The Portland daily press., 1898-03-03

"Well, one day we had the big python
in the water, and the keeper said to me:
Bob, I've forgotten to bring the clean
blankets. Just run and fetch them,
while hold this fellow in the tub Or
went and there was some little delay,
SO that it was ten minutes before I START
ed back, and then I heard yell which
fetched me and two others pretty quick,
to find the keeper with one python in the
water all right, but with another one
coiled around his left leg and body, the
head being caught in the keepers left
hand. There was smaller python on
the floor about taking part in the tussle,
and another had his head just out of the
side door of the case. When banged the
door to, just before going for the
blankets, the catch had not caught, and,
unperceived. the second python had got
out and was around his leg before the
keeper noticed. Fortunately it was pretty
cold weather, and they were not partiou-
larly lively. We grabbed the one around
his leg, tail first, and unwound it, picked
up the loose one the same way, an d
dumped both into the spare case, batted
the one coming out over the snoot. so that
he went back, and by that time the keep
er had fallen in dead faint over the tub,
and the snake being bathed was trying
| to wriggle out from under him. It was
pretty close call for him, and no more
snake bathing was done that day.
''When we were at New Orleans, tn
big panther got out of his cage, biting
his way through at the base of the bars,
where the sheathing ended The brute
was not out two minutes before the
alarm was given, and he was still in the
big tent There was just that strip of
canvas between him and the crowd out
side. Up rushed Colonel Woods. the lion
tanner. in his bare feet, just as he was
dressing for the parade. One fellow
offered him revolver, another q horse
whip. He showed the revolver behind his
| waistband grabbed the whip, picked up
barrel hoop lying in his path, and
strode. into the tent, cracked his whip,
and the next minute had that devil do
! ing his show stunts through the hoop in
the middle of the tent. That was sight
shall never forget.
Soon Colonel Woods called for fellow
named Pete cowboy. and he came,
with his lariat, and another came with
horse rug, and Woods said: "Now, Pete,
when make him do the dead act, get in
close behind and make sure of your drop.
| This is the close of his tricks, and the
chances are my command over him will
end. Drop the rope right over his neck
and run forward quick, not backward
| or he will chase you, instead OF fighting
| back on the moose. Then you fellows
with the rug smother him. and all pile
| in, to get him tied up and back in the
cage. That was done just like shuffiing
cards. One or two of the fellows got
badly scratched, but the panther was
housed, and it was week or two before
the colonel tried him through the hoops,
or put him back in the main cage.
Elephants? Half the elephant stories
are ghost stories. We never had any
trouble with them, except when mice got
in their neighborhood. The big uns are
mortal afraid mice will run up their
trunk. The smartest thing l ever saw
an elephant do was done by poor old
Jumbo on the last Sunday he had in Re-
gents park, London, when we went to
fetch him to this country. There was a
broad walk down which Jumbo carried
the children, and as he was singing a.
long with load little three year old
tot, full of fun, ran right across his
path, tripped, and fell within five feet of
his great feet. It looked as If nothing
on earth could save her, and gasp went
ND from men and women that rings in
ny ears yet; it was too horrible for
even scream. Quick as lightning Jum-
bo dropped his trunk, never faltering in
speed or line of movement, caught the
up to the mahout sitting on his head,
with not even scratch, the little one
laughing like everything. Say, you
think you've heard cheering, don't you?
ahout how crowd can cheer when it
gets fairly started. I do !"