throw Grmwood out Of the basketf
Void he have thrown ma out, wundests' ]