New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-01-30
A Man KILLED by q Zion.

D.
Yesterday morning a terrible encounter took
| place at Astley's Amphitheater An undergr0om
| named Smith was literally throtted to death by
| one Of the lions which play so prominent part
| IN the holiday entertainments at that faV0rite
| place of amusement. The lions three in number.
| are confined in a cage at the back of the stage
| When the night Waterman left the theater yester-
| day mornieg a few minutes before T. he reported
| :" all right" Shortly afterward Smith, the de-
ceased, entered the place and found the lions
| prowling about. They had torn off heavy iron
bar which crossed the front of their cage and
| then burst open the door. Smith alone, and
not being familiar with the animals, he attempted
to escape into adjoining stable yard. His stu
alton was frghtfnl one, aud most men would
have acted precisely as he did under similar cir
cumstances bat the probability is that if he had
stood bis ground boldly his life would have been
saved.
Unfortunately one of the ons-that which is
known by the name of Have0ck-caught sight of
the retreatlng figure, and instantly sprang upon
him. 1t seized him by the launches pulled him
to the ground, and then fixed its teeth in his throat
Death must have been almost instantaneous but
as Smith WIS found good deal cut and bruised at
the back of the head it is supposed that the lion
after burying its fangs in his throat, dragged him
about and dashed his head against the ground It
seems in fact to have worried him, though the
wounds inflicted by the brute neither so numer-
Gus nor so severe as might have been expected.
There were cries for help, but sort of sluling
noise was heard by man in the stable yard He
suspected what had occurred, and did not venture
to open the door through which Smith had endeav-
ored to escape, out he gave the alarm, and in a
few minutes was joined by several grOOms and
others connected with the thtatcr
They were all, however, too much afraid to enter
the place, aud nothing done to ascertain the
fate of Smith until the arrival of Crockett the
Lion Conquerer, to whom the animals belong. AS
soon as he reached the spot he passed through the
door alone, none of the Others daring to follow.
The body of Smith was lying face up ward few
feet from the door, and Havelock crouching
DIM ar,i.D
Crockett Immediately threw the animal off and
dragged the body into the yard 1t was still warm,
but life had been extinct for some time.
"A surgeon was sent for, but Of course he could
render no assistance. Crockett lost time in Sc
curing the lions. They allowed him to capture
them easily enough Even HavlOck did not offer
any resistance, and the other two, which had taken
no part in the terrible scene with Smith, seemed
rather afraid than otherwise. In Il few minutes all
three were back in their cage, and last night they
went through their usual performances before
crowded audience.
TIE CHICAGO MuITIA.-rhe Chicago Tribune, a
rabid Black Republican paper, reviews the militia
of that city, and conclud es with the following re-
capttuation:
1t is well to look to the bottom of matters, and
we believe this has been faithfully done. Ii facts
do not show very lively condition of our city
military organizations it is we'll to know it, and the
credit of change for the better will be all the
more apparent, if such be the result in store for
our new militia system. resume of these facts
would give hut thin and broken array in the
eight military companies who claim to have exist
ence in Chicago, which probably could not tnrn
out more than one hundred men fully equipped
according to their regulation and for these there
are less than halt that number Of efficient muskets
ready for immediate service, and four brass g.
Founders and mountain hOwi2er, completes the
present warllke equipment of a city Of 100000
inhabitants.