WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2085, 8 February 1894, Page 37

WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS.

By P. Rompter.

February 3. Dear Pa(>quin, — A short holiday out of town has put me out of the running, but a glimpse over the files enables mo to keep in touch with the record of passing events. The Brough and Boucicault Company opened last week, and have throughout this week con-

tinued to bumper houses. Rapid changes have been the order on the playbill, and crowded houses have been the result. After finishing their Wellington season, the company will give two peformances in Palmerston North, for which town Mr Lohr departed yesterday. General regret has been expressed at the resignation of Mr J. D. Baird of the office of secretary to the Opera House Company, but as he haß to cope with a growing country commission, which takes him continually out of town, Mr Baird tells mo that there was no other course open to him, as there is such a quantity of telegrams to answer in connection with the house.

Mr William M'Lean has been appointed by . the Opera House Company to succeed Mr Baird as secretary, Mr M'Lean sat In our late Parliament for one of the Wellington scats, and his business will enable him to devote » groat deal of time to his new duties, for which ho will no doubt prove himself fully capable. Lyon's Operatic Burlesque Company, who Were in Greytown in the early part of the week, have gone down to Chriatchurch, and will come north again shortly. They had a very good season in the Wairarapa. Fillis's Circus and Menagerie returned tc» Wellington by the Penguin on Thursday morning, after a fairly successful Heason in Nelson and Blenheim. It left by the Pukaki for Gisborne yesterday afternoon, and after playing for two days will go on to Auckland. * Do you remember the two bears attached to Fillis's Circus— one a big fellow and the other a small one ? A short time ago the owner and trainer of these animals determined to retirefrom the biz., and Mr Fillis bought him out for somewhere in the neighbourhood of £250. Bub it was not easy to get a new " boss of the bears," until a big black-visaged tent hand offered to work them. His offer was accepted,, and the fellow was delighted with his rise — until he wont to make the acquaintance of big Bruin, who had so decided an objection to> close relations between them that when the: new trainer attempted to put Bruin through some of his old tricks the animal straightway clawed the clothes off hia would-be master. i Two other suits of clothes were also torn to j shreds before the new trainer appeared in public with the two bears, and when I saw them in^ the ring here in Wellington it waa noticeable that the trainer was rather shy of the big fellow as he put him through his tricks.

The following par, which I clip from the Post, shows that these two aro not yet on the best of terms, aud one can imagine the zesb with which they would both put in the " go-in" on the wharf. The par says : "An incident which possessed some comical features for the eye-witnesses occurred on the Queen'a Wharf on Friday. Fillis's Circus was being shipped to Nelson, and amongst the animals was a large bear, which evinced a decided repugnance to a sea voyage. When the timearrived for Bruin to go on board ho seized the chain by which his keeper was holding him and attempted to break it. The man in charge endeavoured to spoil his little game, whereupon he turned on the fellow, and a wrestling match ensued. Both man and beast were terribly in earnest, and the result of the bout was witnessed with tremendous interest by scores of people. Victory rested with Bruin, who at once renewed his effortß to snap the chain, bufc the keeper again closed with him, and another tussle followed. The animal now became somewhat savage, and as the man was getting roughly handled, some of the spectators interfered, but it was not until they had belaboured the bear with a piece of timber for nearly a. minute that the awkward brute released his hold and allowed himself to be taken on board."

By the way, mention of Fillis reminds me that a tussle of quite a different nature took place here the other day between Mr Fillis and the note- writer of the Mail, " Scrutator." This pen tussle was over the " wild animal act," and all the credit must certainly be given to "Scrutator," who "drew" the circus man so well as to cause him to divulge secrets which, in my opinion, gave away the show.