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  #21  
Old 03-12-13, 11:46
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kiterunner View Post
Found them arriving in New York now and it looks likely to be Florence, given the occupation, don't you think?

Dillon Ed 27 Gymnast
Ernest 23 Gymnast
Miss 24 Gymnast
All born England.
Expert sleuthing! Must be her as in early accounts of the act, they are described as gymnasts before they became trapeze artists.
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  #22  
Old 03-12-13, 11:53
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Royal Holloway, University of London, has a London Music Hall Database. I wonder of they know more about the troupe. Elspa and Sillo are advertised as gymnast in March 1875.

http://www.rhul.ac.uk/drama/music-ha...sp?actnum=2580
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  #23  
Old 03-12-13, 13:06
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There is a Paul Dillon death Apr-Jun 1897 Birmingham age 67, and another Jul-Sep 1898 Aston, age 55. On the 1891 census is a Paul Dillon age 50 living in Aston with wife Fanny 44, both born Worcester and he is a wood turner. He is likely to be the one who died 1898, but I haven't figured out who the other one is yet.
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  #24  
Old 03-12-13, 13:30
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Going through the newspaper reports, there is conflicting information about the troupe.

One report from 1876 records an accident. Lilla and Elspa, a boy and girl, aged about 10, were performing with Elspa hanging by feet and Lilla failed to grasp his hands and fell.

Not seriously hurt, though.

Then there are various reports about the so-called 'romantic abduction' of Lillo in 1884.

The Edinburgh Evening News reports that at Birmingham, Samuel Neale, a wholesale newsagent, was charged on remand with abducting Florence Mary Lillo Stone, otherwise Dillon, professionally known as 'Lillo' of the Lillo, Elspa and Echo troupe of female gymnast.

The defendant and the girl's father came to an amicable agreement and the charges were withdrawn.

The Dundee Courier, however, on reporting the summons issued by Samuel [a mistake?] Dillon, Birmingham, hotel keeper, against Samuel Neale for the abduction of his daughter, Florence, aged 15, states that Dillon's daughter is a well-known trapezist, performing with an elder and younger brother, the trio being known as Lillo, Elspa and Echo.

Apparently, Neale, 22, hawked the evening paper around Birmingham. He became acquainted with Lillo by frequenting the bar attached to her father's hotel. When Neale and Florence married, it was said that Florence was an orphan and aged 18. She returned to her father after the marriage. The marriage only became known when Mr Dillon made and engagement with Mr Barnum's agent for the children to tour America and Neale demanded his wife.

The Manchester Evening News carried a report headed 'Sequel to the Romantic Abduction Case' in which the troupe are referred to as female gymnasts. This report details that Neale was summoned for threatening the life of Mrs Harriet Cox, the mother of Julia Cox, to whom he was paying his addresses at the time he made the acquaintance of the fair gymnast. Again, the parties concerned reached an amicable agreement and the case was dropped.

Last edited by Shona; 03-12-13 at 14:18.
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  #25  
Old 03-12-13, 13:53
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Ah-ha!

A report from the York Herald, Monday 3 January 1876.

