Griggs courier., 1892-06-24
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A LION TAMER.
Observations OF Man Who Sub
dues Wild Beasts.
How He Came to Adopt His Dangerous
Profession - Tho Nature OF Lions
and How They Arc Taught
to Perform.

Profession - Tho Nature OF Lions
and How They Arc Taught
to Perform.
''No, everyone cannot be a lion-tamer,
neither can every lion be tanned"
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 un-
til the colonel's 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
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
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 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-bat
he didn't.
IL knew he wouldn't when lay
down." said the trainer afterwards;
otherwise should never have lain
down. l can tell, Of course, whether
it is safe to begin my performance or
not There are ways of knowing.
shall tell you later on. There was once,
though, when I 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 70 repair the
family estate by dealing in tobacco.
Costellos circus came to town one day.
Among the performers was Herr Engel,
who was killed by tiger the next year
in Hayti. great tiger trainer in his
day. He had q 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 it. 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
II said that would follow the train
er, and follow him did. He first put
on 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 q whirlwind. l 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 amazement.
"'Give me the hoop called out.
I'll go through the whole show
"'You'n come out at once-that's
what you'll dor shouted Engel You've
risked enough for one day.
s'That is the way became an animal
trainer. l have been in the business
here. in South America, Europe and
Africa ever since"
"You say everyone can't be q lion
trainer?"
"And everyone can't. It doesn't take
courage alone. Take, for instance, nv
man Carl, who has been with Hagen
beck in Hamburg since he was a 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 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 a
trainer. Only one lion out of three can
be trained. You can't make an acrobat
out of every boy who goes into gym
nasium. can you? ] have caught some
lions in Algeria, but all that l have
now ] bought Most of them came
from the show that went to pieces in
Cincinnati. None of the brutes were
tanned, even; short time to make NV
selection, but ! didn't require all Of
that It is easier to pick out lion that
can be tanned than Q man who can be
taught trade"
How SOP"
Simply by knowing lion'snature
and putting it to a test. walk up to
the cage where Mr.. Lion sits hit the
bars with my whip and make pretense
OF putting my hands between them. II
SovN -