The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-11-16
SAW THE ANIMALS
MMAHANS CIRCUS GOING INTO
WINTER QUARTERS HERE

Hour in the Menagerie with Lions an
Tigers-How They Act and are Kept
The Zebra Is Handy with His Legs
Snakes are still Living in Their Boxes.
The Gilbert Plow works now present
some busy scenes. McMahan's circu
has been going into winter quarter
there for over a week and they are no
half through moving yet. Men ana
women may kick and complain abou
moving few duds from one house t
| another, but if they had 70 move a cir
Gus into new quarters they could bettel
appreciate the virtue of patience.
| When the circus arrived the pillow
works were in a dreadful condition
Every window was broken, the ROOT
was entirely gone away while the doors
| had long since served as kindlIng WOOD
or material for hen houses for the far
mers in the neighborhood. Mr.. Nc
| Mahan had to repair the buildings al
| the cost Of a great deal of money and
the work is not completed yet. Men are
| now busy putting hot tar on the roof
and dry cinders on the floor which
immense circus tent was taken apart
by sections and spread on the grass
until the canvas got thoroughly dry.
Then each section was nicely folded
and numbered until next spring when
the whole thing can be taken down
from pegs and put together in a few
hours. The most of the hard work is
now done and inside of a week the
circus will he in it's quarters in good
shape.
1t is limited that Mr. McMahan intends
to own the place and not only that he
Will induce other circuses to winter
here. Some one of the men out there
said to a reporter that three or four
circuses are talking about building
something like a park near the pIow
works where they can winter in part
nership. This of course, was an unof1-
cfal statement and may not he true
There is one thing certain, howeve err
and that is that Mr.. McMahan is to
make his permanent headquarters here
and will do everything in his power for
Wichita.
Lets step into the side room" said
one of the attendants to a reporter for
nhe Eagle with significant look.
The air was raw and cold and being
just such day as g, man feels like talk
ing something as a protection against
colds the reporter accepted the invita-
ton and followed him.
Instead of having entered +he nri-
vate apartments Of a gentleman he
found himself in the very iungles of
Asia and realized it just in time to
avoid, by a clever dodge, being swiped
across the counTenance with an ele-
plants trunk.
AS he backed away from his elephant
ship TO place where he could laugh at
MIN he came within an ace of having
his ear chewed off by a "she lioness"
In an iron cage behind him. 1t was
awful funny to be sandwiched in be-
tween a lion and an elephant, but few
people appreciate DIT, especially when
they expect to 'see the animals" in a
liquid form only.
Foreign animals were as thick in that
SIDE room as fees in a dogs back. Four
tremendous elephants were lined I'D
against the south wall with their leader
nearest the door. She was a fine look
ing old dame with a treacherous wicked
eye. She kept working her head and
shoulders all the time and for all the
world like Blind Boone the pianocrat.
The other elephants were Of a friendly
disposition-in fact they seemed to be
long to the liberal element of their tribe
for one of them at least picked I'D a
lO-cent plug of tobacco that had fallen
to the floor and ate it. He soon after
wards resubmitted it which proved that
he had good deal more sense than
many people who swallow something
mat lnJure their constitution and have
not sense enough to throw it up In
l1x mir u 10 @f4
there is baby elephant that is funny.
he is the only bcw-legsed elephant in
the world. His body is large. his legs
are short and on account of his peculiar
style of architecture is named after a
prominent citizen of Wichita. This
little elephant has an exceedingly long
trunk, the wrinkles on which are evil
dence that he is only five years old.
The attendant, who knows his bust
ness. said that elephants live TO be 100
years old and that he has known one
Or two to live los or 10 years. After
rhey get TO be 20 years of age they are
like Indians for one cannot come within
% years of telling how old they are. The
live elephants eat about two tons Of
hay a day and everything else that
ccmes within the range of their pro- |
oosis. They are worth about IS 600 !
each.
The hons came next to the elephants |
and live across the hall or aisle from |
them. There are two of them there. a |
male and female II was the latter |
mat took fancy TO the reporte's ear.
The fashion among lions is altogether
Inherent from that among people. |
Among people for instance the male
wears short hair except Pakerwski who /
n reality. is a lion at the present time. |
Among lions the males wear long hair
lnd the ladies short hair. The male
ion, physically, bears about the same
proportion 10 a female lion that man
loes TO woman. and he is always boss
Il the cage. Unlike elephants. there is
10 humor about the lion. He grins and
oars and isn't bit sociable.
Directly east Of the Hon the tiger
Ioids court. He is sly old fellow and
'eeps tab on everything going on about
i'm.
One OF the prettiest as we'll as the
neanest animals in the whole mena-
RE is the zebra He is the smart
lick of oriental animal society. He
; vicious too, and mighty tricky with
~ hind legs. II the said hind legs
TO be an eighth OF an inch
niger yesterday the Eagle would have
reporter among the angles today. and
If. Zebra would go TO the penitentiary
There he wouldn't have 10 change his
lothes 10 be in the fashion. II YOU
o out TO see the animals az any time
eep eight feet away from the zebra
nd avoid funeral expenses these hard
ines
The big goat Of angora decent has a
>wer berth near the west door Of the
uilding where nothing can obst-7fc.
he Kansas zypher from having q holly
ooi time in the folds and kinks OF MS
r17-p'sa vy-,9Ska-S Ia l. !