The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-06-01
TWO NARROW ESCAPES.
Colonel Rices Experience With an Angry
Elephant and Lion.

Colonel Rice's Experience With an Angry
Elephant and Lion.
Speaking of escapes from death
recalls my experience with the muir
derous elephant Romeo. Had been
a little slower in my movements l
would have been his eighth victim, ;"
said Colonel Rice refiectively. Zone
day was directing the arranger, ent
of some canvas men and unwittingly
ventured a couple of steps backward
and within range of the death deal
ing elephant, which at once raised
his trunk slowly with the purpose of
giving me a settler. He would have
succeeded in killing me had not a
young elephant near by trumpeted
an alarm. and, like lightning, at
once sprang forward and out OF dan
ger from the murderous blow of the
trunk by such small distance that
Oh the back of my head I felt the
wind occasioned by its descent. Aft
er that experience Romeo was al
ways kept chained by all four legs.
The young elephant which had
saved me was rewarded with candy.
1t is not surprising that eventu-
ally I essayed the role of lion
tamer, continued the speaker, and
under the able tutelage of Franco
nelli, the best lion tanner ever saw,
and who, by the way, subsequently
met his death in lions den in tho
city of Havana After having twice
accompanied the fearless Franco
nelli into the den of Richard III, the
largest and fercest African lion
ever exhibited in this country, it
was at Vincennes, Ind, that I at
length determined to enter the den
of the beast alone. Clad in tinsel
and spangles, at the afternoon per
formance, amid an outburst Of music
by the band, I boldly approached
the lions cage, opened the barred
door and entered unharmed. The
great brute, which was lying upon
the floor at the farther end of the
cage, seemed to not heed my pres
ence other than by glance of sullen
Indifference, so that l deemed my
first attempt at entering lions
den a success.
"But my assurance OF success was
a littlo premature, and fortunate
was it for me that beneath the cage
was furnace in which glowed red
hot iron rods and that trusty attend
ants were at hand to effectively WELD
them upon the lion if necessity de-
manded, else another page would
have been added to the bloody his
tory of the king of the forest and
another name to his list Of victims
After Il three minutes stay in the
lions den I made parting salute 20
the treathless audience and prepared
to leave the cage AS l backed to-
ward the door | observed, to my
horror. that the lion had almost i'm
perceptibly risen from the floor, pre-
paratory to springing upon me- AL
most overcome by the grave danger
of my situation, contrived to sig
nal the attendants to thrust the
heated rods in between me and the
bloodthirsty brute. Scarcely had |
done SO when the great tawny crea-
ture hurled itself upon me and, bury
ing its claws in my shoulders, bore
me to the floor.
Il felt the hot breath Of the lion
in my face as he opened his huge
jaws preparatory to sinking his
fanss in my throat. and horrible
death was but Il brief second distant
when the redhot irons were brought
into play and used so effectively
that the brute was forced to retreat
to the far end of the cage without
intlicting further injury upon me. l
was hurriedly drawn from the cage,
none the worse for my thrilling eX-
perience save badly shaken nerves,
lacerated shoulders and Il tattered
tinsel jacket. AS l hurried behind
the curtain the band triumphantly
played See, the Conquering Hero
Comes' and l noticed that a panic in
the audience had been narrowly
ayerted. And what became OF
Richard III! Oh, he lived to kill
Franconelli few months later! =
Los Angeles Times