An Entire Menagerie Loose.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3602, 1 September 1890, Page 2

An Entire Menagerie Loose.

•Shortly after 11 p,m on the Ist of June, a general stampede of all the animals comprising Fillis' menagerie took place. This appalling occurrence is attributed to a miscreant—at preaentat large—who, possessed of a grudge_ against Mr Fillis, or members of his company, thought to pay it but by climbing on the'fence of the enclosure in which tho animals are kept, and, at imminent risk to his own life and limb, releasing from their cago and chains the whole of the wild animals. ; This fiend in humaii shape is evidently one well acquainted with the Bbow, for hot only has he exhibitod a familiarity with the looks and bars of the cages, but he selected the.day and the hour when the supervision of tho animali was most relaxed. He, appears to have made good his escape before the animals realised their freedom'from restraint, and as the four employes who slept on the premises have all fallen victims to the ferocity of the wild beasts, it isimpossible to Bay at present if his identity is known. About 11.30 the residents; within a mile, radius of the oircua building were aroused from'their beds .by a mo9t fienish and undesoribable noise. The fierce'roar of the lions, the trumpeting' of. the elephant, the snarlsjand, growls of tho leopards, cheetahs, jackals, the snarling, bark of the wolves, the cries of' the frightened horses, and the l groans and screams of the mangled and' dying employes made a sound 'which will'never be forgotten by those who heard it.' {; '■ .

From what we can gather, the four male lions, Faßha, Abdul, Caliph, and Mustapha, upon discovering the door of their cage open, immediately proceeded to the stables, where the large lion/ Pasha,' leaped onthe bank of Murat,'tl» : jumping horse, and fastened his teeth in bisneokand withers.';lt 'is. that he has always borne this horsa .■■'. a most unaccountable grudge, and invariably gave signs of displeasure • and dislike when within sight of him, The horse's Boreams'roused : the four attendants, a Bcotobman ■ named Patterson and three Kaffir boys, and ! hastily arming themselves with stable forks, . they rushed to the } scene of the ''disturbance, evidently ignorant 'of tho numerical strength of the .foe they had to contend with, Theso four gallant fellows met a fearful death, from the'few last dying words of one of the Kaffir boys to Mr Fillis,"when . he arrived on the scene, it appears in that he and his mates, when eadoavoitrjhg to beat back tbeJionrPaßha,.. ; i where attaoked from the rear by!- the '-':■ :■ three other lions and one of the oheethas;:• they.'were then literally' - toralimb, from' limb bythaiiefboiou£ T :-, brutes, and.the scene of then* "deatl!'*•;,'; UPoneofindesonbabiehorror. 'Having-'!'■ lasted blood,', .the' jon ■: (male: .and!;.' i female),4e oheelahs, the wolvesandv 1 '-. the leoparda seemed to regain aIT tho ••' ferocity ohheirolass, 1 and Mr-Fillis"-fouj Hungarian horses, :Sangld'Of» ::

, Kromis, Lonore, aud Etoile, aud tlie performing horses, Boauty aud Black '-, Bess, fell viotima to their lust for blood, Tbo olephant, frightoned at ;■■ the noise, in its endeavour to esoape burst through tho heavy iron gate and rushed into Ourry-strcot followed Knearly the wholo of tho animals appear to have boon startled by . '■. ■ somo whilst engaged in their work of carnage in the stables. A cabman residing at Boaconsfield, named Nelson, had d narrow escape. '■' Hearing tho noise, he-drovodown from Ninth street to see the animals rush out. He likens tho scene to tbo oxit from Noah's Ark. An elephant .came first, and a tew seconds after tumbled out set of lions, wolves, hyenas, baboons, leopards, cheetaUs, and jackals. Tho wolves, with the instinot of their race, immediately rushed "... _selson'a horses, and two of tho lions ■ v attacked them, Also, strango to say, tboylolt tho man himself unmolested, and he managed to climb up a post i at (.Hover's Athlotio Bar and secure his safety in one. of the rooms, When ' last he saw his horses they wore i galloping madly down the Detoitspan j road, snorting and screamiug with fear and pain, followed by the wolves | and lions. Tho remainder of tho ani--1 mals, Nelson says, dispersed in all i different directions, but the man )•: .ijjkoars to bo so unstrung by his 7 "terrible experiences that nothing coherent can bo obtained from him at | present. Wo lmvo as yet Jieard of bnt one death since the animals left !\' the circus buildings. A little child i named James Gnndley, a son of Mr I Grindloy, produce dealer, happened v to be in the back of his father's premises in his nightshirt. Ho noticed a cheetah which had taken refuge there, and [with the fearlessness of childhood walked up to it. His agonised mother, from a bedroom .^^ndow, M llw brutl) lay ter 1 ' prostrato with ono blow of its paw, and then mangle him beyond recognition. Wo have obtained from Mr Fillis—who is, of course, torribly ■ distressed by tho fearful occurrence, but bears it as a brave man should—a full list of animals at largo:—Four lions, 2 lionesses, 2 tigere, 8 bears, 2 wolves, 1 hyena, 2eheetahs, 4 jackals 1 elephant, 1 camel, and 17 baboons, Only two of these animals have as yet been accounted' for. Mr Murchison residing at Dupoitspan road, having been awakened by the noise was looking out of his bedroom tiJlow, and seeing a jackal run a'oross the yard, shot it dead with his revolver. OnrG.O.M., Mr Goodchild, .was aroused by the shrieks of his panot, and getting out of his bed to seo the cause observed to his horror an enormous lion crouching under the trees in the front garden. With great presence of mind he took down his Martini- Honri rifle, and, firing through tho window, shot it between the oyes, dead. ■'■ Tho whole of the polico, armed to '-jflie teeth, aro scouring the surrounddistrict and the town itself.— Diamond Fields (Africa) Advertiser,