A LION AT LARGE IN BIRMINGHAM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2280, 14 November 1889, Page 3

A LION AT LARGE IN BIRMINGHAM

The esatern suburb of Birmlußham has been the scene of a protracted ond exciting lion hunt. Mes_rs Wombwell had i established their well- known menagerie on a piece of waste ground known as the Old Peck at A_ton. One of tho oagcs oontalned a young black-maned Nubian lion about four yeara old. The keeper entered tbe den to clean it, and whilst engaged m this duty his attention was momentarily diverted by a fight between an CB*r"oh and a deer. When be looked round he found the cage empty. At first the animal seemed quite bewildered with the nolle of the people, the blare of tie steam trumpet ■, the clashing of tbe cymbalo snd the bellowing of tbe organs, and it remained m some lime rcoted to tbe spot. Iha people wero too [buay <> observe It until the ela*ra waa given by Wombwell 'a men, who hurried to the spot armed with ropes aud Iron I bars, when a ro.ne of wild conf oelon ensued. Men, women end ohildren sotmpered off In all directions as the lion dashed ecrosß the ground, hotly pursued by tbe men from Wombwell'f. A group of children were fn Us path, but it cleared them at a bound, aud made etrsi^ht for the neighbouring brook. After walking up tbe ttream for about fifty yards, Iha panic stricken nnimal, seeing its pursuers close at hand, f ppeara to bave crept into an opon lower, where it temporarily disappeared from view Tho drains to tbe right of tho brook had been explored for Boveral hundred yards m every direction without any success, when Marcus Orecz., the chief lion tamer, heard the fugitive lion roar. He traced the Bound with difficult? to tbe channel leading from the ma' hole at the junction of the road to the outlet m the brook where the lion first entered, and he at enco arranged to crawl through the drain m pursuit of the bar st, A transfer cage was obtained and taken to the brook, when tbe drop door was lifted and tho uk uth of tLe cage placed against the opening of the drain. By i his time Orer zo had obanged his clothes, and, armed with a heavy revolver aud accompa-ied by a boarhound, be decended through the manhole luto the sever, Twice lr. qulok aucoeeeh n revolver shots eohood through the underground passeges, end to the dcrtng explorer tbe animal's roar showed tbat he wbb on tbe right track. Crawling ahng, Orenzo o.ught eight of the animal, which at first turned to bay, but fled at the discharge of the revolver and mode towards the oage at the other end of the sewer. The lion tamer crawled after It with all hat te, and the faU b ful boarhound kept close at hand. When the mouth of the or.ge oame In view the dog was sent to tho front, end at tbe word of oommaud g-va vent to a dea* f.ning bark ; almost simultaneously there was a sorambilug nofre In the underground chaunel-, aud m anotner Imtint tbe Hon bounded Into tbe trap set for h'.m, ard was promptly caged and carted back to the menagerie.

NOTIOE,