Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-08-12
PEDRO AND LEANDER.
A Bravo Elephant Returns Lion
to His Cage.


"This is Dom Pedro. There is no
FINER lion in a cage"
Dom Pedro lifted himself from the
floor of his den, looked ut us out of
half-shut eyes, and then. with the
quiet dignity of the leOnine race,
walked to the opposite end of his
prison. where he lay down, with his
head resting upon outstretched paws.
"With the exception OF couple OF
front teeth which were broken oil the
night he escaped he is absolutely per-
feet from tip to toensil."
"Escaped?"
"Oh, yes. Rats let him out OF his
den one night last winter and our big
elephant, Leandcr, caught thin and put
him back"
i looked at the ringmaster with rs
cynical smile rs could muster.
"Quitc an improvement on the old
fable Of the lion and the mouse" l re-
marked.
eel see YOU don't believe it; but it is
trse. all the same. Look at this"
He drew closer to the den and placed
his hand on corner of it which had.
apparently, been broken and then re-
paired with sheet of half-inch iron,
firmly rivcted TO the heavy bars and
heavier wood floor.
''lt was at this corner that he forced
his way out. and it was in tearing these
bars away that he broke his teeth. Our
tight-ropc walker-Lilliputisn Louis,
one of the wcll-known LaScelles chill
dren-was responsible for it all. He
had little black terrier dog which was
actually terror to rats, and nothing
pleased the boy more than to see that
dog in the center of bunch of the lit
tie pests. He kept traps set for them
all about the stables, and when a col
lection of about fifty was got together
he would invite all hands out to the
practice ring and for half an hour fair
~ revel in bloodshed. The stables had
10 be cleared of the vermin in some
way. and so every body rather cncour-
aged the boy.
There was little tool box In the
top of Pedrv's den. 1t is there, YET,
and safely nailed up-and this box
Louis utilized as storage place for
the rats while he was collecting enough
to make Roman holiday.
"Woll. sir-Dut let's sit down; it
comes just Us cheap"
We took seats on the edge OF
broken band wagon, and, idly twirling
piece of straw, the ringmaster (ring-
master in summer. but now boss of the
stables forming tie circus winter quar-
ters) went on with his talk.
"well. SIR" he continued, "one
night the rats in the box took il into
their heads to do little gnawing.
They gnawed through the floor of the
box. which was, Of course, the top OF
Pedro's den. and one by one slipped
down through the hole into the lions
quarters. As usual. / slept on u bunk
in the ticket wagon. which stood then
practically where it stands now."
He pointed out the gaudy ticket
wagon. as nearly in the center of the
space as was possible to place 1t,
where it commanded n good view OF
the animal dens ranged end to end
about the stable walls.
AT about three o'clock In the
morning was awakened by the lions
deep growing. He had been restless
all night Ever since eleven o'clock l
had heard more or less scratching in
his neighborhood. but nothing worried
me until / heard that growl. Then l
knew something unusual was up. /
slipped out Of my bunk, and was just
turning up the flame which always
burns dimly in a lan,orn near my
head. when heard roar that woke
every beast in the plsce; felt u shock
Us though apadded battering ram had
struck one of the dens. and then the
corner Of Pedro's den gave way with
q crash. and saw his huge shape fail
out and roll over on the sawdust He
was ON his feet in . second. and with