Year: 1872

From Chambers 8 Journal.


1t was done away with long enough
ago. Parliament took it up, said it was
dangerous, and perhaps Parliament was
right to put stop TO It. But I did ut
like it then, for it was my bread, and
meant five pounds week to me, and when
it was stopped my profession was ruined.


l don't like it now, for you see I've
made flesh, and am close on to fifty but
fifteen or twenty years ago, when l was
IN my feshiugs, l could have shown you
such a figure and such muscles as You
wouldn't see every day. Me and my
brother were 4 regular pair. just the same
height, and wonderfully alike. Itwas a
bit Of CANNON, but it took wonderfully
in the bills; and our manager said it
would be utter madness to announce our
selves as Benjamin and Thomas Hitch-
ens so we used to be in blue letters all
over London, Les Freres Provencaux;
and the people came to see US from all
parts.


We were engaged, you see at the Roy
al COudoIt Gardens, and did the trapeze
work. Now, dare say you'll find plen-
ty Of people who will say it was known
long before; but don't you believe EN-.
l IN the the man who invented the ira
peze-at least, I'm the boy-that Is, /
invented it when l was a boy, on the
swing in our back garden, the one we
made under the old apple tree, cut Of
mothers clothes line, and rubbed till it
broke all to bits, and let Tom down so
heavy that be put out his shoulder.


You see, it was from perimenting or
that swing, hanging by my legs, by one
hand, by two hands, and upside down,
that sowed the seeds of all those won
derful trapeze exploits that have, as we
say in the bills, thrilled expectant au-
diences in every nerve and fibre of their
frames"


Tom turned very sulky after he put
his shoulder out, and he would not try
any more tricks, till he grew jealous Of
seeing me get so handy at them be was
queer fellow was Tom, and never could
bear for me to be ahead of him, even in
taking mediciue), and then he set to
when | wasn't by and worked so hard
that he got to shorten the rope, and to
hang by one foot quite clever. hadn't
known anything about it, he'd been so
sly; so that l was quite took aback one
day when, after figuring about in my
boyish fashion upon the ropes, he snig
gered at me and then TO my great aston
ishment, "get down, he says, and sets to.
and does all l have done before, and
great deal more too, till he ends by hang
ing by one leg, when crash the rope
snapped and down came poor Tom on
his head and shoulder with terrible
bang.


Up got Tom, and few at me like ii
ger, becauseI was laughing-and | put
it to you, could l help it?-and then We
had regular stand up fight, which was
not ended until our Mary charged down
upon US with clothes prop, aud caught
Tom by the throat with the big prong,
so as she held him against the wall till
he promised he wouldn't fight any more
Tom didn't keep his promise, for he was
terrible boy for fighting, and manys the
up and down set to we have had togeth~
er Woe betide any boy, though, who
touched me 1t didn't matter how big
be was, Tom always took my part, and
thrashed him.


From doing things on the rope, we
took to tumbling little on the ground,





hands and l shall never forget the DAY
when turned the first somersault with
ont touching the ground with my hands.
That day was marked one foF me; first,
because Of the pride | felt as L ran 10 the
field and spun over; second, because Tom
was so Jealous that he took run ana
iump. and came down on his back, ma
king it so stiff and bad that he couidn
move hardly for week


At last, having done all this for our
own amusement as boys, we had to give
it up. for times got very pad at home.
POOR father. who had only been jour
newman painter, fell ill and died; and
mother moved to London, where, after
deal of trying, we boys got a job here
and there at rough painting, for, from
helping father at home, we were both
pretty handy with the brush.


Times, however, we're very hard with
US, when one day we heard chance. The
Royal Condoit Gardens were being done