The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-10
SHUT UP WITH WOLVES.
An Afternoon in the Lite of John
Lover,
Wrom Do Philadelphia Press.l

, From the Philadelphia Press)
Despite the oft-repeated warnings of his
fellow-keepers who deprecated his inordi-
! nate ambition to tame every wild animal
| in the geological gardens, Keeper join
/ Lover came to grief yesterday afternoon
in cage occupied by six large grey
/ wolves. and he is likely to lose his left
| arm as a result of his indiscretion.
Among the employees of the geological
gardens Lover has established a record
| which his fellow keepers have never man.
4 Tested any disposition to break. Labor
| ing under the delusion that even all the
animal world might be prevailed upon tc
love Lover. he has on numerous occa-
| sions essayed the feat of entering the
cages of wild beasts with view of af-
| fording the animals an opportunity 10
| study him.
These experiments were uniformly dis
astrous, but Lover never suffered him
self to become a whit discouraged. Dur
ing the five years he has been a keeper
in the ZOO" he has been tossed by buff
falC. lifted over fence by an Infatuated
waplti. served as a treadmill for a COM
pany Of elks. and kicked so hard by an os-
trich that he was compelled to take 10
his bed
When it became necessary yesterday
to clean the grey wolves cage. Lover
volunteered 10 do il. Would he drive
the animals back into the little room
behind the cage and then lock the
door? Oh. no-why should he? He had
watched those wolves for 4 long time,
and was assured that, so far as he was
concerned. they had all the amiability
Of st. Bernard dogs. Then watching his
opportunity. and assuring himself that
no one was near to refrain him, he
opened the door and went in.
Just as soon as the animals saw
Lover turn to close the door they
bounced upon him. He turned to defend
himself and they leaped for his neck
Three attacked him from the front and
three from the rear. With nothing but
a heavy mop to defend himself, he fought
and beat the animals down with fury
born of desperation.
Several times he felled them to the
floor with weIl-directed blows, but each
time the brutes returned to the fray.
Lover was worried now and almost
GREATNESS. He was bleeding from the
face, arms, and hands. The fangs Of
the animals cut his flesh like a knife
On his arms and even on his checks we're
sprays of foam from the animals jaws
They were leaping for his face and
threat.
The noise attracted a dozen keepers who
ran to Lovers rescue. With long forks
Jues drove ihe wolves Ddch IN corner OF
the cage and helped Lover to get outside.
Flesh torn by the animals fangs hung
from his left arm in shreds. His face and
hands we're badly bitten, and his clothes
were torn to pieces.
When the encounter was over Lover
compiacently walked into the German Hos
piLal. where his wounds were dressed. Then
he went back 10 work with his arm in a
sling. and great patches of court plaster
over his face. as though nothing unusual
had happened. The physicians say that
Lover. who is twenty-nine years OF age
is in great danger Of losing his arm from
blood poisoning
The Injured keeper labored under the
impression that the wolves which attacked
him were fond OF him. He never had any
assurances OF this from the animals. who
displayed bad temper every time he fed
them. He escaped so often that he believ-
ed the wolves just did these things to
brighten him.