The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-01-13

"HEAvEN PRESERVE U.s."
a Camel Creates a Remarkable Sem
sation on Broadway
New York Tribune.l

George Hicks, the wrestler, who recently
left Muldoon's troupe to join Buffalo BilPs
Wild West show in England, was walking
along Broadway above Grace Church about
10 o'clock ON recent evening in company
with his friend Bob" Brown, an Arizona
cowboy, when he noticed an unusual COM
motion among people just ahead of him.
They seemed panic stricken and began to
scatter in all directions, seeking refuge in
the stores, side streets and up the awning
posts and telegraph poles.
whats the matter?" inquired Hicks, as
one startled fugitive hurried past him.
Don't you see?" rejoinedIthe other. THE
camels are coming"
Hicks looked up the street again more
carefully, and sure enough there was big
ungainly camel coming, tearing along as
fast as its powers Of locomotion would per-
nit. The beast took in the whole street ap-
parently. One moment it was on the cob
blestones and the next it would take to the
sidewalks. Then it would rush back in the
middle Of the street again, acting in fact as
If it desired to convince everybody that 1t
owned the town.
This zigzag way Of coming downtown was
what alarmed pedestrians. They fled before
the beast as though 1t had been one of Bar
NUNS tigers. Indeed, many believed that
the camel was but the vanguard and that
whole menagerie was coming on its heels.
just before the animal reached the place
where Hicks and Brown were standing, in
front of Mitchell, Vance & Co.'S, portly old
woman with basket of clothes came around
the corner of Tenth-st. She turned into
Broadway and met the camel He gave q
snort as he saw her. Heaven preserve usl
What's this % shrieked the woman, and the
next instant she, the clothes and the basket
were heap on the sidewalk. Her shout
frightened the beast as much as the beast
had alarmed her and away it went again.
There is sort of night-schoOl across the
way from f. j. Denning's store. The pupils
were coming out, making the usual amount
of noise One of them saw the camel. The
beast also caught sight of him and started in
to cultivate the boys acquaintance. In
about three.seconds there was not pupil in
sight.
Coming to the iron fence near Grace
Church the beast evinced a disposition to
make meal of the building. After a few
bites he changed bis mind and started of
down toward the City Hall. As he reached
the car tracks a cab drawn by a fine gray
horse drove up. The driver seemed disposed
to give the beast more than half the street,
but the camel wanted the same part that
the horse took, and when the driver reined
to one side or the other the ship Of the des
ert' followed most annoyingly. This sort of
thing was kept up for about two minutes,
and then the thoroughly alarmed driver
made short turn down side street.
The camel rushed forward and had its
head almost in the window of the carriage
where two pale-faced ladies sat, when Hicks
and Brown jumped forward and grasped the
nose and piece Of broken halter that hung
from its neck. The camel tried to shake
them of but the athletics were too str@g.
After short struggle they managed to get
the animal to its knees where they held It
with the assistance of Policeman Reilly until
big stout man came rushing along out of
breath and claimed to be the keeper of the
lost animal
"But who are you and where does this crit
ter come from?" asked the astonished Of
fcer.
"Why from Kiralfy's Of course replied the
other.
Just then a negro with donkey and an
other fellow with an elephant came In sight
and everybody understood the situation.
The animals are used in the Ravel Panto-
mime of "Mazulm," now being played at the
Academy of Music. They are kept in sta
BILE in Prince-st Coming home after the
performance the camel became unruly in
Thirteenth-st The keeper tried TO subdue
it, but the halter broke and the beast at once
started off down Broadway at pace too fast
for the corpulent keeper, who was so over
loyed at capturing his charge again that he
fairly wept. The camel seemed entirely sat
isfed with its frolic and as soon as the keep
er had satisfied the policeman that there
would be no further danger to the public he
was allowed To 90 ON to the unable