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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 74, 27 March 1879, Page 4

Of Leona Dare, tbe lady gymnast, the Era gives a few particulars From these we learn that she was born in San Francisco in 1854 ; that ber ambition to excel in gymnastic exercises was inspired by a visit to a circus ; and that among the most daring ol hei.fe._ts is to be numbered a trapeze perfbrman«3 on a ballooD, which has been thus described .— '" The balloon was duly inilated, and at a quarter to 8 was cut loose, and the fine-formed Leona, in circus clothes, dangling her head downwards from the trapeze bar, holding in her teeth a strap which c.ncircled the waist of Tommy Hall, her companion for ber first voyage in tho air, left terra firma. Everything was still as death, and it was observed that Hall weakened a little, but the plucky Queen of the Antilles, Leona, was perfectly cool. Just as they left the earth Leona commenced spinning Hall around until it made us giddy. After this performance, and about 300 feet in tbe air, they commenced their hifalutin performances, and known in show language as the double trapeze. They performed all the difficult and hazardous feats at an altitude of half a mile with the same reckless daring. Up, up they went ' until they were scarcely larger than our hands, and when we looked afc them through a glass we breathed free, and ' felt relief to see that they had climbed upon their trapeze b»r, and were enjoying a tete-a-tete while resting from their perilous labors. The balloon descended rapidly, and landed about half a mile I from the starting point, in an open field, and our party rode up in time to witness their alig ting Hall was silent, while Leona laughingly said to "Warner, { How was that for high ?' "