[3] Johan Madigan at this time performed as a rider in vaultage, his specialty was a double somersault from the horseback, but exactly how the routine was made is not known today.

[1] In 1879, John tried to run his own small circus business in Finland, however as this proved unsuccessful the family looked for work in other circuses in Central Europe, where Elvira along with the fosterchild Gisela Brož did routines as tight-rope dancers.

In the following year, Sixten Sparre visited Cirkus Madigan in Kristianstad, where he fell in love with Elvira, he persuaded her to leave the family, which she did in the end of May 1889.

[4] When the circus visited Gävle in August 1897, fire broke out in the building were the Madigan family was staying over night.

The rest of the family managed to save themselves and get out of the building, but John got bad burns all over his body and died two days later.