Vernon "Dutch" Liedtke , circus artist in United States . Miles Orton and Bayard Orton had a younger sister, Grace Orton, who was primarily in charge of wardrobe for the circus performers. She had been trained to do trapeze work and often filled in when one of the regular performers was injured or too ill to work. She taught Liedtke the art of the trapeze, and soon the two fell in love and got married. At this time, the Great Depression made it difficult for most people to afford buying tickets for the circus and, in 1932, the Orton Brothers Circus was forced to close. Times were tough for Vernon and Grace Liedtke, but, between infrequent odd jobs, he continued to work on his trapeze skills. In 1934, he made his first public appearance on the trapeze at the Shrine Circus in Fargo. In 1946, the couple divorced, and his career suffered until 1948 when he married another performer, Doris Blackburn. In 1950, they were asked to join the Bertram Mills Circus in England. They performed before Queen Elizabeth and other European royalty, and their act was so successful, that they were asked back three more times over the next six years.
