CLAWED BY LION
WOMAN SEIZED FROM CAGE SYDNEY, March 18 A resident of Waitara, Sydney, Mrs. Laura Deigan, aged 40, felt herself seized from behind while standing near a cage at a circus, and on turning, looked into the face of a lion only a few inches from her own. Mrs. Deigan went to the circus searching for her two sons, aged 7 and 5. who were missing. "I walked round a big cage to call them," she said later, "and felt both my shoulders seized. I thought .someone was having a joke, but when I tried to pull away, T was dragged back against the cage. Then 1 turned and saw what really had hold of me. The lion's claws were deep in my right shoulder. I tried to lever the paw loose with my free hand, but could not manage it, so deeply were the claws hooked in my flesh. The pain was terrible, and my dress was ripped from my body. 1 felt helpless and began to cry." A boy who was present called for help and an attendent clubbed the lion on the head with an iron bar, forcing it to release its hold on Mrs. Deigan. Blood spurted from her right arm, which was ripped from the shoulder to tho elbow. The wound was two inches deep. Mrs. Deigan was taken to hospital.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24536, 19 March 1943, Page 4
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228CLAWED BY LION New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24536, 19 March 1943, Page 4
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