The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-11-09
A Three Hours Combat With an Eies
Dhant,

MI II at Il AOSA. VI III II UA- u
menagerie, gave us yesterday, tn, par
ticulars of a terrible fight with Tip
poo Sahib, the well known elephant,
which occurred at Connersvilie. Ind,
last Thursday. The menagfr;e has
gone into Winter quarters. at that
place, and the colossal animal is
chained in small building, where he
will be kept until the show season
opens next year. Tippoo Sahih. by
the way, is now the largest elephant
in America. He is thirty-ssx yea! S
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. John
son, formerly of Barnums S menagerie.
The elephant will not accept a 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 nobody
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 opened. The
new keeper, with nine assistants, d
fully equipped himself with chains
and cables for tying, and spears and
pitchforks for subdu ng Tippoo The
first thing done was to fasten brick
bat to the end of rope and throw it
over the end of the tusk-chain. Y hich
latter is fastened to one leg and one
tusk BY means of this rope, a TWEEN
ty ton cable chain formerly used to
subdue the famous Hannibai.) vas
slip noosed around the tusk. Next,
an excavation three feet deep was
made under the sill Of the house, and
while the elephants attention was at
tracted to the other side of the room
by a pail of water poured into his
trough, the ca BILE chain was passed
through the excavation and fastened
to heavy stakes outside. Ali this
time, the infuriated monster struck
all around him with terrific ferocity,
and tugged at his chain with incredi-
BILE momentum.
The next thing accomplished was
the snaring OF his hind legs. This
was consummated by the Singing of
fresh ropes around those two stately
pillars of elephant flesh, bone and
muscle. and finally, by the stealthy
strategy of the keeper and another man,
these ropes were fastened to stumps
outside. The elephant was now suf-
fciently pinioned to allow the order,
charge pitchforks" " to be given. Ten
men, armed with these ugly imple-
ments of ofense, plunged them into
the rampaging beast, taking care, of
course, to avoid penetrating his eyes
or joints. The tenderest spot in an
elephant is just behind the fore legs,
and that locality was prodded unmer-
cifully. BY means Of a hooked spear
sunk in his back Tippo 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 6d-
dle-strings. After an hour fighting
be was brought down on his side, but
for two hours longer he tugged at his
chains with frenzied obstinacy. He
palled so hard at times that his hind
legs were 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 pecu-
liar cry was heard the battle ceased.
The keeper made Tippoo get up and
lie down a number of times, and he
was as obedient to the word of COM
mand as a gentle pony. The anima
was then groomed and rubbed off
with whisky. He allowed all man
ner of liberties without so much as
Tapping an ear. He was a subjugated
elephant.
At one stage of the fight the dog
Jack" "a companion of the ele-
phant.) thought some of the tying
business feul 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.