The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-08-10
A STUDY IN
COWARDICE

The speaker was the manager Of the
Drew menagerie In his room at the ho'
tel tho day after the tragedy.
Fills history never fully learned un-
Ill today. after the--the-accident 1t
reads like romance.
"John Haweis was an easy going
young fellow in the little village of lie.
land. Ind. He was fairly we'll off and
possessed n good business. But there
was weakness in his make up which
made him-well. TO put it mildly. not
popular. He was the most arrant COW.
ard in the world.
From earliest boyhood he had loved
a village schoolmate Jennie McDuff,
a sort of rustic belle. but when the
show down came and he proposed he
was rejected with scorn. Jennie told
him plainly that she would not marry
a coward.
This decision HAD weighty reasons
back OF It. He had been known to let
his sweetheart nearly drown because
he was afraid OF the water. At anoth.
err time he had run from very peace
fully disposed steer as the two were
crossing pasture. But why 50 through
the whole list?
"When Jennie refused him SO decid.
eddy. John seems to have walked up to
the insignificant position he held IL the
hearts Of his neighbors on account Of
his inherent weakness and decided to
leave Leland. He sold his business and
disappeared.
departing from Leland. he was mix.
cd up in wreck over IN Ohio as he
was making his way to Cleveland. In
this wreck he received an injury to the
head which rendered him unconscious.
and he was taken to the hospital in
Columbus, where he remained for
three months. He had money with
him, the result OF the sale of his prop
erty, and SO was well cared for. but as
there was no clew to his address about
him his Indiana friends were not noti-
fed of his accident.
Here was the turning point Of his
life
ut has become an old story that a
blow on the head will sometimes effect
a radical change In a mans DISPOSE.
ton. 1t was 80 with Haweis. He lost
his cowardice. also lost his memory.
His past was entirely wiped out.
"When he was released from the hos
pital. still having plenty of money, he
wandered around the country for
awhile and then fell in with our men,
agerie We let him travel with lis. as
he seemed to have an enormous liking
for animals and would have worked
for nothing in order to be with them
had we not been willing to engage him
at salary. And he was good man
for the work, always careful and fear
less, absolutely fearless.
after time we gave him more and
more confidence and at last he asked
to be allowed to assist the lien tanner
to learn the business under him. We
did not like to grant his request, but
our lion tanner had taken fancy to
John, and so the permission was re-
luctantly given. Then, when the for
mer received better offer, John took
his place.
"Well, sir. we never had such lion
tanner before, and doubt If we ever
will again. He went into the edges Of
the widest and most ferocious animals
with total absence of fear. 1t seemed
as If he actually loved the fierceness Of
the lions and the tigers. Yes, lie even
patted their heads.
after John became our lion tanner
we had remarkable success, for he
seemed to have an occult power over
animals. They easily and quickly learn
ed new tricks and when under his inhu-
cncc became passably tame.
"Thcn came this affair Of yesterday.
Jennie, his old sweetheart, I'M
known to HMM fact, he had forgot
ten her with the rest of his past-was
visiting friends in this city and came
TO or performance
"She was seated well down in front,
and when it came Johns turD to enter
the cage with the lions she shreked
ont In surprise. and perhaps terror, as
she recognized him.
~ was standing outside the bars by
the gate and saw his face. As the girl
cried out he glanced In her direction.
He passed his hands across his eyes in
a dazpd manner, and then there came
into them look OF absolute terror as
he saw the animals. 1t was as II he
had walked from a dream and found
Himself in n dangerous position from
which there was no escape.
"rhe sight Of his old sweetheart had
brought back his memory and with it
his cOwardice.
"rAe animals recognized It also and
with q bound were upon him. We
rushed In with iron bars, always kept
handy for that purpose. and beat them
off, but not before they had given him
his deathblow.
1--WE dragged him out and laid him
on the floor beside the cage. The girl
came flying down and knelt beside him,
calling his name and weeping.
"A few hours later he died In her
arms.
1--WE told her Of his bravery during
the last three years. and she wondered
at 1t. She mOurned because the sight
Of her, MS she thought. had thrown him
of his guard for Il moment and caused
his death.
"As for that returning cowardice, she
never knew, but before his death he
told me Of IT, lie could not understand
how he came to be In the cage. for
with the return of his memory all re-
membrane Of the last three years van.
ished. lie had forgotten all his tri.
umphs IN the circus and was again the
coward Of Leland!