Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1867-12-07
4 three Hours Combat with an El2
From the Cincinnati Commercial.

From Inc cincinnati COmmerclal.
Mr.. Hyatt Frost, of Van Amburgh's
menagerie, gave us, yesterday, the par
ticulars of terrible fight with Tippoo
Sahib, the well-known elephant, which
occurred at Cennersville, Indiana, last
Tuesday. The menagerie has gone into
winter quarters at that place, and the
colossal animal is chained in small
building, where he will be kept until the
season opens next year. Tippoo Sahib,
by the way, is now the largest elephant
in America He is thirty-six years old,
and weighs ten thousand pounds.
The battle with Tippoo resulted from
change in his keepers. Frank Nash,
his keeper for ten years, was recently
supplanted by Chas. Johnson, formerly
of Barnum's menagerie. The elephant
will not accept new master without a
battle, and Mr.. Johnson fully prepared
himself for an exciting encounter. The
elephant was in particularly bad humor
with all mankind. He would allow no.
body in his quarters, striking at every in
truder with his trunk and tusks most
viciously.
On Tuesday morning last, at 10 o'clock
the combat opeued. The new keeper,
with nine assistants, had fully equipped
himself with chains and cables for tying,
and spears and pitchforks for subduing
Tippoo The first thing done was to
f,sten a brickbat to the end of rope
aid throw it over the end of the tusk-
chain, which latter is fastened to one leg
and one tusk. By means Of this rore,
twenty-tun cable chain formerly used to
subdue the famous Hannibal,) was slip
noosed around tie tusk. Next, an exca-
vation three feet deep was made under
the sill of the house, and while the ele
plants attention was attracted to the
other side of the room by pail of water
poured into his trough, the cable chain
was passed through the excavation and
fastened to heavy stakes outside. All
the time, the infuriated monster struck
all around him with terrific fcrocity, and
turged ut his chain with incredible mo-
mentum.
The next thing accomplished was the
snaring of his hind legs. This was con-
summated by the singing of fresh rope
around those two stately pillars of Gle
phant flesh, bone and muscle, and finally,
by the stealthy strategy of the keeper
and another man, these ropes were fast
ened TO stumps outside. The elephant
was now sufficiently pinioned to allow
the order, "charge pitchforks," to be
given. Ten men, armed with these ugly
implements of otfense plunged them into
the rampaging beast taking care, of
course, to avoid penetrating his eyes or
joints. The tenderest spot in an elephant
l. just behind the fore leg and that local
ity was prodded unn.ercifully. By
means of a 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 were
straight out behind him, and three feet
OF the ground.
At the end of three hours, the giant
gave III by trumPetlng, which Is the ele-
plants way Of crying enough. The mo-
ment the peculiar cry WAS heard the bat
tie ceased. The keeper made Tippoo get
up and down a number Of times, and he
was as obedient tc the word of command
as gentle pony. The animal was then
groomed and rubbed off with whisky
He allowed all manner of liberties with
out as much as tapping an ear He was
subjugated elephant:
At one stage Of the fight tie dog
"Jack' ia companion of the elephant,)
thought some OF the tying business foul
play. He flew upon Johnson's back and
tried to sink his fangs into his neck, but
he was pulled off and dragged out of the
ROOM "Jack'' evidently sympathised
with his big friend.