The Fatal Feats of the Fire Fiend
A traveling variety performer dies of consumption in Victoria after years of swallowing molten lead and red-hot iron.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The remains of Francis Wardall Huff, a variety theater performer, known as the 'fire fiend,' who died at Victoria Saturday of consumption, arrived in this city on Saturday afternoon and were taken to Bonney & Stewart’s chapel. Huff was well known among the theatrical profession in Spokane, Portland, Tacoma, and here. His performance consisted in pouring molten lead into his mouth, biting red hot bars of iron and holding the pieces in his mouth. In course of time this series of feats engendered consumption, which worked rapidly until the end. His wife, Lillie Cleveland, an actress, accompanied the remains to this city. The funeral services will take place at Bonney & Stewart’s chapel tomorrow under the auspices of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.
“His performance consisted in pouring molten lead into his mouth, biting red hot bars of iron and holding the pieces in his mouth.”
This story reveals the brutal and often dangerous nature of 19th-century itinerant show business. The 'fire fiend' archetype is a predecessor to modern extreme performance art, though today's safety standards would surely prevent a career based on ingesting molten lead.
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