A Dive to Death

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 300, 10 March 1928, Page 10

A Dive to Death

Tragedy of the Trapeze

Swinging out from the stage in a trapeze act in the Palace Theatre, "Wellingborough, England, Mr. Fred Greenhalgh, who called himself The Ape Man,” fell among the people in the stalls and broke his neck. Mr. Greenhalgh and his assistant, Miss Lilian Black, whose stage names were “Rolo and Lady,” had been appearing at the Palace Theatre, in a turn called “The Ape and the Maid,” and described as an “aerial gymnastic thrill.” , In this “thrill” Mr. Greenhalgh swung out from the stage on a trapeze over the heads of the audience, and then hung by one leg from the bar of the trapeze. To ensure safety a rope was tied from his foot to the bar. Thirty-foot Fall Mr. Greenhalgh, without the safety rope being fixed, swung out, and when about 30ft. above the heads of the people in the front rows of the orchestra stalls fell forward and crashed into the auditorium. H$ alighted on the knees of a member of the audience, Miss Jenny Wilkins, aged 17, of Spring Gardens, Wellingborough, and broke his neck, death taking place a few minutes later. Miss Wilkins had a leg fractured and was removed to hospital. Several women near where the gymnast fell fainted, but the people in other parts of the house did not learn of the tragedy until the end of the performance. Immediately after the fall a picture was thrown on the screen and the band struck up a tune, and while these were in progress the dying gymnast and Miss Wilkins were removed from the theatre. Fatal Forgetfulness At the inquest Miss Lilian Black said that Mr. Greenhalgh was aged 56 and that he had been performing the same act for more than 30 years. It was her duty to hand him the rope to fasten his foot to the bar of the trapeze. When the accident occurred she had not handed him the rope, as he bad not reached that particular part of the performance. The rope was on the stage ready, and Mr. Greenhalgh appeared to have forgotten that he was not tied. Everything else was in perfect ord'B* and nothing broke. He was a nonsmoker and a teetotaller. Dr. Pickering said that when he was called to the theatre he saw Mr. Greenhalgh, who had broken his neck, in the dressing-room. He died a quarter of an hour later.