The Great Farini

Shane Peacock
Biographer, Novelist, Playwright, Journalist, Screenwriter
Author of The Great Farini - The High-Wire Life of William Hunt

The Lives of Farini-Hunt - At War (Part Two)

Peacock continues, "He would walk on water. Hardly a surprising idea for a man of his ambition. For this he used “water skates”, devices similar to the ones he had read about other eccentric men using a few years ago. His shoes were made of zinc, shaped like tiny boats, with air-tight compartments and exterior flanges (or “fins”), lightly hinged near the bottom and attached to strings he held in his hands. With this bizarre invention strapped to his feet he prepared to head out across the river. But six-foot-four-inch Abraham Lincoln, described by Farini as “the rail splitting lawyer President,” sitting nearby with his knees up higher than his chin, tapped him on the shoulder. “Young man,” he said to Willie Hunt, “don’t be afraid, if you should tip over and get in head down, I’m long enough to wade you out.” With that Farini was off across the river." Farini eventually tired of “non-activity” in Washington and applied to join the Secret Service. Shane Peacock tells it best “Soon Farini was sick of sitting around in Washington (Mary was likely there too—as restless as her husband), so he determined to get himself into some danger. He applied to join the Secret Service. “Here my adventurous nature would have full play,” he said. In one of his first missions, dressed in civilian clothes, he swam the river near Aquia Creek and went south, overland through enemy territory toward Falmouth and Fredericksburg.” Farini continued in this role until McClennan’s army left Washington and made for Richmond. Farini fought in two engagements, “Chickahoming Swamps” and in the "Second Battle of Bull Run". Ultimately General McClennan fell out of favour with President Lincoln and he was fired. Many of McClennan’s men were not happy with this development and left Washington and the War. Shane Peacock writes, “If he thought by quitting the war he would leave pain and tragedy behind, he was badly mistaken. Some time in mid-November he and Mary (Signora Farini) were steaming out of an east harbour, heading for Cuba.” Little did Farini know that “this trip would prove to be the greatest mistake of his life and contain a moment of terror that would haunt him forever.”


NOTE: Mr. Peacock has written several books. His latest series is about "The Boy Sherlock Holmes" This is a wonderful look at the legendary Sherlock Holmes, in the beginning! To learn more about Shane and all of his works, please visit his website at www.shanepeacock.ca.

(To Be Continued)

The Great Farini

Shane Peacock
Biographer, Novelist, Playwright, Journalist, Screenwriter
Author of The Great Farini - The High-Wire Life of William Hunt

The Lives of Farini-Hunt - At War (Part One)

At some point Hunt was lured to the Civil War taking place in the U.S.  It was likely that he was looking for more adventure. He ended up in Washington and ultimately joined the Union States forces under the command of Colonel John McLeod Murphy. Murphy commanded the 15^th New York Engineers Regiment. The Regiment was instructed by General McClennan, "to find a way to transport large groups of soldiers across rivers”. Murphy was impressed with Hunt’s “inventive mind” and asked Hunt to work on a way to accommodate McClennan’s wishes. It took Hunt/Farini three weeks to come up with a solution. The “solution” was demonstrated before a distinguished group, including the General and the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Here is how Shane Peacock described the demonstration, “When all the officials were assembled the engineers quickly laid a pontoon bridge across the river, to much approval from the audience. Then it was time for Farini. First he had his portable “skirmish rope bridge” put over, a device which could be carried up to a river bank, quickly brought over the river and then used to transport troops much faster than the enemy could move. This too met with approval, especially when he raced over the bridge himself, firing his gun to give things “a little life”, as he put it. Then, in response to anticipated questions about how the bridge would be anchored on the other shore, he delivered his coup de grace".

NOTE: Mr. Peacock has written several books. His latest series is about "The Boy Sherlock Holmes" This is a wonderful look at the legendary Sherlock Holmes, in the beginning! To learn more about Shane and all of his works, please visit his website at www.shanepeacock.ca.

