The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-11-26 00:00:00

FIRING AT AN ESCAPED LION.

Just outside the burned building there is a heap of
straw, wet and sodden, and upon this a big lion,
which escaped, had seated himself to watch the
flames. Etc sat there for an hour, while the police.
men and others fired shot after shot at him without
apparent effect. Finally the door of a barn about
a hundred feet away was opened, and he was driven
in without difficulty. The doors were closet, and a •
man put on guard. Tcwards morning the watchman
became alarmed for fear the lion should escape, and .
opened the door to see. Out came the lion, and im-
mediately climbed to a low roof, and sat there watch-
ing his former captor. He made no movement to run
away, but on the attempt of a man to capture him
with a lasso, jumped down on the other side of the -
barn, and started across country. He was next heard
from a mile away. He had gone into a barn, and
meeting with a cow and a calf, had bitten the y?!lf
and scratched the cow on the shoulders. They were
not seriously hurt. A number of . men went in and
shot him, and he was carried to the menagerie yard
and buried. The men had greatdifficulty in getting
the elephants out of the barn, and all but-four escaped,.
.these including the white elephant, and- "Alice,"
N Jumbiaren'populfsr consort.:ZAZYlc _.......' '.-.' :-
. .-
~-_-, .....,,,," -• :
BINGu-LizA,D47ll.. Ctlr AN, gLEPHANT.
' . Of° the elephants which escaped,. one. small one
started for Long Island Sound, and waded-oat for
half a' mile._ In the. earlfrnorning the ' keeper an
others started after him in a • boat. The tide was '
iunitint ' o'ut, and he was unable to -make headwaf
back to shore against the strong current Ile grad's.-
. ally drifted out till he was drowned. The rhinoceros
also -escaped with some bad burns, but he is expected:
to recover.
-The fire destroyed the whole collection,ef . animals
which constituted Mr. Barnum's menagerie,- with the -
•exception otthe bears, which were • in another house ;,-
-shd-an • entire- refitting will be necessary in order tafi
I - plisiethe oho* on the road again. YortunatSly, an-
, the performing- horses and ponies were away in the ,
• cotintry, and escaped destruction. , The total losis Is
,estinulted at-ab Out 1,000,000 dols.i bat- -an insurance
•-had beerieffiiCted to the amount of !00 000 dole. The
• origin- of the fire is-said to have been the 'exploifion Of.
• .
~ a c9al oil lamps -, '-'_-. , •L' '
• A courritYMAlf, seating biliaselg,,iii '-a- falai onable'
, - • . , -
~restattraht With the intention of- iitaVing a hearty
1
-'edimer-, enramoned -the waiter, andacie kn ia his
-.purpose, -The-latter skipped briskly away,.a d spofi .
returned with a handsomelpbound bill of fa Wiiicll
he owned:mid:placed before the guest, who, ti wever,,
pushed it away, and scornfully observed: 0 come, ,
pow • I clO'n't wan no literature; Vittals is hat I
want--irittals—and pretty quick, too! • •
.. . I TutiiiCtwas in
..September,-if I rightly 4owycr ,
-member, that .I heard a 'knocking', knocking i st.,iny
door; yes, I know %was in September, for qui
I now remeMber, he had been there about fifty
before; had been theie "knocking at my door. r.
opened nof; LiailiaTdete-d, as upon the door i 4,
dered, for he yelled, "I say, now, will you se tle
-little bill-I bringyou"r", as he batterect on t eitlom
and I answerel,foilmly aqSvittedi.."everon re."
WHEN your coal gives out beware of a spell of frig,
weather. When you cannot see the sun, make up
your mind that it will be cloudy. When there is ice
in your pitcher in the morning, you may be sure that
it has been cold. When a man carries an umbrella
to business with him, it is a sign that it will not
rain,

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