The last mention I could find of Mr. Roy as a performer was in the New York Clipper, 1912 appearing in the Manhattan Theatre. He is referred to as "the oldest albino in the business, doing dislocations." When he passed away is yet to be discovered, however, according to the 1930 U.S. Census, he was yet alive and living with his widowed sister in Trenton, N.J. Rob Roy was divorced and ex-wife Annie remarried to a farmer name Harry Wright in 1908. Our friend Dan Meyer has researched the life of Annie Roy and writes of her in one of his Websites. He had previously known that there was a female sword swallower active in the 1890's named Annie Roy. I wrote to him suggesting that perhaps she was one and the same Annie the albino, wife of Rob. He looked into it further and now believes it is so and has filled in many details of Annie and her last days. A sideshow afficionado purchased some swords that the seller claimed were once owned by King Roy, so it is definitely possible Annie learned the craft and taught it to her son although I've never seen a photo of either of them with a sword [except perhaps for the postcard above. "Die Schwertschluckerin" translates as "The (female) Swordswallower".] |