Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-02-27
A LION ON HORSEBACK.
Rehearsal at Covent Garden of Feats by
Prince Leo.

Hr1nce Leo.
One Of the sensations of the holidays
will certainly be the lion who, though only
Is months old, is able to earn a very hand
some living for his proprietors, says the
Pail Mall Gazette. It was introduced to
him at a rehearsal which took place in the
arena of the opera-house one afternoon. II
was his debut in the English sawdust, ano
he thoroughly enjoyed himself. Do not
tender and toothsome reader, imagine that
Prince Leo is let loose in the ring. No
He is young and playful now, but some
day he might take it into his handsome
head to make leap into the stalls and
walk off with plump morsel which was
never intended for butchers meat before
measures could be taken to stop him.
A circular cage is run up in the ring
with connected top piece, which is let
down from the upper regions as a lid. A
pretty little white horse with lovely
white tail, with pad on his back and an
arrangement of armor on his name, Is
trotting round the ring. All is ready,
and gang of men wheel up a gorgeous
den to the door of the cage. Out bounds
the lovely young lion, a splendid beast In
admirable condition, roaring and gnash-
ing his teeth, rolling his eyes, and whlrl-
ing his tail around. | took it that these
signs denoted his pleasure in greeting his
old friend, the white horse with the flow
ing tail Before the lion had got well
out he was followed by a splendid Russian
boarhound which lives with him in per-
feet amity. The trainer is a German, a
short, well-built little man, with pair of
fine mustachios He is armed with a
whip only, and Immediately orders the
lion to take his place on wooden pedestal
about five feet high, which he does with
pleasurable placidity, Then the perfor-
nance begins.
After showing his obedience to his mas
ter with just snarl and a growl or two to
mark time, he is ordered to leap from his
pedestal onto the horses back, a feat which
he accomplished with ease and grace. The
horse then canters round the ring, the dog
following, and the trainer in the center
with his eve always on the lion. The
horse is a small one-not much bigger
than a pony. in fact-and it is quite won
derful how easy he takes to his rider, who
scales sixteen stone A platform is then
fixed up high enough for the horse to pass
under. Prince Leo mounts and jumps
from the horses back onto the platform,
and when the horse comes around again
ance of a frst-class equestrian. If his
master does not give the order the lion re-
mains on the platform. 1t is very comical
to see Prince crouching ON the platform
with his head bent do wn to watch the ap-
proach of the horse. He repeated this
feat several times without a hitch and
with a grace which made the performance
not only wonderful but pleasant to watch.
Virtue is rewarded with lump of meat.
Next comes a race. The horse, the lion,
and the dog tear around the ring, taking
a hurdle on the way with great pie sure,
though Prince opened his mighty jaws
and roared in tones which made me glad
of the iron barrier For the last act the
lion jumped onto the platform and fred a
pistol. A lump of meat dangled from a
string attached to the trigger, and that
was how it was done. The lion, by the
way, comes from Hamburg, and it is the
property of Hackenbach, the famous
animal dealer