The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-05
BEASTS FOR THE SHOW.


I There IL DfODdDl nothing tndt cause.
more wonder than 10 see the lleepers o1
the lions the tigers. the leopards. the
panthers and other wild beasts sitting
IN the cages among them. patting them
on their ugly heads, slapping them OF
, their saliva dripping jowls and fear
lessly lashing them with their whips il
necessary. IT is well enough TO say:
''Oh. the beasts are trained: they would
not touch anybody" Such weak ex-
plana ton is about as satisfactory as i
( the bare statement that 4 mad dog will
! not bite if YOU look him straight IN the
eye.
/ 1t is a mistake to suppose that the
wild beasts one sees in the menagerie
} are trained in the sense that they have
( been taught not to attack. Trained is
! hardly the word. Mastered expresses
( better what has been accomplished with
( them. Head Keeper Conklin saws on
! the subject:
we have a tremendous amount of
/ work to do with the wild animals up in
/ the winter quarters in Bridgeport. of
which the public knows nothing. Nou
SEC " oiC StttIUS tiCN " III animals dll
the time. and as they come to MS there
is not a man living VINO would dare TO
go into the cages with them. During
the winter we have to break those
/ beasts so that we can handle them as
you see Us handle them on the road
And how do you do it?''
'Well, when they come to us they
hax fhinly Ia collars
necks, with heavy chains attached
They are more savage then than they
, We're before capture, their capture only
having served to bring out all that is
ugly in them. They Will spit and
growl at any body who gets near their
cage and jump at the bars until they
exhaust themselves. We begin to teach
them manners the very day we get them,
and they take lesson in etiquette
every day after that until the show
starts out
What do YOU do TO them?"
Men catch the end of the chain fast
ened to the collar around the new
beasts neck and fasten it to the bars
in such manner that the beast can
only move a short distance Then
take good rawhide whip and stout
club and enter the cage. / take chair
and sit down in the corner"
Feeling perfectly cool | suppose"
Yes, so long as ! know that chain is
solid and securely fastened. Well, the
instant | get in the beast will give a
roar and spring for me. | would be
torn to shreds if ! was within reach.
but the chain holds. and instead of get
ting at me the lion, tiger, panther or
leopard simply comes to the end of his
rope. as it were. is brought up with Il
shock that sends him in a heap to the
floor of the cage, and [ give him lash
with the rawhide.
THAT beast is at me again in an in
slant, and again he goes down and |
lash him. | never have used the club
handy in case it is needed. | keep
drawing my chair little closer to him
as this goes on until get SO close that
they can touch me with their noses but
cannot bite me. Then just sit there
and talk to them, and you would be
surprised at the power the human voice
will finally be made TO exercise over
wild beasts. Justlook.'
With that Mr.. Conklin went over to a
cargo in which were three leopards.
stretched ont side by side on the floor.
Dick. Niger. Fanny! Get up
The three leopards got up at once and
stood glazing at their master with eyes
that looked as though illumined by in
candescent light.
Go over to the other end, $50 over"
Immediately this order was obeyed
by the leopards, who cringed in the
further corner of the cage.
DO you think they understand your
words, Mr.. Conklin, asked. We'll. /
don't know" he answered. you can
see they understand something. and do
what | tell them to- But to 20 on with
how break wild beast.
while | sit talking to one. Just out
of reach of his teeth, if he gets ugly and
attempts to spring at me give him the
rawhide | keep this up and after
dozen or fifteen lessons they get so that
they only snarl and growl at my en-
trance. As soon as | think it safe try
the beast without chain. IT is a little
ticklish business at first. but ! have
plenty of help ready for the first effort.
IF it Is success the first time Won
generally have yOur beast mastered. al
though once in a while brute that has
been tractable enough will break out
and go for his keeper We had such a
case here III the garden two years ago,
when Joseph Foster an experienced
lion tanner was clawed by a lone>s and
nearly killed
Mr. Conl1lin modestlv refrained from
adding that Keeper Foster won d IN
questionabiy have met horrible death
on that occasion had it not been for the
fearless and prompt manner in which .
he attacked the lioneSS with an iron
prod.
"Generally in the course Of a winter
we can get beast 50 that he viii not .
attack his keeper when he enters the
cage" Mr.. Conklin continued. We
not only have to get them 50 that they
will not attack their keepers. though.
but so that they viii not attack each
other. and that i j mighty hard Job.
Sometimes we can never do that There
i an old tiger there. one of the most
savage brptes ever handled. and
could take You into the cage with him
now without the slightest danger II
dared TO put him IN the same compart-
ment with that bic Bengal there.
though. would have dead tiger on
nv hands in two seconds Notice the
r,u,r mari ~, tn, holly That - sy-fsts-.
the Bengal ripped him two years ago
when tried to put them together. as
hey would show better that WAY. IL
the Bengal-> claws had not been Clipped
b. would hav.. ripoed OMEN the III her