ways, and it was only a few days
previous to the present occasion that Joe had admitted having at one
time in his career travelled for a year with a circus. Then nothing
would do but that he should tell the boys all sorts of circus stories.
To-day the conversation had turned on triple somersaults.

"That feat has been accomplished mighty few times," said John,
dogmatically, "and I know all about it. I saw John Worland do it in New
Haven in 1884, and he told me the whole history of the act, and of the
many men who have tried to do it. The first man to attempt to turn a
triple somersault was a performer in Van Amburgh's circus, in Mobile in
1842. He broke his neck. W. J. Hobbes made the attempt in London in
1845, and was instantly killed. The next one was John Amoor. He had been
successfully turning a double, and was the original in accomplishing it
over four horses. He tried to do a triple at the Isle of Wight in 1859,
turned twice, landed on his forehead, and broke his neck. Sam Reinhart,
while travelling with Cooper and Bailey's circus, became dissatisfied
with the double somersault feat, and was anxious to do a triple. He did
it at Toledo in 1870, making a high leap, turned twice and a half,
alighted on the broad of his back, and was disabled for some time. Billy
Dutton accomplished the feat at Elkhorn in 1860, but he never made
another attempt. Bob Stickney did it while practising in a gymnasium in
New York, but he alighted on a blanket, and never succeeded in landing
on his feet. Frank Starks tried to turn three times in Indianapolis, but
he fell on his head and died soon afterwards. The only man, living or
dead, that ever accomplished the feat successfully, was John Worland,
the man I saw. He threw a triple somersault six times from a
spring-board. The first time he attempted it was at St. Louis in 1874,
with Wilson's circus. He made three trials, twice over five horses,
landing on his back. At the third attempt he landed on his feet.

"The next time he tried it was also at St. Louis in 1876. He landed on
a mattress in a sitting posture. He did it again at Eau Claire, in 1881,
and at La Crosse a few days later. On this occasion all the members of
the company made affidavits to the fact. The last time he accomplished
the feat was when I saw him at New Haven in 1884. It was at the
Forepaugh show, and the Mayor of the city and many newspaper men were
present. First a performer ran down the board and turned a single
s