The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-11-15
Yarns About the Beasts.

| making for the opening OF the London
Circus, and, amid the mtlsic Of the hiin-
CRY elephants and lions which sur
rounded him on every side, contersed
with thin, gray-eyed man concerning
the habits of the menagerie. The five
elephants stood, close at hand and the
reporter ttirned the CONVERSATION to
these, after hearing, to his surprise, that
American performers, with the single
exception of Madame, the "peerless
Empress of the arena" who is French
wutf1ati. 1t fieeded btt d hint to induce
the little gray-eyed man to talk of any
particular animal. The reporter had
only to say, Elephants are remarkable
beasts"
"Yes, SIR" returned the man, ele-
plants is remarkable, but these ele-
plants Is most remarkable. There's no
elephants In the world can do what those
elephants can-perform squadron drill,
wheel in platoon, build a pyramid, any
thing you tell 'em, just as good and
better'n the regular army can do il"
Ever do anything funny, the ele-
phants9"
nFiinny4 Why, they're the funniest
elephants now alive. Probably 30 ele-
plants ever did live as funny as these
elephants are. If you'd see 'em in bath
ing in the Boston Frog Pond, you'd
have been delighted, sir. The Boston
people were delighted. You see, twas
a great feather In their cap to show the
world that the Frog Pond was large
ehotigh for five elephants to go swim
ming into. Bless you, sir, they spbrted
like children, played and rolled ever
each other, and the spectators was all in
a roar. There's no funnier elephants in
the world than these be-"
"Don't they ever make any trouble ?"
"Well, no. They tised to, but now
they're docile as lambs. There's Chief,
there; he used to cut up; wouldn't
mind. When I'd tell him to lay down,
he'd get down half way and then stop.
Well, I'D take d big pole and lick him,
and he'd come around right away. Then
he'd mind for about six months, when
| I'd have to lick him again. He'd aver
age about two liekiiigs a year. He was
a pretty spiteful elephant at one time,
and no mistake thick-headcd like, you
know; but I've licked it out of him,
and now he's Just as docile as you or /
be. He got over it all to once, and the
way was rather peculiar. Out in In
diana once he got loose and rtin away.
He went along a country road about as
fast as d horse can run, and | after him
on horseback, talking to him and trying
to make him stop and come back. He
| fooH mo IN
along with him for about mile and
then threw him over fence, and at last
he stopped in front of a lot of school
children. He didn't hurt the children
| bit, btit stopped TO fohdis 'em like,
and when he got through he came back
with me quiet as lamb. Well, on the
way back 1 scolded him. Says /, Chief,
you're going to get a basting soon as /
get you back to the ground. You've
cost this circus about two thousand dol
lars, and Pm going to cut some poles
and lick YOU within ah inch of yotir
life.' Well, sir, when 1 got back to the
ground / cut three poles and licked him
till / was tired. You may think il
doesn't htlrt an elephant to lick him
with d pole, but it does. Why, q. fly
| will irritate an elephant and worry him
most to death. But / was going to say
when I'd tired myself out and broken
two poles took the third pole and held
. it up before Dick and said, Dick, you
! zee that stick2 We'll, the next time
you cut tip monkey shines Pn give it tc
YOU Do you know that brute Under
stood what said? Amt no doubt of it
He just put his tail between his leg'
and hung down his head, and he hasn't
cut up once since, and that's three year
ago. Oh, elephants occasionally mak'
trouble, but these five elephants is jus
: like kittens"
"Could you tell me anything inter
esting about these hyenasf'
"WeI, don't consider hyenas is yer,
interesting animals. They're treacher
GUS and vicious, and you can't teach zen
anything. The hyena is no favorite o
| mine. l don't think they have the or
binary animal instincts. and don't pa,
'em much attention. They don't smell
E like animals, even. Now, there's 81:
hyenas, and I'd like to have you shol
' me the first bit of good in 'em. w
q used to have eight, but we lost two
: One gnawed off his own arm up to tn
/ shoulder, and we had to kill him, an
4 the other one was old and blind, an
e these 'ere hyenas pitched on to him on
a day and eat him up. They are raver
J. ous and irresponsible. The older the
4 get the worse they get. This old fello'
d here tried to eat up Baker the other da
7 Baker is the keeper, when he went int
q the cage, he Just made spring at hiI
d caught him by the breast and tore o
:. his coat and vest and shirt, clean to tn
d skin. Baker hit him with the whil
:, and the cowardly brute skunk off an
5, eat the coat and shirt. No, don't thin
IS much of hyenas."
vt "This is camel, is it not?'
= Yes, sir; that's camel. The reaso
d you're not quite sure about tits becau
,e he's lying down. That" said the circl
d man, with an affectionate smile at IL
e. camel, "is old Dick, the finest camel
If the world"
is "What does he doT"
y "Well, Dick don't do much of an
le thing, but he's good. If Dick was
or die, those elephants would be perfect
y miserable. They couldn't stand it; th
ps love Dick. When they're unchain
they Just make run all together f
as Dick. They fight to see who'll get nes
it, est to him, and they'll roll all abo
nd with him and love him. If Dick is go
vn when they are unclaimed they screa
nd like thunder. Dick is grave old f
he low, but he appreciates the affection
pit the elephants. He's always glad to {
'e- 'em, and he lets 'em play with him j.
lg- as much as they like. Chief, thous
ng doesn't like Dick very much, and Di
re doesn't care for Chief. One day VIII
.rs we were down at Augusta, after the e
ne plants got through drilling and were
ut away to amuse themselves, they all ma
ro- a run for Dick, trunks up, screami
as with Joy. Chief went with 'em, t
he but when he saw that they were af
IN Dick he stopped, snorted sort of c,
he temptuous-like, and turned his back
be the camel. That was more than d
could stand. He just got up and mi
one dive for the surly elephant, a
i'd snapped his teeth together over Chit
lar tail. The camel is terribly strong
ow the jaw, and it's mercy that Chit
es: tail did not come of. The eleph;
les beloved with pain and tried to get
LII Il ri