Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-04-16

majesty, when she slightly raised her back,
and displayed a corner of her little tooth
about an inch and half long. This Mr..
Rutz construed into an invitation to retire,
and he accordingly skedaddled faster than
man usually leaves menagerie. a number
of attempts and failures similar to the above
were made, and, as a last resort, word was
sent to the city, and the services of four or
five men who had formerly travelled with the
menagerie to which the lioness had belonged
were secured, and with them came three
policemen.
By this time the Il vs. had been nosed
abroad, and a large crowd of men and boys
surrounded the grounds. Many Of the boys
climbed into trees and looked eagerly on, howl
ing like young savages the while. The circus
men ana the police formed circle around
the lioness, at a very respectful distance,
however, armed with pistols and bludgeons,
and by gradually closing in on her majesty,
thought to drive her into her cage. The
circle closed several times very gradually;
but had way of enlarging remarkably fast
at any little unfavorable symptom. One
of these unfavorabe symptoms was her
jumping up about twelve feet into a large
locust tree. Boys have always been taught
in the story books that lions couldn't climb
trees, but probably the story books didn't
reckon on lionesses. The boys had an ocular
demonstration of the fallaey of the authors
theory, and slid down from their perches as
though they were specially CREASED for
quick transit. Her majesty did not remain
long in tho locust tree until she fell ont
This enraged her, and she began tearing
oh "a tbaf bo
circus men. boys and others spectators in
continently fled.
Recognizing the necessity of having so
ferocious beast either captured or killed
before night set in. John Kearney, the
superintendent of the garden, sent over TO
Clifton for Patrick McAvoy-a member of
the Cincinnati shooting and fishing club,
who has the reputation of being capital
marksman, and is the possessor of a fine
double-barrelled breech loader-to bring his
weapon and kill the lioness Mr.. McAyoy,
although not a lion-hunter, has had great
experience among the grizzlies and panthers
of the Rocky mountains, and is a man to
whom fear OF wild beasts is unknowa. lie
complied and went to the gardens.
Perched on top Of the embankment, and
watching for a favorable moment to spring.
was the queen of beasts. With both barrels
of his gun loaded with no heavier metal than
ordinary No. . bird shot, Mr. McAvoy ad-
vanced Ten feet in the rear Of McAvoy
was John Nordheim the night watchman,
also with douhle-hlrreled shot gun and
ten feet in the rear of Nordheim was Mr..
Haupt, armed with a revolver. To the right
Of this line was Mr.. Kearney, the superin-
81 1,,. Ia, laI
The line adganed until within fifty feet of
the lioneSs, when she suddenly crouched and
gave one spring which took her fully thirty
feet down the cmbankment toward Mr..
McAvov lie was ready to fire bat lioness,
a. soon a. she struck the earth, seemed to
rebound like an India-rubber ball directly
for Mr. McAvoy : head While she was in
the air her mouth was opened to the ex-
trcme of distention. her ears were thrown
back level with her head, her huge paws
were spread to the utmost limit, and her
terrible claws, each like the beak of an eagle,
were curlel downward ready to strike into
the flesh Of her victim. Mr.. McAvoy drop
pei, but the lioness went on over his pros
trajc body and struck Mr.. Nor1heim knock
ing him down, and fastening her merciless
teeth in bis thigh.
Ia an instant Mr. McAyoy was on his
feet, and hi, t.4,iy gun to his shoulder.
Unfortunately the PROSTATE Nordheim was
between him and the lioness, and he was
obliged to change his position before be
could shoot without danger TO NorIheim.
Stepping to the other side, he delivered one
charge. which struck the lioness about the
middle Of the back, tearing away portion of
the backbone, but not disabling her
After one or two more vicious bites the
lionc-s left the prostrate form Of Nordheim,
and. with 4 terrible roar, spang upon
lllupt. and crushed him together a. though
ne ial hecn rapcr, and it was ihought that
every bone in his body was broken. She
fastened her lang- in his thigh and her claws
in his abdomen. and in half second more
the unfortunate man would undoubtedly
have been discmboweled had not Mr.. Nc
Ayoy. this time with a sure aim, not more
than fur feet from the ferocious beast, sent
ioai of bird shot through its heart. The
lioness fell over, and died Immediately.
From the tip of the nose to the end OF the
tail the carcass measured seven and a half feet.
Norlheim and Haupt, although painfully
wounded, are not dangerously 50.
In Justice to the boy who was leading the
donkey when the attack was made, it must
be stated that he has stopped running, and
Is at his post of duty in the gardens.