Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-03-12

The Central Provinces India, Officially Gazette,
November, tells wonderful story OF one Of the
most noteworthy of elephants, "the mad ele-
plant OF Mandla,' which had Just been killed.
after having disposed Of or mutilated upwards
OF fifty human beings, some Of whom it ate.
The ieroci0us animal was shot last month by
Captain A. Bloomfield, deputy commissioner of
Balaghat who tells the story of its life and
death in the paper, very long one, published
in the supplement Of the Official Gazette. He
SAYS:
$50 far as I have been able to ascertain, the
following is the history of the elephants; About
twenty years ago, when the estate Of the nawab
of EllichpOre was escheatad to the nzam's gov
eminent, this elephant escaped, and made IT'S
way into the iungles of Chindwara The rajah
Of Nagpore, having heard of the escape of the
animal, offered a reward FORTS capture, and sent
two detaehmepts OF Sewers after it. Hunted
about the Chindwara district, it descended the
CHATS and passing close to the city OF Nagpore,
turned northward and took to the hills at the
north Of the Hatta Pargana of the district. For
several years it roamed the Dhausua hill,
and then went away north OF hhimlat to
the Bhalnsa Chat range, where it remained
without doing mGeh damage to man or property
till the beginning Of tdis year, when it distn-
guished itself by killing twenty-one human
beings in Mandla district. Il The
panic on his approach was ten times greater
than would have been caused by any number of
man eating tigers, for the people were not safe
even in their houses"
The story of Capt. Bloom6eld's own expert
cnce begins on the Both Of November last, when
the elephant, against whom fifty deaths or mn
ilations were already recorded, came again FROM
thejunges and killed a native. Capt Bloom
field started in pursuit, aud found everywhere
on the road marks of the elephants deyasta-
tons. Two villagers killed, six houses nearly
torn down, a roof lifted from a house in another
village, several more deaths, a man hunted
10 grla /
pieces, several more houses demolished; these
are some few of the terrible list which extends
over several pages of the Gazette. The COM
pletc story fills ten pages, AT last the pursuers
got fairly on the track, Captain Bloomfield
writes;
I'VE had gone about a mile, when suddenly
the bagas (vllagers who were with Captain
Bloomheld) in front stopped short on the bank
OF n0t0, and, pointing to the front with their
spears, turned round to US, and in whisper
said, There heisP There he was, surely, living
thirty-hye yards in front of us, asleep in the
long grass, over which we could see only the i'm
mense arch Of his left ribs and a small piece of
the spine. Not being able to get shot from
where we stood, we moved a few PAGES 10
our LETT. The noise we made through
the bushes aroused the animal, and he raised
hlmsell as II TO listen, showing above the grass
the top OF the head, as far as the ear and lust
above the eye. Immediately We raised our rifles
and Tired each shot at his head, and with what
effect am not quite sure; but for second the
brute disappeared, aud the next moment was
saluted with another shot as he went up the op-
posite bank OF the ad!a, We ran after him as
fast as we could, and came up with him about
two hundred yards further on under mohwa
tree. Two more shots started him off again, and
50 we went on running through the high grass
| and jungle for about 1900 PAGES, firing whenever
we came up with him AT last, just as we went
down into aala, the elephant turned half
round and exposed the whole of his right side.
Immediately Two shots we're fred into his right
ear, and with shrlll trumpet the huge beast
fell, hurying his right tusk deep in the earth"
Inc government reward of &2O was paid to
the baigas.