The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-12-29
Terrific Scene in a Mcnagerie.

A DESPERATE battle was fought re-
IA. Gently between two of Barnum's
rhinoceroses which had it not been for the
successful Intervention of the keepers,
would have resulted in the death of one Of
the animals. One of the combatants was
a large male, weighing 4,500 pounds, and
the other a female, weighing $500 pounds.
The fight resulted from an attempt Of the
keepers to place the female in pen with
the male. The cage containing the female
was wheeled near the entrance of the pen,
and the animal driven from one to the
other. The male became furious at this
intrusion, and, laying aside all gallantry,
charged furiously upon the object of his
wrath, driving her into one corner Of the
cage. The female then faced her adver-
sary and fought bravely, and was able to
defend herself so long as she did not expose
her flanl1s to the enemy. In her struggles
however, she was thrown crosswise of the
pen, when her opponent gored her fearfully
in the side with his tusk, actually lifting
her from the floor. The struggles of the
huge animals were accompanied with loud
roars, the tumult being augmented by the
affrighted cries of the other animals com
posing the menagerie. The beasts threw
their combined weight against the bars of
the cage, which threatened to break under
so much strain.
At length, after several desperate en-
counters, both brutes fell back for fresh
onset, and then Mr.. Fuller and his assist
ants flung in between the eombatants a
huge pile of lumber which they had col
lected and kept in waiting for this opportu-
nifty, pushed broad board along the top
of the barricade and hung great piece Of
awning over it. The effect of this vancouver
was miraculous. The moment its enemy
disappeared from sight each animal ap-
peared to utterly forget all about the late
unpleasantness, and quietly lay down in
its improvised compartment as though
nothing whatever had happened to irritate
its pachydermatous feelings. The female
which, by the way, was the aggressor,
and is held entirely responsible for the row
happened to lie down on the side of the
pen near the door. The wheeled cage in
which she had just completed a trip through
the country, was soon rolled up to this
door, and, after much coaxing and pitch
fork persuasion, she was induced to enter
it, and was driven off TO different corner
of the building. 1t was found that her
thick hide had been penetrated by the horn
of her antagonist in some twenty places,
but none of the wounds are likely to prove
serious. She lay quietly in her old cage
for the remainder of the day, and looked as
if she considered herself well out of disa-
greeable business. The male rhinoceros
received only two slight wounds, one under
the ear and another on the hip. He was
sentenced to be kept standing up all day
punishment against which he remonstra-
ted now and then, but bore pretty philo-
sophically on the whole. While the COM
bat lasted, the anxiety Of the more intel
ligent keepers was very great though their
presence Of mind never deserted them for a
moment. The solid iron bars of the cage
were bent and twisted like wire, and its
thick partition of stout three-inch plank
were parted and nearly broken down al
together. Had they given way entirely,
the door on Twenty sixth street would have
been burst open, the great elephant (Which
had already made several angry demon
strations) would have taken part in the
fight and brought the other elephants in
with it, and there is no telling what the
consequences might be. A single one Of
those huge beasts in its fury could have
smashed the cages Of the other animals all
to pieces in few seconds, and the result
would be appalling. That the other ami
mails had thorough appreciation of what
was going on in the cages of the rhinocer-
oses and expected the war would extend to
their own premises, was pretty clearly
shown by the large elephant, whose con.
stant companion was setter dog. During
the fight this dog made several attempts to
take q peep at the proceedings but on
every occasion the elephant lifted her pro
tege on her trunk, tenderly dropped him
behind her, and stepped to the front her
self About one o'clock the damaged
cages and pens were all reAtted and
strengthened, the howlings had ceased, and
the HippodIome and its attaches were
ready to proceed with the afternoon per-
fOrmance.