Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-04-15
ANIMAL BILL.
HOW HYENAs WERE RENDERED All iBLE
WITH RED PEPPER.
A Veteran knimal-Tamer Relates BIS Ad.
ventures-Eow he Amputated the
Leg of Lion.

g Whoa there None OF your nonsense,
DIV hear! Not likely I'm goin' to put up
with any tricks from broken. kneed sor-
rel. not much. Whoa will you?
a gentleman with remarkably dilapi-
dated anatomy and an exceptionally
soueaky voice gave vent to the above ex-
pressions of remopstrance. He was en-
gagged in cleaning an old horse in one of
the livery stables on Broad street, and all
the while he was rubbing it down he kept
up a conversation, half to himself and half
to the animal.
That's Animal Bill" said the livery
stable proprietor to q reporter who hap
pened to be present. "Hes a strange
kind OF fellow. Has wonderful power
over horses-can do anything with EN-.
I've seen him mount new colt as had
never known what it was to have anyone
on his hack before and trot the critter
round like lamb. Go and talk to him.
Some Of his experiences with wild beasts
was caution. Get him to tell you"
The offer OF cigar and suggestion of
beer had a desirable effect, and in a few
minutes {" Animal Bill and the newsman
were hobnobbing in neighboring tavern.
a spare, peculiarly. shaped man was the
beast. tanner, with limping gait and
heavy cash IN his cheek. One ear is miss
ing from his head and three fingers from
his left hand. One thing was noticeable,
and that was the determined commanding
expression in his eyes. They were
wreatbed IL the shaggiest eyebrows and
lashes OF a reddish hue, and peered from
the mans overhanging hrows like live
Goals.
"Guess I'm pretty well scared and
gashed," said Bill. evidently noticing the
reporters scrutiny. "There's darned little
Of my carcass which can't show the mark
Of claws or teeth think I've been bitten
by nearly every animal as walks on four
legs, including the kangaroo, which you
can call quadruped, just as you darned
well choose, but which terms a biped.
Yes, sir, animals have been my particular
grip ever since nature gave me the word
go. The first thing remember doing as
an infant was to teach the kitten to stand
on its head. AS | grew up l seldom ap-
peared without strips of court plaster and
plenty OF scratches on my hands, not to
speak Of patches all over my pants, cause
all my time was employed in teaching the
dogs in the neighborhood to walk on their
hind legs like soldiers. | hardly know
when l got the title OF Animal Bill. |
'spect it was when | started out as street
Snowman, with happy family consisting
of ferret, a rat, q terrier, two monkeys,
a mocking-bird, a cat, two sparrows and a
rationale. Lord how beautiful it was
to see the affection those animals enter
tanned for each other | taught it 'em
all. Why, the snake used to coil itself In
a ring, leaving a round space in the center
OF its folds as sort Of nest for the pair of
sparrows and the mouse to sleep in and
as for the ferret and the rat, they wor-
SHIPPED each other. How did | do it =?
Wen, that's giving away the secrets of the
trade. But I'll tell eyou one thing-the
best thing I ever knowed to teach an ami
nal the benefit of amiability was red pep
per.
TANNING HYENAs.
Gone winter, about fifteen years ago, in
New York, I seed an advertisement in the
papers which said that man was wanted
as would take care Of and tame hyenas.
apply to 4. B., box "a Herald Office. l
answers a. B., and says: I'll take that
job yours truly, Y. T., box ~. That
brought me together with certain show
man, as you knows as well as do. After
arranging wot was to get for the business,
he takes nae to the den, and there were
two of the unpleasantest hyenas as had
ever seen in show or anywhere else.
They're little skittish, says the show
man. You bet. says | !; how they do
iarf. Well, I got those hyenas put into
solitary confinement, and for about two
weeks I tried my hardest to mash EN-. |
fed 'em, / tickled 'em with a six-foot
pole il the ribs, 1 got irons and
burnt the ends of their shouts,
woke EN- up with pals of ico-
water in the middle of the night, just to
show 'em my power, and the darned
animals layted harder than ever. This
aggravated ne awful, and determined to
try conclusions with 'em face TO face in the
cage SO I arms myself with thong of
leather with loaded handle, and one fine |
morniug 7 entered the lodging of hyena !
No l with pork chop for his breakfast. |
He immediately few at me- and hit i'm
crack over the head which would have !
killed bullock. AL he does is to crouch |
in corner of the cage for about two min. |
utes and larf as if he'd break bis sides ; !
then he suddenly jumps at me again and |
got his fangs in my arm just above my ell. |
bow. | HIS away at his carcass with all |
my force, and at last he let go and skunk |
away to his corner, which gave me chance |
of getting outside the bars. | was pretty |
badly bitten. but got the wound cauter- |
lied and the next day | goes for nv hyena !
friend again, and with the same result on
both sides he nearly got his skull broken |
and I got another bite, this time on the |
leg.
RED PEPPER.
20 l was thinking as was eating my din |
ner IN front of the hyenas' cages day or |
two after that | had better give up the .
business. / should like TO make you larf |
on the other side Of your internal mouths |
Just once, says l, aloud, and up comes the
two animals TO the front of their dens and |
stretching Of their jaws they gave me a /
succession OF smiles which would have |
aroused the temper of an angel. | hap |
pened TO have a castor of red pepper on the |
table, and an idea struck me- l empties
handful of the pepper in my hand, and !
walks up 60 the darned skunk as bit my arm |
and SHES it in his face and down his |
throat. Holy Moses, how he did Jump !
round de rolled and wriggled and |
screwed himself about like bug on
needle, but he never uttered sound. There /
wasn't n larf left in him, 1t was three |
days before he smiled again, and then |
I enters his cage once more. He made
ready to spring. gave him another hand
iul Of pepper. kept up that game for
over six weeks, and at the end of that time !
my two hyenas were as tame as rabbits, |
for put the other one through the same |
treatment All had to do at last was to |
enter their dens with red bottle in my |
hands; that was enough. A motion with |
my hand and they'd crouch in their cor
ners as quiet and peaceful-hke as
baby elephants. l afterward taught |
those two animals to do all !
sorts of tricks, and became so &C.
customed to their larhng that l quite
enjoyed it. l travelled good deal with
the show to which these animals belonged /;
they were called the only tame hyenas in
the world, and made the boss a lot of
money. After staying with 'em for two
years left for place with another show
man as offered me more money"
ANPUTATINC A LIONS LEG.
q" Yes, I've had many advantages in my
time, sir, but as the Judge said to the
General, it's long time between drinks.
Pardon the hint, sir, here's t'ye; get