The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-12-18
TRAINED LIONS SENT
CROWD INTO PANIC
New York Theatre Scene of Turbulence
as Animals Roamed About-one Po-
liceman Shot as Attempt Was Made
to Round Up Beasts in Street.

} New York, Dec. ls.-Six trained lion
escaped from their cage on the stage o
an East Eighty-Sixth street vaudeville
theatre yesterday and bounding into the
audience, consisting principally OF wom
en- and children, created panic.
One lioness, Alice, the largest of the
pack. escaped into the crowded street
Policemen pursued her into the hallway
OF nearby apartment house and in
shooting at her probably fatally wound
ed a companion, Sergeant Daniel Glenn
Two other officers were slightly wounded
by the claws of the beast in battle
at close range.
At sight of the lions, hundreds of
persons in the theatre fled, screaming,
TO the exits. Mothers, delayed by gath
ering up their children, crowded into cor
ners and places OF supposed safety.
Scores tainted and many, numbed by the
sight of the animals among them, sat
transfixed in their seats. With the
ception of Alice none of the beasts dis
played great ferocity A few persons
! who got in their paths were scratched,
but were not seriously hurt.
! Five Of the animals still were roam
| ing about the theatre when the last of
the audience escaped. An hour later
they were rounded up in the lobby and
driven into their shipping box, but none
| OF them was injured
Three arrests were made, the charges
being felonions assault, pending the out
come of the injuries OF the wounded per-
sons Those in custody are La Belle
Andree, the lions traineri c. A. Turn
quist, their keeper, and George II. Hamil
ton, manager of the attraction. The lions
we're owned by Francis Ferari, a show
man, who had been exhibiting them at
carnivals during the summer.
The animal act had been completed
and song and dance quartet held the
stage in front of the first drop when the
lions escaped as they wer@ about to be
transferred from the steel exhibition
cage to their shipping box, According
to Turnquist they became excited, rush
ed out of the steel cage and, knocking
the box aside, were free behind the
scenes Madame Andree screamed, Turn
quist grabbed whip, cracked it loudly |
and shouted at the lions, and frightened |
actors and actresses began climbing |
stairwoys Suddenly one of the lions |
walked into the wings and peered at the
quartet and the singing ceased abrupt
ly
As the singers started TO retreat into
the wings Detective Peter Cahill, who
was in the audience. saw the lion and
shouted TO the entertainers TO go on One
singer returned and began a solo. Sud
denly lion came into full view and
All control OF the audience was lost.
The orchestra, nevertheless, continued
10 play The first lion ambled upon the
stage, then a second. and in minute
more several OF them wrIc elambering I
nto stage boxes and out into the audi
nee. Still the orchestra kept playing,
until several of the lions came righ,
lown into the pit Then the musicians
led under the stage. L
Almost everybody in the audience la
er had a different version of what the
nimals did after they got among the
rowd, but nearly all accounts agree that .
hey did not live up to the dangerous .
anne OF the king of beasts" Edward !
Nitzburg said by the time he appre IL
ended the situation a lion was so near {
i'm that he thought il best to sit still.
Ie carried ont this plan and, although a
he lion passed up and down the aisle i
ear him six times. he was unharmed \
me Of the beasts caught up with Mark d
lcDermott while he was hurrying down G
n aisle. 80 he lay down. The animal G
awed him on the head and his wound o
ppeared TO be the most dangerous that y
nv OF the beasts inflicted. lie was Ia 4
en- 10 a hospital 81
The last Of the audience 10 leave the Il
ieatre were several women found coop "
! up in second loor dressing room. 81
hey signalled Gremen from nearby en- j
me room. who carried them down lad Ia
.rs "a safety. Il
A throng was gathered outside the {,
leatre when Alice emerged and trotted
owly across the street. One story was ol
at when she poked her head into n
loon. a man came mp and patted her. ci
naching the corner Of Eight-sixth street n,
IA Third avenue she calmly sat down. ~
A crowd in Third avenue began 70 shout Il
"A Ten policemen. with revolyers drawn. NJ
me rushing across the street from the IN
eatre toward her She turned north h,
Third avenue. crossed the thorough "a
re-. and fed into a apartment house. "
Abraham CHASER. a photographer. was 4,
lrkpq on the drst ao0r of the building
ben be- heard a peculiar noise in the
o. he opened the door 70 investigate
4 stared into the face ~ The lioness w
Awning the door quickly be shouted
! help
The beast turned 70 stairway and
unfed up & fight There tvo women hc
errd from doorway shrirked and an
.mme8 tho door Again Alice fed. bl'
IS time 10 the third door only 70 cause iif
lre screams from frenzied tcnants. 81
hen tie uoIi, arrived Alice was AZ
. tep of q euaH stairway, seeking be
.ess 10 the roof
For more than ton minutes thereafter
r. rarfa u The marrow knlaav
.tIe f4turrr man sud lssst SHOT aff.
shot flrtf n hHwr fired into
row Raging animal Tp ana aUwn
stairuat Sire raed. r~ouliH1 nud
.rIrr tIau5rr striking nuf htinr 81
.ssaaaufs Stre-ul times sif inaped
p thr fansfef titHt urdtaftef tbe
7-uar ard fHrtlfd through tts air
3 - hra th q th8d a. fhs uerf
ding
--ar s.sra af hufFt wounds t8nos
hs- sht was siunst - fun 1f dgtf
- sha Erar irrTtd a. uhen ~