Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

The folly of playing all manner of strange pranks with lions and tigers has just been illustrated at Chatham, where a young woman, Ellen Bright, accustomed to enter one of the dens of Wombell’s traveling menagerie, and there exhibit to an audience, gaping with astonishment, her tricks with a lion and a tiger confined together, has met with a shocking death. On entering the den for the purpose of going through the usual performances with the lion, she struck the tiger with a small whip, when the animal growled; then after completing part of the performances, she struck the beast again, when, rearing up, it seized her by the throat and inflicted frightful injuries with its fangs. A keeper immediately rushed to her assistance, and by striking the animal a violent blow on the nose with iron bar, succeeded in releasing her; but life was nearly extinct. She was immediately attended by a military surgeon who was present, but died in a few minutes, owing to wounds in the neck and chin, and also to the shock which her system had received from excessive fright. The coroner’s jury testified their dislike of the practice of allowing persons to perform in a den of wild beasts. Thus perished “the Lion Queen,” a victim to one of the remnants of barbarism which society retains for amusement-perhaps also affording a lesson to all invested with “a little brief authority,” Queens and Imperial Caesars included, how dangerous it is to use the whip wantonly, and for mere show of power.-Manchester Exam.