Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1898-05-05

10 villages in constant terror. made two
roads so unsafe hat travellers ceased to
use them. and the main road between
the two military posts mentioned had
10 be kept guarded and patrolled hv
troops. The beast wandered about by
LAY as well As 10y night. and in the
course Of - hours would sometimes
travel a distance OF 10 miles. On one
occasion at two s'eiock in the after
noon he suddenly appeared on the high
way In front Of 4 squad of cavalry num-
boring u men. Before a man had time
To fire at him the lion sprang upon the
lieutenant in command. dragged him
from his saddle aad was OH With him.
He seized the officer 10y the thigh and
carried him as a eat does a mouse. The
men di>mounted and pursued. and the
body was dropped and recovered after
a chase of half a nile. Ii was then seen
that the officer mpst have died OF fright.
Iheteeth u the lion had not even drawn
blood. nor could any injuries be found.
give You the record Just as il was
furnished To the French consul at Port
=. Louis. Because Of their failure te
Kill this dreaded beast two colonies
were transferred to other posts. and the
prestige Of the garrison greatly Suf-
fered with the natives.
About the first vt April. 1871. three
separate parties arrived at st. Louis on
Tie same dav. One was from Paris.
enc from Cape Town. and one from
London Those from Paris and Lon
don had been sent OVER by tie ROYAL
IuoioGscIi gardens 10 secure the lion
as a eurloslty-the one from Cape
Town was in the pay OF great Amer
lean circus company, and happened TO
be there when they heard of the Lon
81 AasSiua. Eaeh party went un tae
country at b earliest possible mo-
meut, and in due time all were heard
FROM The object was to capture the
royal beast alive and unhurt. As soon
as they arrived at the district, the par-
tues separated and each began is work.
No Wild animal ever had such a 10, of
keen aud crafty hunters at is heels.
b treuch party took the plain and
It's four villages 10 the west Of II.
mountain The English took the forest
and plain TO the south. while the Amer
leans went 10 the north. The country
to the north 80 hill and valley and
plAin. aud there vas but one village
within % miles Of the mountain.
Every sort of trap and pitsaIl and
spring gun bad been tried over and
over again without success. The French
and English parties tried the two first
again ON every road aud path and
around every village, but though the
ION continued 70 roam about as before
lie was too sharp TO be caught.
II was left to the Americans TO catch
bin. finally, and they did it in a very
simple way. They spread fish nets on
the inside of several cattle pens. and
did not hunt for the lion at All. Al the
end of We weeks he came at midnight
enc night TO Kill cattle. No one heard
or saw him until NJ leaped the fence.
and was entangled in the ners. Other
nets were quickly thrown over him.
and IN d few minutes he was so tan
eled up as to be helpless. Between ten
and u O'Clock he had travelled a dis
;ance of - miles. At ten o'clock be had
killed two cows tied at the door OF a
native hut. and left them TO make the
journey across the country TO the cattle
pen which proved his destruction.
When it became known that the
dreaded lion had been captured the ma
tives assembled to the number of 5000
to view min. On his way down to the
coast be was gazed at by at least 3d.
600 people His captors were offered as
high as $1,000 in gold for him. bit he
was o FOR sale. In Port St. Louis he
was put on exhibition. and in ten days
over $500 was taken in at the door. he