The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-12
WITH THE LION TAMERS.
| Some of the ''Kings" Who Have Been
MutiIated by Wild Beasts.
London TELEGRAPH.

A scene, attended by much painful excite
ment, occurred on Wednesday evening dur
ing performance in BiddalPs menagerie,
at W1nfrith, near Dorchester. The victim
was Viola, lion tanner. 1t is stated that
few weeks ago he had a narrow escape
beating the animals off with difficulty, and
since then he had exercised great care At
the close of the performance on the night in
question one of the animals in the cage,
which contained three lions, sprang upon
him and seized him by the thigh. Viola
managed to make his exit by the door just
as the other beast dashed at him. Great
excitement was occasioned by the incident,
and on removal to the County Hospital at
Dorchester it was found that the enraged
lionesS had inflicted very bad wound on
the thigh of the tanner who was detained
for treatment in the institution. If we were
to reckon the number of misfortunes hap
peninS to lion tanners and lion kings in varf-
Gus parts of the world, the total would be
considerable one Only short time since
a menagerie travelling in Devonshire had its
lion king mauled, and the fatality which
happened at the Agricultural Hall, in Isling
ton, when Alexander Beaumont paid the
extreme penalty. is not yet two years old.
Accidents of all kinds have occurred to pub
lie performers in various lines of talent
The death of q female Blondin at Birming-
ham in 1868, caused protest to be made
by no less parsonage than her Majesty
the Queen against the continuance or pr2c-
tees so dangerous to life and limb. Yet
since then we have had balloon ascents with
people hanging to the suspended car. and
a whole crop of parachute "descensionists.'
of whom Baldwin was the first. Flying
men and parachutists alike laid down their
lives, and more than one gymnast has met
death while engaged in entertaining the
public. The shooting at human target
trick had the usual result in the long run,
although it is practiced even now. Perhaps
the fact that the late hero of Niagara"
escaped serious disaster through his long
and adventurous life will encourage other
funambulsts to persevere. The story
probably apocryphal-of the man who fol-
lowed Van Amburg from town to town
in the hope Of seeing him torn to pieces is
DIT A aO1Ir cd
peacefully in Philadelphia in 1865, and sew
eral other ardent kings" lived in honorable
retirement after a series of exciting pass
ages with "monarchs of the forest" The
Carthaginian general, Hanno, is said to
have been the first lion tanner, and Marc
Antony amid the troublous times in which
he lived sought distraction by driving a
pair of lons-and with a fair lady by his
side. Van Amburg, the greatest of all mod
ern professors, was born in New York in
1872 and combined the functions of actor
and WTfl-beast intimidator He came over
to England and made his appearance at the
defunct Astley's in 1885, and, after staying
in this country nine years, went to France,
and finally returned to his native land. In
the now demolished theater on the Surrey
Pompeii; or, the Living Lions of the Jun
gle,'' and in 1885, at Drury-lane, he made all
lovers of the drama weep over the desc
Grafton" he brought to that historic tenn
pie The poor beasts, to heighten the at
fractions of feeding time, were kept fast
ing for thirty-sx hours, and then Van Am
a little boy and lamb. A lion and
panther Immediately selected the latter as
suitable for lunch and it was only with
great difficulty that they were beaten off.
AS showing the Catholic tastes of Drury-
lane audiences at this time, it may be men
toned that the lion tanners performances
W ere preceded by a rendering of the opera,
civilian Tell But Gessler'S tyranny was
mild compared with the sorrow of genuine
play-goers at seeing the national theater
reduced to such level.
At the end of the last century a woman
is reported to have lost her life in me-
nagerie at Cassel through imprudently lit
orally putting her head in the animals
mouth while her golden tresseS were hang
ing down her back. The hair tickled the
consequences not needful to enlarge upon.
In Dresden, a lion keeper having returned
from church service on Sunday morning,
went into the cage with his black coat on
instead of the green and gold jacket he was
accustomed to wear The animal sprang at
him and was eventually fired upon, but he
broke the keepers back ere he expired.
Manchester Jack was a formidable rival of
Van Amburg. who was once asked by the
Duke of Wellington whether he was ever
afraid. To that he replir that when he
became afraid of the lions or the lions
ceased to be afraid of him he should retire
from the wild beast line. Carter the lion
tanner appeared at Astley's in a drama
specially written for him, in which he drove
a lion and conducted a fight with a tiger.
lion tanner, Crockett, and one of the animals
was tame that when the circus went ION
parade in the streets of town the brute
would lie at the feet of the lady represent
ing Britannia the triumphal car. One
day at Astley's the lions got loose from the
cage and wandered about the theater, kill
ing a groom, but the daring Crockett had
them safely housed again in no time. Nor
has courage in dealing with wild beasts
been confined to the stronger sex. Lion
queens have been not uncommon, even in
recent years. Miss Hilton, daughter of a
circus proprietor. appeared in that CAPACITY
at Stepney fair called herself Lady Pauline
de We're the Lady of Lions" and Miss
Chapman. afterwards Mrs. George Sanger,
entered upon the same line of business SUBJ
sequently The risks of the dangerous bust
ness were. however. demonstrated early. In
1880 Miss Helen Blight, daughter of a must
clan in Wombwell's band. was conducting
performance when she hit a tiger with her
riding whip. Immediately the beast sprang
at her and killed the unfortunate woman on
the spot. Undeterred by this example
Madame Labarieres appeared at Drury
Lane-poGr Drury Lanei-in 1855 with lions
and other performing animals.
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