The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-27
LITTLE GIRL SLAIN
BY ESCAPED TIGER
Awful Tragedy Occurs at BXhl-
bition of Sells-FlOtO Show,
Twin Falls, Ida.
BEAST BURST CAGE AND
LEAPED INTO THE CROWD
Was Finally Killed by Heroic
Blacksmith Who Was,
Fortunately, Around.
Snenial TO The Tribune,

TWIN FALLS, May 25.-At the af-
! ternoon performance of the Sells-Floto
circus in Twin Falls today huge Ben
gal tiger broke from his cage IN the
menagerie tent and charged into the
crowd. killing a four-year old girl,
Shetland pony and mauling several spec
tators and ponies before it was shot
and killed by man in the audience,
For a time panic was threatened IN
the menagerie. Women screamed ana
tainted, elephants tugged at their
chains and trumpeted wildly, and there
was great commotion until the tiger
rolled dead in front Of the main en-
trance.
"Markel," the tiger, and his mate,
"Agnes," had been restless for some
time before the accident They were
about to be fed and at the sight OF
the meat "Markel" beat furiously with
his paws on the door of the cage. The
door gave way and the tiger sprang
from his cage to the neck or ehe!-
land pony, fifteen feet away. The AMI.
mails keeper seized an iron bar and
struck the tiger between the eyes.
sTMarkelo released his grip on the
pony's back and leaped upon the DaeA
Of another pony.
Again Felled by Keeper.
AGAIN the keeper felled him with the
iron. and he relinquished his hold OF
the second pony, only to seize tn1ro'
Another stiff blow from the iron drove
the tiger from his prey, and he leaped
into the crowd, The tent was we'll
filled and the people fled IN every dl-
rection, most Of them crowding out un-
der the canvas. One woman scrambled
70 the top of an animal cage and re-
fused to come down until long after the
tiger was killed. Shrlll trumpetlnge
from the frightened elephants aroused
the keepers to renewed activity. Ihe
gums kent by the keepers for emergen
cies were seventy-fve feet away, and
had they been available they could not
have been used. Women grabbed thell
r children and dragged them from the
/ path of the msddened tiger. Hundreds
S of little children clung to the skirts OF
G their terrified mothers, as Market
@ headed for the main entrance, severa
y hundred feet away. In the rush hi
: struck several people, knocking then
l. down
y, Little Girl a Victim.
J. Mrs. S, f. Rozell Of Twin Falls an'
e her little daughter, Ruth, could no
r. escape the tigers rush and were born
al to the ground, The tiger held MIS-
rs Rozell with his paws while his fang
sank into the neck Of the child.
!. ". Bell, Twin Falls blacksmith
was standing beside Mrs. Rozell whe
n she was attacked. His wifo and child
rem were with him and at the mercy o
a. the beast Thrusting his family aside
a. Bell drew 32 calibre revolver an
opened fire on the tiger at distanc
of three feet. When the first bulle
20 struck Markell behind the shoulde
,e he WINGED and opened his jaws, grow
Y ing viciously and lashing his ta
l, against the wall of spectators. ~
second bullet caused him to releas
- Mrs Rozell and her daughter from tt
grasp of his paws and the third pu
him on the run, Bell following, heroi
IL ally firing three more bullets into til
fleeing tiger, as it ran outside the ten
% "Markel' was sorely hit, but he maj
- aged to crawl some distance before
:, collapsed, recovering his strength fl
- an instant, the tiger turned and starte
=. back toward the spectators. Bell w;
N' waiting for the attack with his revolv,
s reloaded, but the beast had enoug
~ rolled over, snarling and biting at h
- wounds and expired, in few moment
as Spectators In Panic.
al Meanwhile the news that the tig
on had escaped was noised about, and spe
ks tators continued TO fee from the tent
'm and many of them fell or were knocke
'ie down in the confusion, but none su
go tanned serious injuries. Mrs Rozell al
her daughter were taken to the Off,
. of a physician, where everything DO
@ sible was done for the child, It w
found that the teeth of the tiger h;
frightfully lacerated the neck al
breast Of the little one and much bloc
was lost before the wounds could
closed. The little girl died two hou
later.
Blame Is Not Fixed
Markell was reputed 10 be one
the largest tigers on exhibition, and W
the pride of the menagerie He h:
shown no previous signs of i'll tempe
and the management of the circus we
dumbfounded over his behavior. The
was no demonstration against the ma
agement because of the unfortunate &
currence Many thought that the do
Of the tigers cage might have be
more secure, but the keepers were he
less on account Of the confusion, a.
had it not been for Belle prompt g
tion IN risking an encounter with {
angry tiger, more lives might have be