The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-01-21
A Circus Reminiscence.

THIRTY wears ago to-day, on the 31st of
December, 1839 the famous rampage of
the elephant Columbus occurred near New
Orleans, and as the only living witnesses OF
the affair are residents of Cincinnati at
present, we will give q short account of
the elephantine tear
Raymond & Warnings circus and me-
nsgerie, which had been showing sepa-
rately in the centre of Louisiana, were or.
dered by the proprietors to rendezvous at
q point three miles above Algiers-which
town is directly opposite New Orleans
on the last day of the year, in order that
the combination, which was the larges,
that has ever appeared in the South, nigh,
march into the Crescent city on New
Years day. With ore branch of the show
was the elephant Columbus, and with the
other Hannibal, both of whom achieved
national fame afterward. The junction
had been formed, and the procession was
nearly in readiness to move, wheE, unfOr-
tunately, the two elephants were brought
together, and they Immediately proceeded
to test their pugilistic accomplishments.
Their keepers interfered and succeed in
parting them and Hannibal quieted down,
but Columbus was not to be 80 easily salts
hCu. lIC oiouh0 loi o lCW
minutes, and then struck his keepers
horse fearful blow with his trunk, and
followed it up by thrusting his immense
tusks (oveI six feet long) through the an
imals body. The keeper, VIM Crum, fell
with his horse, and the elephant next at
tackled him, picking him up in his trunk
and dashing him against the ground with
such force as to break half the bones in
his h,Ixy III ~
lumbus then marched along the line until
he reached the lama cage, which he upset
and demolished, killing the lama. His
next movement was to make q dive for
John Robinson and Arthur Crippen, both
OF this city, who were connected with the
service, but these gentlemen, being on
trouble and danger, in escaping. Colum-
bus now passed the caravan at a run, and
soon met a drayman, driving two mules,
did the driver, who attempted to escape by
through Algiers, the elephant soon came
across a negro man sitting on fence, and
tore down the fence to get at him, and
then tore him piecemeal. The negro was
a slave, and Columbus owners were re-
quired to pay $500 for killing him.
Further on, about nine miles from
his starting point, the elephant met
a Frenchman and a party of negroes,
whom he attempted to demoralize also,
but here he met his match, and after q
combat of nearly an hour he gave up and
was chained, having first received three
bullets from a rifle, just below the right
eye. The wounds occasioned no incon-
yenience, however, beyond producing
running sores, which lasted until Colum-
bus death, which was caused by his fall
ing through bridge at North Adams,
Mass, in 1854, and breaking his neck. In
his rampage the elephant killed nearly a
dozen horses, mules, cows and calves, for
which his owners were compelled to pay
about 100000. The circus and managerie
company was composed of 108 men, of
whom but three are known to be living
at present, they being John Robinson,
circusman, and Arthur P. Grippen, watch
man at the /. & C. depot in this city, and
Louis Lipman, dry goods merchant at
Laurel, Ind, all three of whom witnessed
the disaster, and we're compelled to observe
extreme caution to preserve their own
lives Mr.. Grippen subsequently had
both his arms broken by Columbus, while
assisting in shipping him in Philadelphia.
Cincinnati Chronicle Dec 31st