Evening star., 1895-06-01
D ia N A S D E A D
She Was the Brightest Monkey at the
Zoo.
Poisoned by q SpriS of Laurel-Every
Effort to Save Her Was
Unavailing.

Diana Is dead.
Diana, the gayest. cheeriest, happiest,
funniest Of all the simiano! Diana, the
greenest. brownest. prettiest, cleanest Of
monkeys! Poor Di, as she was fondly
known by the attendants of the Wash
ington Zoo, which has been her happy
home for three years. perished last Sun
day, the victim Of her appetite and her
curiosity. slain by the carelessness Of one
of her stanchest admirers.
Dianas full name was Diana Cercopithe-
Gus. She was born on the west coast Of
Africa a few years ago. Like some others
of her sex, she was of uncertain age, but
she was a well-grown, lively monkey when
she was pure hased for the Zoo from a
New Orleans bird and animal fancier, who,
in turn, had bought her from a sailo: who
had found her on her native wilds. Just
how the sailor got her IS not definitely
known. At all events. Diana made her
way by these various paths 10 Washington.
and for three years she has been a bosom
friend of almost every child in the Dis
trct and also of many older people. who
recognized in her a true op:im.si splen-
did specimen of monkeydon ard the source
of much wholesome merriment in the
world.
Poisoned by Laurel.
Diana had mission on earth. She may
| not have recognized the fact and she may
have been going on in her erratically comi-
cal way unconscious of the good she was do
ing, but she unquest;onably had a miss on.
1t Is to be feared tlat she had not " holly
fulfilled it when she poked her slim brown
arm out between the bars Of her cage last
Sunday afternoon at o'clock and made
one of her Enthusiastically quick grabs
at branch of laurel that man was hold
ing out toward her. He was only hoping
to make her play the more. With him was
small child laughing heartily in his
youthful glee at the funny antics of the
little beast within the cage.
There was flash of the brown arm, a
fierce tug. and Diana had grabbed away a
part Of the laurel branch. Quick as wink
she sprang up to her favorite shelf and be-
fan to nibble at her prize. An attendant
who had seen the man swinging the green
branch in front of the cage. ran to the res
cue, for he knew, though Diana and the
man did not. that the laurel Is a deadly
poison for man and beast. He had been
ordered by Superin tendent Baker to keep
the visitors from offering Sprigs of this
common but dangerous plant to the ami
mails IN the park; but he was too late. AL
though Diana had eaten only a small part
of the bit that she had seized, that was
enough. DR.. Baker was hastily summoned,
and, aided by the attendants, he tried to
administer an antidote, but without avail.
His main effort was to cause nausea, but
Diana struggled and screamed in the arms
or the men who were holding her, and re-
fused to take any medicine. She did not
know, poor creature, that they were trying
to save her life.
No Remedies Availed.
For a while after they had given over
their efforts to make her take an emetic
she tried to play. but she was gradually
growing weaker. The laurel was given to
her at o'clock. and at about 5 she began
to show signs of immediate dissolution.
She grew weaker and weaker. Once or
twice she tried to do her favorite tricks,
but failed. She sprang at her trapeze, and
missed 1t. She sat upon the floor Of the
cage, unsteadily. and looked at the bar sor
rowfuily, as though to express her aston
ishment that it had gone SO far away from
her. The space in front Of her cage was
crowded by spectators, who watched the
poor little beast die.
There were ears in many eyes as Diana
slowly succumbed to the deadly fluid that
was circulating through her veins. Her
lungs We're filling with some substance
thrown off by the poison, and she could no
longer breathe. Finally she made one last
try for the bar, but missed 1t sadly, and
down she fell in little brown and green
heap on the floor. dying There was brief
struggle. as she tried to rise and 60 racing
through her cage, but her last game had
been played. At last, shortly before
o clock she gave one convulsive gasp. and
her bright little head fell over. Diana was
dead.
1t Is no exaggeration to state that some
Of the men standing by the cage cried a
little when the monkey died. She was the
brightest creature of her kind ever known
in these parts, and 1t Is said that her like
was never seen before by animal collectors.
Her monetary value was unknown. DR..
Baker says that the managers of the Zoo
had been offered $50 for her, and they had
instantly refused the proffer. They would
never have sold her. for she was the favor
lite of every child who ever visited the Zoo.
A POst-Mortem Examination.
Monday post-mortem examination was
made, and half leaf of laurel and bud
were found in her stomach. Evidences of
the poison were also found and it was
definitely known that she had come to her
death by this means. The skin Of the
monkey will be carefully cured and pre-
in the halls of the National Museum. nat
ural as life except that it will be still.
That will not De natural 1t was only nat
ural for this bright beast to run and jump.
cf her cage. which stood at the southeast
corner of the L of the carnivorium. She
lived alone, a maidenly life, and had the
very best of manners and habits. She
was a cleanly, orderly monkey, 80 far as
the ethical matters Of life are concerned,
though her tendency was far from being
quiet.
Her tricks were many and varied. Her
favorite game was to start from the floor,
and, giving a sharp spring. land on one of
the shelves on either side of the cage. Then,
without a moments hesitation, she would
spring backwards to the other shelf, and
instantly start back again. and. after
swinging violently on her trapeze for a
moment, jump quickly to the floor, bang
ing the bar loudly against the side of the
cage. The clatter from Dlana's cage was
almost incessant No one ever minded 1t,
however, for it was a good-natured noise.
Diana's back was a beautiful green, and
her breast was a soft brown. From her
chin depended a little tuft of whiskers,
whitish yellow In color. Her face was
black as night, and her tiny eyes twinkled
like stars.
What DIR. Baker Says.
DR.. Baker said this morning that he
feared he could never again find a worthy
successor to Diana. Her Species" he went
on. sis usually bright and active. but she
was an uncommon specimen. Few mon
keys have her quickness or her good ma
ture She was always happy and never
quarrelsome, as other monkeys often are.
l shall try, of course, to get another mon
key to take her place, but l fear shall
fail 1t seems to US like the loss of per-
sonal friend, now that Diana has gone, for
she was by all odds the most attractive
beast in our collection