Looking Back: Girl killed by tiger that escaped at circus; and incident at local cemetery called a ‘graveyard mystery’

IDAHO FALLS — EastIdahoNews.com is looking back at what life was like during the week of May 25 to May 31 in east Idaho history.

1900-1925

TWIN FALLS — A tiger that was part of a circus taking place in Twin Falls broke out of its cage and killed a four-year-old girl, The Idaho Recorder reported on May 30, 1907.

The horrific incident occurred during the Sells Floto Circus’s afternoon performance that Saturday. The article said a “huge” Bengal tiger named “Markel” escaped from his cage in the menagerie tent and charged into the crowd.

The tiger killed the girl and a Shetland pony. It mauled several other spectators and ponies before it was shot and killed by a man in the audience.

“For a few moments, a panic was threatened in the menagerie, women screamed and fainted, the elephants tugged at their chains and trumpeted wildly, and there was great commotion until the tiger rolled over dead in front of the main entrance,” the article reads.

Reports say that Markel was about to be fed, and when he saw the meat, he “beat furiously” with his paws on the door of the cage. The door gave way, and the Markel sprang from his cage.

Markel immediately attacked a Shetland pony 15 feet away. The animal keeper grabbed an iron bar and struck Markel between the eyes.

Markel released his grip on the pony’s neck and leaped onto the back of another pony. The animal keeper again hit him with the iron bar. Markel let go of the pony but did the same thing again to another pony before leaping into the crowd.

The tiger struck Mrs. Rozell and her daughter, Ruth. The animal had its paws on Mrs. Rozell while it sank its fangs into the child’s neck.

J.W. Bell, a Twin Falls blacksmith, and his family were standing next to Mrs. Rozell when she was attacked. Bell drew his .32-caliber revolver and opened fire on the tiger, which was within three feet of him.

“When the first bullet struck Markel behind the shoulder, he winced and opened his jaws, growling viciously and lashing his tail against the wall of spectators,” the paper said. “The second bullet caused him to release Mrs. Rozell and her daughter from the grasp of his paws, and the third put him on the run.”

Bell “followed heroically” after the tiger and fired three more bullets at the tiger as it ran outside the tent.

Markel was hit but managed to crawl some distance before he collapsed.

“Recovering his strength for an instant, the tiger turned and started back toward the spectators,” the article states. “Bell was waiting for the attack with his revolver reloaded, but the beast had had enough, rolled over, snarling and biting at his wounds, and expired in a few moments.”

Mrs. Rozell and her daughter were taken to a doctor’s office, where “everything possible was done for the child.” But it was discovered that the tiger’s teeth had lacerated the girl’s neck and chest, and too much blood had been lost.

Ruth died two hours later. Mrs. Rozell was not injured.

1926-1950

CARIBOU COUNTY — Two local men died when the front of a building in Soda Springs toppled into the street, The Caribou County Sun reported on May 27, 1948.

C.A. “Gus” Stoor, 62, a long-time resident of Soda Springs, and John Autheman, 63, a Caribou County sheepherder, were the men killed. The incident happened at The Caribou Club when the south wall of the building somehow “slipped” into an excavation on the next lot. Three other people were injured.

J. Allen Fields, 45, who was tending the bar at the time, miraculously escaped getting injured. He was behind the bar on the side of the structure that collapsed. He said he noticed a popping sound in the floor, then saw the ceiling start to collapse. Fields fell to the floor behind a showcase and safely crawled out from the wreckage.

Fields said Stoor had been in the club and had just started out the door when the accident happened. He said Stoor was crushed by falling masonry. Autheman was standing in front of the building, according to witnesses, who said he was killed by a falling beam.

Only about 10 people were in the club when it collapsed.

Autheman, a World War I veteran, was buried at the Fairview Cemetery. Stoor, who left behind his son, daughter and five grandchildren, was also buried at the Fairview Cemetery.

1951-1975

BANNOCK COUNTY — An incident at a local cemetery was being described as a “graveyard mystery,” the Idaho State Journal reported on May 27, 1975.

The paper said Monday was a unique Memorial Day for Robin Cemetery, which is southwest of McCammon, as 80 to 100 feet of a metal fence were removed from around 10 graves. It happened sometime Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

“But whoever took the fence cleaned up after himself,” the paper mentioned.

Calvin Monson, caretaker of the cemetery, said when he arrived Sunday to turn on the water, the grave area where the fence had been was mowed, trimmed and raked. Monson said there was no evidence of a vehicle being in the area.

The section cleaned up was where members of the Taylor family were buried, dating back to the 1800s.

“Several inquiries have been made about the family’s genealogy the past year,” Monson pointed out. “Two sisters are the only known survivors of the family, and they both claim no knowledge of the graveyard mystery.”

1976-2000

POCATELLO — An open hallway door leading to an open garage allowed a Bannock County Jail inmate to escape for two hours, the Idaho State Journal reported on May 29, 1977.

The prisoner was reportedly brought downstairs under guard so he could make a telephone call in a back room.

“We let prisoners who have behaved and kept their cells in order make one phone call a week as a general policy,” Lt. F.L. Moyer explained. “And they’re not handcuffed when they’re brought down under guard.”

Moyer said the guard had four prisoners to look after when one man tried to escape. It happened when the prisoners left the back room and were being escorted back to the elevator.

The group walked across a hallway and at the end of it, there was an open door leading to a garage. A car had just been brought into the garage, and the garage door was open at the same time the hallway door was open.

The prisoner, Leverne G. Rogers, 21, escaped from the building and ran into a parking lot. Pocatello police later that day found the man about six blocks away. He was reportedly hiding in some bushes.

Rogers was arrested and arraigned on a felony escape charge. A preliminary hearing had not yet been scheduled.

Rogers was originally being held in jail on two burglary charges and a previous escape attempt.