New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-01
IN A CAGE WITH LIONS.
EDWARD DARLING's POWER OVER SAVAGE
ANIMALS
HIS AFRICAN PETS YIELD TO HIS wILL-Ho"

along between high piles Of dsused canvas i"c'e
deep. ominous grow behind the iron bars ol
cage in the extreme upper left hand corner Vi 'io
stage the approached IT, The stage was Set
with scene representing a room in Neros palace ana
the actors were shouting their lines. and breathing
hard. There no light in the extreme rear Oh olc
stage excepting the occasional from the ooroer
lights that struggled in through crcviccs In the pah
drop.
when they heard that growl the men stopped 1t
sounded so terrible there in the dark that for moment
they were afraid.
ais it safe to 60 ont" asked one OF the mon,
Tribune reporter.
ENTIRELY so,' replied Mr.. Brady. the manager OF
"Ncro' but keep out Of reach Of their claws
In another moment the men were in front Of the
cage In which confined the lions with which tho
intrepid Edward Darling performs other tanner
Of Wild beasts has ever performed before the public In
this country at any rate. II was 50 dark back there
behind the great piles Of scenery that only the yellow
outlines of three OF the lions lying near the bars OF
the cage could be disccrncd.
"They,rc asleep. guess let's wake them mp" said
Mr. Brady ard he began TO prod the nearest lion with
piece Of board about four feet long. three inches
wide and an inch thick The sleeping Hon never
moved but again there came low, fierce growl from
the opposite side of the cage. glance In that dTec
ton showed only pair OF eyes. cleaning Ike lamps
in the darkness. There was another growl, almost
roar and n heavy body hurled itself through the air
teeth Of the powerful beast, while his claws were
stretched through the bars toward the men How
eager he seemed to reach them and how Savageiy
he forced his teeth into the wood Mr.. Brady trled
10 twist the board out Of the lions mouth ana
tho great beast actually bit the board In two. When
;he piece OF board was withdraw the broken emu
showed that the teeth OF the lion ha: gone through
it as clearly as If they had been Of steel fastened 10
Jaws OF iron.
JDro-p Mr. Darling rot everything TcaHN
for the peri finance Of the Hons lie would talk about
his pets he said after the performance was over ana
they had been fell and made comfortable Tor inc night
Meanwhile the reporter and Mr. Brady watched pro-
cecdines from the wings. The manager sad lhaV 'io
cage had been put In the dark corner OF the stag io'
two reasons. one that the Hons liked the u"'",
md the other that there 1t was out of the way OF
he scene shiiers. chorus girls. suporS' ana aclo''
The lions he said. tame enough with Mr.. par
ling whom they recognized their master but 10
all other human beings they were as Wild ana heT'' ~
II they had never left the African forests whence most
of them came in Infancy.
When the curtain came down at the end OF the sec
ond act score OF employees seized the great IRON
cctons which compose the cage in which the lions per-
form in full view Of the audience and soon had them
fastened together in circular form. and to the stage
Itself An iron barred pas-agcway extended rom NV
living car 70 the one the stage. Ny. Daring ''-
tered the former and led the lion, out into the passage
way one ly one. each then totine Oh, I" Ms Iesu"
place I'm the performing ring. followed bV NJ D'H"S
and his big dog Nero. There are siX -s' IN AL Ou'
only five are used AT present the sixth Icing nervous
and therefore dangerous to handle. lie was alI""cn
70 remain in his cage. II Is pity that III" spectators
canno, see the performance from thr WINS II J.
certain that they would find II vastly more thrNI"s
than from the font Of the hrnsc for there ar dohe"
Or more critical sltuat n, that those IN Iont hc'T
appreciate and which the lion tanner himself alone
perhaps realizes thoroughly. ON this occasion ih'
Hons were inclined 10 BE- uriy and two OF them al f'
refused 10 d. their accg. toned trch-. Ihey e'O"e"
md showed their teeth bu, few smart blows from
the whip Of the brought them around. and they
vent through their performance sullcnly Nero. tie
dog PLAY fully bit the OF one # the spy bFutes
and received In return cuff on his own ear that sent
him several feet away. When Mr. Darling attempted
IN chain three Of the lions chariot two OF them
again sulkcd and crcuohci rs II 10 spring upon him.
while the frightened attendants in the wings stood
ready with long iron spears To- protect the courageous
man 4 few blows Of tie whip however, served to
bring the r.cat bru,cs into su!ectlon. one could not
help thinking If the constant danger o the tanner.
Had one Of the Hons snapped AZ him ard drawn M'"
q, blood there wouh have been Gre-ferociouS beasts
in the ring instead Of FIVE apparently tare Hons
When the curtain down one Of the lions refused
TO leave the ring and had to be whipped again lie
ran to his cage then but snarling end looking back
to the tanner
When Mr. Darling rejoned the reporter In the wings
he was covered with pcr-praion from head q fot
lie was asked II he ever felt afraid when performing
with the Hons.
Sot Of bodily harm" he replied although fully
realize the danger ! only afIah that the Hons
will be suy and not through their performance sat
isfactorily They are al young fellows. very strong
and very active ard n l. hard work 70 control them
DO control them throu-h fcarl Yes. partially. but
fear alone viii not control them. They are hc'h'
toned ~ obey me- have been with them every dar
since they little cubs. and they know me but II
any other man should attempt 10 do with them a. 40
they would tear him To pieces in twnkllic. They
are tame ony In that they have grown up In the
habit Of being subject +, the VIII Of man. WHY
wouldn't dare to leave my dog Ncro alone with them
FOR q moment. They would cat him mp. When am
before their eyes they know that they must do certain
things II they don't see me their Wild instincts are
uppcrmost.
Give Won history Of tie monsl With pleasure
Four OF them, Leo, Pacha sultan and Count. are ionf
wears old and almost fully developed, but not filed
out As much they VIII hc In couple Of years more
Prince and Brutus. the other two are two years "h
and are lively pair If youngsters as have ever
handled. Leo and Picha were brought - HAMBURG
rom Africa when they were cubs and about the same
time sultan and Count born at the animal farm
in Hamburg where was engaged trainer. Ihcae
four were each nine months Old when took charge
Of them and I had them fairly well trained "ien
tbe other two cubs. Prize" and Brutus, were Dr"'s
from Africa. The African cub, were captured in lions
dens by hunters who first killed the old ones Nat
ury the little ones. If not too young, are extremely
savage and It take, careful treatment To subdne hcI
even al AN early age. They arc fed milk until Md
enough TO eat meat From the first IT is necessary 10
show the young lions that you are completely their
master. when they are young that you '"n
LIT them and throw them about they learn tn rcsa"
you as powerful enough to do with them a. you please
and as they grow Older they don't to realize that
their own strength becomes vastly greater than yours
The utmost patience i required In teaching inc
lions 10 perform 1t took fourteen months To bring inc
four older lions to a point Of training which wOuu
warrant exhibiting them In public, and have iad mo
Younger ones with me exactly a similar peroh nov,
il is nrces 70 pursue distinctly mechanical coul
Ln and nNhlfing lhcn. Nmm NAV hive uOlIrcu