ALDERSON W.Va. (WVDN) – “Lion On A Leash” by Charlie Ryan is based on the true story of an African lion born to a circus visiting Alderson, West Virginia in 1890. The baby is ordered drowned by the circus owner who fears his star lioness will not be able to perform in center ring if she nurses the cub, named “French.” The newborn is saved by Alderson housewife Susan Bebout, who raises him in her own home, where he becomes as domesticated as Susan’s housecat. As French grows, he regularly roams the town’s streets where shoppers and business owners pay him little attention—except to pet and stroke the lion of whom they are very fond.
The cub’s hometown haven is invaded by a traveling salesman who claims the lion has turned rogue and attacked him—and will eventually strike at someone else, possibly maiming or killing them. The town council, seeking to minimize the possibility of any such occurrence, quickly passes an ordinance that all lions in Alderson must be leashed.
Ryan fashions a fast-moving journey of a lion maturing and gaining fame—fueled by newspaper coverage. Circus owners see French as an attraction to put “butts in seats,” and the newly opened Smithsonian National Park Zoo wants him as their first African lion. As the circuses transition from wagons to railroads, winding through West Virginia, South Carolina and on to the Midwest, their rivalry to acquire the lion intensifies. Meantime, the Smithsonian ratches up its campaign to win what has become a very hot commodity.
The pursuit to acquire French deteriorates into defamation and libel, spiraling into West Virginia lawyers’ offices where French’s suitors collide. “Litigation is the sport of kings!” shouts one circus impresario as the frantic quest unleashes “lies and damn lies.” The chaotic and surprising conclusion of the historical novel finds the lion’s savior, Susan Bebout, on a course to reunite with her beloved French.
“Lion On A Leash” captures it all, memorializing the journey of a circus legend who eventually reaches stardom in the Barnum & Bailey Circus of the nineteenth century—concluding the amazing travels of French the African lion, a story that resonates to this day.
“Lion On A Leash” is Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and at select bookstores.
