Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-09-13
INSTRUMENTATION

THE relative fighting qualities OF the
African lion and the grizzly bear OF the
| Rocky mountains has always been a
topic OF much interest and discussion"
said westerner now In Washington.
owing to their geographical location
and modern civilization, probably no
one ever pictured an actual contest as
taking place. Yet for the first time In
recorded history such a one did take
place In recent years on the very bor-
der Of the United States, and | had
the good fortune to be spectator
| was IN Galveston, Tex, at the time
when / first learned through the news
papers that combat between a grizz-
ly bear and Numidlan lion would come
OF In the bull ring at Monterey, Mex,
on the Clncho de Mayo 18th OF May.
This Is the commencement OF the Mex
lean national holiday. II lasts week
and commentaries the birth Of the
republic. 1t Is time OF great fes-
tlvities and Is much like our Fourth Of
July.
IL have Killed a number Of bears ana
know how formidable they are. 1t had
always been my contention that the
grizzly was the superior animal from
the standpoint of force, and an OPP
portunity to Yindicate my ideas was
not TO be missed. So overcoming nat
ural repugnance against such a spec
tacle / Immediately pulled out TO wit
ness the outcome. ON my arrival at
the city / learned the full particulars.
Flaming posters everywhere announced
that Col. II. Daniel Boone, Americas
greatest Snowman and animal train
err would give an exhibition on the
following day in which old Parnell an
African lion, weighing $50 pounds,
would be pitted against $50 pound
grizzly bear. The lion, II was stated,
had killed two Of his trainers during a
performance on thu midway at San
Francisca's mdwinter fair,
81 learned the history of both con-
testants The lion, besides having dis
posed Of two trainers, as was bulle-
tined, had also killed three two-year-
old steers. for practice. The bear, on
the other hand, had never killed any
thing, and didn't know his own
strength. So, although having the adj
vantage In weight. he was compare
lively inoffenslve. This inequality was
a great handicap to bruin.
"Three o'clock the next afternoon
found me at the bull ring looking down
upon large circular iron cage in
which bruin was already confined. The
boisterous Mexican audlence--a restless
Kaleidoscope mass OF mostly red,
white and green, which are the ma
tlonal colors-dlstrubed him greatly.
This was easily seen by his constant
nervous tramp around the cage and
an occasional sniff and growl
"old Parnell occupied a smaller and
separate cage He would now and then
give long-drawn but suppressed roar,
which plainly indicated that he better
understood what was about to take
place.
"The details Of the scene I shall never
forget The day was hot and oppressive.
High mountains surrounded the open
wooden inclosure The sun beat hot
upon the sands Of the arena aud upon
the less fortunate OF an eager excited
audience not protected by the shade.
Everything was In striking contrast,
1t seemed to me, but brute and hui
manity.
AT n signal from Col. Boone the
trap door leading from the lions COM
partment to the larger cage was