A thrilling series of events occurred in the town of Forest, Mississippi, last summer, all growing out of a foolish man's trick in giving tobacco to an angry elephant. Inside the menagerie tent the huge elephant Hercules was chained to a stake; and by way of caution to those entering the canvas, John Alston, his keeper, stated that he had for several days manifested a disposition of insubordination, and begged that no one would approach sufficiently near to receive a blow from his trunk. A man named Mark Kite, coming in after the keeper's admonition, thoughtlessly handed the elephant a piece of tobacco, which so enraged him that he struck at him with such violence as to dislocate his shoulder, although it was a

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DEAD ELEPHANT AND LIVE LION.

glancing blow. He then plunged with such force that he broke his chain, and although his keeper used every effort to subdue him, he was entirely uncontrollable, and would strike and kick at every object near him. By this time the scene was beyond description. The vast crowd flew for life. He then turned on his keeper, and pursued him under the canvas. The eleven o'clock freight train being behind time, and not having any freight for Forest, and the engineer not intending to stop, came rushing along at the rate of twenty miles an hour. When it had approached within two hundred yards, the elephant looked up the road, and seemed doubly enraged. He immediately ran toward it with great speed, and met it with such a shock that he broke one of his tusks and was immediately killed.

The engine was detached from the train by the shock, and thrown from the track, and the engineer having failed to shut off the steam, it unfortunately ran into the canvas and smashed the lion's cage, killing the lioness and releasing the lion.

The lion, finding himself uninjured and at liberty, and being frightened by the steam and whistle of the engine, started at full speed down the Homewood road, roaring terrifically. He had gone but a short distance when he met a man named Sheppard, and gave chase. Mr. Sheppard, finding that the beast was gaining on him rapidly, and that he would certainly be overtaken, attempted to climb a sapling. The lion struck at him with his paw as he ascended, but fortunately did no other damage than to tear off his coat tail and carry away a part of his trousers. Mr. John Smith, a resident of Raleigh, who was riding to Forest with his little son behind him, on horseback, met the lion on the road. As soon as the horse saw him he neighed, when the lion rushed at him, seized him by the throat, and threw him to the ground. Mr. Smith, with

his little son, escaped to the woods, and made their way to Forest on foot. While the beast was devouring Mr. Smith's horse, Mr. James J. Rich, who was on his way to Forest with a load of chickens, drove up. As soon as the lion saw him he reared on his hind feet, lashed the ground with his tail, and sprang at him. Mr. Rich eluded him by jumping from the wagon, when he mounted and began tearing open the boxes containing the chickens, and turned them out. He then seemed to lose sight of everything in his efforts to catch them. When the excitement in town abated, about twenty mounted men, well armed, started in pursuit, with all the dogs belonging in town, as well as many that had followed their owners. Mr. Reynolds, the owner of the lion, begged them not to kill him, and sent several men with the crowd, with instructions to capture him if possible; but a long chase failed to discover the escaped animal, and the citizens returned to the

town.

About two weeks later, in Monroe county, Mississippi, the lion turned up again,-many miles from the place where he broke loose.

A young man named Coleman was informed by a servant girl that she had just seen a "bear as big as a cow in the edge of the woods," a short distance from Mr. Coleman's place. Her excited manner at once roused his curiosity, and arming himself with his Spencer rifle, loaded with twelve balls, (a piece that he had used in the late war,) he started out in search of the monster. He was accompanied by a servant and a large and very fierce bulldog. Arrived at the spot, a brief survey soon discovered to him the object of his search, in the shape of a genuine lion. The beast, at the sight of the men, sprang into the branches of a dead tree, and there waited further developments. Mr. Coleman, who is described as very cool and daring, did not allow him to wait long, for, ele

evating his rifle, he at once discharged several loads at him, which caused the beast to spring from his position on his foe. Mr. Coleman continued firing till he had exhausted all his charges, the second shot, as he afterward discovered, passing clean through the body of the beast, without disabling him. And now came the tug of war. The lion, infuriated with his wound, and with glaring eyes, reached the ground near Mr. Coleman at the first leap, and made a second spring a moment afterward. Nothing but the courage of his dog saved Mr. Coleman from instant destruction. The noble animal threw himself on the king of beasts ere he reached his victim, and seizing him by the nose, though knocked about as a feather, fought him so tenaciously that the lion abandoned his purpose, and, by a single bound, seated himself on the lower limb of a tree, about twelve feet from the ground. At this moment Mr. Coleman's servant handed him a double-barreled gun, which he had brought along; he advanced almost immediately under the beast, took an aim that was to seal his own fate for life or death, fired both barrels, and brought the lion dying to the ground. On measurement, the lion was found to be nearly nine feet in length, and to weigh one hundred and eighty pounds.