The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-05-05
LIFE IN THE DENs.
"reminiscences Of a Veteran Animal Tanner.
A Tutors Experience With Pupils Who Try
rl to Devour Him-Creatures That XIII
From Pure Cussedness.
philadelphia Record.1

"Like to come in here with me2"
II should smile if did"
Sand so would Clipper, too; wouldn't you,
Clipper2" and "Clipper" replied by giving a
savage snarl and exhibitinga row of ivories
which were only wanting the opportunity to
show what cruel work they could do.
Such was the brief dialogue between Pro
fessor Alfred Still, the renowned wild beast
tanner, and a visitor to the Mammoth Show
at the lower end of Broad street, yesterday
afternoon, Professor Still was brushing up
the apartments occupied by four ferocious-
looking tigers at the time, while the family
were still at home.
"They knock each other about fearfully at
times" remarked Professor Still, at the same
time brushing one and then the other of his
pets with his broom. "Why, often see them
raise themselves on their launches and Just
square off at each other like a couple of pro-
fessional prize fighters"
Having "tidied up the room" as a house.
wife would say, the Snowman related some
of his "reminiscences of the beasts of the for
est.
''I'm going to prepare their supper for
them, and if you'll just sit down while cut
the fat away from this meat I'll give you
bit of my experience. You see, have to cut
all the fat away, because, if it is left there,
the animals, having no exercise, would soon
become so fat around the lungs that it would
kill them. was engaged in taking care of
wild beasts in London for man named
Charles Rice, celebrated animal importer
when an offer was made to me to go out
with Jim Myers circus in the same capac-
ity Shortly after became acquainted with
the animals tn IRE, John Cooper, who was per-
forming with them, got badly chewed up by
lion one night lie was cruel trainer,
and although he was considered good one,
he didn't know when he had whipped an
animal enough. You see all wild animals
require a certain amount of whipping; but
there's such thing as whipping them too
much, and that makes them sulky and ugly.
Well, was saying that Cooper got badly
chewed up and had to be sent to the hospital.
Myers came to me and asked me if would
be afraid to go into the cage. 1 said: No,
am not afraid; but I'd like to know what is
| to become of me If one of the rascals should
attack me and perhaps MAIN me for lifeF
Myers assured me he would take care of
me as long as / lived; that l should not want
| for anything ifany accident befell me. So
went into the cage that night and got along
so well that the audience didn't know but
| that / was the regular performer. / aston
ished myself with my success, and the lions
with my impertinence, and the consequence
was retained my place.
"In 1871 / came over here and trained
| those four tigresses you see in the cage there.
| They are the most dangerous brutes in the
world, and | suppose some day they'll send
| me scampering up the golden stairs. You
| can never trust tiger. A lion will make
| friends with you, and will not kill you, unless
| he becomes enraged or is hungry and wants
| to make good square meal on you; but a
| tiger will kill you just from pure cussedness.
| Of course, 1 have been chewed up some
| expect that, you know. See, both my arms
| and hands are SCARED. L was bitten three
| times in two months in France Once a lion
| bit my left arm through the wrist-making
that scar; tore four deep gashes in my right
i arm with his claws, scored some deep fur
| rows down my back, and in the fight tore
| everything off me except my trousers. The
blood Just poured from me; but / got heavy
| iron club passed to me and belted that lion
| until he had more than he wanted. Go out
| Of cage before an animal is thoroughly
| whipped after he has bitten you, and you can
never go in again without his trying to bite
| you again. Lions and tigers raised in cap
tivity are more dangerous than those which
are we'll broken when taken wild and full
grown.
"Some trainers in olden times used to clip
their claws, but / never did except that cage
| of panthers there, and clipped their claws
because my wife performs with them, and
| you know / would not like her to take chances
which would. One of those panthers is
lust as gentle as Kitten remarked the
tanner, putting his hand covered with blood
from the meat he had been handling through
the bars and patting the animal on the nose;
and subsequently going into the cage he
fondled the creature as child would pei
| kitten, while the other members of the group
retired to the further end of the cage and
Kissed and howled like demons.
'sTo train q wild beast" continued the
Professor, "frst make its acquaintance from
the outside of the cage and get the animal
| acquainted with your face; but, above all
with your voice. They become accustomed
to voices sooner than faces, and are governed
more by sound than by sight. Having got
accustomed to your beasts, and they accus-
toned to you, your next step is to train them
to their tricks. Though these tricks are sim.
pie, they require a great deal of time and
patience, and a good deal of whipping tc
accomplish them. The lions are the smart.
est of the wild beasts. You can train lion
to do the ordinary tricks of the trade-7jump.
ing through hoops and over gates, standing
on his hind legs, and so on-in about five
weeks constant work. 1t will require about
week longer to teach lioness, and a leop.
ard, which comes next to lion III intelli-
gence about six weeks to learn the same
feats. 1t takes about seven or eight weeks tc
teach a tiger, and tigress from eight tc
nine weeks, while you can keep on beating
and teaching hyena for four months before
you can do much with him. The most
difficult thing to do is to teach wild
beast to let you lie down on him without
his trying to make you lie in him by eat
ing you up. Kindnenss-that is, any.
thing tut ordinary civility-is abso