The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-23
TOLD BY TINE TIGHT-WIRE MAN.
A Tale OF Infatuated Pigeons who Didn't
Know a Samaritan ln Fancy Dress.

"Yes." said the man who walks the high
wire to give thrills to the crowd at Coney
Island walking the rope il dangerous
job at the best but never thought until the
other day that my career might be cut on
disastrousy by bird. That's the very way
though, in which l came the nearest that
] have ever come to passing in my existence
ticket since began to walk fence rails up
in Michigan in imitation Of the circus lady
in the pink tights.
"The thing came about in a funny way
I had started out to walk the wire. l40 feet
above the ground, from my perch to the high
tower in the middle of the grounds the
other day when. IA glanced along the wire,
l saw a white object on the stretch ahead
Of me hurried my stunt through to see
what it was, and when reached the object
/ found that it was a young pigeon. L
thought it would probably fly away at my
approach, but it didn't, and then saw that
it was too young to do much work with its
wings and that it was too scared to make
the attempt.
l do a sort of clown undressing act up
there in the air. Well. when took of my
wig put the pigeon In it and sent the little
fellow in it to safety on the ground along
one Of the slantng wires. He got there
and one of the attendants whom l had
warned with shout took care of the little
chap until got to the ground
Il took the pigeon up to the tower, where
l knew there were number OF pigeon
nests. There were no big birds there then,
but looked through all the nests and finally
found one from which it appeared that one
bird was missing. put the little fellow in
that. am naturally fond OF birds and ami
mails and l was glad to see the little chap
back home.
Il had hardly put him in the nest when a
whole flock Of the big pigeons thrashed into
the tower and two of them, which were
evidently the parents of my founding,
began to bat their wings on my head and
peck at me. They were 80 bent on punish
ing me that l was rather glad to get away
from them and climb to the ground,
Il didn't think any more of the affair
until the rext day, when had to repeat
my tight-wire stunt. 1 got out nearly to
the middle of the wire and was getting OF
some particularly hair-raising acts when
whole flock Of pigeons-perhaps thirty
or forty-swooped out of their nests among
the electric light bulbs in the tower and
dashed straight at me. had Just got back
to fairly sego position from very difficult
posture when the birds came at me, beating
me with their wings and pecking at my
scantily protected body
They actually scared me whole lot,
and, what is more, they hurt me so much
that in self-protection I had to try my best
to beat them Off had to use good deal
of care. for, let me tell you, this business Of
cutting up shines on wire is not so easy
as some people think To tell the truth.
felt at one time that had about reached
my limit, l Slated at them with my arms
and they came back at me harder than ever.
caught two or three glimpses of the crowd
below and saw that the people We're evil
IDENTIFY wondering what was the matter.
That sort of gave me stage fright. Finally
the birds began to let up little and when
| had recovered my nerve again they left
me and went back to the tower.
The boss OF the show asked me all about
it when | got down, and when | told him
he said he would have all the nests torn
out of the lower, | said that that would
never do.
II you do that said, they'll come at
me with all their friends tomorrow and
give me such a drubbing that you'll have
to cut out my part Of the show altogether.
Let 'em alone and guess they'll reason it
out that | am not trying to harm EN- and
that instead Of having attempted to rob
a nest was really putting one OF the young
tiers back where he belonged. Wait a day
and see what will happen anyway
"The boss agreed to wait and, sure
enough. I was right, The next day two Of
the pigeons-apparently the father and
mother Of the littla fellow whose life had
saved-came out at me and tried their
best to whack me and peck at me, but they
didn't succeed in getting any help from
their neighbors and the two soon abandoned
the attack. Since that time have not been
bothered.
Just the same, | am not going near the
nests Of those birds again The conse-
quences might be worse the next time"