Evening star., 1940-05-18
Never Turn Back on Wrong Cat,
Circus Lion Tanner Advises
Alfred Court Battles With Each
Animal to Prove He Is Master
By ALFRED TOOMBS,

BY ALFRED TOOMBS.
Some days, when Alfred Court is
in bad humor, he walks into a
cage full of lions. tigers, leopards,
bears and assorted murder on the
hoof and says "Booah," which Is an
old French expression meaning
who would like poke in the kisser
today?"
The beasties take to cover and Mr..
Court finds it absolutely impossible
to get any of them to come out and
try to kill him unless he adopts a
kindlier tone.
Mr.. Court has so vicious animals
in the act which he does in Ringing
Bros, Barnum and Bailey Circus,
playing here now. He has licked
every tough baby in the crowd.
The circus people say that Mr..
Courts cat act is the most unusual
they've ever had. He's trained
panthers, pumas and jaguars-the
most unreliable and vicious of ami
mals-and has then worked them in
with lions, tigers, bears and dogs,
who love each other like Mr.. Hitler
loves Mr.. Churchill.
Sees Aides Die.
In the process of building up this
act, MIR. Court has seen two of his
assistants and one secretary killed
by his animals and has personally
gone to the hospital four times after
being mistaken for the, meat course.
Mr.. Court gets jungle-born ami
mails and trains most Of them when
they are young. Lions are easiest
to handle and tigers next. When he
gets one of these cats, he goes into
the training cage alone, armed with
such formidable weapons as whip,
a wooden stick and m old chair. He
doesn't own gun.
Then the cat is turned loose with
him.
"Eet's joost like a box match"
the Frenchman explains. They've
got their teeth and their claws
I've got my wheep and my steeck.
The best one weens."
The cat always attacks and when
he does Mr.. Court gives him such
lambasting, such dizzy chase
after little man who's never there
that the animal lies down after
while and dreams of turning
vegetarian.
Once Is Enough.
Mr.. Court hasn't met the lion or
tiger or bear that he can't beat
in a and-to-hand fight. And after
he beats them once, they generally
get the idea.
They say: He's the boss. He's
strongair than I am, so I won't
fight heem'."
The jaguars, cougars, panthers
and other smaller cats have to re-
ceive a slightly different training
treatment. You can see a lion
coming for you and he'll walk
right up before he makes a pass.
But the smaller cats will Jump
straight for a mans throat from
a distance of 10 or IS feet.
So when Mr.. Court goes into the
cage with them the first time, he
has couple of ropes around their
necks. This keeps them from jump
ing at him and makes it an even
fight.
The next training step is to
teach them the tricks, just like
you'd teach a doggy rewarding
them when they obey and Furnishing
them when they don't. Then he has
to teach the cats not to fight each
other.
You learn to know each animal as
an individual and you find there
are some you can turn your back
on and some that you can't. One of
his late trainers turned his back
on the wrong tiger once.
This was in Europe and Mr.. Court
had just hired the new trainer, a
young F'renchman. There was a
mean tiger named Bengalee in the
act and he leaped on the trainers
back. Mr.. Court was outside the
cage at the time and when he saw
the tigers jaws fasten on the
trainers leg, he leaped to the
rescue.
Without Weapons.
In his hurry. he forgot to take
any weapon with him and when he
got in the cage he picked up a
stool and threw it at the tiger.
The animal loosed his grip and the
trainer rose, turned his back on
Bengalee and started toward Mr.,
Court.
"He lost hees nerve for joost a
second joost a leetle panic. And
that ees where he made hees mees-
take"
The tiger leaped again, his teeth
fastening on the trainers head. Mr..
Court, grabbing whatever he could
lay his hands on, fought Bengalee
and the half dozen other cats in the
cage, who, excited by the blood, be-
gan to riot.
For three minutes he battled the
cats, dragging the wounded man
little by little toward the gate.
Mr.. Court got out, but the trainer
died two hours later
The same tiger killed another
trainer year later while Mr.. Court
watched.
"Bengalee joomped heem and then
all the others joomped and tore
heem to pieces cen & few seconds" :"
Mr.. Court worked Bengalee be-
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