Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1871-09-07
Sagaclty Of the Elephant.

III July, 1O1O, Ile l8TBest elephant ever
seen in England was advertised as Gust
arrived" AS soon as Henry Harris, the
manager f the Covent Garden Theater
to obtain it; for it struck him that if it
were to be introduced in the new panto-
mime of Harlequin Posmenata," which
he was about to produce at great cost, it
would add greatly to the attractions.
Under this impression, and before the pro-
prietor of Exeter Change had seen it, he
purchased it for the sum of 800 guineas.
Mrs. Henry Johnston was to ride it, and
Miss Parker the Columbine, was to play
up to it. Young happened to be one morn
ing at the box office adjoining Covent Gar
den Theater, where his ears were assailed
by strange and unusual uproar within
the walls On asking one Of the carpen-
tiers the cause of it, he was told it was
something wrong with the elephant, he
could not exactly tell what. l am not
aware what may be the usage nova days
but then, whenever new piece has been
announced for presentation on given
night, and there was but scarce time for
its preparation, rehearsal would take
place after the nights regular performanc &c
was over, and the audience had been dis
missed. One such there had been the
night before my fathers curiosity had been
aroused. As it had been arranged that
Mrs. Henry Johnston, seated in howdah
on the elephants back, should pass over q
bridge in the center of numerous group
of followers, it was thought expedient that
the unwieldy monsters tractability should
be tested. On stepping up to the bridge,
which was slight and temporary, the saga
cious brute threw back his forefeet and
refused to bulge. 1t is we'll known as a
fact in natural history that the elephant,
because of its unusual bulk, will never
trust it's weigh upon any object which is
unequal to its support. The stage man
ager, seeing how resolutely the animal re
sisted every attempt made to compel or
iTduce it to 60 over the bridge in question,
proposed that they should stay proceed
ings till next day, when he might be in a
of the experiment that my father, having
heard the extraordinary sounds, determined
to 20 upon the stage, and see if he could
ascertain the cause of them.
The first sight that met his eyes kindled
his indignation. There stood the huge
animal with downcast eyes and Tapping
ears, meekly submitting to blow after blow
from sharp iron goad, which his keeper
was driving tcrociously into the feshy
part Of his neck at the root Of the ear.
The floor on which he stood was convert
ed into pool Of blood. One Of the pro-
prietors, impatient at what he regarded as
senselcss obstinacy, kept urging the driv-
er to still severer extrenities, when
Charles Young, who was great lover Of
animals, cxpostulated with him; went up
to the poor, patient sufferer, and patted
and caressed him; and when the driver
was about to weld his instrument again
with even still more vigor, he caught him
by the wrist as in vice, and stayed him
from further violence. While an angry
alteration was going on between Young
and the man Of color, who was his driver,
Captain Hay, of the "Ashel," who had
brought over Chung in his ship, and had
pettcd him greatly on the voyage came in
and begged to know what was the matter.
Before word of explanation could be
given, the much wronged creature spoke
for himself; for, as soon as nc perceived
the entrance of his patron. be waddled up
to him, and, with look of gentle appeal,
caught hold of his hand with his probos-
els, plunged it into his bleeding wound,
and then thrust it before his eyes. The
gesture seemed to say, rs plainly as if it
had been enforced by speech, "See how
| LleSC cruel mtu tCthI OllAup. Ohu
you approve of it?" The hearts OF
the hardest present were sensibly touched
by what they saw, and emong them that OF
the gentleman who had been go energetic
in promoting its harsh treatment. 1t was
under far better impulse that he ran on,
into the street, purchased f W apples al
a $ all, and offered them to him Chung
eyed him askancc, took them, threw then
beneath his feet, and, when he had crush' {
them to pulp, spurned them from him
Young, who had gone into Covent Garder
with the same crowd rs the gentleman
who had preceded him, shortly after re
entered and also held out to him som,
fruit, VIII, n, to the astonishmen, of the
bystandrrs, the elephant ate every morsel
and, after, twincd his trunk with etudic,
g'nticncss around Ynung's waist, mark nl
by this action that, though he had resent
ed a wrong, he did not forget Il kindn' So
1t was in the year 1914 that IIur
ris parted with Chung to Cross, tn
proprietor of the menagerie at Excte