The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-13
THE REPORTER AND THE LION.
John j. Jennings, of the St Louis Post-Dis-
patch, Scalped by a Lion.
St. Louis Special.

st. Louis Special.
The fair grounds was to-day the scene of
an unusually distressing and peculiar acct
dent. John ]. Jennings, a reporter on the
Post-Dispatch, was sent by his city editor to
write a lengthy notice about the winter quar-
tiers of w. w. Coles circus, which are at the
grounds, and in the course of an interview
with George Conkling, the lion tanner, Jen-
nings ventured the assertion that there was
no danger attaching to Mr.. Conkling's appar-
emily thrilling appearance in the midst of the
Gagged lions. In suhstantiating his assertion
he declared his willingness to go into the den,
providing Mr.. Conkling made the first en-
trance. At first the lion tanner laughed at
jennings proposition, but the reporter BAN
tered him so much about it that he at last
agreed to let him go into the cage. Jen-
nings is the same rash little gentleman who
allowed Hermann, the magician, to fire him
out OF a cannon across the auditorium of the
Grand Opera-house into a net three years ago.
The cannon trick was done during perform
ance, and the journalist had a very narrow
escape from breaking his neck. This after
noon Conkling, vino had been handling lions
since 1868, and who has two new lions in the
den, made the first entrance, whipped the
animals up, and after putting them through
their PAGES came out He told Jennings that
there was danger with the two new lions, and
tried to dissuade him from going in, but the
reporter was rashly stubborn about the
thing, and armed with Conkling's small raw
hide, went boldly into the den. Conkling
stood at the cage doors and watched the
animals closely, ready, at a moment, TO
run into the newspaper mans assistance.
The lions lay close to the sides of the
cage as jennings stood at the center, and
divided their attention between the reporter
and Conkling. They growled fiercely and
glared at the intruder, but Jennings shook
the rawhide toward them, and at last touched
Sandy one of the old lions, on the rump,
whereat he ran across the stage followed by
two of the others. and soon the three animals
were jumping about, obeying the reporters
word of command leaping over the whip
and lying down as cleverly as they could do
for Conkling himself. The lion tanner said
nothing, but had his hand on the cage door,
watching Jennings and the animals as they
shifted positions. The reporter had been in
the cage probably two minutes when ne
started to put George, the second of the old
lions, through the trick of jumping over his
back while he leaned forward. He touched
the animals forepaws with the whip. Just as
Conkling does, and over the reporters back
went old George. One of the new lions
just put into the cage this winter, in at
tempting to follow George knocked Jennings
down. He fell toward corner of the stage
in which the second new lion that had re-
fused to take part in the lion tanners per
Torrance had renamed lying throughout
the whole time. Look out" shouted Conk-
ling dashng into the cage and making dive
for the PROSTATE newspaper man. He was too
late, however The lions claws fell on the
top of Jennings's head. and tore away almost
the entire scalp. A second stroke tore the
reporters shoulder open, and as Conkling
dragged him away, the lions claws were
fastened in the shoe of his left foot, and tore
the covering Oft. Conkling had the palm of
his right hand opened by one of the animals
claws. There was the greatest uproar in
the cage for a few minutes, the lions roar
ing and rushing about while Conkling
thrust Jennings through the cage door to
two assistants. and remained behind to be-
labor the animals into quiet with short bar
of iron. Jennings was taken from the ground
unconscious, and the physicians fear that he
is fatally injured. Great indignation prevails
among the journalists friends who heard of
the accident, and there is talk of having
Conkling arrested, first, for having allowed
Jennings to expose himself to such danger
and in the second place for not telling Jen-
nings that the lion that injured him was
bad, and is always kept chained in corner
of the cage. This latter circumstance is
fact. Conkling himself never ventures with
in reach of this lion. He is, therefore, to
blame for allowing Jennings to risk his life
in the rash manner in which he did.