The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-29
TOLD ny THE OLD CIRCUS MAN.
Last of the Great Giraffe the Cvown-
ing Attraction of the Show.

New York Sun.
Finally" said the old circus man. I'VE
lost the great eghteen-foot giraffe, the
greatest single attraction the show ever
had. I've told you something of the Won
derful things the giraffe used to do. lie
had this intelligence of human being,
and his great size made everything he did
seem more strange and wonderful still.
He lost his life finally in an not that was
one OF the most striking rllngs We ever
did. and that used to make US all stand
around ourselves when 1t was on.
I'VE had at that Lime an eighteen foot
anacoda that was q great snnke | don't
msan for size so much, though, Of course,
an eighteen-foot serpent Is sizeable, hut
for what NE could do and what he'd let
us do with him. The great act in which
the giraffe finally lost his life was an act
with this anaconda, made possible by the
snakes intelligence, though still more by
tho power over him OF our snake man.
who could make him do wonderful things,
but who, as It turned out. could not con-
troll hln absolutely, nor change his ma
ture.
THE act consisted in tying the giraffe
to the anaconda placed in the ground as
a post. Our snake man had got the ana
eania so that he would hold himsef per-
feetly rigid and permit himself to be car
red about III that way like a pole, ana
we used to make a hole In the grouAu
about three feet deep and set uhe tau OF
the snake in that. and there he'd stand, a
most fifteen feet high. What we set out
to do and what We did. after we'd got
ready, ut every show, was to nave the
giiuiIa seem standing In the ring tied 70
A post to have him pull up the posi- 10
which he was tied have the post COLI IT.
self around the gdraffes neck. and then
have the giraffe walk of out OF the ring
with him In That way,
1--WE tried the snake first on the center
pole. burysng him Tear it,. and holsting
him out by a little boom rigEea out from
Il. and letting him coil himself around
that. He couldn't crush the center pole,
an5 we gradually trained him in that way
not 10 construct after being pulled up, ana
during this trairlrg OF the snake We sot
the giraffe sort OF accustomed 70 WHAT
was expected OF him, and we had some
actual trials of course, before we produced
the act In tho ring The giraffe never liked
IL; never. He'd had an experience with an
anaconda before--perhaps you remem or
my telling you about it--but he did his
part Ike man.
I'VE used to sink the snake, as ! tod
you about three feet which brought the
urper end OF him. the top OF the rost.
about three feet lower than the top OF the
glsafIe's head. We had hsadstai on the
girafie. ana n halter rope from the throat
la.ch made fast around the post. with
slack CROUCH between the sirahes heau
and tho post SO uhst IT woalld hang with a
little loop,
well, row, you krow, II used to please
the pe0lfs very much when they came IN,
to zee the great giraffe hitched to a post
like that. and we never had any trouble
in keeping their attention hNed on HIM.
They coriant taxa their eyes of him.
ara pretty soor, when the time came foi
opening the show band booming away
all the time. tent full excitement sort
OF growing and people kind OF setting on
edge ard all ready, all OF sudden the
banJ woui3 stop short the clown ana
the ringmaster would bali right where
they stood, the talking would all stop 10
a second and yon could Just feel the
quiet Then something seemed to make
giraffe.
''Api then they'd see the giraffe settle
bis feet bit. and incline his head and
take the rope " his teeth CLOSE down by