The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-12
By ToDY HAMILTON.
- ,ooJ 80 n y Rafunloa.

BY RoDY HAMILTON.
copprtohl. 1907. By r. p. HG"I1ton.
A hoax that Wa begun as q mere jest
.,r,rlv 10 make amusement, and that grew
over its originator heads and frightened
Vow York for days. was the now famous
has1 NJ the escaped Hen.
The lob was put up by and with the city
EDITOR of the New York Recorder, long
since defunct. but then a paper ready TO
dare and do anything for a sensation.
The plant" was started by having some
one telephone to the paper that there was
a lion loose In astable on Eighteenth street,
where the cage with the beast had been
temporarily installed.
4 spaoe man was assigned 30 the Job
and he got there with considerable alac-
ritv-eo promptly, in fact, that he arrived
hofore the lion was out Of his cage. In
The meantime, however, there was a crowd
~ p~eiRhborhood people or the sidewalk
IN front OF the plAce, and this crowd soon
filled the street. Through n crack In the
stable door the reporter got a glimpse OF
the formidable looking beast roa ming
around hahde, and that was enough for a
Young man with imagination. He wrote
a two column scare head article.
All the morning papers fell glortousty
into line, The Recorder printed bullettns
yhst held thousands breathless, something
IKE these:
a15-The Ron loose IN g stablel
a~25-stablemen fear attack upon horses
in the stable!
ass-Lion eeerns 10 be mad with ragei
1ooo-Animal dashing itself against doorl
H. kL.k - $500 ~ into thA
street,
1o.S-Ldon appears at window with
horses tail in his mouth
The excitement throughout the city al
noon neIt day was really extreme. Parents
kept their children from school. Thou
sands crowded the Streets Of the neigh
horbood. Il was the sole topic of con
versation.
The day wore on and no n could be
found TO get the lion into his cage. Mean
while a dead horse had been smuggled
into the stable by men with true genius
for detail; the carcass was duly mutilated
with an are, and the city presently thrilled
TO the accounts OF its death under the @talons
and teeth' Of the "enraged lion
The Board Of Health ordered the dead
horse to be removed; but the order was
left standing because no n was found
brave enough to undertake the job. The
cfrdon Of police was drawn then TO pre-
vent the people from passing through
Eighteenth street. at that point.
Capt. Williams Of the polioeI famous In
that day as Chbber Williams and then at
the height Of bis ~notoriety. got in on the
story by declaring that II nobody was found
by next day to put that lion back into his
cage he'd do It himself.
But he didn't
The Recorder war still at.it, the lion WAS
still loose, the public was frantic and the
devil was to pay generally.
At this stage Of the game a telegram was
sent to Bridgeport for George Conkling
and Harry Mcdonald, two Of the shows
best animal men, to hurry on to New York
and put a loose lion back into his Gag
They came. bringing nets, ropes, irons;
&c. They and I climbed to the roof Of the
stable from the house mex door, where
several news gatherers had passed the
eutire night, and by means Of ladders we
descended to the foor Of the stable i'm
mediately above the lion.
On this floor were not less than thirty
reporters. Our animal trainers lifted a
trap and cautiously descended. I remained
with the reporters.
Five minutes passed amid intense anxiety.
Then pistol shots were heard-suooeeded
nv hustlings and scratchings-and more
pistol shots.
After breathless suspense the trap door
was raised cautiously, and Mcdonald called
ont to me to send him down q bottle OF
whiskey and some cigars.
Even then not a single reporter dropped
IN the game.
The whiskey and cigars were obtained
in the neighborhood. where anxious thou
sands. held back by the police, excitedly
waited. The articles we're passed down.
Then came more pistol shots and some
wells,
4 silence 90 long succeeded that it was
whispered about that the trainers had been
killed by the lion. An inquiry was set on
foot. The trap was lifted and in response
whiskey and more cigars.
After another long, breathless wait the
trainers gave a shout and announced that
old Wallace Ia twelve-year-old beast
that could be led by the foretop like a
horse) was again safe in his Gag
There was only one evening paper in
New York city not fooled by this press
agents little game. This was THE EVEN
ING Sun.
An animal episode that resulted in over
doing the notoriety business, at least In
the opinion OF the showmen. was the affair
~ Pilot in Madison Square Garden. Those
who are familiar with elephants know
that at certain periods of their existence
they are liable TO suddenly become bad.
When that time arrives about the best
thing TO do is TO kill them and put the cost
down TO profit and loss. They have be-
come dangerous to their keepers. and for
the Snowman 1t is simply a question Of hav-
ing human or elephant blood on his head.
Pilot had exhibited the fret symptoms
Of going bad by knocking down his keeper
with his trunk; but for the timely rescue Of
other attendants the man would AVE been
killed That night. TO subdue the elephant.
he was soundly thrashed-which in the
case OF an elephant means that the animal
is attacked furiously by the men and that
there is a great battle, during which the
brute Ia beaten with sticks and clubs and
prodded and pounded with cold iron,
The object was not cruelty or revenge
Il was 10 make the recalcitrant beast
squeal-the showman's term for trumpet
ing, which often sounds like a squeal. II
tho oph,p eo,,aa1a ~ Ia a aion TINT ha