There were six Hanlon brothers, born to the Irish Shakespearean actor Tom Hanlon and his Welsh wife, Ellen Hughes, in England.
Thomas was the eldest of the brothers of the famous acrobatic circus act The Hanlon-Lees.
One of their most popular feats was the "perilous ladder," in which one brother balanced a long ladder while the others performed acrobatic stunts at the top. It was while performing this feat in Cincinnati in 1865 that Thomas (the eldest brother, fell and suffered serious head injuries. Bone splinters in his brain destroyed his sanity, and on April 5, 1868, he intentionally dived headfirst into an iron stovepipe, smashing his skull and killing himself.
Thomas was the eldest of the brothers of the famous acrobatic circus act The Hanlon-Lees.
One of their most popular feats was the "perilous ladder," in which one brother balanced a long ladder while the others performed acrobatic stunts at the top. It was while performing this feat in Cincinnati in 1865 that Thomas (the eldest brother, fell and suffered serious head injuries. Bone splinters in his brain destroyed his sanity, and on April 5, 1868, he intentionally dived headfirst into an iron stovepipe, smashing his skull and killing himself.
There were six Hanlon brothers, born to the Irish Shakespearean actor Tom Hanlon and his Welsh wife, Ellen Hughes, in England.
Thomas was the eldest of the brothers of the famous acrobatic circus act The Hanlon-Lees.
One of their most popular feats was the "perilous ladder," in which one brother balanced a long ladder while the others performed acrobatic stunts at the top. It was while performing this feat in Cincinnati in 1865 that Thomas (the eldest brother, fell and suffered serious head injuries. Bone splinters in his brain destroyed his sanity, and on April 5, 1868, he intentionally dived headfirst into an iron stovepipe, smashing his skull and killing himself.
Thomas was the eldest of the brothers of the famous acrobatic circus act The Hanlon-Lees.
One of their most popular feats was the "perilous ladder," in which one brother balanced a long ladder while the others performed acrobatic stunts at the top. It was while performing this feat in Cincinnati in 1865 that Thomas (the eldest brother, fell and suffered serious head injuries. Bone splinters in his brain destroyed his sanity, and on April 5, 1868, he intentionally dived headfirst into an iron stovepipe, smashing his skull and killing himself.
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His wife's name was Jane; she died November 3, 1894 in Brooklyn, New York
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