The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-06-29
A LION TAhlER.
observations Of q Man Who Sub.
dues Wild Boasts.
How He Came to Adopt Ills Dangerous
trofession - Tho Nature OF Lions
and How They Arc Taught
to- Perform.


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-taminp.
lie had just finished an exhibition with
his trained beasts in the thcatcr near
by. In one corner of the round perform
ing cage the great cats had slept I'M
I'll the coloncPs step on the floor walked
them-slept much as house cats sleep,
rolled together gracefully, their paws
entertaining and their heads thrown
backward for comfort.
at the word of command the lions
reused themselves, and after q glance
at their master they sprang to their
1cet' crowding 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 tho ugly, snarling
honess. But all was quickly stlllcd
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 IL schoolboy and the
lion dog. Had one of the brutcs 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.
Il knew he wouldn't when l lay
down." said the trainer aftcrward;
otherwise | should never have lain
down. can tell, of course, whether
IL Is sale to begin my performance or
not. There arc ways of knowing. l
shall tell You later on. There was once
though, when l went through per-
torrance 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.
'Costcllo's circus came to town one dny.
Among the performers was Herr Engcl,
who was killed by tiger the next year
IN dayti, great tiger trainer in his
day. He had a cage of trained tigers.
After the show, in the village hotel
met him, and he asked me if was
afraid of tigers. / said i was not.
Have you ever handled tigcrs?' he
asked.
"'About six hundred of them re-
piled. l had been colonel of the I.ouisi-
ana Tigers.
This talk led to n foolish wager that
on the next day, which was Sunday, l
should go into the tigers den. The
next morning l 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
81 said that would follow the train
or, and follow him did. lie first put
on big linen buster, and taking his
whip he sprang through the door and
put the brutcs through their PAGES
When he came out put on the duster,
took the whip and leapcd into tho cage
like whirlwind. yelled Mt 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 l called out
'1'll go through the whole show
"'Youn come out at oncc-that's
what you'll do" shouted Engel. You've
risl<ed 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 sincc.'
You say everyone can't be lion
trainer?"
And everyone can't. It 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 lie
can do everything with my lions but
make them perform. lie sweeps out
their cage half n 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 lsnacls
which cannot explain to make him IL
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 l didn't require all Of
that. 1t Is easier to pick out n lion that
can be tanned than man who can be
taught IL trade
''How SOP"
NSlInplY by knowing lions nature