Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-04-07
CONQUERfNG AN ELEPHANT.
A Prolonged aud desperate Fight.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer, APRIL
One of the most interesting, exciting,
and yet hazardous incidents which has &C.
Cured for many day, was the recapture
and conquering, on Saturday last, of the
huge Asiatic elephant Romeo belonging
to Adam Forepaugh's Menagerie, on the
farm of james B. Miller, in Hatboro,
small, unpretending village, twelve miles
from this city, upon whose premises he has
been quartered curing the past winter, to-
geter with the white camels, dromedaries,
horses, and two other elephants belonging
to Mr.. Forepaugh's great Geological and
Equestrian Combination, which will open
in Philadelphia next week.
1t will be, no doubt, remembered by the
majority of our readers, that this is the
same elephant that killed his keeper, Mr..
William P. Williams, last December, not
long after going into winter quarters. In
this extremity Mr.. Forepaugh was obliged
to secure the services of his old keeper,
Mr.. Stuart Craven, who had been in charge
of him before he was imported to America,
and for six years since that event.
Mr.. Craven proceeded on Saturday last,
assisted by that fearless and intrepid ami
NAL performer, Mr.. James Forepaugh, to
Hatboro, accompanied also by N army of
men with ropes, tackles and chains, to
bring this monarch Of the Oriental Jungle
to his launches, who has been a kind of
terror in that community ever since the
unfortunate death of Mr.. Williams.
At first the sight of these men enraged
the passionate animal to such an extent,
that for a moment his pursuers hesitated
to approach him, and apparently sue
cumbed to the matchless power of this
giant of the desert. Soon, however, pre-
parations were made TO conquer him, but
Romeo" conscious of his superior
strength, became more combative, and con-
temptuously treating every effort to secure
and subdue him, until it was evident that
some more effectual means and appliances
must be resorted to in order to dislodge
him from his stronghold. The chief point
now to be accomplished was to so hamper
and entangle his legs in themassive chains
with which he was confined to the stall as
to render him at once hOrS du combat In
this, Mr.. Craven, assisted by George Fore
paugh, the renowned elephant hunter, was
more than equal to the task.
| By an adroit movement of a species of
lasso, large rope was looped around his
hind leg, instantly frightened by triple
fall-block, and by the aid of large con-
course of people, attracted by curiosity to
witness the capture, he was brought to real
| ize, for the sixth time of his life, that
knowledge is power" and to its mandates
| he must sooner or later succumb. Before
Welding however, he maidstone desperate
| pIunges at his keeper, and several times
came near annihilating him with his trunk.
1t was hard for Romeo" however, to kick
against the goads. He gradually found
himself in a rack which out-Heroded the
palmiest days of the Inquisition.
In spite of himself he was finally brought
down, to the no small delight of the spec
tators. But he was so obstinate and in
| domitable that he would not beg for mercy.
| When the elephant is subdued, he usually
makes his acquiescence manifest by plain
tive noise, which those accustomed to the
animal know and understand as we'll as a
mother knows the cry of her child. Ali
! day Saturday was consumed, and Saturday
night found him still obstinate. Sunday
morning came and he was still unwilling
| to yield. However excruciating the tor
ture, writhing all day Sunday in his CALLING
chains, Monday morning came and with II
a disposition to yield to the conquest. Al
nine O'Clock Monday morning, Mr.. Craven
had him completely under his control, and
never was a whipped spaniel more docile.
Loosing his chains, the keeper found no
difficulty in conducting the conquered
monarch to this city on Monday. As he
will be on exhibition at Manayunk, Wed
nesday, April /, our citizens need have nc
apprehensions of DANGER as Romeo" like
Richard the Third, IL himself again"
Something of an adequate idea Of the
marvellous size of this masterdon of the
animal kingdom may be formed when il
was discovered on weighing him after hi'
capture, that the scales were brought dowr
to FIVE tons and three hundred pounds.