The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-03

Hungry Shere Khan Broke Open His
Cage and Got Into Animal Car.


From the New York World.
Poughkeepsie, N. Y, May 3O.-Shere
Khan, a 2-year-old Bengal tiger, half
grown and very husky, was caught in
a cage in the jungles outside Singa-
pore last winter. He was shipped to
Bartell, the wild animal importer, of
No. 100 Greenwich street, New York,
in the original cage. This was because
he was so full of mischief that 1t was
dangerous to change him.. There were
violent protests at Hackensack, N. j.,
week ago when Shere Khan was put
into one of the wagon dens in which
animals are carried in the parades for
exhibition. The only reason he didn't
kill half a dozen men was that he
couldn't get at them. He has been
nursing his wrath ever since
When the circus left Goshen last
night Shere Khan was rolled into a
vacant car next to the horse car where
the gray ring performers were carried
Bill, the head pony man, was in the
second car in front. AS the train start
ed the big Bengal tiger, Weighing 300
pounds, was heard to roar once or
twice. He had been fed no raw meat
and was ugly.
Tiger LOOsens Cage Door.
No one knows how the brute man.
aged to work the door of his cage
Loose. Probably the cunning animal
had paved al it till he undid the fas-
tening.
After the train swung out into the
moonlight from Goshen nothing was
heard from the tiger till Bill, the pony
man. was awakened by a roar of
triumph coming from his box car.
1t sounded as if the great brute was
loose, but the tired circus man remem-
bered that the cage wagon was inside
a closed box car, and he tried to roll
over and go to sleep. The next he
heard was the tearing out of the bars
of the little window in the end of the
tigers car.
They were ripped aside like straws,
and the pony man, climbing to the top
of the train, was Mortified to see Shere
Khan climbing through the window
A leap from the swaying window sill
took him clear through the open win
dow of the next car, where there were
six of the finest horses in the show.
There was a roar from Shere Khan
as he landed on the back of Toby. a
good-natured old gray. Instantly IL
was followed by a scream of fright
from the horse. Circus horses are
used to jolts. They know animals pref
ty well, too. But never before had n
wild tiged leaped into their car at mid
night.
The pony man says that for twenty
minutes there was a wild, indstinct
mingling of roars. yelps, cries from :he
horses, and 'the thrashing Of iron hoofs
against the sides of the car.
Now and then a panel in the side of
the car would go flying across the
tracks to be lost in tae bushes by the
way. The terrified man crawled along
the top of the swaying train to Where
he could look into the horse car
through the open window.
1t was illumned by the midnight
moon and the burning eyes of the
tiger. Now and then there was a spit
of fire as the hoofs of the horses hit
the iron work of the car.
Again and again the tiger leaped at
the backs and launches Of the horses
confined in their narrow stalls. He
was met with deliberate, terrible kicks
from the grays.
The Tiger Beaten.
That he died selling his life dearly
was testified to by the tears and rips
IN the hides OF the horses next morn
ing Nearly every horse had wounds.
Bill says that after the first scream
of fright the horses were silent save
for the rattle and bang of their heels.
At last the tiger started to retreat
toward the window. wounded and bat
tered. He whimDered as he skulked
along, but stopped TO throw himself at
every heel that shot out at him. When
he reached Old Toby he hesitated. She
was the last horse next TO the window.
She stood looking back, her eyes strain
ing Of the dark.
AS the tiger skulked by preparing 10
leap al the window, the horses hoofs
shot out. There WAS a thud. and then
all was still save for the click-a- click
Of the rails and the rattle Of the brake
chains. The pony man crept back 10
his car and huddled IN a corner, ex-
pecting the tiger 20 spring az him out
OF the darkness.
When the train stopped here and the
horse car WAS opened the stiff body
Of Shere Khan. frampled and with a
broken skull. lay under the feet OF
ola rffgIy