Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-03-17
TORN TO PIECES BY BEASTS.
A Tanner Killed and. Horribly Mangied
by wild Animals Before a Tent Full of


A Tanner Killed and. Horribly MangIed
by wild Animals Before Tent Full of
Spectators.
LONDON. March 15.-Thcre was big
crowd in the tent. Wombell's menagerie
was showing in Hednesford, Stalfordshire,
and people had come from the surrounding
villages to see the celebrated lion tanner,
Delhi Montana.
The strong cage was rolled in, Three
immense bears and q wicked looking hyena
paced restlessly up and down the narrow
confines Of their prison, growing and
showing their fangs.
Montana sprang lightly into the ring, a
confident smile on his lips. He APP
preached the cage and entered the outer
compartment. lie was separated then
from the wild beasts only by an iron
barred door. Again he turned and bowed
to the hushed audience, confident and
smiling still. lie opened the iron door.
As he was about TO enter the den of the
snarling animals. who covered before him
sulkilv, Notwithstanding, half-fearfnlly,
he slipped and fell The iron door closed
upon him with crash.
Montana was at the mercy of the beasts.
His power over them was gone. He tried
to rise. when the hyena, which was the
first to realize that the spell was broken,
sprang upon him with n fierce shrek that
sounded TO the horror-stricken spectators
like the coarse laugh of demon.
Setting his fangs in the flesh of the lion
tanner, the beast mangled ii with tooth and
claw. Then in n burst of mad rago he
tossed the bleeding man to the other side
of the cnge.
The bears had all this time kept up a
tremendous growing. The spectators were
shrieking with terror. Women tainted
from horror.
The bears seized Montana and tossed
him from one to the other, as a terrier
does rat, at the same time biting him in
"a savage manner and tearing his limbs
and body cruelty.
The taste of blood enraged the brutes
still more, anhthey kept up their horrible
sport with the negro's body for fully Is
minutes.
The attendants of the menagerie, who
were at first paralyzed by the frightful
spectacle. finally Attempted to rescue Mon
tano, In spite of their attacks on the
fierce beasts they were unable to get the
mans body from the cage for fully a
quarter of an hour.
When the brntes were at last beaten off,
and the lion tanner was dragged from the
cage, he was still alive. lie was torn and
mangled from head to foot and was conf
pletely covered with the blood.
They carried him to nearby hotel and
everything possible was done to relieve
agony for an hour.
While the sckening spectacle was going
| on in the cage those people who were moi
chained to the spot by the yery1horror OF
| the scene, rushed for the exits fearing that
the naddenod brutes would break from the
cage and attack the crowd
AT the inquest subsequently held on the
body of Montana, the proprietor of tho
| menagerie testified that Montana had
/ never before cXppriencrd mn nrridpnt dur.
| ing his long connection with menageries
| i'll the capacity of an animal tanner.
lie said that he had tried to rescue the
unfortunate man as soon us he was at
tackled, but that it was with the greatest
difficulty that the animals were beaten of
and forced to relinquish their prey.
| a doctor who witnessed the awful scenC
said also that everything possible had been
done to get Montana out of the cage, but
that the animals seemed insensible to al
the blows and proddings administered tC
them.