CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you are looking for something spooky to do on April Fools Day, head to the Evergreen Cemetery for their 'Voices of the Past' event: that's where you'll hear the stories of those residing in the cemetery that have passed, including Charlie Houck who was killed by a lion.
According to the SpookyCLT website, the week of January 9th 1930 the Melville-Reiss Carnival was in Charlotte, North Carolina. One of their main attractions was “Leo the Lion” who was trained by Charlie Houck.
Houck was a single 65 year old man and head Animal Trainer for the circus. One night after feeding Leo The Lion - Charlie went to give him a pat on the head. Leo clawed at Charlie’s arm pulling him closer to the cage. Houck did pull free, but was dead from infection within the week. Houck's story is just one of the many you'll hear.
Unfortunately the headstone is not in great shape currently. Head to SpookyCLT.com to find out more and donate to restore the headstone.
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