Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

Beats fights as Barnes Circus wagon tilts dangerously; one animal was shot

Many women fainted

The parade of the Al Barnes circus which was in Waukegan last week, was passing through North Lake street, a residential thoroughfare in Aurora, yesterday.  In one compartment of a gilded cage sat Miss Mabel Stark with a Bengal tiger.  In another compartment rode three other tigers of Asiatic breed.

Suddenly the wagon hit a bump.  The connecting door jarred open and into the first compartment sprang a tiger of Siberia.  The beasts tangled.  Miss Stark lashed her whip.  The street was in a panic.

Men, women, and children scrambled to get away from the vicinity of the wagon, which was wabbling precariously as the frightened horses plunged from the side of the pavement.  Boys climbed trees.  Several women fainted.  The screams of the spectators were almost drowned out by the snarling and growling of the tigers.

Finally Miss Stark succeeded in driving the fighting beasts into the rear compartment.  She banged the door shut and the four tigers continued their battle.  It was not until several minutes later that half a dozen circus hands, beating with iron bars, managed to separate them.  One animal was so badly hurt that it had to be shot.