The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-06-24
A LION TAMER.
Observations Of Man Who SUBJ
dues Wild Beasts.
How Vie Came to Adopt Ills Dangerous
Profession - The Nature of Lions
and How They Are Taught
to Perform.

y
Col. Boone-big Col. Daniel Boone,
once of the confederate army, FOR many
years superintendent of the National
Geological gardens of Peru, and at one
time military instructor in the Peruvian
army-was talking about lion-taming.
He had just finished an exhibition with
his trained beasts in the theater near
by. In one corner of the round perform
ing cage the great cats had slept I'M
til the coloners step on the floor walked
them-slept much as house cats sleep,
rolled together gracefully, their paws
INTERVIEWING and their heads thrown
backward for comfort
At the word of command the lions
reused themselves, and after a glance
at their master they sprang to their
feet, crowding on each others heels in
their frightened haste 20 escape from
their sleeping pen into the performing
ring. Then they went through their
tricks while the band played, and the
audience kept very still. Only once did
the people applaud, and that was when
the trainers assistant drew her head
from the mouth of the ugly, snarling
lioness. But all was quickly stllled
when the colonel threw himself full
length on the floor and rolled and
played with the biggest of the lions as
though he had been a schoolboy and the
lion a dog. Had one of the brutes chos-
en- at that moment to vent the rage that
he really felt against his master, in
one quick blow of his great paw-but
he didn't.
II knew he wouldn't when | lay
down." said the trainer afterward;
otherwise | should never have lain
down. can tell, OF course, whether
1t is safe to begin my performance or
not There are ways of knowing.
shall tell you later on. There was once,
though. when | went through a per-
formance without that knowledge. 1t
was shortly after the close of the war.
was living in Lynchburg, Va, with
my folks and was trying to repair the
family estate by dealing in tobacco
Costello's circus came to town one day.
Among the performers was Herr Engel,
who was killed by a tiger the next year
in Hayti, great tiger trainer in his
day. He had cage of trained tigers
After the show, in the village hotel
met him, and he asked me if | was
afraid of tigers said was not.
Have you ever handled tigers?' he
asked
About six hundred of them re-
piled. had been colonel of the Louisi-
ana Tigers
This talk led to foolish wager that
on the next day, which was Sunday.
should go into the tigers den. The
next morning I met my friends, and
they asked me whether was going to
go into the cage.
OF course, | said, but | really had
forgotten all about il. We picked up
Herr Engel somewhere and went down
to the barn where the cages were
stored over night preparatory to NOV
ing to the next town.
You're not going into that cage
said one. Better look pleasant and
pay your bet
81 said that would follow the train
err, and follow him did. He first put
on a big linen duster. and taking his
whip he sprang through the door and
put the brutes through their PAGES.
When he came out put on the duster,
took the whip and leaped into the cage
like whirlwind. I yelled at the
frightened tigers, beat them right and
left, and sent them covering into their
corners The trainer and my friends
stood dumb with arnazemeut
Give me the hoop l called out
III go through the whole show
You'll come out at once-that's
wha, you'll do shouted Engel. You've
rislSed enough for one day
THAT is the way became an animal
trainer have been in the business
here, in South America, Europe and
Africa ever since"
You say everyone can't be a lion
traiaer?"
And everyone can't. II doesn't take
courage alone. Take, for instance, my
man Carl, who has been with Hagen
beck in Hamburg since he was baby,
and have had him fifteen years. He
can do everything with my lions but
make them perform He sweeps out
their cage half dozen times a dav, and
nc feeds them and caUeSses them. They
will run away from him and come to
HIM. but they would not act for him
\ man must have peculiar knack
which cannot explain - make him a
trainer Only one lion out Of three can
be trained You can't make an acrobat
out u every boy who goeS into a gym
naSis:un. can you9 ] have caught some
lions IN Algeria, but all that have
now bought Most Of them came
from the show that wer- to pieces in
Cincinnati None OF the bruteS were
tanned. even; short tirne 10 make NV
selection. bu, ! didn't require all Of
that. I, Is easier to pick out lion that
can be tanned than a man who can he
tau-h, . trade"
How SOP"
''Sinply nv knowing a lions nature
and putting 1t TO test. walk up TO
the cage where Mr.. Lion sits hit the
bars with my whip anu make puetens.
II put55o, my hands between them Ii
the hon throws himself against the
irons with . great spring and a roar
know that he : all right II he sulks
II one corner or comes up 70 the hers
quietly, like a cat coming upon 3
mouse. do not want hum The noisy
ltr1 = Z buffer He makes ms bluff