The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-24
TIGER HUNTS IN CHINA
SOME THRILLING ADVENTURES
WITH FIERCE MAN-HUNTERs
IN MANCHURIA
PLUCK OF A YANKEE COLONEL
wyoming Man Rids a village OF
Two Pests - Novel Retinue OF
Chained COnvicts Furnished
as Assistants.

AT present SOJOurnlnS IN salt Luke Is q
man of much travel and varied eXpe-
Tience, says the Salt Lake Herald. He
left his home on a New England farm
and came West in the middle fifties. AT
that time he was a lad scarcely seven
teen years of age. During his first years
In the West he was IN turn bull
whacker," as the driver of an OK wagon
was called, a stage driver, a superin-
tendent of district of the road, a scout,
guide, hunter and last of all a dealer in
wild animals. In the latter vocation
Col. Root has filed orders for nearly all
the great menageries and geological
gardens in the world
In g. recent interview with a Herald
reporter Col. Root saiza
Il have had some exciting experiences
IN my time, but some of my early ex-
periences with Indians and my adven-
lures in Africa while buying animals FOR
the late P. I. Barnum, are somewhat
tame when compared with the things l
passed through in NIanchuria and South
ern Siberia. 1 went to those countries
some years ago to buy tiger skins for a
London fur dealer.
But before I tell about my expe-
rtence in that heather land, let me say
a word about tigers. There are several
very ferOcious. The lion is called the
king of beasts, but the title does not
rightfully belong to him. The royal
Bengal tiger is larger, stronger and
drawer than the lion, and also a greater
fighter. a lion will run from a man
unless 1t is cornered or desperate from
hunger, but a tiger, as far as can
learn, has never been known to flee from
a man. A tiger will charge upon an ele-
plant or a company Of soldiers. 1t
seems to know no such thing as fear.
I'm some parts of Asia tigers practical
ly live upon human flesh. In North
eastern Manchuria, 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
beings. The Chinese or Tartars, In
those parts are armed with bows and ar
rows, or very crude firearms and they
have difficult time keeping tigers out
of their villages.
I'm Manchuria the people believe that
pulverized tiger teeth and claws are a
powerful medicine, which will make
those who eat 1t strong and brave Tiger
skulls are also made into medicine. Per-
haps you have noticed that many tiger
skins, in fact nearly all that are sod
in America, have the head filed with
plaster of paris, and the teeth made of
the same material and also lack claws.
Well, these hides come from Manchu-
ria Whenever a tiger is killed there, the
mandarin of the place demands the skull.
teeth and claws. When he gets them,
and the proper ceremonies are perform
ed, his medicine man, amid various
rites, pulverizes them into a powder.
1.-The finest skins are those of the royal
Bengal tigers. A large Bengal skin in
good condition will bring $1,000 Man
churia skins sell from $50 upward to $500.
The Bengal skins differ from the Man
churian in several respects, but the par
ticulaTs would not interest you. The de-
mand for tiger skins is great, especially
in England. Several years ago the de-
mand was much greater, and skins were
selling at high prices. At that time
travelling was not so easy in China as it
now is, and great difficulty was encoun-
tered in getting skins from the interior
to the coast.
81 arrived at a village about fifty miles
from the mountains In Western Man
churia, and perhaps twenty or thirty
miles south of the Amoor river, in the
summer Of 1888. I had with me a party
of three Europeans, two Englishmen and
Q Scotchman and an interpreter and
seven or eight coolies. We had several
of the finest hunting rifles made, among
them being three express rifles shooting
explosive bullets, and four Marlin re-
peaters. When we arrived we presented
our letters to the mayor or head man
Mandarin of that part of the county-in-
forming the readers that we were tiger
hunters and as such should be treated
with respect and aided on our way. The
mayor Informed us that his village had
suffered from ravages of tigers from
remotest times, that there were two
tigers in the hills near by which har-
bored the souls of executed criminals
that the spirits Of executed criminals en-
tered these two tigers-and that they at
times became so bold ais to enter the
village in open day and carry off people
He also said that these tigers could NOT
be killed, because they were devil tigers.
He promised us that he would give ia
ten tiger skins If we would rid his VII
Iage OF these two tigers. We agreed to
these terms at once The next morning
we were to start the hunt
Just about the time we forr white
men were ready to start the mayor came
around with about forty of the sorriest
looking coolies I ever saw, chained TO-
gether in pairs by means of leg shackles
lie informed US that he used some of his
convicts and criminals In tiger hunting.
and II a convict killed a tiger he was
pardoned. OF course, I did not want sucl
an outfit as that with US, and 1 told the
mayor Sc hut he insisted that they be
permitted TO go, and at last I consented.
The way these fellows were armed
was mirth- provoking One had tin pan
and q stick ard the man chained to him
lad bow and arrow. Nearly all the
pairs We're armed III the same manner
Some Of the guards had firearms-old
blunderbusSeS, hintlocks and cd gaspipa
pistclS-and others had bows and arrows
A few Of the prisoners carried nothine
but spears. The poor devils, guards and
all, We're scared almost to death before
the hunt started.
ffFr0rn
now L could use the outfit 1 did NOT
want to hunt in front of them, because I
was afraid they might shoot me If we
hushed any game. did not want TO he
behind them because that might prevent
me ana my companions from getting q
shot
Here let me say that the three MAJ,
with me were all experienced hunters.
Donaldson, the Scotchman, was one of
the best shots I ever saw-not even bar
ring Al Huston, or Ed Lane. of wvor-
Ing. He had hunted tigers before, He
was hard man to get along with. but
a good man nevertheless Grant and
AlIers. the two Englishmen, were also
good shots and cool-headed men. Tbev
mad had some experience in tiger hunt
ing while IN the English army in Ind:a
Wen, it was finally DECIDED that we
should descend on the brush in a line
with Grant and Al1ers in the middle
and donaldson on one end and myself on
the other. We walked along the ridge
ABOVE the ravine until we came opposite
the part of the brush in which the tigers
were supposed to have their lair Ther
we formed our line and prepared 10
descend upon the brush. The poor devils
began to beat their pans and shout with
qlivering voices. The noise had inst
started when heard Donaldson's voice
above 1t all shouting, Hold onr'
glanced in his direction, and there
he was kneeling and aiming With bis
Marlin at something across he ra,rir,o