Tammany Hall

“. . . It is astonishing how men risk life and limb for the sake of eking out a miserable existence. This is especially applicable to the various acrobatic performers, who are night after night tempting fate by perilous feats on the trapeze and tight rope. The latest sensation in this line are the Hanlon Brothers, now performing at the Tammany theatre. The feats they essay on the cross and parallel bars are truly terrific. The infant prodigy, ‘Little Bob,’ performs an act which one of those days may prove fatal to his young limbs if not his life. Perched on a bar, within a few feet of the dome, he leaps a distance of about forty-five feet, diagonally, where he is caught by Fred Hanlon, who hangs by his feet, head down, and in this position grabs the boy in his descent. The balance of the Hanlons essay acts no less perilous than little Bob. It is, however, very singular that such entertainments draw larger audiences than the legitimate drama, as is attested by the crowded houses of the Tammany.”