Saito, Thomas (1901-1938)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1938 Oct 12 p. 1

Birth date: 1901

text of obituary:

MAN IS KILED [sic] BY ESCAPED CIRCUS LION

An escaped circus lion last week brought terror to Wildwood, N. J. The lion clawed to death a man who tried to halt it and had the south Jersey resort in a grip of terror for two and a half hours before a member of a police and fire posse killed it with a pistol shot at a 10-foot range on the ocean front boardwalk.

The mutilated body of Thomas Saito, 37, Philadelphia, a Japanese auction room employe, was found under the boardwalk 150 yards from where the beast had dragged him down into the maze of piles. Only the top of his shirt remained on him.

The lion pounced on the Japanese as he alighted from an auto with a woman believed to be his wife.