St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-11-02
A LION LOOSE.
Narrow Escape of a Trainer and his
Family.

Narrow Escape of Trainer and his
Family.
A huge lion, owned by James Dus-
tock OF New York, an animal trainer,
escaped from the stable in which he
was kept last week, and for some
time created a reign of terror around
East Eighteenth street. A squad of
policemen armed with revolvers sur
rounded the building, and back of
the policemen stood a man holding
the hand of little boy who stood
on one side of him, and calming a
woman who stood on the other side.
Half block away was a crowd
who blocked the street. The man,
little boy and woman were tremb-
Ing with fear and their cheeks were
ashen. They hadj just passed through
an ordeal which few persons would
care to experience. James Dustock
was the man, and the little boy and
the woman were his wife and son.
For some days the lion had been
very wild and unmanageable, and
Dustock had made arrangements to
have the beast transferred to the
animal quarters in Central park.
One morning, with his wife and son
he went to the stable with big
cage to get the lion. He backed the
wagon up so that the cage door in
which the lion was imprisoned was
directly opposite to the door on the
cage of the wagon. Then with the
help of his wife, Dustock opened the
doors of the stable and tried to
urge the lion to leave one and
enter the other. The lion was not
to be driven, but, bowling with
fury, dashed about until he
finally moved the cage door
of the wagon to one side The brute,
with blazing eyes, saw the gap. In
an instant he was alert, and before
Dustock could prevent it there was
a roar, a rush, and the great yellow
body shot from the cage into the
stable. Fortunately the beast land
ed on the opposite side of the wagon
from which Dustock and his family
stood. For a moment Dustock S
head reeled. He saw the beast gath
ering himself to spring. Only an in
slant remained for action before the
great yellow beast, flecked with
foam, would sight him with those
blazing eyes. Dustock grabbed his
wife and forced her toward ladder
few feet away which led to a loft
in which hay was stored. Climb, "
he whispered. With his boy in his
arms, Dustock followed her up the
adder They were half way up
when the blazing eyes rolled upon
them, Quick. yelled the show man.
lump in the loft" She jumped and
fell Just as Dustock reached the top
round with his child. He fell for
ward on the floor Of the loft, There
was crash, and the heavy paw Of
the lion struck the ladder mighty
blow.
He turned his blazing eyes aloft
and looked full at Dustock for half a
minute. Then with a most terrific
roar he turned away. He had
heard frightened sound in stall
at one end of the stable. In the
stall stood a valuable trotter with
ears erect and paving feet. Slowly
the lion approached the stall, Not
sound escaped him. He crouched
IN front of the stall for second and
then the big, shaggy yellow body
shot through the air and the trottel
went down in heap with the beast
on its back. 1t took but an instant
tor the great teeth to tear the horse
to pieces and for several minutes he
quenched his thirst for blood ano
lnunched the flesh of the horse. lr
the mean time Dustock, with his
wife and boy, escaped to the street
and alarmed the neighbohood
Dustock entered the barn with ar
assistant and tried to brighten thu
lion with reports from blank car
tnges, but he approached too neal
and with bound the lion was upor
nun and tore his right arm terribly
After escaping from the lion thu
second time with his arm badly LAGER
ated, Dustock was cared for in tn
lott, His arm was bound up and h
again descended the ladder whicl
nad been placed from the street tt
thee second-story window of tn
Ioit' 1t was found that the injurie
were quite severe, but not necessaril.
dangerous. For several hours Boo
casio, with the help of several train
ers' backed by the police, kept throw
ing ammonia and chloraform dow
upon the lion, either 10 kill him o
render him insensible, but the brut
neld full possession of the stable foo