MAULED BY LIONESS

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 August 1935, Page 5

MAULED BY LIONESS

CIRCUS TRAINER'S ESCAPE.

SYDNEY, July 29.

Savagely attacked by a 22-month-old lioness in a large training cage, Andrew Sole, 33, one of the proprietors of Sole Brothers' circus, had a remarkable escape from a shocking death. Sole subsequently received treatment for a badly-lacerated left arm. but. despite the entreaties of friends, he re-entered the cage of lions and tigers for the night performance.

The circus was in Brisbane. A passer-by. startled by blood-curdling roars and savage snarls, rushed into the tent and saw Karl Weiss, Sole’s 19-year-old assistant, struggling to haul the lioness off Sole, who was writhing on the floor of the iron train-ing-cage. endeavouring to protect his face and head from the claws of the lioness.

Previously the lioness, who had been reared by Solo on the bottle since its mother died in giving birth to it, had proved so docile that the trainer had many times thrilled audiences by placing his head in its mouth. Without warning during Saturday morning’s practices, the lioness pounced on Sole and mauled him savagely. Weiss, who had just stepped out of the cage, saw Sole’s peril, and. grasping a rake, returned lo the cage and dealt the lioness a crashing blow on the head. In a twinkling Sole was dragged out, and the door was slammed. Weiss showed considerable valour. It was the first time he had been in a lion’s cage. But he treated his own action lightly, saying. "1 am afraid of nothing.”

Sole, who was in great pain, was conveyed lo hospital. He was placed under an anaesthetic about -1.30 p.m. and th*- ripped muscles of his left arm wi-re stitched. He recovered consciousness about 5.30 p.m. and returned to th>- circus. “I will master it. and I will show my mastery tonight.’’ said Sole. He said that the lioness had perplexed him that morning by showing an unwonted stubbornness, which caused him to protect himself with a whip am! a .stout iron fork. "My brother Bill, who died last year, was mauled once." he said, "am! he ent,“red the cage the very night of the accident. I'm going to do th* 1 sam* 1 ” Am! he did. He 'titered th* 1 cage ledoi*- a "jacked house" with his aim in a -line. Th*- lioness snarled at |iim. but Sole put it through its jn-t t**imam *-s am! then retiirm-d to his te’it. • X hatisted.