Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-11-07
TANNING LIONS.

/
"The little man standing over there
by the cage of monkeys is the lion
tanner" said Mr.. Barnum to a represen-
tative of the st. Louis Globe Democrat.
An introduction was arranged, and DIR.
Charles White, the man who had eoaxed
the Nubian monarch to become as q
kitten, said he would be at leisure as
soon as he had fixed up dose for a
man who had chill under the hyena
cage Almost 1.-THE in build, he is five
feet eight inches out of his boots, and
pulls down the scales at $50. He is
modest to degree that is captivating
because modest men do take. He is
reticent, or was at the start, in meas
ure that was exasperating, for when a
man is expected to talk and won't, or
hesitates, he is of all creation the most
exasperating.
1.-THE world is mistaken about this
thing of tanning lions,n lie said, as he
looked around at baldheaded monkey
that had reached out for his sparsely-
covered head.
Doesn't he require the will power
and the peculiar grit of the gods of
which the juvenile learnedP" was asked.
don't know anything about it, he
answered, quietly. You have got to
take the same common sense rule about
the government and control of lion
that is used among men; only, | must
say, had rather attempt to tame cage
OF lions and tigers and leoparGs than
some men l have seen."
1t was suggested that he must have
some rudimentary idea about the bust
| ness.
No, never thought anything about
that" he replied. You see l started
out in 1916 with old Van Amburgh. l
was the man who took care of the har-
ness. and that brought me around the
cages a good deal. After a while / got
so that could take ion by the paw.
1t seemed to come naturally. never
tried to do anything to make lion
afraid of me. / never thought of such
thing. l never felt afraid of lion,
and somehow or other l don't think a
lion ought to be afraid of me. We kind
o. took to each other" he finished with
pleasant smile. He was asked when
and where he first entered cage.
II commenced going into the cages
when we were on the road, in 1913.
| Not in public, but around before and
after the performances. The first cage
| ever entered was one that contained
two African lions; they were young,
but had been partially trained by an
other. They knew me, of course, but
they never made any demonstrations.
Where was your first public exhibit
tionp"
| "In 1854, with Barnum."
"Was there anything of note connect
ed with that event?"
"No, only | created a sensation by
taking bucket of blood in the cage,
which an old lion licked up and then
laid down"
In reply to a question relative to
something thrilling in his career, he
said:
q was with Thayyer & Noyes in
Rochester on July 4, 1867, We gave
three exhibitions on that day. l had a
cage of what are known as the man
eaters. They are of all the lion tribe
the most dangerous. You know lion
hunters sometimes build fires about
their hammocks or places where they
sleep, to keep lions away from them?"
EYES," was said eagerly, so as to en-
courage Mr.. White.
Nv ell, a man. eating lion isn't afraid
of fire.. He would just as soon walk
over it and carry man away as dead
head would come into this show"
Il went into the cage at night and
| had always noticed that one in the cage
was nervous in his temperament, for
lions are like human beings in that re-
spect. The least unusual thing would
attract him. l had stopped to let him
jump over my back, and in his jump
portion of his body was erased by a
whip held. He sprang back, knocked
me down, and seized the skirt of my
dress; he had me under his forepaws,
and l was powerless. Charley NOyes
happened near, and he seized an iron
bar and struck the animal over the head.
1t caused him to release me, and then |
piled the whip to him till he crouched at
my feet,
| why, of course | was bleeding. He
had torn my shoulder and crippled my
right arm so that have never been able
to get it above my head since; but
knew must subdue him, ard l did; it
was six weeks before l appeared in a
cage again"
The bald-headed monkey had made
another attack on the lion-tamer, and
he turned around to the root of the OAR
winian theory and said, You'll not get
any supper if you don'tquit that" The
monkey without hair seemed to under
stand.
II spent three weeks in the Sisters
hospital here in st. Louis" said the
doctor, in very quiet way.
"When was thatP"
"In 1870. l was with Robbins,
Strong & Henderson. We had been
showing in some Missouri towns, when
an African lion attacked me. / wasn't
seriously hurt, but there was something
about that affair of which I have to tell
you. | had pet lioness i'll cage, and
she was beauty. never loved an an.
imal as | did her. had raised her by
hand, and my own boy used to play
with her as if she had been kitten"
What did she have to do with itp'
well, when the lion attacked me she
sprang upon him. and there was strug-
gle betw cen them until got on my feet
and curbed the assailants. That pet
never forgot that night, and had to
take her out of the cage"
"These animals, then, have attach
ments the same as humanp"
=" Yes, / have found them so. Now
there are two lions and lioness over
there" pointing to cage ofNumidians !;
lone of these fellows had a strong at
tachment for a lioness. and SO had the
other at one time. But that one point
ing to the grander looking of the two
"thrashed the other daily until he gave
up, aDd now the one he thrashed couldn't
be persuaded to put his nose against the
lioness. And it is the same with people.
They take fancy to some people, and
are easily subdued, but / find there is
nothing like kindness"
How is it with lieness; is shemor
easily trained or subduedp"
"a lioness is just like woman. II
depends altogether on how you take her,
OF how she takes you"