The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-02-09
SUBDU[NG WILD BEASTS
NOT BY KINDNESS, BUT THROUGH
FEAR ARE THEY tanned.
q Trainer Tells How He Handles the
Beasts When First Placed Under
His Charse-Nerye Required.

q Trainer Tells How He Handles the
e. Beasts When First Placed Under
His Charge-Nerye Required.
IT FAD KEEPER CONKLIN:
M in charge of large men
| agerie, tells the New York
Herald how wild beasts are
samed. Ee says:
s'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.
You see we are getting new wild ami
mails all the time, and as they come to
US there is not man living who would
dare to 60 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 tha
road"
"And how do you Go it?"
"Well, when they come to Us they
nave thick leather collars around their
necks, with heavy chains attached.
They are more savage then than they
were before capture, their capture
only having served to bring out all
that is ugly in them. They will spit
and growl at anybody 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 them9"
''My men catch the end ofthe chan
fastened to the collar around the new
beasts neck and fasten it to the bars
in such manner that the beast can
only move short distance. Then I
take good rswhids whip and stout
club and enter the cage. I take a
chair and sit down in the corner"
"Feeling perfectly cool I lsuppose?'
eyes, SO long as I know that chain
is solid and securely fastened. Well,
the instant I get in the beast will give
roar and spring FOR me. I would be
torn to shreds if I was within reach,
but the chain holds. and instead OF
getting at me the lion, tiger, panther
or leopard simply comes to the end of
his rope, as it were, is brought up
with shock that sends him in heap
TO the floor of the cage, and give him
a lash with the rawhide. The beast Is
at me again in an instant, and again
he goes down and lash him. I never
have used the club on an animal, but
I always keep it handy in case it is
needed. I keep drawing my chair a
little closer to him as this goes on up7
me with their noses btu canuut p1so
me. Then I 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.
''While I s.t talking to one. just out
Of reach of his tessh, if he gets ugly
and attempts to spging at mel give him
the rawhide. I Keep this up and after
q dozen or fifteen lessons they get 30
that they only snarl and growi at my
entrance. As soon as think it safe
try the beast without.a chain. II Is a
little ticklish business at first, but l
have plenty of help ready for the first
effort. If it is a success the first time
you generally have your beast mas
tered, although once in while g brute
that has been tractable enough will
break out and go for his keeper. We
had such q case here in the Garden
two years ago, when Joseph Foster an
experienced lion tanner, was clawed by
iioness and nearly killed.
Mr.. Conklin modestly refralneo
from adding that Keeper Foster would
unquestionably have met a terrible
death on that occasion if it had not
been for the fearless and prompt man
ner in which he attacked the Aoness
with an iron prod.
Generosity in the course On winter
se can get beast so that he VIII a.~1
attack his keeper when he enters the
cage" Mr.. Conklin continued. I'VE
not only have to get them so that they
will not attack their keepers, though,
but so that they will not attack each
other, and that is a mighty hard JOB.
Sometimes we can never do that.
There is an old tiger there, one OF the
most savage brutes I ever handled
and could take you into his cage
with him now without the slightest
danger. If I dared to put him IN the
same compartment with that big BEN
gal there, though, Iwould have dead
tiger on my hands in two seconds
Notice the long mark on the belly.
That is where the Bengal ripped him
two years ago, when I tried to put
them together, as they would show
better that way. If the Bengaps claws
had not been clipped he would have
ripped open the other one and killed
! him"
"What truth is there in the story OF
the power of the human eye over wild
beastsw
'It is q pretty thing to say, and
that is about ALL" Mr.. Conklin re-
piled. ga man who wants to subdue
wild beast has got to be fearless and
60 about it in courageous way, and
the eye plays it's part. The man who
! attempted to handle wild beast who
was rot chained with nothing else
than fearless eye would be in a
pretty bad hole, though What man
mr1st have is good heart, plenty Of
! pluck-lots of sand in his neck, as the
prize fighters say. The secret OF sue
| cessfully handling wild beasts is to
become imbued with confidence that
all wild beasts are really cowardly,
especially If they belong to the cat
| family. II you are not afraid and
you know how to do it it is easy
oror rb