Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-10-11

ping their Wings, knocking their heads
against the roof Vt the cage or pushing
their skinny featherless necks through
the spaces between tho bars All this
time Klllp was stamping with his right
foot
After the srotesque performance (which
always evoked roars OF laughter had
been Kept w for fifteen or twenty min
utts the bow was drawn more slowly over
the fiddle strings and the keeping OF time
was stopped simultaneously the antics
OF the unRainly birds became lees ener-
getic, and finally ceased sltosether
way They Dnuccd.
II was all "trick' Of course instead
Of Keeping time" with the pounding OF
his right foot old Bnl was working one
handle of Q bellows whose noszlc famed
fire IN n charcoal stove that heated the
bottom OF the sheet iron floor OF the
cage. AS the music grew louder and
quicker the shoe tlron became hotter and
the turkeys feet began to scorch. The
pain caused them 10 jump, and their 81.
forts to escape the torture was the cll-
max OF the exhibition
Feet got kinder callous after a
while" said old Bm TO the writer some
years before his death and long after
he had retired from business, and they
wore all the feathers off their hecks until
they looked scandaious. used TO rattle
EN- off, y Tor the two, and buv new raw
about every three weeks. Turkeys amt
like four-legEed animals they Amt got
no sense. and burnin' their feet don't
hurt 'em"
The sacred dancing turkeys were ex-
hibited In seventeen states west Of tina
Allegheny river and Klllip had the hu-
dacity TO give his show before an audit
enee OF ninety Indians In Indian TERRI
tory, lie not only got away with the
trick, but he scooped In about 500 and
number OF valuable presents from the
chiefs, who were greatly, mystified by
the performances.
Ills last exhibition was IN 1876 during
the Centennial In Philadelphia, and he
managed TO hang on there for three
weeks as one Of the great colony of side
shows. Bill had hired young negro
who, after being rugged out in a suit Of
yellow and covered with cheap gilt lace,
was billed M the special attendant
loaned by the king ct Peraia to- wait
on the sacred turkeys" The principal
business Of the new hand, however, was
TO keep between the spectators and the
black muslin curtain that concealed the
charcoal stove under the metal floor OF
the cage.
Ills "IIair stratRhtener."
Tho negro was bright chap about 10
years old, and he was possessed Of an
ambition to have straight hair like
white folks" instead OF the kinkv wool
that covered his head, Ills frequent ref
erences 10 the subject set old BIN think
ing. and he remembered condoct.On
that he used many years before to make
the coat Of curly-haired horses smooth
| and glossy. The basis VI the prepe ration
was carbonate OF soda, which was nc
secret, hut there were other lnsredients
the character OF which Bill never dis
| closed. lie bought them In Phlladei'
phla drug store and made a quart OF the
preparation that was intended for horses
Jim Tinney, the colnred boy, was more
than willing TO submit himself for expert
ment To his great astonlshment and de
| light, and to the surprise of Bin, the
| liquid actually did cause ths tightly
rolled kinks to soften and straighter
out and to lie fiat to the head. Jim was "a
proud as dog with two tails 1t tool
| less than an hour to convert his woollS
covering into straight hair. The experi
| fnetit was made about 10 o'clock at night
when Jim awoke next morning his WOO
was as tightly knked as ever--tighter
In fact In tears he went 20 the boss.
Needs several treatments, ] reckon,
said Bill "tii put some more Of IN,
stuff on. Can't expect to change In ON,
hirht"
A second application had the same Of
| feet As the first. Killip kept watch nm
found that the strong alkaline LIQUID KEEP
the kinks straight for about five hours.
The minimizing and the rekihking wen
on for week ana lin Tlnney beoam
reoonclled to the situation, especially afte
old Bil had Outlined a scheme whic
promised big monetary returns and whicl
master and man were to divide equally
After the plan had been crystallized tn
sacred turkeys were sold for a coupl
Of collars, the cage was smashed, an
the old tent left az legacy for anybod
who wanted H.
HIS One Mistake
For the first time IN his life Old Bi
Killip made blunder In judgment. II
paid railroad fare to Atlanta for himsel
and his ASSISTANT. and there prepares
about ten gallons OF his nostrum II
bought ten gross Of eight-ounce bottle
and filled them Then he had label
printed In red and yellow ink. and this
what they promised