The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-11-07
A Mad Elephant Loose in N. s,r..,.-

! ufeat excitement was caused In Williams.
'urg' ~. I, Friday morning by the escape Of
ah gedelephant-the largest ever exhibit
'eu III this country--from Van Amburgf,'s me.
"agerie. The same animal, while Ia mad At
escaped once before al Harlem, NJ Y. sfeating >
s'u havoc before he could be recaptured. and
'or some days past his keeper had been look
ing iof return of the attack The New York
Hefaid describes the unusual scene as fol-
| lows:
| man had been employed to bring some
ona'ings 10 the menagerie, which were brought
| Hhi,~ "axoh. % = Ne man drove into the tent aud
hn unioaoihR MS wagon the elephant was
observed oooscrNed TO grow restless at the sight of the
norse, which had a white blanket on The
haan han was as advised to take his horse away, but
oeiore ne could do so the elephant advanced
ieW steps, and knocked the man down with q
oiow oI ms trunk. He next seized the horse by
means OF his trunk and injured him seriously
,, ne .nen seized the wagon, throwing it up in
the ar and breaking il TO pieces His anger
was now fully aroused and proceeding to The
cage of the prairie wolf he smashed il with
MS trunk, and released him. Next in his way
was he cage of black bear. This cage " as
demolished, bur the bear was chained up and
could not escape
The cage Of the zebra being next in his way.
ne pushed 1T through the tent and clear
through t the wall OF small shanty at the
oaek OF the tent. Then leaving the tent he got
INTO the street, pursued by his keepers and
hundreds OF people, none of whom were able
10 cope with the enraged elephant. He did not
moiest passers by, but seemed to have "a great
aversion to horses, which he would pursue as
fapiaiy as he was able, being hoppled with
chain connecting his tusks with one of his
lore legs He was finally driven by the crowd
INTO the stone yard, corner of South Fourth
and Tenth streets. Here a number of work
men were engaged in dressing stone and had
Just placed upon wooden horses q huge stone
weighing about fifteen hundred tons. In at.
n rat n.tfp =
phant caught by his chain 10 this stone which
checked him- The keepers gradually ap-
preached him with chains to fasten his legs
ouI IL was not till he had received several se-
we're bIoWS with spears that his attentio could
be diverted SO as 10 render it possible to fur
ther secure him,
Finally he was thrown down upon his side.
where he lay for some time bellowinr and
thrashlng about him with his trunk Appli-
cation was made to the members of Hook and
ladder companies Nos. and g. who furnish
ed the Keepers with long hooks. One of these
was run through one of his ears and twisted
round unlll the poor animal could not move
MS head from PAIN of the wound. When be
was perfectly subdued he was heavily bound
WIN CHAINS and taken back TO the menagere.
tie is almost covered with wounds received
from the hooks and spears, and il is not deem
ed safe to exhibit him for few days, nor
would 1t be safe for his keepers to approach
within sight of him.
This elephant was brought to America in
the year ioii, by Mr.. Van Amburgh and is
one OF the largest of his species. His height is
10 feet q inches. He is claimed to be one-third
larger than any other elephant ever brought to
this country. BGyard Taylor testifies that he
is considerably larger than the majority of
elephants which he had met with either in
Asia or Africa When Hannibal was import
ed, in lSll, it was thought that he was already
old, but as he has been growing ever since the
showmen have concluded that he is still Young
the natural term of life of the species being
from 300 to 45O years.
a
paralleled for yieiousness but during the last
ilve years he had apparently reformed and
became doeiie in character. Before that time
he mad repeatedly broken loose. and had killed
on dlHereut occasions, as many as seven per
sons. The last plJit of the kind which Han
nlbal undertook, previous To the present one
was in 1853, when he sprung open the door ot
ms cage. and, after eHecting prelty general
demolition OF the Companys cages and trans
poriation wagons, ran away miles into
The country before he was cantured