The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-06-09
BENTON. LOUISIANA, THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 1898.

astounding. During that time the lion
killed fourteen soldiers. q natives, 20
horses, As head Of cattle, ii camels, 25
donkeys and about so goats. He kept
16 villages in constant terror, made two
roads SO unsafe that travellers ceased to
use them, and the main road between
the two military posts mentioned had
to lie kept guarded and patrolled by
troops. The beast wandered about by
day as we'll as by night, and in the
course of "a hours would sometimes
! tras>l a distance of 40 miles. On one
occasion at two o'clock in the after
noon he suddenly appeared on the high
| way in front of a squad of cavalry num-
bering II men. Before a man had time
to fire at him the lion sprang upon the
! lieutenant in command, dragged him
from his saddle and was off with him.
lie seized the officer by the thigh and
| carried him as cat does mouse. The
men diamounted and pursued, and the
body was dropped and recovered after
a chase of half mile. 1t was then seen
that the officer must have died of fright.
The teeth of the lion had not even drawn
blood, nor could any injuries be found.
l give you the record just as it was
furnished to the French consul at Port
st. Louis. Because of their failure to
kill this dreaded beast two colonels
were transferred to other posts, and the
prestige of the garrison greatly suf-
fered with the natives.
separate parties arrived at ST. Louis on
tie same day. One was from Paris,
one from Cape Town, and one from
London. Those from Paris and Lon
don had been sent over by the Royal
Geological gardens TO secure the lion
as a curiosity-the one from Cope
Town was in the pay of a great Amer
lean circus company, and happened to
be there when they heard of the Lon
Of Massina. Eacn party went up the
country at the earliest possible mo-
| ment, and in due time all were heard
from. The object was TO capture :he
, royal beast alive and unhurt. AS soon
, as they arrived at the district, the Par
ties separated ard each began lis work
| No wild animal ever had such lot oi
| keen and crafty hunters at its heels
e The French party took the plain and
its four villages to the west of TIE
| mountain. The English took the forex
: aud plain to the south, While the Amer
D leans went to the north. The country
to the north was hill and valley ant
plain, aud there was but one village
within 30 miles of the mountain
Every sort of trap and pitfall ant
spring gun had been tried over ant
over again without success. The Frenci
and English parties tried the two frs
again on every road and path ant
around every village, bat though th
lion continued to roam about as befor
lie was too sharp to be caught.
1t was left to the Americans to catcl
him, finally, and they did it in YER.
simple way. They spread fish nets o!
the inside of several cattle pens, AM
did not hunt for the lion at all. At tn
end of two weeks he came at inidnigh
tne night TO kill cattle. No one hear
or saw him until lie leapel the fence
and was entangled in the nets. Othe
nets were quickly thrown over him
and in few minutes lie was SO tan
eled up as TO be helpless. Between te
and II O'Clock he had travelled "A dis
lance of :: miles. At ten o'clock he ha
killed two cows tied at the door of
native hut. and left them to make tn
Journey across the country to the cattl
pen which proved his destruction.
When it became known tnat tn
dreaded lion had been captured the n;
= tiyes assembled to the number OF 5,ot
to view him. On his way down to IL
coast he was gazed at by at least &c
coo people. His captors were offered ;
high as $4,000 in gold for him, bit
was not FOR sale. In Port st. Louis
was put on exhibition, and in ten da.
. over $500 was taken in at the door. /
- was placed aboard of a steamer bouI
~ York, but in ten days was found de.
" in his cage, though seemingly in pc
- feet health up to the hour he died. \
~ autopsy proved that he was deaf al
~ dumb from the day Of his birth. /
10 could not as much as whine nor cou
~ lie have heard the report of a rifle
lis ear. That he was dumb many HI
eu suspected, but that he had run h
eu caurse and made such record wi
III one of his chief senses missing has
IL ways been considered marvellous
ne those who know the story.
od How She Guessed.
Sh N,uJ-non't Won think these ne