Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-11-21
Three Hours Combat with an Elephant.
| From the Cincinnati Commerclal

/ rIOhl tic NoHlihtTtltl.
| Mr.. Hyatt Frost, of Van Amburgh's
| Menagerie, gave us, yesterday, the par
ticulars of fight with Tippoo Sahib, the
wellknown elephant, which occurred at
Connersville, Ind, last Tuesday. The
menagerie has gone into winter quarters
at that place, and the animal is chained
in small building. Tippoo Sahib is now
the largest elephant is America. He is
SO years old, and weighs 10000 pounds
The battle resulted from change in his
keepers. Frank Nash, his keeper for ten
years, wasrecently supplanted by Charles
Johnson, formerly of Barnum's Menag-
erie. The elephant was in particularly bad
humor with all mankind. He would
allow nobody in his quarters, striking
at every intruder with his trunk and
tusks most viciously. On Tuesday morn
in~ last, at 10 o'clock, the combat opened.
The ne" keeper, with nine assistants,
had fully eo, o,.ipped himself with chains
and cables for tying, and spears and pitch
forks for subduing TipHoo. Ihe hrst
thing done was to fasten II h"'ck-cat 10
the end of the tusR -chain, which 'atter
is fastened to one leg and one tusk. L."
means of this rope, n twenty-ton cable
chain, (formerly used to subdue the fa-
nous HannibaD was slipnOosed around
the tusk. Next an excavation three feet
and while the elephants attention was
attracted to the other side of the room
10y II pail of water poured into his trough,
the cable chain was passed through the
excavation and fastened to heavy stakes
outside At this time the infuriated
monster struck all around him with ter
ribe ferocity, and tugged at his chain
with incredible momentum. The next
thing accomplished was the snaring of
his hind legs. This was sconsummatedb by
the slingipg of fresh ropes around those
two stately pillars ofelephant flesh, bone
and muscle, and finally, by the strategy
of the keeper and another man, these
ropes were fastened to stumps outside
The elephant was now sufficiently pinion-
ed to allow the order "charge pitchforks"
to be given. Ten men, armed with these
ugly implements of offense, plunged them
into the rampaging beast, taking care, of
course, to avoid penetrating his eyes or
joints. The etenderest spot i'm an elephant
Is Just behind the fore legs, and that To-
cality was prOdded numerically. BY
means of q hooked spear sunk In his back
Tippoo was brought to his knees, but he
surged up again with such awful strength
that he swept his tormentors Off their
| feet, and made his chains whistle like
fiddle strings. After an hours fighting
he was brought down on his side, but for
two hours longer he tugged at his chains
with frenzied obstinacy. He pulled so
hard at times that his hind legs We're
straight out behind him, and three feet
Off the ground. At the end of the three
hours the giant gave in by trumpeting,
which is the elephant way of crying
enough. The moment this peculiar cry
was heard the battle ceased. The keeper
made Tippoo get up and lie down q num-
ber of times, and he was as obedient to
the word of command as gentle pony.
The animal was then groomed and rub
bed off with whisky. He was subju-
gated elephant. Atone stage of the fight
the dog Jack, Ia companion of the ele-
phant,) thought some of the tying busi-
ness foul play. He few upon Johnson's
back and tried TO sink his fangs into his
neck, but was pulled Off and dragged out
of the room. Jack evidently sympathiz
ed with his big friend.
.