Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1877-07-12
All About Lion Tanning.

pretty severe lesson.-hrookiyn (N. ~
Eagle.
All About Lion Tanning.
\ lion tanner, with forty-two reminis-
cenccs Of encounters with the beasts OH
his face, neck, back, breast and limbs,
lives at 545s Hudson street New York.
He is barely thirty three years OF age. is
of fair complexion, has brown hair and
and is of robust build His
eye is quick and searching; and: without
any reflection upon the courage
OF the king OF the forest, it may truth
fully be said that Frank p. Lawson is
bravcr than lion. Within the past ten
years, nearly all the showmen and almost
every lion in America have, been intro
duced to Lawson. Owing to the fact
that this has been a bad season for cir
cuscs and mcnagcries. and more especi-
ally to the fact that at the present day
showmen are not able or willing to pay
lion exhibitors adequate wages, Lawson
was not in den of lions on the evening
that q New York Sun reporter visited
him. Iie gave the reporter some iii
tercsting information in regard to his
dangerous calling.
Lawson first made the acquaintance Of
the lion by scraping the dens. This was
when he was travelling with James Nix
on's Niblo's Garden circus. Later, while
employed in Adam Forepaugh's menag
erie, Col. Hall the tanner. was injured, and
Lawson took his place. The show was in
Philadelphia at the time. Hall had been
in Den with two lions and two tigers,
and there had been terrible fight among
the animals, in the course Of which Hall
had been bitten on the shoulder. 1t was
the first time that performing lions and
tigers had been put together in any Amer
ican menagcric. Lawson had been in the
dcnS before, but when he undertook to
run this quartet, he was almost disheart
cncd. For nearly three weeks he fought
them daily, and was scratched and torn
until he scarcely recognized himself in
the looking glass. At last he succeeded
in training them to do various
tricks, but he never trusted them. Fore
paugh became dissatisfied with the almost
constant quarrcling Of the beasts, and
they were finally put in separate dens.
Col. Hall never recovered from his
wounds.
Lawson remained four years with Fore
paugh as the superintendent of the ZOO
logical department of the show. In the
winters he was employed in "breaking,"
Or training, the animals. -Four lions Or
lionesses constitute den. IF they were
young lions. continued Lawson, Il used
to 60 into the den every morning with Il
broom and sweep the floor. Then the
youngsters crouchcd in corner, and
brushed them with the broom. This they
did not like at first, but they gradually
hccamc used to seeing me, and skipped
around nc like kittens. taught them
their places in the dens so that there
might he No misunderstanding between
us Each had his own place, but one OF
them was boss over the others. This one
became my special pet and assistant.
Sometimes, however, he rcbelled against
my authority, but I always brought him
to terms. If he or others became war
like, clipped the claws Of their fore
paws to the quick. and this took the fight
ont of them at once. To tim the claws
was no easy job. was compelled TO
catch the torc-lcgs in 4 slip-noose and
throw the animal down: then. while he
was held down by the men outside the
cell, did the clipping. never clipped
a lion Il second time. 1t makes them
timid. and destroys their lion nature.
SCOT Thomas Davis was cut almost to
death in den in Frcnch's circus in
Chicago, ana I WAS called in to break the
animals. found it necessary to cut the
claws, If the lion is six or seven years old
and has never been handled, he must be
ch,mmcd with Il tame lion, the pet OF the
den. Then there is sure to be an awful
fight. They will claw and bite cacl,
other for two weeks or more. II the pet
is the victor, that settles it. I can easily
master the vanQuished one. But, if the
pet is defeated then the cOnqueror must
be dragged down and burned on the
paws with hot irons. The lions roars at
such times can be heard three blocks off.
I stand in the den with a loaded rawhide
and pound him on the forehead and on
the nose. 1t wouldn't do for me to hit
him on the side or back. have four AS
sistants in attendance outside the den
with iron bars to protect me, but l do ali
the taiking-in fact, L yell at the top of
my voice. / constantly repeat the same
words which am to use IN exhibiting
the lion. Anybody can beat a lion when
he is tied down; the dangerous thing is
to enter the den and beat him when he
is not tied. On such occasions beat
the animal fast and swift on the forehead
and nose with loaded whip. Lions
have stood before me like statues while I
pound them thus. I, of course. keep up
furious yelling. But there is danger of
OVERRIDING it. and then your risk is great.
"NIucl has been SAID about transtixin <
or terrifying lion by looking into his
eyes, l know all about that. Catch his
eye and fix yours upon him, his eyeballs
slowly begin to expand and he becomes
blind. Then he will turn his head so
that he may recover his vision. Look
out for yourself at such time. When
he faces around again be ready to strike.
A person outside the den may stare into
the animals eyes as long as he chooses,
but an experienced lion will quickly turn
away when the keeper in the den at
tempts the use of his eyes. l never had
lllC SllyntCSt lCitl NIicn CutCACu uC1A
and in that lies my success. When was
cut here pointing to a long mark just
over his nosc) the blood filled nay eyes
and blinded me, but kept on yelling
and using my whip, and that saved me.
If l had showed sign of weakness, l
might have been torn to picccs-probably
would have been.
''Last year, on Decoration day, while l
was with Howe & Cushing's circus, I
went with alden of lions in the process
sion in New York. Old Parker, the ia
nous animal who died in Central Park
some time ago. and who left record Of
four men killed, was in the den. There
was great crowd in the street, and as
we were turning the corner of Sixteenth
street and Fourth avenue, some boys STIR
red up the lionesses, and they began to
fight. tried to stop them, and used the
whip vigorously. Canada, an immense
lion who was behind me, sprang upon my
back and fastened his teeth in my waist.
Then he suddenly let go his hold and
crouched in his corner. / was bleeding
and vexed, and 1 ordered the driver to