A Burglar Caught by a Skeleton & Other Singular Tales from the Victorian Press (3 page)

The particulars of this remarkable and singular freak of an animal of the genus equine are as follows. It appears that the driver of the mail cart between Horncastle and Langworth, Lincolnshire, was performing his usual journey Saturday last; the horse he was driving had always been accounted a steady going, docile animal, being, as horsedealers say, ‘warranted free from vice.’

After proceeding along for some considerable distance without any mishap, one of the traces broke and the mail cart-horse all of a sudden dashed off at a furious rate. He, luckily for the driver, disengaged himself from the cart after which, like Mazeppa’s wild steed, he ‘urged on his mad career.’ He did not meet with any vehicle on the road, and consequently no fatal or serious accident occurred.

At length upon reaching Wragby the animal bolted through the window of a house occupied by Mr Weightman and landed on a tea-table where ten persons were just taking tea.

The panic-struck family and guests started back, but strange to say no one was hurt, but the crockery and furniture sustained serious damage from the hoofs of the eccentric quadruped, who was not secured until he had broken no end of crockery, and smashed up the furniture. At length the uninvited guest suffered himself to be conducted out of the house.

The Illustrated Police News
, March 23, 1867

Elephants On The Loose

A Keeper Killed. Panic At A Concert

A remarkable scene occurred at the Crystal Palace, London, on Sunday afternoon. Two elephants forming part of the circus which closed its season there on Saturday escaped from control, and after killing a keeper invaded the refreshment-room and then ran amok through the transepts.

A concert was in progress and the audience scattered in all directions, a terrible panic being only narrowly averted. Finally the Palace was closed and one elephant captured. The other escaped through the grounds and was caught on Sunday evening at Beckenham.

A later account by a representative of the Press Association who visited the Palace on Sunday night says that one of the elephants who escaped was a large animal known as ‘Charlie.’

All the keepers succeeded in getting clear but one who was overtaken just at the door and trampled to death. The other beast made its way across the nave to the buffet and thence to the concert-room.

Much alarm was caused, but the elephant did not attempt to pursue the flying crowd, turning in an opposite direction, proceeding through the glass and wooden framework into the centre transept.

Tearing down some 15 feet of the wall it walked leisurely around, and then proceeded to make its way through numerous side courts and the roller skating rink to the door opening on the North Tower Gardens, by which it made its final exit.

‘Charlie’ meanwhile quietly stood over one of the numerous statues in the south nave. Cyanide of potassium had, however, to be administered to it before it could be taken into custody. Then it was led back and chained to a younger elephant. Charlie was afterwards shot.

The Western Times
, Exeter, February 20, 1900

Peculiar Railway Accident

On Saturday morning a ferocious bull rushed at a train on the Llandilo branch of the North Western Railway, killing itself and throwing two carriages off the line. The passengers escaped with a good shaking, and after being transferred to fresh carriages the train proceeded all right.

The Dundee Courier and Argus
, June 14, 1881

A Puma in a Schoolroom

A Denver (Colorado) correspondent records a remarkable act of bravery on the part of an 18-year-old girl, a school teacher in the village of Owyhee.

While Eva Bates, the girl in question, was teaching her class an enormous puma, or mountain lion, sprang into the room, and falling upon a little antelope, which had been brought there by a child, whose pet it was, killed it, and at once began to devour it.

The children were panic-stricken, and fled to a corner of the room, where they huddled together for mutual protection, while the puma, which had left the dead antelope, seemed to be preparing to attack them.

As soon as the antelope had fallen the little teacher saw she would have to be prepared to defend her charges, and remembering that there was a gun loaded with small shot in the next room, she decided to get it.

To do this she was compelled to cross the room and go out by the door which opened near where the puma was crouching. She hurried by, and in a moment seized the weapon.

Then she lay flat on the floor, and, creeping along quietly with the gun in front of her, pushed it until the muzzle rested against the head of the beast, and a moment later, as he was about to spring, she drew the trigger, and the beast fell back with its head blown to atoms.

The Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald
, January 12, 1895

A Swarm of Bees on a Man’s Back

Considerable excitement was caused in Oxford Circus, Regent Street and some of the West End thoroughfares the other morning by the appearance of a man whose back, from his collar to his waist, was literally covered with bees, whilst hundreds more hovered over his head and all around him.

The man walked on in a state of evident fear, and as may be imagined this strange sight in the midst of the crowded streets led to his being followed by a large crowd. It seemed that the man was in the employ of Messrs. Mappin and Webb, and was ordered to convey a swarm of bees, which had been enclosed in a basket, to a railway station.

Whilst in the act of placing the basket in a van, the lid came off and the queen bee and her followers, numbering many thousands, swarmed upon the man’s back, shoulders and head. Terribly frightened, he made an attempt to run away, but the bees maintained their hold, and the man walked about in the hope that his friends would take their departure. Ultimately, a bystander advised him to throw off his coat. Taking the hint, he slipped off his garment, when the host of bees rose
en masse
and the man made off as quickly as possible, and so did the bystanders. Strange to say, the man was only slightly stung in the neck.

The Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald
, July 18, 1885

An Extraordinary ‘Dog Story’

Considerable interest was excited in Leicester by the publication of a remarkable, and indeed almost incredible, ‘dog story’ from the accident ward of the local infirmary.

It is related that while a Bible woman was visiting the accident ward some days ago and talking to one of the patients, a terrier dog made its way to her with difficulty from near one of the adjoining beds, and appealingly held up one of its fore paws.

She called the attention of one of the doctors to the animal, and it was then found that the limb was broken. The bones were set and a bed made up for the canine sufferer in the ward, due instructions being entered upon the patient’s card as to his treatment and diet.

The animal progressed favourably, and became a general favourite with both the patients and officials, until a day or two ago, when it was claimed by its owner and taken away.

How the terrier found its way to the infirmary is not known, but it entered the institution unobserved, and curiously enough, was found in the accident ward, where men were being treated for ailments similar to that with which the dog was afflicted.

But it will be readily believed that the officials and patients regretted to part with so interesting a patient – one that proved so amenable to treatment and discipline.

The North-Eastern Daily Gazette,
Middlesbrough, March 26, 1896