ACROBAT’S FATAL DIVE

Taranaki Daily News, 3 January 1928, Page 7

ACROBAT’S FATAL DIVE

APE-MAN’S FALL FROM TRAPEZE. By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. A. and N.Z. London, Dee. 39. A dive from a trapeze 'by an artist into the .stalls of a theatre at Hillingborough thrilled the audience, though it was not aware that it was really a dive to death. Greehhalge, dressed as an ape, had been performing, the feat for 30 years. He jumped before his ankle had properly secured a grip of the trapeze, and crashed headlong into a woman’s lap. She was removed to hospital with a broken leg. The ape-man died within a few minutes, but the band struck up a gay march, so the audience did not rcaFise the tragedy. Greenhalge’s wife, who witnessed the accident from behind the scenes, fainted. Blondin once had a similar accident, when he fell into a woman’s lap in the stalls and broke her legs, 'but was himself unhurt.