AMERICA'S STRANGEST SAFARIS TOOK PLACE IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

Two former circus lions were released into the wilds of a Mississippi River island near Commerce in 1932, so they could be hunted down by a St. Louis sportsman.

The tiny town of Commerce became the site for one of America's strangest safaris.

In October 1932, big game hunter and industrialist Denver Wright of St. Louis proposed to bring two African lions to Southeast Missouri and shoot them as part of a lion hunt.

The news sparked controversy that headlined newspapers across America and the world. Some saw Wright as a fanatic. Others claimed it was a mere publicity stunt.

The Cleveland (Ohio) Press was indicative of most press coverage. It suggested Wright should set up the stuffed lions in his basement and blaze away at them when the urge overcame him. A member of the Missouri Legislature called Wright the "world's worst sportsman."

The first news of the hunt came by way of an Associated Press dispatch Oct. 7, 1932. He claimed hunting lions in Missouri as in Africa can be real sport, if properly maintained.

But the news sparked two weeks of bitter controversy by area residents and people from far outside the region.

The lions themselves were a point of disagreement. Some said the lions were old circus lions, hardly ferocious. Wright said all lions could be vicious and dangerous.

At first Wright was not specific about the site for the hunt, but it was thought he had set his sights on a remote area of Mississippi County. Area residents complained to the county sheriff, district game warden, the Humane Society and anyone else who would listen.

On Oct. 11, Wright and his hunting companion O.N. Brinkmeyer, arrived at the home of Wright's sister in Cape Girardeau. It was revealed the hunt would indeed take place about 15 miles south of Charleston. The sheriff made it clear to Wright that no such hunt would occur in his county.

The hunting party went to St. Louis to pick up the big cats. It was decided that they would be donated to a zoo in Springfield, but halfway there, Wright convinced his party that it should go through with the hunt. The party headed to Scott County at deserted Towhead Island, just across the river from Commerce.

On the morning of Oct. 16, the two lions were transferred to a small barge and taken across the river channel by Wright. The animals were so nervous, it is said Wright decided to delay the hunt until after lunch in Commerce.

About 200 spectators lined up on the Missouri shore to watch the curious safari.

But then came the oddest twist of all.

When the great hunt began, the lions were already dead. Who actually killed the beasts remains a point of debate.

During the hunting party's lunch in Commerce, a sheriff's deputy, a riverboat man and two reporters supposedly returned to the island with a submachine gun, acting on the issue of public safety. The deputy said the beasts constituted a menace to the people and livestock of the area.

However, Garland D. Fronabarger, longtime photographer and writer for the Southeast Missourian, claimed he and a reporter from the Chicago Tribune killed the lions the night before.

Whatever happened, Wright found the dead animals on the riverfront. He spent two days trying to find the men responsible, but to no avail.

Despite the national criticism of the event, Wright repeated the hunt in January 1933.

Wright explained his intentions in a softbound book published in 1933 to relate the "true facts" of the second hunt. Ironically, the book made no mention of the first lion hunt fiasco.

This time, two 5-year-old lions were released on a 200-acre island across from East Prairie. Wright claimed they were "vicious, untrained African male lions." Others contended the "pet" lions came from a bankrupt circus.

Among the large hunting party this time around was a producer, engineer and cameraman who filmed a short entitled "The Lure of the Beast," which was supposed to be shown in motion picture theaters.

Wright made sure no outsiders beat him to the punch. He arranged tight security, complete with barbed-wire fencing and patrol boats.

Wright's synthetic safari spent several damp, cold nights on the island to get in the mood of the expedition.

But the kill was less than thrilling, according to some reports, that maintained the beasts simply wouldn't be provoked. Wright, on the other hand, said the lions were poised to attack at the time they were shot.

All along, Wright said his intentions were misunderstood.

A letter he penned in the book said: "There's nothing wrong with the lion hunt idea. For centuries kings of foreign countries have imported big game which they liberated and killed within their barricaded private hunting grounds. Game and Fish Departments in this and other countries raise quail, pheasants, turkeys, deer, etc. in captivity, which they liberate for the sole purpose of sportsmen killing."

Public opinion bitterly disagreed.