In her mean solar day , in her orbit , Edith Cliffordwas a careen star . In a career traverse over 20 years , she tour the earthly concern playing to royalty , celebrities , and sell - out crowds ; chance injury or even dying with each performance ; made a tidy little hazard ; and then retire quietly to course a belittled - town grocery store . Mademoiselle Clifford , as she was billed , was one of account ’s most notable blade swallowers — a star under the canvass of the big top and on the vaudeville stage . While she ’s no longer a home name , her legacy endures to this day in her chosen bailiwick , where a select few are still attempting to meet or bankrupt her professional records .
To give her oddity as a performing artist start up out in the late Victorian earned run average some context : In the 21st century — when there are at least two professional schools teaching the secrets of sideshow performers — sword swallow rest one of the creation ’s uncommon operation science , with few than 300 livelihood practitioners currently work in the craft . Part of this curio is due to the genuine risk and trouble of encyclopedism , which is an utilisation in tag dedication , physical endurance , and genial acuity — all which are used to defeat the consistence ’s own interior reflexes . demonstrate this is no bare magic trick or delusion , theSword Swallowers ’ Association Internationalwill only demonstrate performing artist of effectual age who have been decent civilize to swallow a blade at least 16 ” farseeing and ½ ” wide .
Born to English parents in Boston , Mass. , ( although some present-day accounts put her birthplace as London , England ) in 1886 , Mlle . Clifford reportedly began her life history in 1899 after being trained by the veteran one - legged brand swallower Deln Ritz . She debuted with one of the Ringling Brothers ’ touring show at the supply ship age of 13 . Her act would commute and evolve over the years , but it finally hail to include swallowing razors , scissors , bayonet , curving blade , and up to 13 swords at once , with brand up to 26 ” long — and that was just thehors d’oeuvres . Her big finale went out with a literal smasher , dwell of a full - length bayonet fired down her pharynx using a carom .
doubtless , she must ’ve been pretty undecomposed at her cunning , because she not only survived every risky stunt , she flourish — tour extensively throughout Europe and the U.S. with a act of unlike shows . One contemporary colleague and rooter , the legendary conjurer and dreamer , Harry Houdini , caught her act in 1919 and wrote of her in his bookMiracle Mongers and Their Methods : ” Several women have adopted the profession of sword swallow and some have won much more than passing fame . famous among them is Mlle . Edith Clifford , who is , perhaps the most munificently endowed . Possessed of more than ordinary personal charms , a refined penchant for dressing herself and her stage and an unswerving devotedness to her art . ”
Edith Clifford swallowing sword at a studio apartment in Stuttgart , Germany , probably September 1900 , viaSword Swallowers International// Public Domain
Even her personal living was dominated by the achiever of her career . She conjoin twice — both times to other performer within her industry . Her first married couple was to a human oddity , an “ elastic tegument ” man ( who was in all likelihood born with a genetical precondition called Ehlers - Danlos Syndrome that made his flesh stretchy ) by the name ofJim Maurice(a.k.a James Morris ) , who film her name for the sake of the deed , since she was the bigger box bureau haul and they hit the route as “ the Cliffords . ” After he extend away around 1911 , she married Karl Bauer , a German - turn out trapeze creative person , who prime his own career to work as her assistant ; they continued to tour for over a decade , again as the Cliffords onstage and the Bauers at rest home .
Promotional poster for the Cliffords circa 1901 , viaSword Swallowers International// Public Domain
After 23 year on the road , Mlle . Clifford retired quiet from show patronage in 1922 , go to Canton , Ohio , and running a local grocery store with her husband as the neighborly Mrs. Edith Bauer . She plain never mentioned her life-time on the stage to her new neighbors , choosing rather to step out of the spotlight , focus on her phratry , and put her collections of well - do it and stage - used swords , saws , and bayonet aside in a W.C. . And there they remain , largely forgotten after her dying in 1942 .
At some point in the ' 50 there was a closet clean - out and service department sales event , and a portion of the collection go bad to the neighbors , who also put them in computer memory and forget about the prized blades . Decades passed and there was another sale , now on eBay . The prosperous winner this metre was Dan Meyer — the father and head of Sword Swallowers Association International . After some enquiry confirming his initial hunch , he was able to make up one’s mind the swords were indeed Mlle . Clifford ’s tools of the swop . Which , in a gumption , brings the story full rope : The swords are now in the hands of a colleague and descendent of sort , and powerful where Edith would want them to be — in front of an appreciative hearing .
