The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-08-26
ABOUT TRAINING LIONS.
SOME TRICKS THAT Can sE DONE
AND SOME THAT CANNOT.

1hs Lien That Rsars as . nluG q
Easisr - rsaeh--A Grssa rye Means
D.ngsr-An Easy Trick 70 PIT Year
Head m : Lien's Mauih.
No, everyone cannot be : lion-tamer.
neithsr can every lion be tamed.n
Col Boone-big Col. Daniel Boone. once
Of the Confederate army, for many years
superintendent Of the national roolor-
ical gardens Of Peru, and At one time
military instructor in the Peruvian army
was talking to me about lion tanning.
He had just finished an exhibition with
his own trained beasts In the theatre near
by. In one corner Of the round perform
ing cage the i've great cats had slept until
the colonel's step upon the floor wakened
them-slept much a. house cats sleep,
rolled together gracefully, their paws in
tertwtning and their heads thrown back
ward for comfort.
At the word Of command the lions
reused themselves and after Q glance at
their master sprang to their feet, crowd
ing upon each Others heels In their
frightened haste to escape from their
sleeping pan into the performing ring.
Then they went through their tricks
WAAAAp VIC D8n0 RAmIg0e anu buI 4QUlNnC0
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 stilled when the colonel
threw himself full length upon the floor
and rolled and played with the biggest Of
the lions Is though he had BEEN school
boy and the lion dog. Had one Of the
brutes chosen ut that moment to vent the
rage that he really feels against his mas
tor in one quick blow Of his great paw
but he didn't
"Iknew he wouldnt when Ilaid down.
said the trainer afterwsrd, "otherwiss I
should never have lain down. ! can tell,
Of course, whether Il is safe TO begin my
performance or not.
1t doesn't take courage alone. Take,
for instance, my man Carl, who has been
with Hagenbeck, 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 cages half dozen times . day
and he feeds them and caresses them.
They will run away from him and come to
him, but they would not act for him. A
man must have peculiar knack which
cannot explain to make him trainer.
"ThenS only one lion out Of three can be
trained. You can't make an acrobat out
Of every boy who goes into a gymnasium,
can yau? l have caught some lions in
Algiee, but all that ! have now bought
Most Of them came from the Great East
ern Snow That went to pieces at Cincinnati
None OF the brutes were tanned even, and
they were all strangers to me. / had only
short time to make my selection, but
didn t require all Of that. It 10 easier tc
pick out lion that can be tanned than Z
man who can be taught trade. wall
up to the cage where Mr.. Lion sits. hit
the bars with my whip and mako pretencs
OF putting my hand between them.
:" II the lion throws himself against thu
irons with great spring and roar,
| know that he is all right. II he sulks IL
one corner or comes up to the bari
quietly like cat coming upon a mouse
do not want him. The noisy lion il |
buffer. He makes his bluff when b,
makes his spring. The quiet lion il
treacherous. All lions are towards
When l go into the cage where my nois,
lion is and fire OF q few blank cartridges
from my revolver and beat him a few
times over his nose with my whip h
\ growls, dances and then sinks ava.
saying to himself:
"What ON earth does all this mean?
thought that l had that man scared II
death. guess that amt so frightening
as thought was.'
"The buffer can be tanned sufficientl.
to let me 60 into the cage without dan
ger in weeks time, but there Is neve
any safety with q sneak-lion. Anothe
thing. The lion must not be over tw
wears old, and he must be straight backe'
/ and strong. A weak lion breaks dow
very quickly during training. Such
brute is worth from $1,000 to 81, 800 nm
trained. When he is trained he is wort
from 5000 to &, 900, and sometimes more
\ It takes several years to train lions per
fectly, The first step Is to show Their
that 1 am the master. Next teach ther
that do mot intend to hurt them unles
they disobey me. begin caressing ther
with the end OF my whip, and do
gently. 1t is not safe to venture wit
your hand at first. After this, whic
takes weeks, and even months sometimes
/ teach them to take food from my hand
uWhen a. lion crouches down, and hi
ewes turn green, and his tail stops way
inc from side to side and merely wiggle
{ at the end like the rattles on rattlel
look out"
~ suppose the hardest trick is putin
your head in the lions mouthW
"On the contrary, it is one of the cas-
est and safest. ! hold the mouth ope
with both hands, and can feel the Leaf
attempt to bring the jaws together wit
: my fingers. This gives me chance
withdraw my head in time. It Is wei
however, to know your beast prett
!. thoroughly before trying it."-Benjami
j Northrop, in Pittsburg Dispatch.