The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-04-01
LIONESS AT LARGE.

A lioness having escaped from the Gin
cinnati Geological Garden, and after defeat
by donkey, courted death at the muzzle OF
4 a shot gun. the Cincinnati Commercial sent
a reporter to the scene-the lioness being
4 dead-who writes up the affair. Here is the
way he got in his work: The escape of the
lioness, which was the opening scene of the
exciting afternoon, occurred at or about
o'clock, as all agree. The scene of it was the
buffalo house, one of the new permanent
! structures. This is a commodious rustic cir
cular building. 1t was temporarily occupied
by the lion and lioness, which were In sepa-
rate cages on wheels (the lioness near the
door,, and the donkey. The last named an
imal, which is one ofthe surviving heroes of
the affair, had occupied this building about
four weeks, without heretofore exciting the
lioness or the lion to any great degree OF
violence, so far as could be learned. 1t APP
pears. though, that the lioness had gradu-
ally worked herself up to determination
TO have side cut out of that donkey. She
had paced her cage day after day, repeating
to herself these affecting lines, from the
nursery rhymes of the Jungle:
SCI smell the blood of a long-eared donkey-ah
When ge. right good chance I'll have some
| -ah ha"
The was a splendid beast, this lioness from
Africa's burning sauds-or descended of one
of that kind-full- grown. we'll conditioned,
with flashing ewes, proud nostr1ls, and
nervously twitching tail. The donkey
seemed peaceful, ignoble beast, gray ana
black, mostly gray, with ears foot long,
small, sharp, unshod boots, and a
named sixteen year-old lad. who
"don't can't talk much English" but glories
in kraut and German, was leading the don
key into the house to his crib. He had had
the little animal out for little romp on the
picturesque hills. He had thrown up the
heavy door that assembled with the fall of
weights and had led the donkey in. He was
unconcerned about it, for he spprehended no
danger. He can hardly tell what occurred.
He only knows that there was a dashing of
heavy body about in the cage, a Juggling at thu
round iron bars of powerful paws, and
the same moment the lioness was out ann
upon the donkey. The lads hat was offi
and his hair was on end, in the terror of the
thing. With Shrek of fright he dropped
/ the halter line and fed out the door up the
hill in the direction of the Office, yelling, in
German, that one of the lions was out and
was killing everything. As be ran
SCREAMING, UP THE HILL,
Andrew Erkenbrecher caught the alarm.
His horse was hitched outside, and it in
stautly occurred TO him that he must save
that valuable beast, and, at the same time,
secure the services of one of the lion tanners
in the city. So he jumped into his buggy
and drove off, by crcuitous route, telling
the men not to shoot the lioness unless il
should be absolutely necessary to save life;
that he would be back as speedily as pos
sible. Near the entrance to the gate, Mr..
Erkenbrecher met Mr.. G. Oskamp, also a
prominent manager of the Geological Gar
den. He was on horseback, and was about
n Qr1fc oar Nvh an rrra6
him of the trouble. Mr.. L. then went to |
the city. Since the memorable day when
the lion whipped the unicorn all around the |
town, no such fight has been seen as that |
wonderful battle between the royal
lioness and the obscure, plebeian |
donkey. But that donkey had the |
spirit of a thoroughbred XII q of beasts |
inside his skin, as he was soon able to show.
At the first leap the lioness was uDOn his |
back. But he jumped and threw her of, |
and leaped out through the door. The boy |
had not thought it necessary to stop TO pull
down the door. The lioness was after the |
donkey and upon him again, and they |
fought down the hill toward the brush heap, |
out toward French's stables, out 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 the |
third attack, the donkey, which did not now
show any disposition 20 get away,
Lurn0Q SuuOeDlY ana let uy DIS hInQ
boots into her right lower jaw, Knocking her
over, and evidently 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,
staggering him. The blow did not cut nor
did II knock down. Again the donkey,
who now seemed TO understand the situa-
ton completely, and TO fight at his best, let
out his hind feet, striking the lioness in the
flank. Still strong. though, she jumped
upon him again, and buried her teeth
through the skin and into the flesh deep be-
tween 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, shook
her as dog shakes rat, and then threw her
down. There she lay, exhausted and weak,
for few minutes. Then it was that the I'M
daunted donkey, still ready for fight, was
taken away, that ofhce being performed by |
Assistant Superintendent John Kerney and |
Mr.. Fred Roots, who ventured within Eve
feet of the PROSTATE beast to take hold of |
the brave donkey, which, bleeding at sew
eral points. was led of to the
animals had struggled over a distance |
OF nearly three hundred feet, down.
hill and mp. Having recovered wind, the !
lioness, rejoicing in her liberty, and 'fierce |
in her tyrannous freedom" gathered herself |
together again. and 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 affrighted spectators who lined |
the fences at a safe distance that she could |
take in any one of their heads II they would |
come near enough. Then she'd |
stretch herself and cape and |
roar. Then she'd bound. for |
ward, clearing ten or fifteen feet at each |
leap. There is big tree down the hi the |
lowest branch of which is ten feet above the |
oround- She leaDad mn tn this limb and