Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-02-17
SAVAGE TRAINED APES.
THEY MAKE A FEARFUL SCENE
I'm A THEATER.
A Terrible Incident In n Variety show.
A professor and His Wife Badly
Mangied by Two InfurI-
ated Beasts.

The patrons of the Wigwam theater
witnessed an exciting battle lately,
says the San Francisco Examiner, and
it was not down on the program. 1t
was fight in which man and woman
did battle for their lives against a
couple OF monster apes, and it was
only by the courage and presence of
mind of some ten attaches of the
theater that the enraged brutes were
prevented from killing both people.
Part OF the evenings entertainment
was furnished by Professor Samwell's
troupe of trained animals, consisting
of goats, dogs, cats and five large
apes. Samwells handles the animals
himself while on the stage; his wife
and their assistants remain in the
wings, ready TO take charge of the
animals as they go off the stage. Tho
monkeys are kept in a large cage,
and have always been looked after by
Mrs. Samwells, she taking the ami
mails out and returning them to the
cage when her husband is through
with them. During the last part of
the performance the largest ape is
dressed like a lady and rides about
the ring in little phaeton drawn by
one of the dogs.
When tho ape was sent on the
stage by Mrs. Samwells that night it
was rather sullen and at first refused
TO get into the vehicle. 1t showed
its teeth every time its master APP
preached, but at last was induced to
take its seat in the phaeton.
The professor patted it on the head
and then stopped to adjust the har-
ness on the canine steed. Then auiolc
as flash the cunning brute sp.'ang
from the vehicle and fastened its
long tusks in his left wrist, driving
them clear to the bone. In an in
slant the house was in an uproar,
women screamed and strong men
turned their heads aside as the mad
dened brute bit and tore at the mans
arm, while his screams for help rang
through the building.
"Grace! Grace! For Gods sake take
him off! He is killing me-" shouted
Samwells to his wife. Mrs. Samwells
who was holding another huge ape in
her arms, threw the animal from her
and rushed on the stage to her hus-
bands assistance She seized the big
ape by the throat and tried with all
her strength to choke the beast in Or
der to open its jaws, but she might as
well have tried to strangle Bengal
tiger.
She then did what few men would
have done-thrust her hand into the
brute's mouth and by a superhuman
effort wrenched the terrible Jaws
apart. 1t was just at this instant
that the ape which Mrs. Samwells
had left in the wing sprang on the
stage, as if to the assistance OF its
comrade,
There was cry OF "look out for
the other one," and the next instant
the newcomer had seized the woman
by the left hand and driven his sharp
teeth clear through it. Samwells
now free from the grasp of the first
monster, rushed TO aid his wife, but
he could render her but little assist
ance, as both his hands were almost,
torn TO pieces.
AT this moment several men rushed
on the stage, and the fierce brutes
were beaten into insensibilitv with
clubs and pieces of boards torn from
The scenery. The victims were car
ried from the stage, as soon as the
patrol wagon arrived, were taken to
the receiving hospital.
DR.. Simpson, who was in attend
ance, found that the mans left thumb
was almost torn from the hand. The
tendons were completely severed, and
there were dozen wounds reaching
from the tips of the fingers far up on
the wrist. The wounds made by the
animals teeth looked as If they had;
been inflicted by tiger, so badly was
the flesh torn and lacerated. Every
one of the wounds had to be sewn up,
and after this was done and the dress
ing applied Mrs. Samwells was at
tended to. She was not nearly so
badly injured as her husband, but her
hand was badly torn
The animals that made the attack
were purchased in this city about
two years ago in one OF the bird
stores, and up to the time they dis
played such fiendish tendencies had
been extremely docilc. The bite of
an ape is regarded by surgeons as
fully as serious as that OF a mad
dog, and even IL the mans life is.
saved it is hundred to one that
he will have to suffer the ampu-
tation of one, II not both. his hands.
Making It Easy.
$50" snarled the father, lyon have