(To Be Continued)

The Great Farini

Shane Peacock
Biographer, Novelist, Playwright, Journalist, Screenwriter
Author of The Great Farini - The High-Wire Life of William Hunt

The Lives of Farini-Hunt - Further Adventures (Part Three)

He announced plans for several wire walks, but due to the financial climate of a war torn country, he financially wasn’t available. Finally he revised his plans and “presented weekly shows at Moffat’s Grove, the pleasure ground just north of Buffalo”. The shows didn’t all go smoothly, but Farini was able to work his way through the problems. One of his walks featured the debut of Signora Farini. Here is Shane’s description, “The exciting prospect him carry “a live woman” brought out another big crown. They watched him step out onto his rope with Mary on his back and head toward his “crow’s nest” in the tree. He had invented a new apparatus for carrying her, a kind of side-saddle made of leather, steel bands and stirrups that strapped onto his shoulders and rendered her ride comfortable and as safe as possible. She was described as “a pale and rather interesting looking person of twenty-two years, or thereabouts” and despite the poor condition of the rope that day she performed her task without fear and was cheered heartily when they reached the crow’s nest and she was lowered safely to the ground”. Farini and Signora Farini three more times and then left town. Farini “was about to temporarily leave show business and plunge himself into the bloody mess that was the American Civil War.”

NOTE: Mr. Peacock has written several books. His latest series is about "The Boy Sherlock Holmes" This is a wonderful look at the legendary Sherlock Holmes, in the beginning! To learn more about Shane and all of his works, please visit his website at www.shanepeacock.ca.

(To Be Continued)

The Great Farini

Shane Peacock
Biographer, Novelist, Playwright, Journalist, Screenwriter
Author of The Great Farini - The High-Wire Life of William Hunt

The Lives of Farini-Hunt - Further Adventures (Part Two)

To do this he needed to “warm up”. His target was another high-wire walk in Port Hope. As before the Port Hope Guide’s Hugh Crea gave “Farini” a big build-up. Farini would do “two grand ascensions”. People from all over the area came to see Farini’s performance, and they were not disappointed! Two weeks after the performance, Bill Hunt-Farini was gone! Shortly afterwards, Buffalo and Niagara newspapers started reporting that “The Great Farini” was in Niagara Falls and that he was “laying plans for spectacular crossings, including the carrying of a “woman” on his back" … enter Madame Farini! Here is how Shane Peacock describes it, “The fearless Mary Osborne, his old friend from the township, had decided to go on the road with him. Whether she was ever actually married to him, was merely his professional “wife” or his live-in lover is not certain. They had been close for a number of years and she had supported him through thick and thin." Peacock goes on to say “Living across the road was the socially conscious, eccentric Hunt family, and by far their most intriguing member, at least to Mary, was the romantic eldest son. With his help she too learned to walk a high wire and was one of the few township people not frightened by his feats and his desires. When he returned to Hope in 1861 as a world-renowned gymnast, their friendship was renewed. They were just one year apart and obviously both rather unconventional people. When he left home again after his second Port Hope walk she went with him and publicly took the name Farini”.

 NOTE: Mr. Peacock has written several books. His latest series is about "The Boy Sherlock Holmes" This is a wonderful look at the legendary Sherlock Holmes, in the beginning! To learn more about Shane and all of his works, please visit his website at www.shanepeacock.ca.

(To Be Continued)

The Great Farini

Shane Peacock
Biographer, Novelist, Playwright, Journalist, Screenwriter
Author of The Great Farini - The High-Wire Life of William Hunt

The Lives of Farini-Hunt - Further Adventures (Part One)

With the season over and Blondin gone from Niagara (forever), Farini left the area and headed south. Along the way he performed in various cities. After a number of performances, he ended up in New Orleans. Times in America where changing. Abraham Lincoln was elected and signs of a split were in the air! Farini put together a company of acrobats to perform in New Orleans, but with the onset of Civil War, the city became a very dangerous place to be. Ultimately Farini made his way up the Mississippi and then made his way by steamer to Cuba and  on to New York City. Normally Farini would have loved to stay in this exciting city, but having arrived “in the midst of war fever”, he decided to head north for “the quiet countryside of Hope Township”.

Here is how Shane describes Farini’s return “Somehow Farini was able to be Bill Hunt again and live in the same house with his father for three months. Thomas turned much of the farm operation over to him and in a few years would sell him all his land and begin plans to retire permanently to Port Hope. Bill Hunt settled in and by April he was busy with crop planting and other chores." However, according to Peacock, “living in Hope Township would never work for him. The energy that had possessed him since birth just wouldn’t rest. He had to head out in the world again after adventure”.

 NOTE: Mr. Peacock has written several books. His latest series is about "The Boy Sherlock Holmes" This is a wonderful look at the legendary Sherlock Holmes, in the beginning! To learn more about Shane and all of his works, please visit his website at www.shanepeacock.ca.

(To Be Continued)