Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-07-14
SUe0ulNG WILD BEASTS.
The Special hangers Of the Tanners of Lions
and Tigers.


and 1igcrs.
Now and then, for no reason that any
one can i,,ih, /. lion or tiger that has
been doing his duty regularly and well
grows suddenly rebellious. He will no
longer balance on the big ball, 10 lon
ger stand unprotestingly on the seesaw
board, no longer ride the horse or Jump
the hurdles. He comes out instead with
PLAN, pointed. leonine mo for the
whole programme and proceeds to get
square with the game by tearing the
life out OF some trainer or groom. APP
parently his pride and hate and revenge
are all stirred up together against all
surrounding conditions, and the people
to whom he has been most obedient are
the Very ones he now desires most to
Kill. When tanners meet a violent death,
1t Is often under one Of these Unforeseen
and lneNpilcable outbursts Of madness
But there is another and perhaps
subtler source of danger to tanners.
Everything goes well for two or three
years, and the tanner, proud of his sue
cess and swelling bank account, becomes
oVercontident One day he gets a nip
from a beast or Il s,ratch from n tigers
claw. This Will happen inevitably, I'M
less the greatest watchfulncss is en-.
ployed, and without any vicious intcn-
Ton on the part of the wild beast. But
the wound fingers on hand or arm. for
wounds from 4 wild beasts claws or
fangs, however trifling, are long in
healing and very painful. The member
swells t. double its normal size. The
wound tears open again and again, and
months pass before the man is healed.
The moral effect of such an experience
Is bad. Perhaps another bite or scratch
is incurred before the old one is quite
well, and after number of such mis-
haps the tanner, though he Will not adj
init II, perhaps even To himself, is apt
TO become afraid of his animals Then
he has recourse to sfimulants to steady
his nerves" before going into the ring.
But by TINS treatment his nerves are not
stoadicd; rather they are the more
shaken. And the more he drinks the
more unfit he Is tn face the danger and
the ikclier to take some reckless step
which VIII result in his serious injury
Va 'R'''A3- iti II
that tanners are not infrcquently MANNED
for life, and even killed. Such case
was that Of the tanner Heiganrcich, who
was torn to pieces some years ago while
giving an exhibition i'll Russia. A large
lion sprang upon him and literally tore
his life out before the eyes OF the spec
tators. Nothing could he done to save
the man. Nothing can ever be done in
such case
Perhaps the best safeguard against
these dreadful accidents-a safeguard
better than hot irons or revolvcrs-is a
ready line of hose, with n strong pressure
"A waite which can be turned on at a
moment notice. 1t has been found that
hon struck by powerful stream Of
water viii drop his bleeding victim
when prodding with iron hooks or SINH
lar measures will only make him hold on
the tighter
Thus it is absolutely fatal to the
tanner to fall into any fear. As soon as
he gets the idea that he is going to be
killed he had better give up the work
at once, 'r the chances are that he will
be killed-Cleyeland Moffett in Nc
Cures Magazine.