The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-06-01
TWO NARROW ESCAPES.
Colonel Rice's Experience with an Angry
elephant and q Lion.

Colonel Rices Experience with an Angry
EIephans and . Lion.
Speaking Of escapes from death
recalls my experience with the muir
derous elephant Romeo. Had been
@ little slower in my movements
would have been his eighth victim, "
sad Colonel Rico reflectively. Zone
day was directing the arrangement
OF some canvas men and unwittingly
venturcda a couple of steps backward
anu within range of the death deal
ing elephant, which ut once raised
his trunk slowly with the purpose of
giving mo a settler He would have
succeeded i'll killing me had not -
young elephant near by tru,npeted
an alarm, and, like lightning, | at
once sprang forward und out of dam
ger from the murtlerous blow of the
trunk by such Il small distance that
on tho back of my head l felt the
wind occasioncd by its descent Aft
er that experience Romeo was al
ways kept chained by ali four legs.
The young elephant which had
saved me was rewarded with candy.
1T is not surprising that cventu
ally l essayed tho role of lion
tanner, continued the speaker, "and
under tho ablo tutelage of Franco
nclli, the best lion tanner ever saw.
and who, by the way, subsequently,
met his death i'll II lions den in tho
city of Havana. After having twice
accompanied tho fearless Franco
nelli into the den Of Richard III, tho
largest and fierccst African lion
ever exhibited i'll this country, it
was at Vincennes. Ind, that | ut
length determined to enter the den
of tho beast alone Clad in tinsel
and spangles, at the afternoon per
formance, amid an outburst of music
by tho 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 pros
ence other than by glance of sullen
Indifference, SO that deemed nv
first attempt at entering Il lions
den success.
But my assurance of success was
a little premature, and fortunate
was it for mo 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 dc.
manded, else another page would
have been added to tho bloody his
tory of the king of the forest and
another name to his list Of victims.
After Il three minutes stay i'll the
lions den l made II parting salute 70
the Ereathless audience and prepared
to leave the cage. AS l hacked to-
ward the door l observed, to my
horror, that :ile lion had almost i'm
rerceptibly risen from HE floor, pre-
paratory to springing upon me. AL
most overcome by tho grave danger.
of my situation, 1 contrivcd to sig
nal the attendants to thrust the
heated rods in between me and the
bloOdthiIsty brute. Scarcely had |
done SO when the great tawny crca-
ture hurled itself upon me and, bury
ing its claws i'll my shoulders, bore
me to the floor
II felt the hot breath of the lion
i'll my face as he opened his huge
Jaws preparatory IL sinking his
fangs i'll my throat, and horrible
death was t,.t a 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
intiicting further injury upon me.
was hulriedly drawn from the cage,
none the worse for my thrilling ex-
perience save badly shaken nerves,
lacerated shoulders and u tatteretl
tinsel jacket. AS hurried behind
the curtain the band triumphantly
played See, the Conquering Hero
Comes! and noticed that panic in
the audience had been narrowly
averted. And what became of
Richard Ill! Oh, he lived to kill
Franconelli IA few months later!'-
Los Angeles Times.