The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-02-27
TIGER HUNTS
IN MANCHURIA.
Animal Dealers Adventures
With Fierce Man-saters.
COLONEL ROOT TELLS STORIES.
Gang Of Chained CuHicls Furnished as His
Assistants By The Mayer ola
Chinese Tewn.
COLONEL ROOT TELLS STORIES.

Colonel william n Root the dealer In
Srfld animals OF Laramie. Wye, is a man
of much travel and varied experience. lie
left his home on a New England iarm
and CAME West ~ the middle rifles
AZ that time he was lad scarcely 1.
years OF age. During his first years IN
the West he was In turn "huil-whAck-
sr." as the driver OF an OK wagon was
called a staRe driver, a superintendent
of a district OF the road. a scout guide,
hunter and, last of all, a "ealer In Wild
animals In the latter voca ton Colonel
Root has filled orders for nearly all the
great menageries and geological gardens
an the world
In q recent interview with q Salt Lake
Herald reporter Colonel Root said:
II have had some exciting experiences
in my time Dut some OF my early experi-
ences with Indians and my adventures In
Africa while buying animals for the late
l.. +. Barnum. are somewhat tame when
compared With The things passed
shrongh An Manchura and Southern ST.
IBERIA went to those oHnuies some
years ago to buy tiger skins fer Lon
don fur dealer.
But before tell about my experience
Sn. that hes then land, let me say word
about tigers. Then are several species OF
tigers and all of Them are ferocions. The
lion is called the king OF beasts. but the
title does not rightfully belong TO him.
The royal Bengal tiger is larger, strong
err and braver than the lion. and also "a
greater fighter.
"A lion viii run from man unless II
IS cornered or desperate from hunger but
a tiger as far as ! can learn, has never
been known 10 flee from a man tiger
will charge upon an elephant or COM
pany Of soldiers. 1t seems 10 Know no
such thing as fear
In. ri f,f AQio fffy.F
cally live upon human flesh In North
eastern ManchuIia. and In fact all along
the southern banks Of the Amoor river as
far westward as the mountains. the tigers
kill an incredible number OF human be
sngs.
THE Chinese. or Tsrtars, in those parts
are armed with bows aud arrows. or very
crude rlrearms. and they have a difficult
time keeping tigers out OF their villages.
TIGER SKULLS AS MEDICINE
.'In Manchuria the people believe that
p,ilverized tiger teeth and claws are
powerful medicine. which will make those
who eat A strong and brave. Tiger skulls
Rre also made into medicine.
Perhaps You have noticed that many
tiger skins. in fact nearly all that are
sold IA America. have the head filled with
A,lssfer of paris and the teeth made OF the
same material and also lack claws. Well.
these hides come from Nsnchuria
Whenever tiger is killed there. the
mandarin of the place demands the
skull, teeth and claws. When he gets
ahem, aud the proper ceremonies are per-
rormed, his medicine man, amid various
rites. puiverizes them into a powder.
THE finest skins are those of the royal
Bengal tigers A large Bengal skins In
good condition will bring $1,000 Man
churia skins sell from sso upwards to $500
THE Bengal skins differ from the Man
rhurian I'm several respects, but the par
siculars would not interest you. The de-
msnd for tiger skins Is great especially
Tn xngand
much greater, and skins were selling at
high prices. At that time travelling was
not so easy IN China as II is now. and
great difficulty was encountered I'm get
zinr skins from the interior to the
coast
~ arrived at village about fifty miles
from the mountains In western Msnchu-
ria, and perhaps twenty og thirty miles
south OF the Amoor river n the summer
of 1885. ! had with me "A party of three
Europeans Englishmen and a Scotch
man. and an Interpreter and seven or
Eight coolies
''ANe had several Of the finest hunting
rifles made, among them being three eN-
press rifles. shooting explosive bullets,
0Uu IoNF Mdflln ftptaltfS. men We ar
rived We presented our letters TO the
mayor or head man OF the village-our
letters We're from the mandarin Of that
part OF the county-infOrming the read
srs that We were tiger hunters and as
sich should be- treated with respect and
njded 6n our way.
THE mayor Informed us that his VIII
iaee had suffered from ravages of tigers
from rcmotest times. that there were two
lrar Ia ~ a. VIII Ia
cd t.se souls Of executed criminals. that
the spirits ~ executed criminals entered
these two tigers. and that they ~ times
became so bold as To enter the village in
oben day and carry of people
"De also said that these tigers could
not he killed. because they were devil
tigere. He promised us that he would
give Us ten tiger skins Il we would rid MS
Village ~ these two tigers. We agreed
10 these terms at once The neAt morning
We were ,o start the hunt.
QUEER BAND or HUNTERS.
Just abuot tho time We four white
spcn were reajv 90 start the mayor came
sround with about forty or the sorricsi
looking roolics J ever saw. chained to-
sgethef m psirs by means % leg shackles.
lie inforIred ~ that ne used some of his
csnviois and criminals I'm tiger hunting.
and n convict killed tiesr ne was
psrionod
of course did not want such an out
~ - that with ls. and | told the mayor
80, but he Insisted that they be- permitted
10 go. and at last I consented
f"rhe way these fellows were armed
wns inirih-provokire one had a iln pan
and a stick and The man chained to him
had bow and arrow Nearly all the
pairs were arnsld in the same manner
Some Of the guards had frearrns--old