The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-04-16

i
Ten minutes after the narrow doorway
was opened and California Ike" Salton-
stall had mounted the ticket sellers box
! crowds were pouring into the shack. To-
ward night the jam became so great that
| the price of admission was raised TO 30
| cents, but the patronage was not IN the
! least diminished. The news spread over
the lower part Of hte city and to Brook
Ign, and thousands came TO see the
strange spectacle of four solemn red
wattled turkey gobblers dancing in state
ly measure to the music of a violin
played by Hank Penny.
On a platform, raised about four feet
from the floor, was a wire cage, IN
which the turkeys were confined. 1t ex-
tened from the floor of the platform 10
the ceiling. It had a floor space Of about
eighty square feet. The bars Of the cage
were placed well apart, so that there
was an easy view of the interior. Directly
in front of the cage on the floor of the
shanty was a chair, in which sat the
fiddler, facing the cage. Behind him, at
a distance OF six feet, was a stout hick-
DRY rail, and inside the railed-off space
the spectators were not permitted to en-
ter.
Before the exhihition began It was Pen
nys custom to deliver a lecture, in which
he extolled the wonderful instinct in this
particular species of turkey, which caused
them to recognize musical sounds. They
are so rare" Penny would begin. that
they are unknown to the students OF an
cient or modern natural history It is
presumed that they are the descendants
of the winged creatures mentioned IN the
Bible as having danced before John OF
Patmos. Each Of these birds cost s., go
in gold and eleven precious human lives.
Only after a fierce and bloody battle with
the natives were they secured, and on the
to =
tious passengers died of fright at seeing
these strange creatures dancing a qua
drille by moonlight. You viii now have
the pleasure Of seeing a quickstep by the
four dancing turkeys-AthOs, Porthos,
Finneean, and Braunigan.'
With that Penny would seat himself
and start of with 1.-The Campbeils Are
Coming or THE Devils Hornpipe," the
turkeys standing moticnless, with neclzs
craned, as be began TO play. In few
minutes they would move from one side
OF the cage to the other. Dance. Athostf'
Penny would cry. Lift a foot, there,
Finnegan! Come, Athos, change cor
ners.''
All the time he would keep tapping with
his right foot on the floor. As the mu-
sic became faster and shriller the awk-
ward stupid-lO0king creatures would lift
their long, ungainly legs, first slowly,
then more rapidly, and with such regu-
larity that they actually seemed TO be
keeping time to the music. Then. after
FIVE minutes OF this performance, which
always brought roars or laughter, the
music would slow down 70 a waltz and
the turkeys sease 70 dance.
Up 10 April Il. 1855. the date Of the
assassination Of Abraham Lincoln. the
dancing turkeys coined money FOR their
owner Two hundred and fifty dollars
O. day was the average receipts. The
49, So ~Has -
and a nominal rental. on the night Of the
14th drunken man forced his way past
the rail and, luTChing over Penny, fel
against the platform. To save himself
he pun cut his hand. i went between
the wire bars and touched the floor Of
the cage. The turkeys were then danclng
g furious cuickstep. leap-ng high into the
air. and occasionally giving voice 70 IN
earthly gobbles.
The intruder pulled back his hand with
howl 4 main Wow. he shriekcd-
WHY. that's pretty near red hot. 10
wonder they dance. Come on. boys
Half dozen soldiers. ready for any
kind ~ lark. broke Gown the raj and
pushed into the ilcIosure- The crowd
surEeI after them. Penny was thrust
aside while an investigation vas made.
and this IS what the crowd found 4
thin sheet iron floor - the bottom ~
the cage q charcoal hrazier flied with
slowing err beTS beneath IT, the suolt ~
pair OF bellows IN TIE aperture ~ she
trazler beneath the fire, and one handle
81 the bellows. IenErhened by spl Gins.
leading TO the point wlere the fiddler kept
tine b. tapping with his fQct-
The cage was ripped 70 pieces. the tur-
keys carried OF. and the printed ar
nouuceuert tor1 90 tatters. Penny id
not resume business rsxE Gay. but
sought the gaming table end icst nearly
IN he had made in two weeks Nith
the breaking up q lbs show re vas
d1bha5 Turkey FclrT-