The Grange advance., 1874-11-18
4 HERALD HOAX.
The wild Animals Net Loose In
Cemtral Park.

AAe N. L. 41t5Ut| VI GVVs pS1Pee
trated a very heartless and very silly
hoax. It devoted an entire page, fine
print, to an article with the following
head lines:
Awful Calamity Wild Animals Broken
Loose from Central Park-Terrible Scenes
Of Mutilation-A Shocking Sabbath Car
nival Of Death-Savage Brutes at Large
Awful Combats Between the Beasts and
the Citizens-The Killed and Wounded
tics-Bravery and Panic-H0w the Catas-
trophe Was Brought dbout-Afrighting
Observation-Disclosures by the Mayor
Governor Dix Shoots the Bengal Tiger in
the Street CONSERVATION in the City.
Then follows an account of the pre-
tended calamity, opening as follows:
Another Sunday of horror has been
added to those already memorable in
our city annals. The sad AID appal-
ling catastrophe of yesterday is fur
ther illustration of the unforeseen perils
to which large communities are ex-
posed. Writing even at late hour,
without full details of the terrors of the
evening and night, and with a necessa.
rily incomplete list Of the killed and
mutilated, we may pause for moment
in the widespread sorrow Of the hour to
cast hasty glance over what will be
felt as great calamity for many years.
Few of the millions who have visited
Central Park, and who, passing in
through the entrance at East Sixty
fourth street, have stepped to examine
the collection Of birds and animals
grouped around The old Arsenal build.
ing, could by any possibility have fore.
seen the source Of such terrible danger
to whole city in the Gagged beasts
around him, as the trivial incident of
yesterday afternoon developed. The
unfortunate man to whose fatal impru-
dencc all accounts attribute the out
break of the wild animals of the menag-
erie has answered with his life for his
temerity, but we have list of calami-
ties traceable from his act which one
life seems inadequate to expatiate. We
have list of forty-nine killed, of which
only twenty-seven bodies have been
identified, and it is much to be feared
that this large total of fatalities will be
much increased with the returns of
daylight. The list of mulilated, tram.
pied and injured in various ways must
reach nearly POO persons of all ages, of
which, so far as known, about sixty are
very serious, and of these latter three
can hardly outlast the night. Many
Of the slightly injured were taken to
their homes, SO that for at least an.
other day the full extent Of the calam-
ity cannot be measured.
In order that people might remain at
their homes enough to read the article,
the following proclamation was given:
A Proclamation.
MA1oR's OFFcE, SUNDAY NIGHT,
Nov. l, 1874.
All citizens, except members of the
National Guard, are enjoined to keep
within their houses or residences until
the wild animals now at large are cap.
tured or killed. Notice of the release
from this order will be spread by the
firing of cannon in City Hall Park,
Tompkins' square, Madison square, The
Round and at Macomb's Dam Bridge.
Obedience to this order will secure a
speedy end to the state of siege occa-
siened by the calamity of this evening.
An account will be opened at the City
Hall of the city of New York for con-
tributions to the sufferers.
Then came an elaborate detail of the
affair with list of the killed and
wounded, all told in serious vein, and
the very closing paragraph contained
the following explanation.
THE MORAL OF THE WHOLE.
Of course the entire story given
above is pure fabrication. Not one
word of it is true. Not single act or
incident described has taken place. It
is huge hoax, a wild romance, or
whatever other epithet of utter, un-
trustworthiness our readers may choose
to apply to it. It is simply a fancy pic
ture which crowded upon the mind of
the writer few days ago while he was
gazing through the iron bars Of the
cages Of the wild animals in the menag-
erie at Central Park. Yet IS each Of
its hoTrid but perfectly natural Sc
quences impressed themselves upon his
mind, the question presented itself.
How is New York prepared to meet
such catastrophe! How easily could
it occur any day Of the week? How
much, let the citizens ponder, depends
upon the indiscretion of even one of the
keepers :" A little oversight, q trihing
imprudence might lead to the actual
happening of all, and even worse than
has been pictured. From causes quite
as Insignificant the greatest calamities
Of history have sprung. Horror, de-
vastation and widespread slaug ghter of
human beings have had small mishaps
for parent time and again.
The eaectIof the hosx"was quite seri.
o1uls.+ When the STARTLING he,ld.lines If