Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-06-08
An Elephant at Large.

The large elephant attached to the Broad
way menagerie, got loose from his keeper, on
the way from Pawtucket to Fall River, early
Monday morning. Before starting, his keep
er made him lift the hinder part of wagon,
loaded with $500 pounds, for the purpose of
getting it into line. 1t is supposed that this,
although not unusual, might have suggested
to him the mode of attack which he adopted
afterwards. When about sel en- miles from
Pawtucket, he got free from the control of his
keeper, and meeting horse and wagon, be-
longing to Mr.. Stafford Short, he thrust his
tusks into the horse, and lifted horse, wagon,
and rider into the air. He mangled the horse
terribly, and carried him about fifty feet, and
threw the dead body into pond. The wag-
on was broken to pieces, and Mr.. Short was
considerably hurt. The elephant broke one
of his enormous tusks in this encounter. A
mile further, the elephant, now grown more
furious, attacked, in the same manner, horse
and wagon, with Mr. Thomas w. Peck, and
his son. He broke the wagon and wounded
the horse Which ran away. Mr.. Peck was
pretty badly hurt in the hip.
While the keepers were engaged in secur-
ing the smaller elephant, who had not, how
ever. manifested any signs of characterization,
the larger one got off from them, and went on
through Barneyville, when Mr. Mason Barney
and another man mounted their horses and
kept Oh his track, as near to him as was pru-
dent, giving warning of the danger to the
passengers whom they met on the road. The
elephant would occasionally turn to look at
them, but he made no attempts to modest
them.
The next man i'll the path was Mr.. Pearce,
who was riding, with his little son, in one
horse wagon. He was coming towards the
elephant, and being warned by.Mr. Barney,
turned around and put the horse to his speed,
but the elephant overlook him, and seizing
the wagon, threw it into the air, dashing it to
pieces, and breaking the collar bone and arm
of Mr.. Pearce. The horse, disengaged from
tho wagon, escaped with the fore wheels, and
the elephant gave chase for eight miles. but
did not catch him. The elephant came back
from his unsuccessful pursuit, and took up
his march again on the main road, where he
next encountered Mr.. Jabez Eddy, with a
horse and wagon. He threw up the whole
establishment in the same way as before
smashed the wagon, killed the horse, and
wounded Mr.. Eddy. He threw the horse
twenty feet, over fence, into the adjoining
lot, then broke down the fence, went over
and picked up the dead horse, and deposited
him in the road where he had first met him.
He killed one other horse, and pursued an
other, who fled to barn. The elephant fol-
lowed, but was met at the door by fierce
bulldog, which bit his leg, and drove him
off.
Once on the route, the keeper, being ahead
of him, saw him plunge over a wall, and
make for house. The keeper got into the
house, hurried the frightened inmates to the
upper story, and, providing himself with an
axe, succeeded in driving off the furious beast
The elephant finally exhausted his strength,
and laid himself down in the bushes, about
two miles from Shades Ferry. Here he was
secured with chains, and carried over the fer
ry to Fall River A part Of the time he ran
at the rate of mile in three minutes.-Prop
Journal.