Maguire and Risley’s Imperial Japanese Troupe

The troupe is leaving for Boston next week, prior to their Paris departure; Thurs. benefit for “All Right.”

Notes that the house was crowded to overflowing. “The closing scene of the night’s entertainment was as usual begun by the rapid flight of the little favorite up the pulled rope to the dome of the proscenium, where for a moment he hung by one hand to the apparently frail cord support above his head, and then with a whizzing noise, the pullet attached to the strap from which the youngster dangled, started on its fearful journey down the tightened rope that is stretched for the purpose from the dome to the middle box of the dress-circle. As the first creak of the miniature wheel was heard, a death-like stillness prevailed throughout the vast auditorium. A second creak, and, with the speed of lightning the body of the young performer shot down the rope and reached the middle of the downward course, when, to the horror of the thousands who were gazing on the awful movement, one of the cords attached to the dress circle fixings to brace the main rope gave way. The latter, relaxing its rigidity by the sudden outlet, fell a few feet downward, and then shot upward with a twang, like the snapping of an arrow string, and the little performer was flung from his hold high into the air, and in an instant was dashed through space fully fifty feet to the floor in the middle aisle below. It would be useless to attempt to picture the scene that ensued. The screeches of the terrified women rang fearfully piercing through the halls, while the men, with cheeks blanched to the whiteness of a corpse, sat as if frozen to their seats with horror. . . . Restoratives were applied, but the sufferer lay bleeding and still unconscious. . . . It was a full half hour after the accident had happened when the boy opened his eyes upon the group bent over him. . . . The father’s presence attracted his attention at last, a smile crept over his face, and he stretched out his little arms toward him. . . . and the little fellow, as if still before the audience, striving to please by speaking the only English sentence he knew, raised his head ever so little and murmured ‘All right.’” Another boy took his place in the following performances. 

Brief: “They have done very well in this city, and Messrs. Risley and Maguire are no doubt large winners by the speculation.  To those who have not yet witnessed the dark strangers in their wonderful feats, we would say lose not the present opportunity; for you may not very soon have another.  All who have not attended the Japanese entertainments are, according to Japanese reckoning, ‘two hundred years behind the age.’” 

“On Wednesday evening, the 12th inst., while little ‘All Right’ was making his descent on the rope stretched from the dome of the Academy directly over the proscenium to the dress circle, and when he had got half way down the cord, a creaking noise was heard, and in an instant he fell to the aisle in the parquet, caused by the breaking of one of the guys that held the main rope. . . . The doctors pronounce his escape from instant death as almost miraculous.”