The Portland daily press., 1893-10-19
BATTLE OF THE JUNGLE.
Royal Bengal Tigers Fought to a
Finish in Providence.
REIGNED IN THE
USUALLY QUIET PARK.

| Joined in q Chorus of Yells and HoMls
! While Prince and Princess Settled Their
Ouarrel--Prince Was Killed-He Was
Once the Terror of Himalayan Villages
Where He Ate Seven Men.
. Providence, October 16.-It was tiger
eat tiger at the menagerie at Roger
Williams park today and the animals
were in wild pandemonium for two
hours. A battle royal took place, and
the black hunter of the thicket never
| witnessed more awful and appalling
sight than occurred in the outdoor cage
of the Bengal tigers just before the noon
hour.
Princess killed Prince and then Prin-
cess looked as though she would like to
devour the whole mengerie, includ ng
sBaby Roger" the school children's pet
elephant. Princess is heavyweight
royal Bengal tiger, and, all showmen
have admitted, the handsomest ever
brought to America. She has been in
this country a long time, and has been
exhibited by circuses and showmen OF
various kinds all over the States and
Canada. She cost $4,000 origlally, but the
| Providence public park commissioners
bought her for $1,000 not very long ago
| She had reputation for cunning and
| was called mild in temperament unless
| badly ruff ed.
Prince was always demon, beast
with bad heart, and in consequence an
| iron club was required to rule him, as
well as a keeper with an iron mind.
| Prince had been in the circuses of Bar;
mum &5.Bailey and Forepaugh, and he
| had been admired in all the great show
| towns from St. Albans to San Diego.
| His fur was silky and fine, and his slick
| ness was not exceeded by his intense
| ferocity. He cost $500 when the circus
agents first laid eyes on him, but Prince
was a bad fellow, and Roger Williams
park was made more attractive by his
presence for only $1,000. Prince could not
| be carried in the travelling shows any
| longer, for he wanted to devour beast
| and man, and he came very near eating
several of the latter who accidentally
| went within yard of his big cage.
After he was purchased by the park
commission here they were warned that
he must be kept in very strong cage
and alone. He has been thus imprisoned
for a good while, but as Prince and
Princess which occupied the adjoining
cage appeared to get get along very well
together, the day finally came when the
SlOWnlantS duVlCS dDOuO iIASO Noo-hOo
needed.
In adjoining cages Prince and Princess
got acquainted and finally they were put
together in a strong steel cage. They
never showed any dislike for each other
until a week ago, when Prince began to
punish Princess. She took his i'll treat
ment calmly, but this morning, when
he began to wrangle, she was ready.
Prince struck the first blow and showed
his long white teeth. Princess laid her
ears upon her well shaped head and re-
turned the blow, and both began to hiss
and growl louder and louder.
They were angry, but the people IN the
aniamls walked about the cage eyeing
each other closely, when suddenly
Prince sprang at Princess. About the
same time Princess leaped into the air
and both came together in the centre OF
the cage The growing beasts had set
the entire menagerie in an uproar and
the other animals began to show signs of
uneasiness. finally the whole menagerie
entered into the fray, and their barking
and growing made a thunderous noise
which could be heard half a mile away.
The fight went on unchecked for fully
twenty minutes, both monsters covered
with blood and all their beauty gone
and the pelts of the keepers clubs were
of about as much use in checking the
remarkablesbattl as were the efforts of
several visitors to make their voices
heard by the nearest spectators. Nothing
| could check the wild scene and the still
wilder yelling and growing of all the
beasts, both wild and domestic, and the
Bengal fight was beyond the power of
human being to control. 1t went on with
a ferocity seldom Witnessed outside the
Jungle, ar: was q battle unto death. A
fatal cash had been given by
Princess to Prince, and with a heart
rending low and cultural growl and roll
ing upturned eyes the great beast fell
over. He was mangled and torn to
.hreds about his throat and life was
fast ebbing
In five minutes he was dead and Prin-
cess Tapped her wounds Occasionally she
looked at the remains of the conquered,
then at the crowd, till she appeared
mild and of quiet temperament.
Prince was u born man eater. He
was caught in the Himalaya mountains
by the combined peasantry of several
villages. Prince had killed and partially
eaten seven men in one village. and he
killed three OF the hunters who came
out to capture him. Because he was
preying upon the people in the streets
of the Himalayan towns, he had to be
CAPTURED at any peril