The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-01-25
REVELATIONS OF A LION TAMER.

AT urSJ Tue JOnSu6 Ol Tue Iafner was
pretty closely tied touching matters OF
his profession, but In due time he ex-
panded into talk when he saw the gen.
uine enthusiasm OF the keeper for all
that related to the subject, yet natural =
ly practlced strict reserve in everything
concerning his particular work. In d
word professional secrets remained en-
tombed. +..i.... ...', ...-. -g.
He thought men were born to his vo-
cation, and there was no resisting it. He
had followed shows and hung around
lion cages when he was a boy. Toward
manhood the business had exercised
such q fascination that he at last OBJ
tanned employment with tanner, whom
he followed Until he was Killed by his
beasts. This sangulHary spectacle de-
TERED him Tor the time from the idea
OF entering cage, but he continued his
work. ...s r .
There were two kinds of lions in the
meliag ageries-those born and raised in
the cages and thUse caught as whelps
wild in Asia ana Africa. A few full
grown were caught in pits. Tue first
time he entered d cage was In o small
show in provincial town. The two
lions whom he then encountered were
old and sick, and bore the scars of TWEEN
ty years. whipping on their bald hides;
besides, they were born and brought up
behind the bars. They groWled from
force Of habit, but there was not much
danger in them. The posters of course
announced the Two Drutes as two OF the
most ferocious Kings of the forest.
From these he passed to cage-0red
lions in their prime, thence to the wild
animals, of whicn Brutus was one. Until
The tanner was able TO work with these
last, he was not considered as belonging
10 the rank of real tanners. fhe sensa-
tion he experienced the first time he ell
tered the cage of wild animals was dill
ticult to describe; it was an apprecia-
ton Of imminent danger coupled with
courage. When he issued from the cage
his tights and spangled cloth 1elG as il
they had just come out Of tue wash tub.
He was sJeelea up to the point OF BRAY
cry before the brutes, but ten minutes
afterwards a child could have Knocked
him over. . 4. -a. .s.a-
The principal secret of managing the
br.sses was not TO be AFRAID OF Them.
I When the man showed fear he was lost.
| The mastery was not acquired so much
| through violence OF treatment, as. an alb
solute sense Of security in Jneir pres
ence. Audacity and self<poss session
were necessary every minute, every sec
ond; a moments loss OF equilibrium
might prove fatal. s,., ~ 4..,g.r
The DuLtery mode OF treatment about
which bookmen wrote had no existence
In TACT among showmen. No man man
aged his beasts with kindness. When
his Brutus licked his face in his pelfor-
nance it looked afectionate, but it was
not; he did 1T because he was afraid !;
and when the animal went through his
osculatory business he was Obliged to
keep his eye on him with all the con-
centration OF his will, for there was
something in the beasts eyes which
showed that he would sooner use his
teeth tnan his tongue. .}j. gst
There was an impression that lion
once tanned is tanned Tor good, as a horse
lis broken to harness. This was All
error; the lion had to be tanned every
day anew in order to keep him in sn1jec'
ton. ....,l.....I .ya .... 4.,ll,,
Founders asked him ii he meant to
say that all lions were vicious. TO which
ne answered negatively. There were
good and bad dliens, just as there were
good and bad men. The bad beasts,
however, were more numerous than t he
others, Tor IL was their nature 10 kill 10
lprovide tor their hunger. The book tall
about their generosity was not trust
orthY; The instinct OF the beast was t(