PILING ON THE AGONY.

Temuka Leader, Volume 2, Issue 157, 25 June 1879, Page 3

PILING ON THE AGONY.

The following is from the 'Post:' A San Francisco journal, published the following in its " agony column" a short time ago:—" Cooper and Bailey's menagerie, which will open in this city shortly was the scene of a terrifying occurrence while exhibiting at Marysville recently. It seems that some mischeivous youngster in the audience inserted a piece of tobacco in a peanut given by him to the largest of the sixteen elephants attached to the show. The enraged creature uttered the singular halfhuman ciy peculiar to its species when aroused, and hurled the hoy with great force through the roof of the tent, breaking every bone in his body, and an almost new hummingtop in his pocket. Bursting the 10-inch chain that secured its foot like a bit of twine, the furiousmammoth seized the clown and in a second had crushed him into a shapeless pulp of flesh and old conundrums. The elephant's companions now became excited, and charged upon the audience, which was wildly applauding the clown's just fate, little thinking what was in store for itself. In a twinkling the ring-master had been disposed of, and the first four rows of spectators had become a mass of writhing victims. The ring ran with gore, and the shrieks and roars of the other animals lent additional horror to the terrible scene. Presently, several cages were upset in the melee, and the lions and tigers took part in the awful fury. The hippopotamus bit off the sheriff's head. A frightful contest occurred between the grizzly bear and one of the largest elephants. The latter was underneath, and in his struggles rolled over and smashed flat a whole half-price Sunday School. The rhinocerous paid exclusive attention to the dead-head seats, and at one time was noticed with two editors and a politician on the same horn. The performing elephant,' Jim,' £ot under a bench ocenpied by six Sisters of charity, and managed to keep e one of the Sisters in the air all th time. The camels and zebras tore round the ring, uttering terrific cries, above which could be faintly heard the agonizing cries of the County Eecortler, who was being skinned alive by a couple of gorillas on top of the centre pole. Heaven knows how the terrible scene would have ended, had not the Marysville Light Battery arrived just then, and began to fire 10-inch cannon, loaded with red-hot railroad spikes into the mass of infuriated beasts. In course of time the carnage was quelled, with the exception of a cormorant, that will go practising law in the spring, if not detected in time. The scene after the conflict was never to be forgotten. Six hundred and forty-one persons, and a book-agent, had bitten the saw dust. The remains of the Mayor and six Councilmen were sent home in the golden chariot (cost 40,000d015. to build), preceded by tlie hand (74 first-class soloists). The unrecognised dead were buried in a trench 200 ft. long. The animals were now secured by chains weighing 41bs. to the link, and iron bars 2ft. thick. Owing to the colossal expense attendant upon this mammoth exhibition of the century, the price of admission has been reduced to 50 cents., children under ten, half-price."