St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-15
THRILLING SCENE NOT DOWN ON
THE BILLS OF AN ENTER
TAINMENT.
WOMAN CONTAINERS PERIL.
ATTACKED BY A FERoCIOUs
BEAST IN FULL SIGHT OF THE
AUDIENCE.
PANDEMoNIuM WAS THE RESULT
Goodness Alone Saved Her From a
Most Horrible
Death.

One Of the most thrilling scenes ever
witnessed in local history was that
which the curtain at the dime museum
| was rung down on at o'clock yester-
day afternoon.
| Gertrude Charlotte Pianka, the lion
| tanner, was clawed and badly mutilated
about the left arm during cage per-
Torrance with her pet lions,'' Nero,
| Spitzfire and Bowser Nine. Pianka
entered the case, Nero became enraged,
and, with the quickness of a cat, he
! sprang upon the woman'S back. The
! lion would have torn her into threads
had not Harry Pianka yelled to him.
! The old fellow stands In mortal terror
Of his master and released his hold
! upon Nine. Pianka's left arm at the
sound Of his stentorian voice. This
| gave Nine. Pianka an instant in which
! to act. She spoke calmly to an at
| tendant, telling him to open the cage
| door quick. He knocked the lock off
and she stepped out of the cage just in
! time to escape his clutches. The mo-
ment that Harry Pianka spoke to the
maddened brute was critical one, for
| the animals huge jaws were opened
wide at that instant in an endeavor to
/ sieze Nine. Pianka's head. His fore
paws were tightly fastened about her
neck and she was at his mercy. The
trainers voice had a most perceptible
effect in causing the beast to release
his hold.
The unusual commotion within the
cage was viewed for a moment only
by the frantic people in the auditorium.
A regular pandemonium ensued in the
! yryhn he tot Coll
the terrible scene in the den. The
awful roaring Of the big beast fairly
shook the building, and his strong eff
forts to break through the iron bars
struck CONSERVATION into the hearts of
the people. Fearful lest the bars should
give way and give freedom to the hun
cry monster the audience dispersed at
double-quick time. AS they scrambled
out Of the theater. Harry Pianka dis
charged the contents of huge horse
pistol loaded with powder and paper
wads into the animals frothing mouth,
creating the impression that he had
shot the beast with powder and ball.
| The noise Of the report and the sting
of the hot powder only added to Nero 8
| foreclosures and his roars became ter
rife.
He paced up and down the cage in
an "uproar," and occasionally attacked
| the iron bars in his frenzy.
Pianka's temper was in a bad way
as a result of the lions demeanor, and
he made things doubly interesting by
| fighting the brute from the outside with
! long iron rod. This move caused
| the animal to roar and paw in most
unpleasant manner, and in order to
| quiet him Mr.. Pianka was obliged to
fire several volIeys from the horse pis-
tol into the wide-open mouth. The
cage was securely fastened in the
stage and stood the test admirably.
Employees of the house became alarmed
at one time lest the cage should give
way under the terrific strain of the
monster, and threw their weight upon
the long iron supports.
The other two lions crouched in fear
In the corners of the cage during the
| time that Nero was on his metal.
The reporter entered Nine Pianka' 5
dressing room while DR.. Nelson was
| dressing her wound, and the, woman
appeared as cool and collected as when
| she first entered the cage.
II wish the big brute would die
was all she said. She was mad, OBJ
viously so. Blood was trickling from
an ugly tear in the fieshy part Of her
| left arm, and aside from a pallor that
overspread her face she showed no
other signs of the fierce encounter.
"You will not appear in your per-
Torrance this evening, will you?" she
| was asked.
ooh, yes she replied, calmly. I'VE
will take Nero from the cage, and
will perform with the others