The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-19
AN ELEPHANT TRAINER.
A Journalist has n Talk with Hira-PoIitics
Eschewed-HOw ulustrious Pachyderm
Carries On.

A Journalist has n Talk with Iiira-POltics
Eschewed-IIow nlustrious Pachyderm
Carries On.
A Detroit paper has the following:-
Baby Annie exhibited on Friday and Sa-
turday in this city, is as popular and we'll known
as the majority of human actors who tread the
boards instead of the sawdust ring Like them,
she endeavors to please, and in her way feels
chagrin as deeply when she fails to receive the
appreciation believed to be merited. She is now
FIVE years old, and though far from her teens
is nevertheless pretty good lump of body,
weighing eighteen hundred pounds. Her history
has been carefully kept, and Mclaughlin, her
trainer, can tell you everything about her.
"At the time of her capture she was only two
years old; but Smith, the captor assisted by n
party of Africans and dogs, found her as hard
to control in her infancy as most women are at
mature age. After a few weeks training she
was started for the coast, eight hundred miles
away, and Kenyon has yet in his cages two
large hyenas that rode in baskets slung over
Miss Annie's back. Her cost in New York was
eight thousand dollars, and at the time of her
purchase she was the smallest elephant in this
country, and is still the only genuine African
| elephant. Though she has never been hard
| pushed to test her endurance on the road, she
| once took stretch of forty-two miles over the
| rocky roads of Pennsylvania in eleven hours,
| and showed not the least sign of exhaustion.
"Miss Annie is a model female-one of the old
| school, and would as soon twist her head off
| with her trunk as to harm human being who
] treated her courteously. Last winter, in her
hate in a very singular manner. Mclaughlin
| had imbbed rather freely, and returning to the
| barn, got into difficulty with policeman, who
was bent on arresting him. The cop had been
| somewhat acquainted with the elephant
| The trainer fed to the barn. and getting behind
| Baby refused to submit to arrest. The M. 2.
boldly advanced to bring him out, when the
| elephant thrust him aside with her trunk. This
| was repeated several times, the trainer encou-
raging her, when the policeman gave her an angry
| blow with his baton, and sought to push by.
| Blowing her shrill trumpet, Baby caught him
| around the waist, and giving him strong whirl,
| deposited the frightened blue coat in a barrel of
| oats thirty feet away. AS he had no instruc-
| tions to arrest elephants, and could not arrest
| the man without her, he concluded not to press
| matters further.
"At another time last summer, during a hot
night, McLi ughlin 1t down beside Baby on
bale of hay, and soon fell asleep. Near him
was the cage of the Bengal tiger, fierce and
ungovernable animal, and treacherous to the
last degree. By lying down the beast could get
his paws at full length under the bars, and on
the morning of that very day he had thus
given his unsuspecting keeper a stroke with
his claws and tore open the mans cheek in
a horrible manner. Restless, Mclaughlin
rolled about and the eyes Of the Regal
nearer to his cruel claws. Atlength, just as one
of the keepers entered the door, the trainer
| rolled down SO near that the tiger reached out
| and caught his clothes. With savage snarl, he
/
| flesh under his nails, when the elephant who
had also been sleeping, up at the growl,
and seeing the situation at glance, rushed for
| ward before the man at the end had scarcely
advanced a step, and with blow of her trunk
made the tiger let go his hold and scream with
pain and fury.
"Since her capture she has increased seven
hundred pounds in weight, and six inches in
| height. Three years ago she had not sign of a
| tusk; now she has ivories six inches long, and
| growing finely. In the summer, when the wea-
ther is dry she gets bath at every creek and
her trainer gives her dozen pals of water over
the back if standing long in the tent. About
twice year she gets six gallons of linseed oil
| rubbed over her skin; without it, the hide would
| get so dry as to feel and sound like board Her
usual feed per day is bushe of oats and one hun
| dred and fifty pounds of hay, and she drinks if
| moderately thirsty, twenty pals of water at a
| time. AS stated, she is very docle mindno
readily if she understands what is wanted Doing
wrong, through ignorance, let her trainer bless
| her eyes little, and Baby shows as much
| sorrow as repentant infant AS this is her
| third season, the person must be sharp who can
| impose upon her worthless gift. About four
which had been soaked for some time in tobacco
| juice. Seeming not to mind the Joke, Baby
| waited little, and when the joker had almost
| forgotten the incident, she took up q huge piece
| of liver lying near the cage of lions and sent
the mass full against the fellows breast, knock
ing him down, and altogether spelling the bosom
of his white shirt, and his ideas of superior
smartness."