ALOYS (Aloys Peters, ca. 1898 – 1943). Wire photo of The Great Aloys' fatal dive. 1943. Glossy photo depicting the circus performer. 11 ¾ x 8". Peters' body remained in full view of a horrified audience for nearly half an hour before being removed. Billed as “the man who hangs himself and lives to tell the tale," Peters died at the Wild West Rodeo and Thrill Circus, under auspices of the Fireman's Pension Fund, in St. Louis. He was killed at the climax of his act in which he allowed himself to drop with a noose around his neck from a high platform. He had increased the height of the drop for the St. Louis show “for a greater thrill," and his neck was snapped when the rope failed to extend to its full length.