The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-06-17
ALL ABOUT LION TANNING.
a Youuu Wan who Cnrrics Fort y-two Mnriss
of Lions Jaws nnd tinw--rhriiiimu All
ventures In the Dcns-t Tipping tInt.

lion tanner, with forty-two "reminiscences
of encounters with the beasts on his fare. neck.
back. hrcnst uni limbs lives ut 5i5 Hudson
street. He Is barclythirty-th years Of age is
OF fair complexion has brown hair and nous
tache. and Is of robust build. His eye IL quick
and searching; and. without intending any re-
Election upon the courage Of the King of the
forest II may ,ruthhlly he said that Frank J.
Lawson is bruver thnn lion. Within
the past ten years nearly all the show
men and almost every lion in America
have been introduced TO Lawson Owing
to the fact that this has been n bad
srnson for circuses and menagcrie-. and more
especially 10 the fact that NJ the present day"
showmen are not able or willing 10 pay lion ex-
hhtors adequate wages Lawson WIS not in
den OF lions last evening. He received the re-
porter cordially: Il hope" he said. "you'll
tell the people something about lion tanning.
because everybody wants to talk to mo aboutthc
animals. and maybe ] can get u rest If The SUN
prints nm article on thcm"
Lawson has made study OF lions. and
through all his long and Mt times. worry exciting
experiences in the dens he has never consid-
cred himself too old at the trade to learn some
thing now. He WIS pupil of tho veteran An
drew Pierce whom Lawson pronounces the
best lion tanner over seen in this country
Charley White" he said. q" s the hravcst man
| who oyer entered a den. He is covered with
| scnrs from head to foot. He has lost the use Of
his left arm and side through handling lions"
Pierce is now With Montgomery Queens circus
in California. White is we'll known to the pat
rons Of Barnum's great show.
Lawson first made the acquaintance Of the
lion ly scrnpng the d,ns. This was when he
WAS travelling with James Nixon's Niblo's Gar
| don circus. Later, while employed in Adam
/ ForcpauEhs menagerie. Col. Hall. the tanner.
was injured. and Lawson took his place. The
| show was in Philadelphia at the time. Hall had
! been in Il den with two lions and two tigers. and
there had h, IN terrible FIGHT among the ami
! ma's in the course of which Hall had been bit
| tn ON the shoulder. ], was the first time that
| performing lions and tigers had been put to-
! gethcr in any American. mcnageric Lawson
/ undertook 10 run this quartet. he was almost
| dish,nrt'ned. For nearly three weeks he
| fought tncm daily and was scratched
and torn until he scarcely ec~An
himself in the looking glass, Vt last sue
ccc,.ded in training them to 90 various iricks.
d9-atl shed With the almost constant quarreliing
of the beasts, and they were finally put N sepa-
rate d.ns. Col. Hall never recovered from his
wounds.
Lawson remained FOUR years with Forepaueh
as the -uprrintnden; Of the geological depart
m.nt Of III" show. In the winters he was en-
/ Four lions or Hon"s.Os constitute den 4" II
, they were young lions continued Lawson.
used To- 10 into tn don evory morning
with broom and sweep the floor. Then the
| brushed them with the broom. This they
did NOT like at first hut they gradually
became used to seeing ne. and skipped around
me Ike kittens. Taught them t,rir places in
TIE den- 50 that there might b, no nIl-under-
but ync 81 them was boss over the others This
on" hecanl" my special lst and sssthnt some
time, however lac renel,ed ae"nst my 9gihori-
~ hut always brought him t. terms. II he or
| others hrrhnle warlikc. | clipped the claws OF
their Tore paws to the quick, and this took the
| light out Of them AT once. To trim thu claws
was no -asy Job. l WAS compelled TO en-, n the
iorelegs in slip moose and throw the animal
down; then. while lie was held down by men
| outside the cell. did the clipping. | never
clipped ION second time 1t makes them
| timiI. and destroys their lion nature.
Col. Thomas Davi. WAS eat almost to death
wns 'nii.i IN 70 freak the animals ifn9nd II
n"r' -~nry - cur the claws. II the lion l. siN or
Sov"n years old and has never been handled
b" must b' chummei with "a trained lion the
awful hight They Will claw and h,te cnch other
for two weeks or moro. 1t the pet is the victor.
then the conpuer?r must bc dragged
hot irons. The lions roars at such times can
be heard tire" block m. / stand IN the den
forehead and ON III" nose. 1t wonldn'i do for
IN" o. mt him on the side or back. ! have four
iron hsrs. 10 protect me. hut do all the talking
in TACT yell Ut the top of my voice. | con
! -taitly repeat the same words which | to
uso m exhibiting the lion ANYBODY can beat A
hon when he is lied down: the dangerous N M
is Ia enter the den and beat hi when he is not
tied. On such occasions hcat the animal fast
and swift on the forehead and nose with the
loaded whip. Lions have stood before me- like
statues whlr pounded them thus l. OF course
keep up Il furious Yelling But there is danger
Of OVERRIDING IT, aud thrn your risk is great
Much has Oscn laid about transiiNing or ter
ritying lion 10y looking mo his eyes. know
all about that Catch his eye and fix yours
upon him. his eyebails slowly begin IL expand
and he becomes blind Then n. VIII turn his
head SO that he may recover his vision. Look
out for yourself at such "A tim, When he faces
around again be- ready 10 strike person ont
side the den may starr into tho animal. eyes as
long rs he chooses but an oNuori.n. ed lion Will
quickly turn away when tho Keeper in tho don
attempts the use of his eyes | meyer had the
slil,lt'.,l f.ar when | ont rod A don and In that
lbs my success When was cut Icr, ip0intinl.
10 "A long mark iust over his nosrl tie blood
lillci me eyos anu bin led me- bu. kert On
ynlling and using my whip and thai say Il me-
II had showed Il sign Of wrakn -. | might
have been torn To understandable would have
been
Last year. on Decoration Dav. while was
with Ho,ve's & CueLiult's cir.is I Vent with a
DIN ~ lions IN IN. nr1',.,sinn. oid Ptrkrr ina
famous animal who ili.i in Central Purk som.
tiInn ago and who In n ra.DlI of four mon