The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-07-29
DESPE RADIO LAUGHS
AT DEATH
Daring Frenchman Creates In
tense Excitement in
Circus Tent.

The spectacle Of a desperate man
throwing himself from a great height
and landing on his unprotected chest
upon a three-foot skid fastened TO the
ground Is the latest circus thrill pro-
ducer. 1t is a cure-iire sensation an
approach to suicide that fascinates the
morbid.minded There is no ponder
Gus rigging TO hint at danger The
absence of any kind of safety de-
vice makes the danger OF the act evf
dent AT glance
Desperate is the name Of the mad
man who conceived the idea and has
tho ncrvc To put 1t into execution. He
viii present ii in OGDEN on Wednes-
day. August 10th. as the extraordinary
feature of the Barnum and Bailey
Greatest Show on Earth,
High up in the center Of the dome
is very small platform, reached by a
rope ladder. The size Of the great
arena gives the platform the appear
ance OF being lower down than 1t is,
until Desperate begins 10 climb the
ladder When he mounts to his perch
the realization comes TO the audience
that he is standing at a height equal
to that of the roof OF the ordinary FIVE
story bIilding On the ground direct
ly beneath him Is the skid. II is three
feet high and made of small strips
of wellsmoothed birch
Desperate slowly raises his hand
high above his head His fingers touch
the canvas above him. This Is the
signal for all eyes 10 center on him
He leans far forward over the small
platform Ten thousand bodies vio-
lently vibrate in response TO the beat
Ing OF excited hearts. The band has
stopped playing and death-likc sill
ence prevails. The over-balanced
weight OF the Frenchmans body has
plunged him downward There is moth
Ing whatsoever between him and death
but half dozen slender strips Of pol
ished birch And what if he should
miss that doubtful structure? Tho
second he Is falling through the air
seems 20 spectators like al hour. 1t
is sufficient lapse Of time TO picture
a horrible tate. The impulse is to
avert the eyes and avoid the sight Of
tragedy But there is fascination
TO the rash spectacle that has never
yet been resisted
Suspense tears al the heart and
tortureS the mind. But It is over in
an instant The FTenchmans bare
chest glides over the frail framework
en- the ground The next thing the
audience realizes. is that the man
stands with feet firmly set upon the
grass, smiling and bowling to them.
Later on the audience is again sub
jected to another siege of thrills by
the perilcus ride of Jupiter. the bal.
loon horse, and the horrible feats of
the Adonls brothers. while the re-
markable feats OF Charlie the First,
a chimpanzee bicycle rider and aero
bat. MI spectators with amazemcnt
The remainder OF the program is given
by 100 artists, who represent the best
talent 81 the world Never before has
the Barnum and Bailey Circus contain
ed the sensational features that are
this year thrilling the people of Am
erica fitting overture 10 the show
is the new forenoon parade. rc-estab-
l,shed at cost of over 81 000 900. In
the menagerie there is single attrac-
lion Of moro interest than the entire
exhibition Of any other show, II is
the only giraffe baby ever seen any,
whore i'm the world outside the African
jungle. It is the only one ever born
in America