A Middlesbrough Infant Acrobat

On Saturday, at Clerkenwell Police Court, London,
Mr G Mayor Cooke, solicitor, applied to Mr Franklin
Lushington, for two summons, one against the in-
fant acrobat "Elspa", acting with another acrobat of
the name of "Sillo", for breach of contract against
him, under the provisions of the Master and Servants
Act last session, and another against his father,
Alfred Edward Stone,
for aiding and abetting him
in that offence. Mr Cooke states that Mr Brown of
Middlesbro' is a gymnast and acrobat, and he first be-
came acquainted with Albert E Stone, comedian and
vocalist of Sheffield,
in the month of July 1872. On
the 8 th of February 1873, the applicant executed the
articles of apprenticeship of Stone's son to him. Dur-
ing this time Elspa has been in his service and he had
been well clothed, fed and educated, and had been in
the habit of constantly attending school in the
various places in which he had had engagements.
Neither himself nor his father had ever made any
complaints as to his being illtreated, or in any way
neglected. The first information the applicant
received that the father of Elspa had an inten-
tion to get his son away from him was on or
about the 19 th of August last year. He consulted
a solicitor, who wrote a letter to Elspa's father,
warning him not to interfere in any manner what-
ever, or attempt to decoy away his son from
his service. On last Boxing night, on proceeding thence
to attempt and engagement at the Oxford Music Hall,
Oxford-street, and while in the entrance to the hall.
and having hold of Elspa's hand, his father, with
some companions, rushed out of a side door, and
seized the boy and took him away from him, while
the others caught hold of his throat, and not being able
to breathe, he was forces to let go his hand of
the boy. The boy was then carried off by his
father and another man to a cab. Applicant
followed and demanded the return of the boy,
but they took no heed of his demands, and
drove away, notwithstanding that he desired the
police constable who was on duty to stop the cab, and
informed him that the boy being taken away was his
apprentice, and had been violently wrested from his
custody; but the policeman refused to stop the cab, or
otherwise interfere in the matter, and told him his
only remedy was to apply to the magistrate for a
summons. Since the seizure of Elspa outside the
music hall, he had not seen anything of him, and it
was to compel him to return to him to fulfil his engage-
ment that the application was being made. Mus Lushing-
ton said he did not think his jurisdiction applied, and
therefore he mist for the present decline to accede
to the application.
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  #26  
Old 03-12-13, 14:01
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Well done, Shona. That may explain why Paul Dillon appears out of nowhere!
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  #27  
Old 03-12-13, 14:17
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I'd better start with the reason for my interest.

Best mate has two carte de visite of little boys, dressed identically. She assumed they were family members, but they had boaters with "sillo" and "elspa" on them. Sillo was the elder.

I have found an account where Elspa's father clearly thinks he can make more money by managing the boy himself. At that stage the surname is Stone. The act is relaunched as Lillo and Elspa. I assume they are brother and sister. It is very difficult to work out the sexes of the children (except Lillo!) because the accounts vary from newspaper to newspaper.

I am deeply impressed as to how much you have found. It is so frustrating that they were touring abroad in 1881.
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  #28  
Old 03-12-13, 14:23
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A week after the summons against Alfred Stone, another summons was issues and this time the application was granted.

Info from this report says that Elspa's father, with the consent of his mother, apprenticed Elspa to Mr Brown, of Middlesbrough, and now of Great Ormond Street, Bloomsbury. The matter was of great importance to 'Trevannon', Elspa's employer.
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  #29  
Old 03-12-13, 14:45
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Tremendous Excitement.
Unabated Success at the GAIETY THEATRE, BARNSLEY.

LILLO and ELSPA,
London Stars, King and Queen of all Champions.

I, PAUL DILLON, consider it my duty to thank Proprietors, Managers and the Elite of the Profession for their congratulations on my success in taking my son Elspa from a Man so unworthy, and so Incapable to insure his safety.

This Man’s habits, nature and history are well known to the Professional World.

Paul Dillon first taught Elspa, then condescended to let this man Crowl have his Child. Elspa was the first of that name in London, and dragged this Man out of poverty.

This Poor Man had the gains; the Father had nothing, not civility; but what can any one expect from a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?

This Man tried to injure Paul Dillon and his daughter Lillo by writing to Proprietors to inform them should they engage Lillo it would take the novelty from his supposed Children.

Why did Paul Dillon take his Son from this Ill-used Man? For Cruelty and Over-working him. Three Halls Nightly is too much for any Child or Man Gymnast. To be continued in my next.

Bolton, Monday. Agent J. A. Maynard.

The Era, Sunday 03 September 1876

Last edited by Mary from Italy; 03-12-13 at 14:47.
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  #30  
Old 03-12-13, 14:53
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Ooh! So Paul IS Albert/fred Stone!

(Why does work interfere with important things!
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