The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1911-03-05


and Coveted 8espangIed Procession
Of Wild Beasts as a Boy and Now
Acts as Broker In Similar Zoology
and Trappings.
Once an orphan boy of twelve who
did chores around Lancaster, Mo-, for
his keep saw circus parade from
choice seat at the top of a hitching
post near the courthouse square. 1t
seemed to that boy that to be near
those strange animals was like living in
land of romance. He resolved that
when he grew up he would have some
animals himself In that there was
nothing unusual; the really novel fea-
ture is that he realized his ideal.
For many years w. F. Hall has been
known as one of the most important
of the country's horse and mule deal
ers. He has bought and sold as
many as 10000 horses in a single
year. During the Boer war he did
much to advertise the Missouri mule
when he shipped mules to Africa for
the British army, hundreds every
week. Only recently he began filling
an order for $4,000 worth of mules
for the British government for distri-
button to a dozen foreign provinces.
Horsemen long have told of Halls
remarkable memory; how he never
keeps books, but can buy 300 horses
and next day remember what he paid
for each IF them
Queer Barnyard Animals.
But Halls barnyard shows other
things. There are sacred CATTLE with
a sort of dromedary hump where necks
meet shoulders. Beyond a store of
baied hay the shape of an enormous
brick are camels, black and white
and brown. sauntering around in a
barnyard where cows ought to be. A
cub bear is jerking at chain fasten-
ed to one of the barns foundation
supports. From an open door in the
cellar of the largest barn comes a
sound never to be mistaken the
trumpeting of elephants.
The circus barnyard and the cellar
full of wild animals in cages are sim
ply new departments. A heavy set. mus
cular, rudy faced man. with clothes
more like showman's than a towns
mans or farmers and somewhere near
fifty years old, is Hall. He loves large
diamonds and, except during the chilly
days of winter, wears silk hat even
araQnd the barns Once in awhile he
is able to fulfill a natural longing that
not every one is able to gratify--he
goes to the big city and buys $3.50
worth of clothes to show Lancaster.
There's no catch about it, no acct
dent" Hall says when the visitor ques-
tons him about the geological garden
barnyard and the cellar OF strange
noises When was kid wanted
to own animals, and now I've got the
money and / have them. Come into
the cellar and wen talk 1t over
Wild Beasts A-pienty.
Down the hill we go past the uneasy
bear cub and the camels that saunter
around in snow instead of burning
sand; down to the door from which
issues a greater variety Of sounds than
come from the mouth OF photograph.
Step in and elephants trunks reach
out toward the visitors legs as in
child's dream Along the wallis are
cages full OF lions and high strung
leopards and impudent monkeys. A
llama, which is a hay eating beast
something like an Angora goat and
something more like horse, is in one
corner. A parrot shrieks from a cage
in the rafters. A monkey seizes dog
by the hind leg.
How did / come to get these ami |
nlals9 said HAIL q just went out
and bought EN-; that's all The circus
men made me a mark the first year,
but / learned Now I buy and sell |
shows all the time. guess I've
handled d dozen or so.
Il always did like animals of most
every sort. started trading horses
at ten. At twenty had a pretty fair
start Then just kept going along
and going along. You know, until now
well. my feed bin sometimes is way
over 500, 600 in a year.
as to the effects of climatic changes
kdse G1EGAS pIJKACA S1VSo ss0AAaC PtoAAosAaA@>
ed views.
Adaptable to Climate.
..You've lived down south and you
90 up north some winter, he remarks.
aYou get used to 1t, don't you? Well,
an elephant doesn't know what snow
is aud may break his neck on the ice
because he doesn't know what Ice
might do to him. But otherwise they
all get along fine and easy. There
isn't i circus professional on the place +
except man who's upstairs in the
shed repainting some wagons, :
.Bnt the elephant trainer?"
He's a farmer from the county east
of here,
III d rear shed is a sawdust ring for
preliminary training for the circus ami
mails that the horseman-farmer and
show broker keeps in winter On the
first Hoor of the largest barn are
dozens of gilded circus wagons Out
side are ticket wagons and little clown