The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1878-11-14
A Hyena's Memory.

A desperate struggle recently tool
place In the carniyora house at the
Fair grounds at st. Louis between {
striped female hyena lately purchased
and a large spotted hyena occupying
with its mate one of the cages. The
fight was bloody one and the striped
animal received injuries which caused
its death IN a few hours, despite the
brave efforts to rescue it from its assail-
ant made by Winners, one of the keep
ers at the fair grounds. He boldly en-
tered the cage when the animals were
fighting and wounded the spotted ami
NAL upon the head with a club, until il
was stunned and its victim released.
Recently the spotted hyena had It's
revenge.
Since the fight in June, the spotted
hyena with another of the same spe-
cies, has occupied cage in the carni-
vOra house, between lions cage and
one appropriated to the leopards.
Winners has attended to the animals,
as usual, and the hyena's have, since
relieved of their Objectionable striped
associate, seemed as tractable as hyenas
eyer get, which is nothing to speak Of.
Recently few people, including a
couple of ladies, were gathered about
the carnivOra house looking at the ami
mails, when Winners, the keeper, chan
ced TO pass along between the railing
and the cages. He is familiar with the
animals and the ferocious beasts seem
to entertain sort of friendship for him.
As he passed alongh patted the leop-
ard on the head, and the beast seemed
rather to like the attention. Then he
came to the hyenas' cage. The big
spotted brute lay close to the bar, and
its mate was a little ways off. Winners
carelessly as he passed reached out his
hand and patted the hyena as he had the
leopard. 1t was cruel mistake. The
ugly brute awaiting his opportunity
for months, saw it at last, and, quick as
lighting, caught the kindly hand in his
mouth, sinking its fangs into it deeply.
There was frightful struggle. The
man sought to tear his hand away, and
at the same instant, with grOwl, the
other hyena sprang to the assistance of
Its mate. For moment it seemed as
though Winners would have his entire
arm drawn in through the bars, but
with supreme effort he wrenched him
self away cripple. The strong jaws
of the hyena had not loOsened their grip,
and the left portion of the right hand
was torn away as the man released him
self, the bones and sinews parting like
thread in the grip of the ugly brute,
who drew back yelling with his bloody
The ladies who witnessed the terrible
scene were to be pitied, one of them al
most fainting at the time, and being il
from the effect of the sight even after
getting into street car. Assistance
was promptly summoned, and Winners
was conveyed to physician. who bound
up the mangled stump, the man suffer-
excruciating pain from his injuries. He
will, of course be crippled by the occur
renee. The men who carried him to a
physician came back pallid as spectres.
Winners has been long engaged as a
keeper of animals, and is understood to
have been once seriously hurt by lion
in his charge. His brother, also keep
at the grounds, reproached him recently
with his Uarelessness, saying that one
so experienced should have known bet
ter than to trusta hyena, but the woun-
ded man did not consider himself much
to be blamed. The hyenas, after the oc-
dashed about like mad things.
They shrieked continually, and the
other animals Joined in, making the
gardens resound for quite time with
the ugliest of choruses.
-SN~-