William Leonard Hunt was a well known nineteenth funambulist that went by the name of The Great Farini . The Great Farini made a series of very famous tightrope performances at Niagara Falls in 1860, and his feats included crossing a high wire with a man on his back; with a sack over his entire body; turning somersaults while on the rope; hanging from it by his feet; amongst other seemingly impossible manoeuvres. This, on the other hand, was something rather different.