Year: 1878

The only Den of Performing Tigers in


tho Wcrld-- Methods Of suDiecting


these BOASTS to Control.


[Erom he Nc,c roth: SIN


A reporter recently interviewed
Mr.. Still, the lion king of tho Lon
don circus, who gave the following
account Of his experiences in tanning
the monarchs of tho forest. He
said:


81 was engaged in taking care Of
wild beasts in London for q man
named Charles Rice, d well~known
animal importer, when an offer was
made me to 60 out in tho same
capacity with Jim Meyers circus in
France. Very shortly after I had
become acquainted with tho animals
there, John Cooper, who was per-
forming them, got pretty badly
chewed up by II lion ono night. He
was carried off to a hospital, and I
was asked if I would take his place
I didn't much like the job, for had
never bcen in a cage before, but it
was chance for INC to earn more
than 1 had been getting, and I
didn't feel like owning up that 1
was afraid. SO L agreed to do it.
[ made up my mind that the first
time went in [ would be eaten, or
ut least crippled for life, in all
human probability, and 1 concluded
l had better have it over with in
private than before an audience.
With that idea L got into the cago
with the four lions, in the afternoon.
Before they recovered from their
astonishment at my impudencc I
WAS slashiLg them around with tho
whip, rs [ had seen Cooper doing,
and had them hopping about lively,
and too busy to think of going for
me. That night performed them
in public, and continued to do SO
about three months, until Cooper
got well enough to take his place
again. Then L WAS sent to IL branch
show to do the lion tanner business
with strange cage of four lions,
and after IL while l introduced also
a performance with cugc of five
hyenas and two leopards. They
didn't like each other at all. The
hycnas, you see, belong to the dog
kind, and the leopards arc n sort of
cats, and dog and cat never did
agree very well. The leopards were
afraid Of the hycnas, and used to fly
around Il good deal. They were
too busy looking out for their own
hides to think Of troubling me.
When L got through, I used to
separate them oil. No decent
beast can get along with hvcna,
which is the flthiest, most vicious,
contemplate, disgusting animal
alive, and although it has no claws
to scratch with, its jaws arc Just
torrors. Why, Il hycna can bite off
the corner OF your handkerchief
just as clcanly as n pair Of shears
could snip it off, and it eau crush n
shin bone Of u beef as easy as you
would an oyster cracker.


81 came over here in 1871, and
trained the four tigrcsscs L now
perform with. They arc tho most
dangerous brutcs in the world, and
L suppose some day they will kill
me, but that is fato we all have
to look for, and if I keep command
over thcm well, it may be good
while before they do. You can
never trust IL tiger. a lion may
get friendly with you, and it is not
very likely to try to kill you, with
out you make him angry or he is
hungry and wants to cat you. But
u tiger kills instinctively, from a
love of killing, q sheer lust for
blood. Fill tiger up with all the
meat it can hold, and it is. just as
likely to spring on you and rend
you the next minute. as it would
be if starving.


"Of course I have been chewed
up some. Every man in my line Of
business has to make up his mind
to that See, both my arms and
hands arc ripped and scarrrd.
When was with that branch show
of Meyers circus, in France, I was
bitten three times in two months /;
pretty badly, too. 1t almost dis
couraged mo. Once q lion bit my
left arm through the wrist. making
that scar-tore four deep gashes in