The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1899-02-21
STRANGE ANIMAL TALE,
q FIERCE FIGHT BETWEEN 5ABooNS
AND A GIANT BOA.

The Snake Was Put I'm a Cage at the vi
emma Zoo to Drive the Apes TO Bed. aud
Few People Had "a Chance to See "A
Weird aud Thrilling Spectacle.
One of the most thrilling animal
battles on record was fought on q re-
cent night at the Zoo in Vienna, Aus
tria, and the several witnesses con-
graduate themselves on having at
tended spectacle the like OF which
was probably never before seen.
1t was a set-to between two balloons
and 4 giant boa constructor. The
apes, members of the ursine branch of
the baboon family, also known as
-pavians, are recent arrivals, and
the electric storm that passed over the
city in the afternoon bad greatly ex-
| cited them. They are the largest
balloons that ever outlived captivity
for any time, and are of different sex,
being natives of South Africa. Re
garded apart from t he rest of their
bodies, their heads appear like those
of creature which might be a cross
between n dog and pig. Besides
ugliness, the faces of these apes ex-
press n fierce and uncertain temper.
The employees of the Zoo dread the
baOoons and look forward with
pleasure to the time when the north
ern climate will have killed off these
dangerous and repulsive customers,
as is likely to happen, for balloons
cannot stand the cold.
The storm having passed, arumber
of people assembled before the baboon
Dir
increased the agitation of the animals.
who had been brighten ed out of their
wits by the electricity that was in the
air.
The male baboon, which is az big as
full-grown masttf and who has whis-
kers all around his face, struck again
and again at the women standing near
| the cage, while the female turned her
attention to the men. In one of
these tistic sorties Mr.. Baboon tore
woman's hat off, Selling it by an in
credibly swift movement. A man
got his nose pulled by madame and
another lost his gold-beaded cane,
which he was pointing ut the lady
from Africa.
A little while later the keeper APP
that is, to open the trap door connect
ing the day cage with well-heated
inner apartment. where the animals
sleep on mattresses ard under flannel
quilts like the more fortunate among
their human cousins.
But MIR. and Mrs. Baboon did not
see it that way. They refused to 20
and exhibited their teeth to the keeper
and threatened him by repeated lunges
OF their long arms pushed between the
bars. The keeper tried many means
OF kindly persuasion. He placed beau
tful bananas great luxury in
Elenna-near the trap door, hoping
chat the apes, after picking them mp,
would condescend to enter their sleep
ing apartment. They gathered in the
fruit and retired to the highest branch
OF the tree, that stands in the middle
of the cage, to eat it,
Then the keeper prodded the ami
mails with long stats, but the male
baboon seized one Of them, smashed
1t into kindling wood and discharged
the iron point at the keepers head.
Next pitch torches were tried. Balloons
rs general thing are afraid of fire;
but in their excited state they did not
mind the red fame and black smoke.
AS meanwhile Il cold wind had set
in which threatened the health even
If 1t spared the lifo of his charges, the
keeper sent for the director of the
Zoo. That official, too, tried all
known means for dislodging the stub
born beasts, but was unsuccessful Is
his subaltern. Then, becoming des-
perate, he bethought himself of some
thing extraordinary.
Reckoning with the fear which all
monkeys and apes generally display
III the presence Of snakes, he brought
in his largest boa constructor.
II will only have to show it to the
balloons" he said, "to drive them in
to their bedroom" TIE director en-
tered the monkey house, which is a
cage about twenty cubic feet, furnished
with many branched tree, a water
basin and blocks of wood which serve
ms seats. The boa, which he carried
| on his shoulder and arm, is a native
| OF Brazil and nearly thirteen feet
long. It's head is thick and it has a
peculiarly shaped tail, with a claw Mt
tachment, by which it can hold the
stump or the branches of a tree as in
a wise.
The director had selected this par
ticular boa among the others because
1t had eaten n live collie two weeks
before, aud, having awakened from
its state of torpidity, had not vet
manifested further desire for food.
The director did not want his expen-
/ sive balloons eaten.
The scene that followed was ms
dramatic as any ever arranged by a
stage manager. The monkey house
and the square in front of it are in
darkness, except for the Pickering
! light OF the torches, which now and
/ again revealed the repulsive faces of
tho balloons, which were racing from
one end Of the cage TO the other, fill
/ ing the air with fierce cries and chat
tering noises
When the director entered the cage
the apes jumped from the tree ON
which they had taken refuge as a last
resort and made n Joint attempt TO
tear down the iron bars. Some OF
the latter we're actually bent and
loosencd, top and bottom. But be
coming aware that they were wasting
their strength, the balloons returned
10 the tfee and bombarded the direc-
tor and his assistants with utfts or,,,s