Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-07-21


Morning Ne,us reporter of Willis Cobb, who's
dogs, monkeys and steers are 80 prominen
a feature of Sells Bros. circus.
"Twenty seven years, all in all" was th
reply.
"Why, you don't look older than that,
responded the enquirer.
"Perhaps not, but I was born in 1842, ant
shall be forty come next February !; but 20,
see sowed my wild oats when was young
and haven't tried second CROP. neve
take liquor of any kind wouldn't drink {
glass of cider if I saw it crushed out of th'
apple never accept drink and never ash
anybody to take one. If there's anything or
earth a sensible animal detests it's whisky
BREATH"
"And what made you take to training ami
mails r"
swell, I was spoilt child, and my father
used to keep lot of black and tan terriers
which, on Saturdays, when 1 was about siz
years old, l used to take down to the levee to
see them 90 for the rats, and I soon taught
them lot of tricks. After that I got bull
terrier of my own, and made up my mind
he should talk, and I actually taught him tc
say, oh, no !" I WON'T and Mormon almost
as naturally as human creature. l sold
him to horse dealer named John Carmon
who took him across the plains to California
Now, of all the dogs in the world to train, a
bull terrier is the easiest you can make them
do anything. l next got hold of six German
poodles, nine months old, and taught them
scores upon scores of tricks"
"Is much cruelty required ?"
"Cruelty? You just once try cruelty and
make the dog afraid of you, and he will new
er be trick dog. Kindness and patience
are all you want, and every time you scold
dog you have all your work to do over again.
Suppose you want to teach dog to hold up
one leg, just gently clip him on that leg with
a snap Of the fingers he won't understand at
first, but when he does hold it up, pat him
and speak kindly, then try it again, and hold
it up, always using the same words: Go
lame He gets the words and the action to-
gether in his mind and never forgets either,
and you teach him to walk by leading him
round in the same way, always patting him
when he does right"
"Do you deprive them of food or reward
them with extra rations 7"
Neither I feed my dogs three times a
day, light breakfast, lunch after the mat.
inee, and when the circus is over good full
meal. I've got ten dogs here, Russian poo.
die, Spanish poodle, English water spaniel
a coach dog, and black-an d.tans. The Rus.
sian poodle is my boss dog, and christened
him Bloss, after poor Bloss, who was killed
while on the Cincinnati Enquirer, who said be
was the cleverest dog he had ever seen, but
he couldn't read his copy. Old Bloss is
twelve years old, and knows more than many
a human.
"My next trial was with two ponies, and
two mules. The mules were for Dan Castel-
10: I then taught horse which christened
Fred Hunt, after another newspaper man. l
played him through the country with the
dogs, and then sold him to John Robinson,
Jr.
81 then took to training goats, which was
no easy matter, but taught two of them to
fire pistol, walk on their knees, lie down,
sit up and make an ascension up two inch
plank to pedestal twenty feet high.
"But the worst animals to train are mon
keys. They are cunning, lazy and vicious,
and these scars" showing numerous marks
upon his hands, "are the result of monkey
bites. One big brute, that I named Jack
Darwin, tight rope and la perche artist,
bit me through the ball of the thumb, and |
came very near dying Of lockjaw. He took
sick, and I nursed him night and day, but he
died about four years ago. You are never
sure when monkey is going to turn on you,
and their bite is more dangerous than IT,
gers for they've got three cornered tusks like
a bayonet.
"When I'd got my monkeys, goats and
dogs I started miniature circus, the first ev-
er run in the world. Old Bloss was my
clown, and a cleverer never entered a ring,
either on four legs or two.
"About two years ago Mr. Lewis Sells sent
for me to Columbus, Ohio, to know if would
undertake to educate for trick acts half doz.
en- steers. AS I'd made up my mind there
was no animal on earth 1 could not teach,
undertook the job, but it was tedious one.
taught them separately, and it took me
two weeks apiece even to teach them to walk
into the ring as wished them. 1t took a
whole year to make them what they are, one
steer and one trick at time. And they
were ugly, too. Once the whole six made
a stampede after me, but luckily was armed
with a policeman's club and big rawhide,
and I cowed them. There's no appealing to
the gratitude of a steer now, dog is open
to any act of kindness, so is monkey, and
they will get as jealous as woman if you
pet one and neglect the other.
"My dogs are not allowed to eat except at
stated times. If one picks up bone he is
reprimanded for it, and he soon learns not to
touch anything foreign to his allowed food
My dogs have regular valet, who feeds,
washes, combs, and dresses them, and when
at home each one has his own little house
and his exercise yard. and the valet has his
quarters close by. When I want them to
take exercise, it is running and jumping after
a ball, which calls every muscle into action. y
"Now, if man with ready money in his
hand were to come into this rotunda and ask
you to name your price for your dogs and
monkeys, what would you-take"
"There isn't money enough in the United
States to buy them. They are everything in
the world to me. l was poor, after having lost
fortune; they have made me rich these
poor animals love me, and love them. They
have clothed my wife; they have educated
my children. have lovely home, and
they have bought it for me; and they car
earn me from two to three hundred dollars
a week the year round and, useful or useless
young or old, halt, lame or blind, they shal
have good home while | live"
"They all belong to you, then ?"
eyes, the dogs and monkeys are mine, thu
steers belong to the circus"
"Did you ever try to tame any other ami
mails ?"