The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-19
JOHANNA IS IN LOVE.
The Strange Affection of Big CHM
panzee.
THE OBJECT OF HER AFFECTIONS is
Her Keeper-FOnd of CaressInG Him
Her Jealousy Pierce.

Her Jealousy Pierce.
Johanna, the big chiInpanzee in the ar
senal in Central park, New York, has
much that is human besides her looks.
Tho intense love she has for her keeper is
one of the strongest evidences of this. Oc-
casionally there comes a story from far off
Africa of raid made by gorillas upon ma
| tive villages and of women being carried
off and held captive by the marauding big
apes. Du Chaillu gives q number of such
Instances, and other African explorers and
hunters have mentioned them in their
writings. Som etimes a woman escapes
from this awful captivity and goes back
to her people to tell of how gorilla took
her to his home in the forest and made
much of her.
In a certain museum in New York there
is a wax group representing great hairy
gorilla holding young white woman he
has capt ured in his arms He is not harm
ing her. but is looking at her with a terri
BILE ex preston of satisfied possession. OF
course that group is imagined, but that
such things have happened there can be no
doubt.
Johanna's treatment of Keeper Matthew
Mckay plainly indicates such affection. It
is not the same the love of dog or a
horse for its master. 1t is moro powerful
than that.
The big simian takes every occasion to
show how deep is her love. 1t is not alone
because Mckay feeds her and attends to
her wants. Others have taken his place,
and she showed no particular affection for
them. She received her food as a matter
of course and treated them with indiffer
ence.
Not SO with Mckay. Johanna is DEM
onstrative in her love for him. She likes
to have him touch her hand. She is by
turns as soft and playful a kitten with
him and as savage as Il fury. Hers is not
a quiet affection. 1t is not simple friend
ship. 1t is real love and jealousy which
stir Johanna s heart when she is with her
keeper.
Mckay told a reporter who studied the
beast for an hour recently some curious
stories of the manner in which Johanna
has displayed her love for him.
''There's no doubt about her being in
love with me- he said. He was talking
to the reporter in his room early in the
morning.
the cageroom and wait until 1 come in.
Johanna sat in a corner of her big cage,
seemingly in deep thought. 1t was only
a few minutes after O'Clock, but she had
thrown aside her blankets and was wide
awake From time to time she raised her
head and glanced in the direction of Nc
Kay's room. After each glance she low
cred her head again and picked nervously
at shreds of wool on the edge of her blan-
ket. Presently Mckay appeared. Johanna
looked at him for a moment and then
turned away her head.
f'Hello old girl!' said the keeper.
'tWhat's the matter with you today?
Grupmy, eh?''
Johanna deliberately turned her back or
him and shrugged her shoulders.
''Have an orange?'' asked Mckay.
Still Johanna looked away.
''Take some wine. That will cheer yOU
up" He went into another room and re-
turned with bowl containing port wine
and an egg. Johanna walked to the front
of the cage and stretched out her hand for
the bowl.
"Shake hands, said Mckay.
Johanna tossed her head and gave him
a look plainly meant to be one of soorn
ooh, come, Johanna" expostulated
Mckay. fThere is no use in keeping this
thing up all day. 1 had to go out last
night, and came back as soon as could -
Johanna shrugged her shoulders slight
ly, but she looked little better natured.
Very gradually she became more agreea-
BILE, until at last she put out her hand to
Mckay and let him shake it. Then she
threw off all petulance and capered about
her cage in a frolic.
'You see,'' said Mckay to the reporter
"she is awfully jealous. Every time 1 go
out for an hour she gets mad hornet
ana Won Z nave anything to DO With me
when I come in. She will be in a perfect
rage when come in. At other times she
is 81 IMPLY sullen.
Jealous? Well, don't believe there's
a woman in the world can come up to her.
Why, if she sees me talking to lady, 1t
takes lots of coaxing to get her in good
humor.'
After her quarrel with Mckay she did
everything she could to make up with
him. She let her big black hand lie in
his as long as he would hold it. She
sprang up on the side of her cage and
looked coquettishly over her shoulder.
She picked up her blanket and put it over
her head like a mantilIa so that she would
look pretty in his eyes. She behaved ex-
actly as a jealous, loving, capricious wom-
an would do after a quarrel with the man
she loved.
Johanna is som ething of a hirt too.
When she thinks Mckay is not looking,
she will do her best to attract the favorable
attention of other men. Sometimes she
does this when he is looking, but that is
only after they have had a quarrel. Then
1t is from pique. Mckay laughs at her at
such times and that makes her furiously
angry, SO that it is dangerous for him to
go near her cage.
After the quarrel, however, Johanna was
in too pleasant mood to care to make
Mckay Jealous, and she would pay abso-
Iutely attic tion to the reporter, al
slough he tried hard to scrape an &C.
quaintance.-New York World.
A Great Tribute.
IT looks as if the Booths ware considered