The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-07-09
LIFE UNDER The CANVAS.
4 Circus Employees Hard Lot-vicious
Animals and Ions: MINDED IBorc.

animals anu LODE Nfrfcd tBOres.
The variety Of incident afforded by
travelling with circus and The nomadic
sort 81 existence il grants appeals strongly
10 certain traits ot human nature, and
there are never wanting r.en 10 fill every
sort Of position in entertainments under
canvas. With Barnum'5 snow, for in
stance. regiment OF subordnates are
employed. and every one Is as carefully
drilled for his work rs q soldier is for his
duties. But the glamour which invests
the life Of a circus employe will be
found to disappear behind the scenes and
many Disadvantage TO appear.
On the last night that Barnum was in
Brooklyn recently, a Tribune reporter
fcil into conversation with the man
in charge of the performing seals
in their cage Oh Wheels, before
they Appeared upon the staged and
went through their TRICKS Of drumming
tac banjo and guitar. one Of tia un-
ccu.h animals was picking away at the
las Of his cage with hs tlipper. He
thinks he has his banjo. remarked the
man in charge. land he will lie there by
the hour and DO that We take the timc
- teach them tricks when We are spend
ing the winter in Bridgeport One lass
To- know his animals To get along with
them. I car do anything with these
seals. but they would bite u stranger
See that seal pointing ID the lack OF one
# his hands, Well. a strange seal was
put in the cage a few days ago, and
when | wen. t. clean ii ont he bit me.
Yon see, he didn't know me.
"Of course, the case Of the lions and
the tigers j. the most dangerous. \ man
came near being killed in the lions cage
this morning. We ali thought be was a
'goner. Every man has two cages 10
care for, and we have to 20 in among all
The animals. / have one Of the lions
cages myself We only control them by
fear. or whips being 81 steel covered
with rawhic. The men IN charge Of the
Elephants have their goads ready Ia stick
into Tie animals whenever they are not
chained. The man there lgOlHting 10 the
next cage h,3 to sleep with the giraffe
cry night To- see tina. D. doe not get
..cE. Ii is the tculere-. aninlai We have
and Is the only giraffe ID ,nis c5mtry'
the reporter voltuoi 60 reLsrb thaJ
+ the CRATES tn.ort became sore 1t
would b. likely 10 prove eerious mat
ter, as IL was 80 l5.1.
Yes sad the .coget "A man vas
here the ether day WHO wished bis
throat was a5 long as the giradc's whom
ever he drank WHISKY. nnt that was
better than the questions some people
ask Why, some Of them appear to
now nothing 40 all when they get in the
circus They viii ask ii al animal eats
~ les down To sleep. II lion roar5
they ask what lac does that for. One man
wanted to know II the giraffe ever pat It's
] cad down to sleep. The women seem
TO think that the Wild animals must DO
everything different from what tame ones
ID. The majority Of people don't know
the simplest facts IN natural history, one
would think Ii the animals could talk
they would be able 60 tell many strange
things said about them don mean 10
say people can't read. bat they will look
mt those words, performing seals, on nv
wagon. and then ask me what the ami
mails are. Then they want 10 know why
we have water for them, ami what they
eat. when they sec what Wa feed them.
1t IS a pleasure 10 talk to any one who
something about the animals.
| done think ; 10 a month and board pays
Tor what We have to endure from the
animals and people every day. New
i Oh, lI,.duc.