The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1902-11-06
A TALE OF A TIGER.

Dangertield, who knows a vast amount OF
curious things, had given the writer much
interesting information about seal skins.
bear skins, bird skins, monkey skins,
snake skins and nearly every other variety
of cuticle that covers the flesh and bones
OF the fauna of the world. After the skin
question seemed to be about exhausted
the STRAIN of talk turned into the chan
mel OF animated nature, and the old gen
tleman told about some live tigers he hac
known.
Before came to this country" he said,
81 spent a good bit of my time about the
geological gardens of London. l was N
that way of business, you know, and was
on the lookout for skins. Many's the
pretty specimen | got too, and most OF
them now grace the walls of a dukes
palace For time | made something o.
a speciality of tiger cubs, or kittens,
should say. You know tigers will breed
in captivity, but they won't rear their
young. Their instinct seems to teach
them that death is better for the chill
dren of the forest than life in cage.
"Did you ever hear of Nina Shahib?
Not Nina Shahib, the notorious leader In
the great Indian mutiny, but his name
sake, the finest tiger ever brought to
London--the one that ran amuck on Rad
clffe highway, London, and afterward
killed lion in single combat! Never
heard of him? Well, he was grand
beast, king among tigers, double
striped monster from the jungles of Ben
gal His sides looked as large as a cows,
and he had head like a bull. l forget
his measurements, but they were enor-
nous. Jamrosch, the famous animal i'm
porter OF the old days, brought him to
England, and was proud OF him. He
named him Nina Shahib, because about
that time there was a rumor that the
original Nina was cornered some place
in the mountains of India, and might be
captured, which | don't think he ever was,
"Well. Nina Shahib, the tiger, proved
himself to be nearly as hard customer
to hold as Nina Shahib, the man, was
to catch. The Jamrosch people were
loading the animals on Great Western
train 1T Radcliffe highway, when Nina
Shahib escaped from his cage. How he
did it no one knew, and when the keep
ers missed him he was not to be seen
in the railway yards. He was bounding
down Radcliffe highway toward the
Thames. as free and easy as if he hal
the sanction of the lord mayor. People
scuttled into doorways, and horses ran
away, but Nina Shahib kept on toward
the Thames, jumping into the AR &C.
casionally and curving his huge body as
if in Joy at his freedom. Once or twice
he stopped to smell OF a post, and this
gave his keeper time to locate and almost
overtake him. As the tiger reached an
intersecting street he stopped to examine
lamp.post, possibly thinking it was
new kind of tree. just then boy
a small bit of a lad, ike an American
newsboy-turned the corner. He saw the
tiger, and thought it was dog. Boy
like he stopped and admired the beast,
ard tried to stroke him. Quick as Hash
Nina Shahib's big teeth were sunk IN the
boys shoulder. The next instant the child
was on the ground unconscious, with Nina
Shahib standing over him, as cat stands
over a mouse waiting for him to move
before giving him the death blow with
his huge. armed paw. Fortunately, the
keeper was close at hand, and still more
fortur ately, he was a brave man-though
he didn't weigh more than nine stone
ana WAS WIN a NiN"pN'' NsN'N
ming up to the tiger the keeper dealt hm
a blow on the back OF the head that
stunned him. Another keeper came up
at this juncture, and the two dragged the
ferocious Nina Shahib back to his cage,
as subdued as a whipped spaniel.
at vas brave act, and no mistake,
but the blow that Nina Shahib received
was such severe one it is little wonder
that il knocked the fight out of him. 1t
DESTROYED one of his optic nerves, and
he lost the sight OF one eye, but in
few weeks he was ready for more aevll-
try. The boy was badly hurt, but got
well after awhile, and maybe the expert
ence Of having been attacked by royal
Bengal tiger in the heart of London was
sufficient. compensation for the pain he
experienced
"Jamrosch sold Nina Shahib to Mrs.
Wambold, widow of the great menagerie
man of that name. The price was fS00,
or about $4,000 Mrs Wambold had the
biz tiger placed in large cage that had
been occupied by large silver-maned
lion. The lion was placed in a cage that
was separated from the other by par
tition of heavy oak boards. He didn't
like the change, and when he shifted the
tiger he sounded a challenge. Nina
Shahib was as anxious to fight as the
lion, and they both tore like mad at the
partition 1t seemed too strong for them
however, and the keepers only laughed.
"The London zoos are not open to the
public on Sundays, and the animals are
not fed on that day. One reason for this
is that it saves expense, and another is
that a day of fasting makes the animals
hveler and, consequently, more entertain
ing, during the week One Sunday, when
the menagerie building was deserted, the
keepers on the outside heard great
commotion. Lions and tigers were roar.
ing. hyenas we're screaming, elephants
were trumpeting monkeys were chatter.
ing Every beast in the place seemed to
have gone mad with excitement. Rushing
into the building the keepers soon found
the cause of the row. The lion and Nina
Shahib bad demolished the oak partition
that kept them apart and there lney
were, engaged in a struggle to the death
II was a terrible sight, even to those men
who were accustomed TO the beasts and
knew their power, to see those two mighty
animals in combat Both were wild with
rage The roars Of the lion shook the