The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1918-06-10
By a Times Reporter

4 stephen Batty continued ABOUT
the lions:
"Of course you've got your
prong and blank cartridge gun
but the lion isn't afraid of these
any more. The saliva has begun
ito run from his mouth. He has
made up his mind to eat you.
THE only thing is that you've
got chance to work around him
and make him forget he's mad.
Take his mind off the fact that
he is after YOU"
Tell me about the tigers l
asked.
We'll, tigers are different in
this way. They give you no
warning that they are coming.
save perhaps slight crouch,
slight humping of the shoulders.
And then it is a spring clear
across the arena and, on you.
IF you don't see that crouch,
that launching of the shoulders
why you are gone and even If you
do see the signs of danger you've
got to step quicker than you've
ever stepped in your life.
How to Stop Tiger
"A tiger is quick, quick as a
cat. He's not any more treacher-
GUS than a lion or any other beast.
But his quickness has given him
the reputation of being treacher-
GUS.
But here is where the tiger
favors you," continued the veteran
wild animal trainer. After he
springs and he misses you, why
! you can rap him on the snout and
fire a gun in his ear and be beats
it back across the arena for an
other spring. By that time, fol-
lowing him up toe to toe, hitting
him every minute, you've got him
scared and he forgets what he
started out to do"
Batty told me in confidence that
the old adage about a wild animal
trainer staring beast out OF
countenance and commanding him
thru fear of human eyes was the
bunk, pure and simple.
Won't Look in Eye
He said lion in the first place
wouldn't look man in the eye.
I'm place of the eye there is the
voice." said this king of animal
trainers. Whenever / have a cold
and my voice is boarse and weak
have a hard time making my
lions behave.
Now I'm going to try and pick
you out a lion comparatively, mind
you, | said comparatively, safe,
but before you go in with him l
want you to make up your mind
that no matter how scared you
are you won't show it. And that
if he refuses to obey an order
sending him on his pedestal and
comes toward you, you won't back
up but will walk right up to him.
you'll Spoil Him"
otherwise"
Batty hesitated.
otherwise what?" I asked.
"Why otherwise" concluded
Batty, you'll spoil my lion and he
won't mind me any more
| caught a twinkle in the ami
NAL trainers eyes as l pondered
over his last remark. And l
rather wished l wasn't with the
show after all.
watched Batty's work when
he entered the arena and l no.
ticed that he had complete con-
troll of the lions in his act.
These lions we're all full grown
and he put them thru all sorts
of tricks. They seemed, at times,
completely subjugated to his will,
tho now and then they rebelled,
but only for an instant.
Whenever they came at him
Batty advanced ON them and
cracked his wrip or fired his blank
cartridges. l noticed that he
never gave an inch no matter how
close the claws or the jaws of the
Jungle beasts came to him.
This, Bert Hickman, the ring
ldirector, told me, was one Of the
most important attributes of a
wild animal trainer. No matter
how close the big fellows charged
on you a trainer must never back
up. He could sidestep or dodge,
but never retreat.
Retreat meant a sign OF fear
and fear was fatal to any human
being who trusted his life in a
cage with wild animals.
There was one outlaw in the
group who time and again rOared
and struck out in rebellion to
Batty and at times charged on
him for a few feet.
Brutus Outlaw.
This lions name was Brutus, l
Learned, and he had killed one of
his trainers as we'll as injured sew
eral others before Batty got him.
Batty whipped Brutus and bonn
barded him with his blank cart
ridges until the outlaw retired to
his corner. l noticed that from
Brutus' Jaws dripped the tell-tale
saliva, the sign that he was angry
and hungering for battle with his
trainer.
Batty noticed 1t, too, and never
turned his back on the outlaw.
When the act ended he dashed
Brutus into the runway to his
wagon cage.
| Outside tho lion tanner wined