Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-05-16
A NIGHT OF TERROR.
Terrible Experience With a Man
Eating Tiger.

IorTlDl0 experience Win a MAN.
Eating Tiger.
Mr.. James Hartley, weIl-to-do merchant
doing business in the city of New York, re.
sides in one of the numerous suburban
towns of New Jersey. The train takes him
to his business in the morning, and returns
him safely to his home at night. Last
Thursday evening a surprise awaited him
on his arrival home. The usually peaceful
suburb presented a scene of extraordinary
excitement. Substantial and staid citizens
were patroling the streets armed with shot
guns and revolvers, and the whole village
appeared TO be as if on the eve of sanguin-
airy revolution. On inquiry Mr.. Hartley
learned that this unwonted condition of
affairs was occasioned by the escape of a
large Bengal tiger, said to be of the man.
eating species and very fierce which had
that afternoon made its escape from trav-
cling circus which had been encamped just
outside the village for the last two days.
Up to that time, six p m, no trace of the
animal had been discovered. The pro-
prietOrs of the circus thought that he had
taken to the woods, and knowing from ex-
perience that animals which have been long
confined do not, as a rule, wander far from
their cages, they cheerfully predicted his
easy capture in the morning. They pooh
ho0ed the idea of any danger to any of
the inhabitants of the village, and INDUCED
In much merriment at the expense of the
hastily imprOvised patrol, the members of
which, in their opinion, were simply vast
ing so many good hours which could have
been more prOfitably devoted to sleep
so far from sharing the confidence of the
showmen, the village people, on the
contrary, viewed the. escape of the
ferociOus animal with feelings of I'M
disguised alarm, and not entirely without
good reason. Only the day previous the
vicious animal had made a desperate and
unprovoked attack upon one of the keepers
who happened to be standing near its cage.
With one blow through the bars. il had
stripped the mans arm of the flesh from the
shoulder to the elbow. Public feeling had
been much aroused by this CHASTITY accident,
and under the circumstances the good people
OF the village were not to be blamed for
feeling a little nervous. On reaching his
house, the merchant, in lieu Of the warm
welcome which usually awaited him, found
all the doors and windows tightly closed.
For the first time in their married life Mrs.
Hartley was not at the front door to meet
him. Instead, he found her with spectral
face peeping timidly through the parlor
window
10, my dear, such an awful thing has
happened"
I've heard all about it." interrupted the
husband. "You needn't be at all frightened.
The beast is miles of by this time, deep into
the woods"
When the time for retiring had arrived
the merchant had succeeded in laughing
away his wife's fears, and by dint of much
verbal soothing syrup had restored her
bsdly-shsken nerves to something like their
normal tranquility. Thus treasured, Mrs
Hartley soon sank into a sound slumber: but.
try as he would, the merchants attempts to
follow his good lady's example that night
proved singularly abortive.
Hour after hour passed, which he had
vainly occupied in going through all the
well-known formula for producing sleep,
such as counting droves of pigs, sheep, jump
ing by myriads over impossible fences, and
the gamut of those curious devices
popularity supposed to induce slumber, when
he suddenly became aware by that peculiar
instinct which man shares in common with
the lower animals, and which. in times of
danger, sometimes become intensely and alb
acute, of an unseen presence in the
-
apartment.
Another minute crept slowly by, during
which the merchant lay in a state of nervous
vainly endeavoring to shake
OF the indefinable feeling of dread which
had taken possession of him. 1t was while
he thus lay listening intently that he became
for the first time conscious of low, deep,
ominous whisper, which seemed to issue
from the further corner of the room, into
the remoter parts of which the rays of the
young moon, but then hardly arisen above
the neighboring tree-tops, hardy penetrated.
He listened to this peculiar noise for some
the sound increasing in volume
and seeming to move from place to place,
and gradually deepening into hoarse and
cat-hke purr, a sound which sent a cold |
thrill OF horror through his whole frame, as
at the same instant there flashed through !
his mind the words: THE tiger! the tiger!' |
Hardly daring to breathe. he slowly raised |
himself on his right elbow and peered eau
iously in the direction from which the !
sound proceeded. As he thus raised himself, |
the moon, which had been for few seconds |
Obscured by a passing cloud, broke forth |
from its fieecy covering and shot a pale |
CLEAN of light into the interior of the apart |
ment The hoarse purring sound still con-
tnued, and as the merchant concentrated |
his gaze in the direction from which it came |
with cat-like and noiseless tread there slowly |
into the strip of moonlight an OBJ
ect which held him mOtionless in a sudden
Jaroxysm of terror, as with straining eye
balls he saw, brought out in full relief
against the further wall. the head and
shoulders of full -grown Bengal tiger.
Even in the extremity of his terror he
could not help noticing it infinitely. 1t was
IN enormous beast Without trace Of
name, its smooth and sinuous form uphold
ing the small but ferocious head, it seemed
the embodiment of resistless strength. A
bright tawny yellow, its body was beauti
fully marked with dark transverse bands
passing into pure white on the under parts
The tail was long and full and undulated in
snake-like movements. Its fang-like teeth,
barred by the dropping under jaw, shone
white and cruel ia the moonlight The ex-
preston on its face as it moved silently for
ward and raising its head shifted eagerly in
the night air, was appalling. 1t was the
expression of demon
Mr.. Hartley does not know what pre-
vented him from screaming aloud with
terror. Perhaps the thought of the help
less woman sleeping in peaceful uncon-
sciousness by his side; perhaps sheer IN
ability to utter an articulate sound, pre-