A GIGANTIC HOAX.

Evening Star, Issue 3733, 9 February 1875, Page 3

A GIGANTIC HOAX.

The Jupiter of America—the • New York Herald ’ —has taken to hoaxing its readers ■ and ihc trick it played them—though resembling much in conception that which the Melbourne ‘ Argus’ practised a couple of years ago, and the “ Kasko'dski ” adventure of the ‘ southern Cross ’ —was ot a most startling description. The gunpowder explosion on the Thames, just opposite the London Zoological Gardena, suggested the idea, which the * Herald ’ on N ovemher 9 worked up into an entire page of six closely printed columns, of a harrowing account beaded Awful Calamity,” in large black letters. Under this follow sub titles announcing “The Wild Animals Broken Loo*e from Central Park.” “Tcrrib'e Scenes of Mutilation.” “ A Shocking Sabbath Carnival ef Death.” “ Savaee Brutes at Large.’ - “ Awful Combats between the Beasts and the Citizens.” “ The Killed and Wounded ” “ Proclamation by the Mayor,” “Governor Dix Shoots the Bengal Tiger in the streets.” The narrative opens thug “ Another Sunday of horror has been added to those already memorable in our city annals, The

sid and appalling catastrophe is a further illustration of the un’orseen perils to whicli large communities are exposed.” Then follow minute descriptions (f the scenes. Ybile children ran about from case to cage in the perfect fulness of delight, and while a stream of people released from the cares and labors of ibe week wandered through the park, the whole aspect was changed. The rhinoceros br ke loose, and with a “ whiff, wi.iff, wh'ff. snort, dashed on Keeper Hyland and impaled him on his hmrn.” Then plunging madly against the double tier of cages he smashed them and released the black and sported leopards, the striped hyena, the prairie wolf, the poma, and the jaguar. Later on, the Bengal tiger and Landon, the lion were set free to add to the horror of the situation, file waiter then descii’ned the progress of the scenes of mutilation The “mutilated body of Annie Thomas, the unfortunate sewing girl,” was made ghastly capital of, and also the assertion that “the lion seiz d four little children, and m ingled them past a! r. Co. ni ion while the panther crouched over tins body of Keeper H.viand, “knawing horribly at his head.” Thus, through six co umns .blood and horrors are dished up ad nauseam. The consternation created by this anicle was ex'reme. Ladies, who only read the head-lines fainted. Men who had reached their places of business rushed to the telegraph offices to warn their wives to keep their children indoors; thousands of boys and girls were taken home from the public schools. >ome deaths were reported caused purely by fright. Naturally, when it begun to be known that the. report of the ‘ Herald ’ was only a picture ol “what might happen if the animals broke loose,” there was much indignation ail round, and one hoard every where about town that the writer ought to be handed over to “Judge Lynch ” But the newspaper however went very little out of its way to appease the public for disturbing its equilibrium in so cruel and ghastly a fashion The latest newspaper canard in the New York papers announced the death of Queen Victoria at Balmoral.