The weekly defiance., 1883-02-24
LiOn-Taming.

publican reporter of George Conklln,
the lion-tamer and elephant-breaker u
the circus now in winter quarters at the
Fair Grounds.
"No, have not got dollar on it,
I'm not a good risk, and the companies
won't write me-"
"How do YOU feel Ehen you enter tbs
den Of the lions and tigersp'
aI trv not to think Of anything, bnl
I soon feel the excitement, which grad
ually becomes delrium. Some time
ago / was putting family Of leopards
through their performance, and, while
working one Of them, another fastened
her fangs on the rear part Of my thigh,
and vet, through the excitement, never
felt the pain. Indeed, it was My when
/ turned round to engage one Of the
other animals that | found the brute
had me fast, but I cowed her down.
This, however, can not always oe done,
and as an instance Of this 1 recall the
death Of my friend Herr Lengel,> Of
Philadelphia. | received this extract
from one of my Australian correspond
onts:
"'Mr. G. "A. Courtney, proprietor
and manager Of the geological circus
bearing his name, wrote from san DO
mingo, w. l., September 16, as under:
stLast night at ten O'Clock the we'll
known lion-tamer, Herr Elijah Lengel,
of Philadelphia, Pa, entered the den Of
the Brazilian tigers attached to the Cir
Gus, and had nearly concluded his per
fOrmanco with them when he made
false step, and one of the tigers caught
him by the head and neck, and in less
than five seconds he was torn to pieces.
His iugular vein was cut, his ear on the
right side completely eaten off, and bis
body was mass of mangled flesh and
bone. The tent was densely packed with
people, and the scene that followed it IS
fmpossible to describe. The guard and
also few private individuals com
imenced firing with reYolyers and rifles
lat the tiger, and sooT killed it, thereby
enabling the attaches to drag the body
Of Lengel through the compartment.
The remaining living tiger at once fell
upon the dead animal in presence Of
the audience and tore it into frag-
ments. N
tsDo YOU 60 armed into the cagespn
sNo, sir. Three years ago IN st.
Louis during the night the lions dragged
q performing leopard through the bars
and devoured it. When | went to the
cage next morning (Sunday) all thai
remained Of the creature was its head
and one leg. That Leopard was pei
and good performer, which drew the
people, and when told Mr.. Cole h
said: sWell, George, can you do any
thing with any of the other leopards?
II told him I'd try, and that afternoon
took q green animal and worked witt
her for some time. guess | tired he
out, for she came at me with blood il
her eve, SO | had to kill her-it wa
HobsOn's choice.n
"How did you kill her?"
sa[ struck her on the head with tn
butt of my whip can kill any leopar
lor tiger that way. Did you ever hear 6
an elephant freezing to death in May?
II never heard of an elephant dying.
'WeIi, four years ago we were gOln
to Denver by way of Pixies Peak, "a
the weather was warm enough for you
shirt-sleeves, but two days later it We
40 cold that one of my elephants g
frost bitten, and it was all | could do
get her to Denver, where she died on Ma
8. being literally frozen to DEATH
MIR. Conklin has been wild bea
,trainer for seventeen years, and b
BODY is covered with terrible scars, tt
result of the caresses more or le
demonstrative of his animals. Althoug
he has performed his lions thirtee
wears, he says that the slightest hest
ton or fear displayed by him wou
result in a ferocious attack upon hlr
He rules by fear.
.Then I am to understand that lit
which You have performed for yea
never has an affection for youP"
"Never-or rather Pinafo-e. Tn
know me very well and fear me, but.
they got the bulge on me, Id hard
present enough material for the Cor
ner to work on. All wild animals ma
directly for the throat, and in big ca
/ can always dodge 'em with hot iro
il they get so refractory as to endang
nv life. They are not afraid Of
firing off blank cartridges, and the me
risky thing do is to feed them fro
my hand with raw meat. The Dio
makes them banker after warm hum
blood, suppose. have been arou
wild beasts ever since / could walk; !
father was at it before was born, AMI
have a brother in the business now.
used to their traits and moods hav'
become thst ] can walk iato : strsn