The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-09-03
SAURIAN KINGS
FIGHT TO DEATH
IN BRONX zoo
Mortal Combat for Supremacy
of Pool RACES for Hours
in Spite of Keepers.

> New York.-There was a battle
at the Bronx Zoo-a battle to the DEATH
such as Is seldom seen outside the depths
and Businesses Of the jungle. 1t was
fought for the supremacy Of the alligator
pool, and the antagonists were kings of
their kind.
Captain" a fve-footer, and four COW
alligators were moved from the aquarium
to the zoo on Monday last. They had
outgrown their tank. and 1t was thought
for their own sakes and the safety Of spec
tators that they would better be in the
pool in the Bronx. 1t was along toward
dusk when they were dumped in with
Is ~alligators at the zoo. Whitley" king
OF the pool, had had his dinner and he
and his subjects were sluggish.
the night passed quietly, but when keep
ers went to the pool In the morning they
saw signs of trouble. Captain and his
cows lay on one side OF the pool and
ranged opposite was Whitley at the head
of his crew, slashing the nine feet of him
from side to side and forward and back
ward belligerently.
Smaller More Aggressive.
Without warning the keepers heard a
crashing in the water and rushed to the
pool side to find the two kings engaged
In mortal combat. Although Whitley"
was within a foot of being twice as large
as Captain" the smaller king was not
less agile nor handicapped in the size Of
his jaws. In the beginning they backed
away as far as each could get from the
other and then rushed full tilt, head for
head. When they came together the i'm
pact would raise their two slippery bodies
half out Of the pool. AS they backed for
a new rush each would slash with his
great worries for the throat of his antag-
onist.
KAA~n-- ,-kNh ~ - t- II,
separate the fighters. but 1t was futile.
Their hard heads and backs returned the
poles shivering in the hands of their
wielders. Several times when they opened
their jaws in attack buckets and blocks
of wood were thrown, with the hope that
they would lodge between the worries and
render the fighters helpless. Whitley"
caught a bucket between his jaws and
crushed 1t as one would an egg shell.
Gets Throat Hold.
TIL charging method of attack gradu-
ally passed as the anger OF the two big
brutes increased, and finally they came to-
gether in the struggle which was not to
end until life was out of one. Finally
Captain slipped and half turned as he
darted in for the last time in an effort to
open "Whitey's' throat. The next instant
his adversary had given him a roll with
his shoulder, putting Captain on his
back. There was a crash, the pool went
red with blood, and when the keepers had
driven back the cows from the center Of
the pool, where they had rushed when the
death blow was given, Whitley lay
blinking angrily with Captain" gripped
in his jaws.
Whitley" was battered and beaten,
but he would not let go of Captains"
carcass. He was proud of his victory and
he showed it by leading a procession
round and round the pool. 1t was not
until the keepers had let out every drop
of water In the pool and pried open
"Whitey's' jaws with poles that they were
able to remove the dead king.