The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-05-08
VANQUISHED FIVE LIONS.
[From the New York Press.l

Baron Stein of Poppelsdorf near
Bonn, Germany. is an amateur animal
tanner, and has for his amusement a
! small menagerie in park adjoining
the old summer residence of the Co
logne electoral princes in PoppelsdOrf.
Among other wild beasts, he owns five
African lions, from two to six years
! old. They were raised with hyenas,
with whom they live on good terms,
though occasionally one of the big cats
knocks a hyena down and scratches its
face, just to show who is boss of the
cage.
Having taught these animals all that
he could, the baron decided to introduce
a novelty into the performance which
he is in the habit of giving before an
admiring circle of friends An old white
stOrk named Fritz has lived for years
on the highest tower of Poppelsdorf
castle, and, as he was reared in the
baron's poultry yard, never has in
dulged in the migratory habits of his
kind.
Fritz, who is four feet tall and has a
bill more than seven inches long, was
kept in the big training cage alone for
a week to accustOm him to it. On the
tenth day Of his Imprisonment the lion
cage was rolled up to the cage.
Fritz viewed the lions with healthy
curiosity, but without the least alarm.
Tampa, a 2 year old lion, was the first
to be driven into the cage with the bird.
He looked at Fritz for a second or two,
and then tried to crawl back to his
family, tail first; but, finding the means
of egress locked, he raised himself to
his full height and uttered a defiant
roar.
At this the stork's neck feathers bris-
tied. He lifted his bill in protest, clap
pering'' only stork can.
The strange noise upset Zampa'S self
confidence. He stood still and dropped
his tail sadly. But the blood of his
fathers rose in him again, and, whip
ping his tanks with his tail. he eau
tiously advanced on the enemy, COVER
ing occasionally, as if preparing to
spring.
The stork viewed these warlike pre-
parations with increasing anger, and
his bill worked like castanets. Standing
for a second on his strong middle toes.
he raised his wings and aimed as if
about to hit the lion in the eye.
The lion hesitated again, and was lost.
The stork flew at him and bored his
sharp beak into his adversarys nose,
which began to bleed. AS the bird step
ped back to prepare for another on
slaught Tampa turned swiftly, and, for
getful in his bewilderment from which
side he had entered, jumped to the 9TH
err side of the cage and covered there.
Fritz had no taste for pursuing his
vanquiShed foe. Leaving the rear part
of the cage to the lion, he marked off
the extent of his own territory by
walking up and down a straight line,
which limited his sphere of influence to
about three-quarters of the total area.
Within this space he strutted a con-
quering hero.
Tampa 5 DrOCneT,lnree years ola, Cnen
was sent into the cage. He showed in
turn establishment, a disposition for
fight and half-hearted defiance. The
stork, on his part, tried to keep out of
a fight as long as he could, finally turn
ing his back upon his foe.
The lion couldn't let that opportunity
pass without trying to profit by it. He
was about to spring upon the stork,
when the latter wheeled about with in
credible swiftness and hit the lion in
the face, drawing blood. Zampa's bro
Their ran at once. He had enough.
Lion No. 8 Jared not better than his
predecessors. The two remaining lions,
however, had more perseverance. Each
returned to the attack after being pun
ished once, and in consequence Fritz
bled each twice, after which they ran
away as fast as the others had done.
On the next day the two biggest lions
were sent into the stork's cage again.
Fritz awaited them, with his back