The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-12-31
A RHik0CHR0S BATTLE.
Desperate Fight Between the Male
EhinOcerOs s.Pete', and a Female
RhinOcerOs at tho HipprodrOme..
An Exciting Scene.
From the New York Herald, 5th. ]

Yesterday morning at about half-paSt
| nine clock, while the employees in the
Hippodrome were removing some of the
| animals in the southern and lower part
of the building, an accident occurred
which might have caused a serious loss
of life and property had it not been for
the energetic measures which were i'm
medlately taken to prevent disaster.
! The we'll known and enormous sized
| rhinoccros called ''Pete,' who weighs
over $500 pounds. and who is familiar
to all Of the visitors at the Hippodrome.
has of late been observed to be in low
spirits and quite moody in manner. A
pen had been built for him 80 feet III
leng til, feet in height and 9 feet 2 in
ches in width. From the brick wall of III
inner side of the pen, iron
bars about an inch in diameter were
| fastened together by other iron bars OF
| greater thickness, and outside of all
these were large and heavy wooden
| braces that seemed to defy all attempts
! Of the animal to escape or break through.
The flooring of the cage was of solid
brick and the entire structure was be-
| lievei to be perfectly safe, but it was
! discovered that the iron bars were too
weak to stand the strain that they
were put to. The pen Of the rhinoce-
ros Pete is in the southeastern end
of the Hippodrome, but at the south
western end of the building there is
| confined a female rhlnoceros named
MARY Jane" who is about nineteen
years old, and weighs $500 pounds.
The female rhinoccros, Mary Jane, has
quite gentle and affectionate DISPOSE
ton, and for such an ugly and misshap-
en- beast she is quite popular among
the keepers. Mr.. G. A. Fuller, the
general agent for the Hlppodrome, OBJ
| serving the gloomy condition of Pete S
mind. thought that he might be pining
for female society, and accordingly 1t
was determined to place Mary Jane,
the female rhlnoceros. in the pcn-a
huge one-with him, in order that the
male rhinoceros might be cheered up.
But Pete proved to be a most ungallant
and murderous brute, as the sequel
will show. At half-past nine 0 clock
Yesterday morning it was determined
to move the wagon which contained
Mary Jane down to position III the
building just opposite where the pen OF
Pete stands, and this was done under
the order of Mr.. Fuller and in the
presence of Mr.. P. 7. Barnum and a
large rum Der of employees. There was
not any audience in the building at the
time. IS the matinee does not commence
until half past two clock of each day.
TERRIBLE Plight.
The female rhinoceros was let out Of
the movable cage. twenty or thirty
keepers standing around armed with
iron spears, hooks and tridents, IN case
anv danger should result in the trans
, fer of the huge beast. II was noticed
that the male rhinoceros watched the
: transfer with surly look, and began
TO crowl in voice like distant thunoer
5 a. he saw the female rhinoceros Mary
: Janel approach his cage. 4 low hall
} wooden door was let down and Mary
Jane was pushed into the pen Of Pete.
who now began to dance around with
4 terrific rapidity for an animal whose
4 measurement is twelve feet IRON horn
!. to tail, and whose circumference at the
I abdomen is fourteen feet. eight feet
: around the neck and th.rty-five inches
y around the ankle at the JOINT. NJ
: sooner had the female rh!noceros en-
tered the pen than the male. pete,
c commenced an unprovoked assault upoI
S the unoffending Mary Jane, who mad
d no fight for few minutes
y The huge monster hurled himself oil
e his antagonist with velocity and pow
= sr that was simply terrible. Tn
5 weapon used BY Pete was his hug
d horn. that had been fled down so as &
If take the point off. but which was yet
i, fearful weapon for assault. The move
alments of ..Pete' became so rapid AM
III violent that Mary Jane fairly believe
81 for fear, and yelled until her wall
of of terror filled the building. The mai
I. rhinoceros assaulted her on the flank
IS fon the legs, and in the abdomen, an
~ BIRTHS time the keepers had sprung |
sfl&ha defense with iron spears and tr
"a eats. axes and bars of iron. By TIL
~ lie al the aniEals on the south Q
- Tpenty.sixth street side Of the builc
lsfM& lad become ferocious, and the VI
he / roer w2s something appalling IN u
mSfn1kure and volume. On that SIDE
ID - bnilding there we're imprisoned
- tcaks nine camels, three hyenas. u
= E1As lions, one taplr, one sacred ou
- Who vas almost frightened to deatl
- it1s 8sazal tigers and Ave elephsn