A Roaring Success It was a wet miserable, Monday afternoon, during the second house matinee in the late nineteen thirties.

A young lion tamer from Chapman's Bengal Circus called Richard Dadanski was putting the lions through their paces, at the Alexandra Theatre in Widnes.

When suddenly a male lion missed timed its jump from a pedestal, owing to a slightly warped floor. The male lion angrily attacked the young lion tamers face.

Luckily the young man put up his right arm to protect himself, but ended up with a deep wound that was soon pumping blood heavily, in fact it needed a tourniquet.

The crowd were on their feet en masse as the lion tamer battled bravely with the whip in his left hand to fend off the hungry lions, who hadn't been feeding properly due to it being halfway through the breeding season.

Local people were certainly getting full value for their shilling tickets.

Soon a Doctor was sent for to stitch the wound, a Doctor Mccurn worked quickly through the bars and the young lion tamer finished his act to thunderous applause.

When asked about his ordeal later by the local paper.

The lion tamer said "well you have to expect a few scratches when your in this game!"