The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-04-08
A Donkey Whips a Lion.

Last week a singular and exciting contlicI
took place between a mule and a lion in Gin
cinnati. The Commercial gives the following
lively sketch of the terrific engagement:
Since the memorable day when the lion
whipped the unicorn all around the town, Tic
such fight has been seen as that wonderful
scure, plebeian donkey. But that Donkey had
the spirit Of a thoroughbred king OF beasts in
side his skin, as he was soon able to show.
At the first leap the lioncss was upon his
back. But he jumped and threw her off, and
leaped OFT through the door. The boy had
not thought it necessary to stop to pull down
that door. The lioness was after the donkey
and upon him again, and they fought down
the hill toward the brush heap, and toward
French's stables, ont toward the road. Again
the donkey threw the lioness off. At the first
attack she had bitten him badly on the right
hind thigh, cutting through. AS the lioness
came up for third attack, the donkey, whicl,
did not now show any disposition to get away,
turned suddenly and let fly his hind hoofs into
her right lower jaw, knocking her over and ey-
identity astonishing her.
In the next minute they came together again.
when the lioness struck the donkey an ugly
wipe with her heavy hand across the head, stag
gerng him. The blow did not cut, nor did it
knock down. Again the donkey, which now
seemed to understand the situation completely
and to fight at his best. let out his hind feet,
striking the lioncss in the flank. Still strong,
though, she jumped upon him again and bur-
ried her teeth deep through the skin and flesh
between the hind legs. This time the donkey
shook her off and kicked her over, and then
putting his teeth together in the back of her
neck, lifted her Two or three feet above the
ground and shook her as Il dog shakes a rat,
and then threw her down. Theirs she lay, eN-
hausted and weak, for 4 few minutes. Then it
was that the undauntcd donkey, still ready for
fight, was taken away, that Office being per-
formed by Assistant Superintendent John kcr-
ncy and Mr.. Fred, Roots, who venturcd with
in five feet of the PROSTATE BEAST to take hold
of the brave donkey. which, bleeding at sew
eral points, was led off to the stable door. In
this fight the two animals had struggled over .
distance of nearly two hundred feet, down hill
and up.
Having recovered wind, the lioness, rejoicing
in her liberty, and I" fierce in her tyrannsus
freedom gathered herself together again, ard
commenced exercising, to show what she could
do. 1t was her first experience of the kind.
and she gloried in it. She would open her
jaws, to convince the hundreds Of atfTfghtcd
spectators who lined the fences at safe dis
lance that she could take in any Of their heads
if they would come near enough. Then she'd
stretch herself and cape and roar. Then she'd
bound forward, clearing ten or fifteen feet at
each leap. There is a big tree down the hill,
the lowest branch of which is ten feet above
the ground. She leapcd up to this limb and car
ried her head above it. At last, with a slow
cat tread, she crept up the hill to the front of
the office building, on the main avenue.
BY this time Mr.. Erkenbrecher had returned
from the city, bringing it'll him Mr.. Stewart
from one OF the menagcries. Mr.. Stewart had
raised this lioncss, and was confident he could
get her back to the cage safe. His plan was to
get calf and put it in the cage and drop the
cage down to the floor of the house and then
drive her in. Messrs. Erkenbrecher and Os-
kamp located themselves OH the roof of
French's stable. Mr.. Z. borrowed an opera
glass and watched the maneouvers through it,
like General Oh the field Of BATTLE The gar
den men placed themselves under Mr.. Stew
arts orders. The latter let the wagon bed
down to the floor, but did not get the fattel
calf lie then proceeded up to the top Of the
hill. where the lioness, crouching in the deep
mud. was swinging her tail and licking her
chops, and watching for victim.
Stewart came up behind the beast and ad-
dressed it as ''Kitty," in kindly way. She
evidently knew his voice, for she turned her
head and pricked up her ears, and her eyes
glistencd. But she was not to be caught by
even an old friend and keeper. She had tasted
blood right fresh from the veins, and she was
bound to have more. She saw, and heard, and
understood. But she was free at last No
more cage and kecper-not for Kitty" Her