The Bossier banner., 1892-08-25
= A LION TAMER.
Observations Of a Man Who Sub
dues Wild Beasts.
How He Came to Adopt His Dangerous
Profession - The Nature of Lions
and How They Are Taught
to Perform.

ssNo, everyone cannot be fion-tamer,
i neither can every lion be tanned"
Col. Boone-big Col. Daniel Boone,
once of the confederate army, for many
years superintendent of the National
biological 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
bis trained beasts in the theater near
by. In one corner of the round perform
ing cage the great eats had slept un-
til the colonels step on the floor walked
them-slept much as house cats sleep,
rolled together gracefully, their paws
intertwining and their heads thrown
backward for comfort.
At the word of command the lions
foused themselves. and after a glance
at their master they sprang to their
feet, crewding on each others heels In
their frightened haste to 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
tlosess. 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 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
be didn't.
Il knew he wouldn't when I lay
down. said the trainer afterward;
otherwise l should never have lain
down. l can tell, of course, whether
hls safe to begin my performance or
not There are ways of knowing. /
shall tell you later on. There was once,
though, when l went through per-
tormance without that knowledge. It
was shortly after the close of the war.
Twas living in Lynchburg, Va, with
my folks and was trying to repair the
family estate by dealing in tobacco.
eostellos circus came to town one day.
Among the performers was Herr Engel,
who was killed by tiger the next year
Hayti, a great tiger trainer in his
I day. He had cage of trained tigers.
Alter the show, in the village hotel l
met him, and he asked me if / was
afraid of tigers. I said / was not
Have you ever handled tigers?' he
asked ..-..s.. l-a
1 About six hundred of them re-
phed, l had been colonel of the Louisi-
ana Tigers.
4 This talk led to foolish wager that
on the next day, which was Sunday, 1
snouid go into the tigers den. The
next morning I met my friends, and
.ney asked me whether | was going to
90 into the cage.
vi course said, but / really had
.orgotten all about it. We picked up
herr Engel somewhere and went down
the barn where the cages were
s'ofed over night preparatory to NOV
ing to the next town.
You re not gong into that cage,
ea'd one. Better look pleasant and
pay your bet
said that would follow the train
\ eS and follow him 1 did. He first put
on big linen duster, and taking his
wnip he sprang through the door and
put ~, the brutes through their PAGES.
men ne came out l put on the duster,
,u woK the whip and leaped into the cage
sae whirlwind. 1 yelled at the
gn'ened tigers, beat them right and
- and sent them covering into their
Mners. The trainer and my friends
oo oumb with amazement.
n, Tive me the hoop 1 called out.
go through the whole show
I You'll come out. at once-that's
s.a la' you'll do? shouted Engel. You've
ssea ,s enough for one day.
4. nat is the way became an animal
Ss'her. | have been in the business
I M In South America, Europe and
4.fica ever since"
Fainerqn van oe non
MI ano everyone can't. It doesn't take
age alone, Take, for instance. INV
4 al Aa .arl, who has been with Hagen
ss1 70 Hamburg since he was a baby,