Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-12-05

- 49, ~ - mesf famo1s n r. -
10 ~ mcot pop1lnx ohou e nny ~
- knGl1n4 Wombueli vaa = er5er
/ pf1Hng zello9. With 3 renius fcr 49,
s1ssnR hzmselk. 2nd peoo1s uero tn<1 -
I'D e hin . ~ ontooinhod uhsn. r
iazbs report was oircu1n,sd fhsf Sc -
matched h1a bke4oG< hon % Haht III 80
g 30 bull ard maotfH hrusd fux : - -
q &5o0Q No ouo be1ioRed ii - afake
but eyoey oue believed thnt - 6rA
would oomo a. The sporting uurId ~
N fevex. md euormocS suna vere a
eered On H. result
/ WombeelI had two larRs lions Nero
: majestic creature, bat a tame a. q n
o0Rs and W2lkace. = younger and NOR
fefocsous animal. Nero vas The drr
hon put 10 tne test.
The neht came Oh IN tne subnrbs o,
the city Of Warwick, England. On Ii,
road - Northampton. called = The OK
Factory lard Two sides az ! kollos
square vere occupied b. the empty uork
shops Of the Old Factory, many stories
high the Windows Of which we're fitted
| up and furnished with seatn, and the tw<
other eldos were filled mp with cAxnvanI
Of Wild beAsfs- TIE CAGE, formed 81
iron bars. IN which tho combat was Z
take place. stood IN the middle Of fhs
inclosure. Il Vas about fifteen fee
square and ten high. with room for the
deRs 10 run IN and out. while the fI0or 81
q was elevated as much ~ four or fiv<
feet from the ground.
4 &c sort Of prelude 10 the inhumar
speotacio With wa about TO take place
occurred On the night before the combat
for eight d0gA intended TO be- Opposed
to the lion. having been placed toaether
BY their guardian instead of being kent
asunder, the natural ferocity prevailed,
A general fight toek place, Ia which one
dog was killed outright and another LOST
an ear and part Of his cheek. Their
keeper ineenuously said Is vas not his
fault. bat the dog; for they " didn't
sids.n
Wombwell evidently intended TO make
fortune out Of his show. The first
scale of prices set up By him vas half q
guinea for standing places: seats at re-
mote Window guinea; fourth floor
seats, two guineae; and seats on the first,
second and third floors, three guineas
each. These prices, however, could not
DO sustained, and lower rates prevailed
when the show began.
During the morning on which the
combat vas to take place the dogs that
we're TO fiRht we're made show Of at the
Green Dragon. at IN sdr6ittance price
Of sixpenos or . shilling. Nero. the lion,
the hero Of the day. lay qaist in his own
caravan, looking anconoernediy at the
preparations making for his own an
noy ance.
wombwelI's trunpetsrs, arrayed in
CANDY eol0rs, mounted on herses, were
sent forth through the streets Of War
wick, bennington and the villages near.
to announce the coming fight. seven
o'clock in the evening was the hour
fixed upon for the commencement Of the
oombat. Accommodations were made
for . thousand people to witness the
6ght, and abort dve hundred attended.
The money taken may be roandly stated
% be Zoo, and the expenses were about
or the six dogs which were to fight.
Turk aud Tiger were brown; Captain,
fallow and white; Rose, skewbald; Net
tie, brindled. with q black head; and
Nielsen, white, with brindied spots.
Many had foretold that Nero. the lion,
Was too tame 10 fight, and this afterward
proved 10 DO . correct representation.
Nero having entered the iron cage from
his own caravan, all was at length ready
for che combat; the lion himself SEEM
ing to be she only creature unconscious
Of what was about 70 take place. The
spectators, both above and below, had
their eyes rivsted on the iron cage
where Nero crouched uncoucernediy.
Captain, Tiger and Turk were first
clipped at the lion. who by some was
expected to seize and shake and tear
them as q terrier dog does rat which
be has caught ON barn floor; but IL
was not %; for he permitted all the dogs
to seize him. Indeed, he seemed not TO
understand how to protect himself from
his tormentors, Who bit and mauled and
pulled him at their pleasure. Had be
been q lamb instead Of q lion, hardly
could he have acted q tanner part. After
time he shook on the dogs; but even
then he attempted not to hurt them, but
kept flying about the cage endeasoring
to make bis escape.
Il was strange sight to see the dogs
hanging to the lips of the agonixed
animal, seizing him by the under Jaw
and pinnisG him by the nose, the lion
roaring with pain, but not enraged.
Several times he tore Of the dogs with
his claws, but never once used his for
midable teeth.
Captain, the fallow-colored dog, was
at last taken away famed and much
distressed. and Tiger and Turk contin-
ued the fight. Tiger next cfawled oui
Of the cage, drcadfully MANNED, leaving
Turk alone. This dog, the slightest Of
the three, though wounded and bleed
ing from all parts OF his body, still con.
tended with the lion, which was twenty
times his weight, pinning him by the
nose at least halt dozen times. Wher
Turk was Withdrawn from the cage
mangled and bleeding, be seemed more
dead than alive.
During the twsnty minutes respite
| that followed. Nero, after being sluicec
with pail Of water by Wombweli, (whs
at once went into his caQe) rubbed hi
wounded head with his paws like cat
He then Tapped for some time from .
/ fresh pan OF water, and was patted and
caressed by keeper through the bar
Of his cage. Three fresh dogs, large
than the others-N ettie, Rose and Mel
son-were then Let loose. The cage had
been rendered slippery by the wate
thrown into it, 30 that the poor lion
partly exhausted. could mot keep hi
| feet when attacked by the fresh dogs
They fastensd upon him at once, whiI'
to, az before, only tried to get avay
| from them. When the dogs were takeI
away the thronR cried out for them h
be brought again 20 the light, az the.
were NOT beaten. The dogs were eg III
brought forward. but AZ length th
strife was ended; the dogs. voundes
and manned. and the lion, torn ana
| bleeding, were separated. The mrs
fight lasted eleven minutes and the las
i've. leaving the dogs practically tn
victors, for the lion had certainly no
conquered them.
Encouraged By his success In thi
speculation, Wembwell advertised |
second lion fight tbs same week. Thi
time be matched Wallace against six o
the best dogs that could be found. Wal
lace had been. like Nero, cubbed In cap
tivity in Scotland, bat be had none o
the meekness of bis good natsrcd felios
brute. On the contrary. ne was var,
ferocious.
| The second fight took place in th
same cage. Spectators we're admitte,
70 the Old Factory yard at ave shilling
q head. aud several we'll dressed vome'
viewed the contest from she factor.
windows. Three couples Of dogs ver
clipped a Wallace Tinker, Bstl, Billy