The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1867-07-25
A CIRCUS SENSATION.

The immense audience assembled unocr
| the canvass of Messrs. Thayer & Noyes,
Falls Field, on Thursday evening were
treated to performance which they had
not anticipated, and which everybody
present would willingly have forgone-
The entertainment had passed oil TO tho
entire satisfaction of the spectators, and as
a crowning act the large cage containing
two lions and two lionesses were drawn
into the ring, when Mr.. Charles Whlte,
the keeper, entered it TO exhibit his control
over the ferocious beasts. The animals
are all full grown, young and active-in
short the best specimens of their species
we ever saw-and one of the lions Is re-
markably. wild and intractable. Mr..
! White, however, having full confidence IN
his power TO control them, entered with
entire fearlessness and began to put tho
beasts through their PAGES. All proceed
ed well for time, but at length ono OF
| the lions began to be fractions and disc
bedient, whereupon Mr.. White struck him
| two or three blows with whip. Sud
! denly the animal made a spring and seized
! Mr.. White by the shoulder with his teeth,
shaking him as n dog would cat, and
| finally throwing him on his back upon the
| floor of the cage. A thrill of horror pass
ed through the assemblage of spectators.
| Ladies screamed and tainted; many people
hastencd to leave the establishment some
with -blanched countenances awaited
in silence the result, and others rushed in
to the ring, vaguely and vainly hoping to
rescue the adventurous lion tanner from
| the fate which apparently awaited him.
4 Mnanf;p,o II Wh,+o. ooOlxy our0Ifad fhR
issue. He was helpless for the moment,
the lion, with both fore paws upon his
breast, holding him down and retaining
his shoulder with those terrible jaws.
| The angry growls of the ferocious beast
were -rightfnl. And he was evidently
determined to make the most of his op
portunity. Mr. Noyes, one of the "Fro-
| prietors of the circus, happened fortunate
| ly to be near, and seizing an iron bar,
| dashed the end Of it against the lions head
with such force that the animsl was sur
| prised into relaxing his hold.A In an in
stant Mr. White had regained his feet, and
his. control over the occupants of the cage.
! With a few well-directed blows of his
whip he reasserted his supremacy, and
the recently victorious king of beasts wasl
reduced TO submission. 1t would MAJ
ly be supposed that after such an e
ence, Mr.. White would be dispos}
part company with his dangerous6
panions as soon as possible, but he 1:
made of the kind of material to n =
point. He was terribly injured, the =,
of the lion having penetrated lis 81 y
! deeply and lacerated the flesh in a sf
! ing manner, besides crushing the bons -
as TO render the left arm almost useI
! Despite his suflerings and the obvious ''
will of the lion, he proceeded with 4 N =,
performance to the end Luckily the r,a !
of the other lion and lionesses had lpl ~
been excited, and he had only one. no
enemy to fear. He compelled the SAWS
animals TO go through with their acts as
usual, and concluded by feeding them a
quantity of raw beef, handing the meat in
| pieces to each animal in turn. lie then
quietly left the cage, and not till then was,
any one made aware of the serious char
acter of his hurt. Mr.. White did no.
faint AWAY, as one of our contemnoraries
asserts, unless he did so after leaving the
arena. He was conveyed to the National
Hotel In carriage, and now lies there =,
a critical condition. lie is under the care
of DR.. Whitbeck, who has reduced the
fractured bones, and hopes to restore tbe
patient to comparatively sound condi-
ton. In a previous encounter with the
same lion, Mr.. White was dreadfully Lee
Grated in the breast by the claws of tho
powerful beast The animal is of a ne
culiarly sullen disposition, and has com
PEELED his keeper to discipline him yieor-
ously on a number of occasions. Bocbes,e,
| (N. y Democrat, July 6.