IN BARNUM’S MENAGERIE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 33, 21 January 1911, Page 3 (Supplement)

IN BARNUM’S MENAGERIE.

One of Barnum’s showmen says:--In the old museum we had. among other attractions, a baboon called Dick. He was a solid chunk of a fellow, goodtemp; red. and a great f ’vourite. H? had one peculiarity, th ui-di, which we had to cater to. He took short naps twice a day, and if aroused before his time, he was ns ugly as sin all th" rest of the day. We h d him dress? 1 up as a little, lioy, and when the tim° came to take his nap he crept into an old-fashioned cradle, and the fat woman generally rocked him to sleep. That, very thing was quiie a draw, and plenty of peoph* cam- in solely to 'fee the baboon rocked off to slumber. One day, soon after Dick had closed his eves, a half-drunken chan entered the place and created considerable disturbance. He went by the name of Awful Pete, and was a hard slugger. I tried to reason with him, and get him out. but ho unfortunately caught sight of the sleeping baboon, and at once demanded that the animal be aroused and put through bis tricks. I sought to explain, but he wouldn’t have it, saying: “I paid to see the bab, and I’m going to see him or bust his b’iler!”— “But if you wake him up he will fight.” "Then PH wring his ne k!” Before I cmld stop he dodged under the rope and lifted Dick out of the cradle. The animal woke up and took in the situation in about the tenth part ot a second, and then he fastened his hands into Pete’s hair, got a grip with his teeth on the slugger’s nose, and we had a museum, menagerie, and circus combined for the next five minutes. Pete roared, and whooped, and pranced around in pain and termr. and the bab pulled handfuls of hair from his head, and bit and scratched like a wild cat. AVhen we finally got him off. that slugger was a sight to behold, and had to be taken to the hospi+al at once. Two hours after he had had his wounds dtessed I went in tr> see him, and aa soon as I spoke he began crying, and r.sked: ‘Was it a baboon which did this?” "Yes.” "Big as a lion?”

"Oh, no. He weighs about twentysix rounds. Why do you weep?” "Hadn’t I orter weep?” he savagely demanded, as the tears c?.me afresh. "I have, had thirteen fights, and knocked my man out everv time, and now to be down by a weazen-faced monkey in one round has broke me all up.”