The sun., 1905-08-28
DJ0GAFY" AND OLD SHAMMOTH
JEU THREE BROOkLYN BOYS TO
SEEK MAN EATING TIGER.
But the Truth Was Not in Barnu,n's Ancient
Elephant Msn-Magic Root Of the
Misunderstanding Medicine Man Failed
20 AIlay Hunger, and They're Homo.

InuluusSlSy"S NhVuohto NAeu ShVN
20 Allay Hunger, and They're Homo.
Three better boys do not grow among
the rubber plants than Arthur Clarke.
vho il IS and lives at o. Ralph avenue
willie Fiero, who Is II and abides at i4ss
Roadway, and Robert ShafYer, whose
Years are II and whose home Is at 1909
putnam avenue. Their mothers we're quite
rrouj Of them until recently. and used to
rsn4r!t u the neighbors that for doing
chores and being good around the house
those boys certainly took the cake. They
xere quite sure that the three were just
the ones not to keep them awake nights.
The adventure had its beginning in school
.ioaafy' last winter. The boys are in the
ssme geography class. Biographies are not
supposed to excite tho youthful mind. OF
,ll texts they are believed to be the most
.oothing; but in certain Of thoir pages
iarocio,ls beasts plaoidly permit themselves
10 be gunned by daring hunters, who hide
nv water holes at night or reep through
long Jungle grass. Tho fascinating Pic
tues touched the match to the imagina-
ions Of Arthur, Willie and Robert.
Then the circus came along. They had
.een circuses before and had kept alive
boyhood traditions by carrying water for
the zebra and doing other useful chores, i,
but never had g. circus appealed to them
TO- They were UP when it crawled over
the Williamsburg Bridge In the dawn, the
elephant folk numbering in the van, the
bad baby trumpeting and clanking his
chains, the lions roaring restlessly and all
the birds and beasts making queer night
noises. They tagged after it all the way
to the big lot, and when old Shammoth
McHugh. the animal man, who was with
Phineas T. Barnum in the perambulator
days Of circusing and who is known from
Hydera bad to Houston, Tex, as q genial,
though monumental, liar, started to bed
the elephants they clamored for informa-
ton, exact, positive information, ON the
habitat and habits Of carnivora. Old
Shammoth bit OF a fresh chew OF tobacco.
had them carry straw until their small backs
sched and, then. from his seat ON a red
wagon. CO ntaining very real and very
hungry tiger, told the exciting tale Of how
be slew man-eating tiger singehanded
.Beins as how" said old Shammoth,
looking doubtfully at the three boys, you
may think I'm a liar, all I've got to say
i that if you'll go to Springfield you'll
zee the woods still there and the claw marks
Of the tagger on one big tree-let me see
now, where is that tree? Oh, yes, Just
north by east Of a beeline from the City
ball s,eeple. You can't miss it. 1t was
about a year gone that / took a nip too
much, the which you kids must never do,
toward tow SsA1 morning, e1 ,1 awoke. There was
grovlin' and gnashin' Of teeth there
three pairs Of eyes got round as butter
Loll 80
dre not more n six feet away from me.
"Tagger,' says to myself. 'Tagger,
sure as s' shootin' I've heerd these woods
b full Of EN-. Shammoth, you're goner'
The growlin' and the gnashin got worse
and wogser and them red balls Of fire kept
travelin' close and closer. until, pretty
smell sHod s%s that tdsfFss Sssh ssa
Caused by the things he eats. hadn't
any weepons and was nearly crazy with
scare. Then I remembered my old jack
knife that the King Of Siam gave me for
saving, his life from mad elephant, and
slipped it out Of my pocket. laid down
behind me with the hand in the air and
held the knife blade straight up like this.
Then that blamed tagger jumped. Next
| | remember was a feel Of somethin' wet
and hot. Then saw the tagger dead as a
doomail. The knife had ripped his belly
end to end. l was feared his mate would
come to aavenge him;-taggers always does
hahury. Iwent back and got the tagger's
lide, though. soon as it got light and gave
the skin to Mister Barnun. He always
Kept it. Thought lot Of me, the old man
Then the project formed itself in three
Youthful minds. They whispered mysteri-
ously when parents were around and
inflated the roar of tiger after dark SO
N to accustom themselves to the dreadful
tound But money was required for hunt
ing expeditions, and after the circus was
over there was just 81 cents among the
three. Rubber plants saved them. Many
Brooklyn people who go away Of summer
behind the beloved rubber plant to the
mercy of servants or unfeeling janitors.
The boys organized an association for the
protection of pet rubber plants. They
Took contracts for the care of rubber plants
and by the middle Of this month they
bad over IS in cash.
One night in Fulton street they saw a
man with long black mustache who wore a
tombrero and glared fiercely in the reflec-
lon OF gasoline flares that surrounded him. |
10 crowd he was relating . desperate
adventure, 1t seemed that this fearless
man had discovered q magic cure all by the |
p pqrsst Ta,; Of accident: Travelling in the north
Apaches, He fought them OF with revol- |
yer day and night and when they with |
Galew, leaving six OF their number biting
Ae dust he was half dead from thirst and
aunger There was no water to be
louDd. AS far as the eye could see all
vas sand and desolation. He dragged
nlmsef painfully to the shade OF q
great rock, stubbing his toe against dry
iool. Half mad, he seized the root and
esan to chew on it. In a minute he felt
ialnself reviving. He chewed some more,
let his senses clear, chewed some more,
s0t on his feet kept on chewing, realized
uonger than ever, walked thirty miles to
settlement before sundown and gave the
magic medicine to the world. Would any
SHny buy? Ten cents, the tenth part Of
Tolar was the price OF a small package
,sil zen cents would neither make you nor break
.ou nor set you up in business. Three
SScnKiages Snis we're sold then and there to Arthur,
"l,le and Robert.
,.hey bought pistol next, a 80 caliber
uaf little shopworn, and were ready
~ Sr 70 We adventure in the Springfield woods.
"a Wednesday last the three slipped away
~ ,'p their homes bought half fare tickets
East Brookfleid, Mass., where Arthur
H., an uncle and started. Arthur decided
ins i"s' uncle might interfere with the hunt
rs trip and go they didn't tarry in East
tSbU.okield. tb.. They went to Springfield and
~s ns. used up all but q few cents Of the
nsoaey' nsy' When they asked Springfield
N. |tpe pe very seriously the best way to get