, 1884-06-26
WHACK OR CETEWAYO.
a ST. Louis Darby Posing as a
Lion-Tamor in India
An American Circus Company Give
ing n show In the Great
Square OF CaIcntta---An
I~nterestIn= Interview.
Letter in St Louis R republican,

Letter in St Louis Republican,
@By the way, there is u circus company
playing here now, and one of its chief at
fractions consists of a son Of the great Zulu
king, Cetewayo. He is called young Ceta-
wayo;' sometimes on the bills Is posted up rs
Prince Cetswayo.' He has @ band of African
lions, five in number, most ferociOnS brutes,
which he claims to have captured In Zulu
land and brought over here as a sort of lOrdly
or kingly sport. He is showing now in VIII
sons circus, and does certainly do the lion
tanning business in splendid style. Van
Amburg could not approach Prince Cete-
wayo in making lions perform. He comes
out npparelel as an African prince, splendid
and fierce beyond description. He makes
the monarch brutes jump through burning
hoops and over flaming walls and all that
sort of thing, wonderful TO behold. The
circus Is near my hotel and a few days ago
dawdled around there in the forenoon and
strolled into the circus ground, which is on
the great open square of Calcutta, known as
the MADAM There was a baby elephant
standing tied to a post which Interested me-
and l played with the gentle little thing for
some time.
~As l turned away 1 observed a negro man,
dressed in European clothes, lettering about
near by. lie reminded me at the first glance
OF Uncle Jake's boy Whack so strongly that
l couldn't help speaking to him. As GOT
nearer he looked more like Whack than ever.
1t just SCENE to me that if he should speak
at all it would be to say: ~Mas'r Frank, you
haint got AIRY single dime about you JUS
now, have YOUR But he did not speak. He
seemed, on the contrary, to look shy and dis
concerted as 1 approached him. and to LOOK
furtlvely around for a place to sneak away
to. But l was bound not to let that Niger
escape me, for while he looked much like
Whack he also looked, save as to dress,
which was all Whack, very much Xix young
Cetewayo, the son OF the Zulu king. That
it was either Whack or young C~etewayo l
felt sure, and as Whack was old or dead l
thought l would try him on the African
prince, SO 1 said to him:
"'Lool; herel amt you Prince C~etewayoF"
"The negro looked confused, and he an
swered: 'Dats what dey call mo on dem
hand-bills Tor sho. Dey amt nc gettin'
round dat, mas'r. amt a-goin' to deny dat,
sab, l ajn't.'
"'What part of Missouri are you FROM
said l. without giving him time to think
"'St. Louis, sah,' said he rather hesitat-
ingly.
AZ thought So said 1. What was your
masters namef
"'W- was his name nswered Prince
Cetewayo. He lived at about Sixteenth and
Carr
at was t~rue'enough and l greeted him as
q countryman.
at is wonderful how small the world is
getting, isn't it'll
"By The way, it is true he made me think
of hack the very moment 1 put my eyes on
him, in dress, gait, and voice. Missouri mig
gers look alike. But this fellow is the king
OF lion-tamers. He also tunges elephants,
and is one OF the sensations, especially among
the natives of ndia, WIN are very fond of
exhibitions of wild beasts"
The writer inclosed in nis letter one OF the
handbills Of "Wilson's Great World Circus"
1t appears to be an American Institution.
and is probably the first venture Of the kind
set up under the ve.y shadows Of the Him
alayas since the ark, with its menagerie,
rested on one OF the peaks Of the Same great
range. Curiosity is the same the world over,
and humbug is not confined to the country
Of Barnum. Hence it is not surprising that
n swarthy native of st. Louis capable OF per-
sonnting a sou of the Zulu king in tho
capacity of the great lion tanner should i'm
pose on the gullibility of the Hindoos. and
her majssty's English subjects, and servant
OF the viceroy's bungalow.