The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1896-10-14
Welded IN A CAGE OF LIONS
HYMEN'S BONDS TIED UNDER I'm.
USUAL SURROUNDINGS.
Kings of the Forest StrOlled Uneasily
About and Crowded While the
Preacher PERFORMED the
Ceremony.
Ceremony

immense dlgnlt1ed lions and Stately
lionesses were the bridal attendants of a
happy couple recently married in south
AFRICA.
In cage where half dozen kings of
the forest strobe uneasily about and
growled the man swore to Glove, cher
ish and protect the woman, who pledg-
| ed herself to ''love, honor and obey"
| And when the ceremony was over the
crowd gave three cheers that startled
| all the animals in the menaeerie, and
they excitedly began bowling and
| screeching.
The deep roars of the lions, the shrill
trumpeting of elephants, the screams of
tigers and leopards, the chattering of
monkeys and the screeching of parrCtts
all combined to form wedding march
such as never before greeted bride and
groom.
Bloomer weddings have become COM
non. stage ceremonies are old, romantic
young folks have been welded in bal
looms and others have stood up in rail
road~trains to be united In short, hy-
mems bonds haYe been tied under al
most all circumstances and in all sur
roundings.
1t is difficult to produce a novel we'd
| ding, and some efforts in that line have
been ludicrous. To be sure, a multi
millionaire may spend fortune on the
marriage of his daughter, and make it a
novelty to that extent, but sUill it is nov
el only in degree, not in kind. It would
seem that people would remember such
an important event as their marriage
any way, be it celebrated ever so mod
estly
The scene of the latest novelty in mar
riages, which deserves the title of the
most unusual marriage,in he world, was
in Johannesburg, south Africa.
| For some time Fills circus has been
touring through south Africa. One of
the leading features of the show was
the exhibition given by cage of per-
| forming lions under the care of Herr
| August Windschei mann, a handsome
| German, before whose glances the lions
trembled and were obedient.
| But those fierce eyes could send love
| messages when their owner wIlled, and
Miss May Malraison, one of the bellies OF
Johannesburg, fell victim to them and
blushingly said eyes when her stall
wart lover asked her to become the wife
| of a lion tanner.
]
ed substantial inducements if the cere-
mony was performed in the lions cage
that arrangement was agreed to, al
| though Miss MulraiSon at first de INJURED
But she wanted to be brave, as she was
to get brave husband, and she finally
agreed to enter the den of lions to
change her name and condition in life.
The circus tent was crowded the night
l Of no CIV e..
| advantageous positions, and they cheer
ed the plucky bride as she entered the
cage supported on the arm of the bride
groom.
"Will you come in3de?" inquired
| Herr Windschermann of the minister. as
he held the door inyitingly open.
IL think not" said the reverend
gentleman. 81 will remain outside. 1t
-it-is-tOO-too- crowded inside"
And SO it was arranged. Stan ding in
side the cage, with their hands clasped
the happy couple listened to the words
hat made them man and wife and gave
the necessary responses as clearly az
though they bad been in parlor or be-
fore the chsncel rail of a church.
The bridegroom held whip in his
disengaged hand, and at times he glanc.
ed around at his fierce pets. Hanging
against the bars of the cage were sever
al weapons convenient to his land in
case the lions should object to the pres
ence of stranger in their homo. The
lions behaved remarkably well. They
had been decorated with flowers and rib
bons, and they seemed to know that
they were on their good behavior.
The bride wore a conventional bridal
dress, but the bridegroom was attired in
/ his usual garments. He was afraid the
lions might MT know him if he wore a
dress suit.