The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1901-07-26
DUE TO LOSS OF NERVE.


InaccOuutaDl Fright which FIRE.
quently ezes Trick Performers.
"Joe Stark, the trick cyclist who was
killed during a high dive in New York,
travelled for a season with Davis cir
Gus" said young man. Il was with
he show at the same time, on the
business staff and | got to know Joe
very well. | see by the papers that
his death was due to n miscalculation
Of over forty feet in the dive, and the
reporters are wondering how in the
world he could have made such blum
der. To any one acquainted with per-
formers of his class, however, the thing
is no mystery. They are all subject
to queer spells of panic, that come
without any particular reason and un-
fit them temporarily for business. If a
man persists in doing his act at such
time, the consequences are alto
gether matter of chance, and the ma
jority of the accidents within my recol-
lection have been attributable to that
cause.
while l was in the show business 1
witnessed several striking instances of
this mysterious loss of nerve, perhaps
the most remarkable being that of
little Englishman who did very SEN
satiOnal act on the flying trapeze. He
had two bars suspended at opposite
sides of the ring, about forty feet from
the ground, and finished his perform
ance with the feat that is called
rchelle,' in the slang of the circus.
don't know where the word comes
from, but in doing the turn the gym
mast swings as far as he can on the
trapeze, let's go, throws a somersault,
and catches the other, the danger de
pending on the distance he travels
through the air.
THE Englishman was a slow-spoken,
rather stupid little fellow, who had
been brought up in the ring and was
as nearly destitute of emotion as any
body l ever saw. His habits were ex-
cellent, like those of most professional
athletes, and he did his work with a
mechanical precision that almost ex-
Guided the possibility of mishap. One
night his helper got drunk, and | went
with him to the little aerial platform
from which he took his long swing,
for the purpose of holding back the bar
while he got ready to launch himself
into space. AS l was busying myself
with the ropes I heard him groan and,
looking around, was thunderstruck to
see him as white as a sheet and trem-
bling like a man with the ague.
What's wrong. FredY l whispered.
ooh, Lord he said between his teeth,
I'm just in a funk, an awful funkT
was so astonshed | could hardly
credit my senses, but I realized that
something would have to be done to
prevent a fiasco that would ruin him
in the business. Pretend you've
sprained your arm l said, and leave
the rest to me. Now, let's get down
quick He was so unnerved he could
hardly descend the rope ladder, and the
audience began to buzz with surprise
l sent him to the dressing-tent and
said a few words to the ringmaster
who made a little speech, explaining
that Mr.. - had injured his arm
climbing to the platform and would be
obliged to omit his usual finale. Later
on I found the poor fellow lying on
his costume trunk sobbing like child
but next morning he was all right, anC
l never knew him to have another Seiz
ure You may rest assured Joe STARK
met his death through just such an un
accountable collapse. 1t probably tool
him as he started to make his dive, an6
pride forbade him to hold back. New
Orleans Times Democrat.