The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-12-08
A Boys Adventure with a Tiger.

|. A BOUT thirty years ago the members
IN. Of a celebrated circus company were
exhibiting in the City Of Boston, and a
youth about sixteen years of age, who was
very fond of natural history, every day paid
visit to the entertainment, attracted by
the display of a large collection of wild ami
mails. He was particularly interested in
watching the man@uvres Of very fine
Bengal tiger, who by its restless movements
showed its disapprobation of the confine-
ment it endured, and he took delight in an
noying the captive brute, who roared with
impotent rage, and by the flashes Of its ma
lignant eyes and the display of its deadly
fangs indicated what its tormentor's fate
would be if at any time he should be in its
power. One morning he visited the me-
nagerie before the usual hour of the per-
formance, and finding no person at the
ticket takers Office he entered the room
where the animals were confined. Advanc-
ing to the cage of the tiger to his great
surprise he perceived that it was empty /;
and without thinking Of the danger he in
OuAAOSA1J pAOAhpbSA w SAVSA
the cage and endeavor to realize how the
creature felt when it was q captive. For
tunately for him, he closed the door of the
cage when he entered, and the instant
after he had fastened the bolt he perceived
the tiger protruding its head from behind
some boards that were placed at the back
of the menagerie. With roar of malig-
nifty and triumph the fearful brute advanced
to the cage, and inserting one of its paws
between the bars endeavored to seize the
youth and drag him to his fate. The poor
boy was 30 overwhelmed with horror at the
dangerous position in which he had placed
himself that he was unable to call for as
sistance, and could only press himself as
closely as possible against the back part Of
the cage. He then perceived with terror
that the fore paw of the animal reached
within two inches of his dress, which the
infuriated beast endeavored by every
means in its power to grasp with its claws.
Trembling with horror and despair, the
boy pressed himself as far back as possible,
and seemed almost to flatten himself
against the back of the cage but in spite
of his utmost attempts to compress himself
into the smallest possible compass, the til
ger by sudden movement of its paw
managed to grasp his jacket with one of
its claws, and dragged the unfortunate
youth towards the bars
He said afterwards, in describing his
emotions, that he seemed to live over again
his whole life; every incident passing
through his brain with such wondrous
rapidity that the few seconds of his jeop-
ardy seemed to him hours. When the
tiger had dragged him within a few inches
of the bars the cloth Of the jacket gave
way and, in consequence of the force the
tiger was exerting, the sudden separation Of
of its claw from the dress caused its fore
paw to be withdrawn from within the bars
Of the cage, and the boy availed himself of
the opportunity to press himself once more
against the back part of the den.
The ferocious brute finding itself baffied
in the attempt to again clutch the boy,
uttered low, menaeing growl, and then
commenced to walk slowly around the
room all the time casting malignant
glances upon the boy-its eyes cleaning
with baleful light, and seeming at times
| to flash with sparks of fire. Suddenly it
crouched to the ground, and then spraug
at the bars of the cage with such fury and
rage that it seemed to strike the cage like
thunderbolt, and then rebounded from
the iron bars as football rebounds from a
rock. The boy now bethought him Of a
pen-knife he carried in his pocket, and de-
termined to defend himself Opening one
of the blades he calmly awaited the attack
which the maddened animal evidently in-
tended TO make and as soon as it protru-
ded its paw again into the cage he struck
at it with all his force, and drove the point
ed blade into its flesh, which it penetrated
to the bone. When the brute felt the pain
of the wound 1t uttered a mingled yell Of
rage and agony and the keepers hearing
the noise rushed into the room, and imme-
1..:ately leaiiziSg tssc situation they sent for
one of the performers, who was circus
rider from South America, and who had
been in the habit Of capturing wild horses
on the plains Of the South. The rider has
tened to the menagerie, bringing with him
his lasso, which was a strong string or rope
about thirty feet in length, and with loop
at one end. This he threw over the head
of the tiger, and drawing it tight around
its throat almost strangled it, and the
keepers getting a large net drew it eau
| tiouslY over the now helpless beast and