The morning call., 1892-09-13
TRAINED ALLIGATOR CARS.
Raised From Babyhood to
Strict Obedience.
Hew Miss Wallace Taught Them Juggling
Trieks-she Leaves Rotinson's Circus
While at Sacramento.

The box of alligators which created such
CONSERVATION in the baggage-room of the
Southern Pacific at Fourth and Townsend
streets ON last Saturday night belonged to a
circus-performer named Miss Wallace.
The alligators put to flight half score
of men, who fled before them as from an
evil spirit. although they saw nothing but
the head ana tail Of one Of the smaller ones
protruding from an opening in the box.
This sight froze the marrow in their
bones, and the baggageman and his assist
ants fed us from the plague.
Yet the animals are tame and would not
snap their lengthy jaws at anything larger
than a fly. They have been raised, trained
and petted by their mistress, Miss Wallace,
who spent considerable time and patience
in bringing them into subsection.
Now they are as tracta6ie and d0cile as
lambs.
Miss Wallace secured these amphbious
animals from the glades OF Southern Florida
when they were very young They are
what are known as American crocodles. and
are called in the South alligator CARS. Some
times they grow to the length of 10 feet and
are considered very dangerous along the
rivers and swamps OF Louisiana and Flor
ida. The tubercles on their bodies aud
their serrated tails are impergious to bullets.
They must be shot in the eye or under one
OF their forearms.
The aligators secured by Miss Wallace
belong to the smallest of all the family of
crocodiles, and resemble immense lizards.
None of them is over two and half feet
long.
Miss Wallace trained them for over a
year before she could make them bend TO
her viii, and then she began to teach them
various tricks. Her patience was rewarded
by having them obey her at every call. and
60 through a number of cute little perform
ances, which causes the Deholder 10 open
his eyes in wonder. Men have had the
patience TO train fieas, French prisoner in
the Bastile once taught spider TO eat out
of his hand whenever no played music. ele-
plants, and even lions have been trained 10
submission, birds have been charmed and
snakes compelled to surrender their ugly
and venomOus nature, but this is the first
time that anybody has ever attempted TO
subJugate the alligator, and Dring him into
the domain of the trained triekster an
juggler.
That is what Miss Wallace has done.
John Robinson OF circus fame heard OF
her marvellous animals, and secured her for
his combination. She performed with the
troupe until Sacramento was reached.
There Robinson and Miss Wallace parted
company. There are no alligators now in
his circus, and thereby hangs tale.
The case Is the talk of the whole CON-
pany.
The lady claims that she can make more
money by going on her own hook.
Circus Manager Robinson says differ
emily. When questioned yesterday about
the reason why the alligator troupe was
not In his show, he said he discharged Miss
Wallace al Sacramento.
"What was the reason ?' was asked.
"0h, 1t was about Clothes" was the re-
ply. 81 wanted her TO ge. a new outfit so
she could make good showing in San Fran
cisco, but she refused and ] discharged her.
l thought she was slouehy. That is the
only reason why she is not in the conf
pany."
Thomas Carlyle once wrote a book
deemed incomprehensible by the critics OF
the time. 1t was called the Sartor Resartus,
or the Tailor Retal0red, and was ON the
philosophy of clothes. Ia it he said that
clothes were everything and everything
was clothes. Perhaps he was right after
all and the critics were dull who did not un-
derstand him.
Manager Robinson believes in clothes.