Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-06-27
DEATH OF THE ELEPHANT ROMEO.

Chicago, recently, was the scene OF an event
the occurrence of which will excite interest
in almost every city, town, or village in Amer
lea, being no less than the death of the cele-
brated performing elephant Romeo" the lar.
gest and most valuable of his species ever
brought to this country, and more famous
than any who have gone before him. With
out an elephant the most extensive ofmenag.
cries would beregarded as total failure, and
in the possession of "Romeo" Adam Fore
paugh has been for years been envied among
showmen. The animal had been ailing for
several weeks, the disease being located in his
fore feet, which for some unknown cause, had
bee ONE affected with Inflammation, resulting
in acute pain and which had been noticed by
a rapid wasting of flesh. On Tuesday last it
was determined to have an operation perform
ed upon "Romeo's" feet, and Dr. Boyd, of the
Chicago Medical College, was entrusted with
the undertaking. ,,.-.,,.i,.y
An examination developed the fact that
numerous small bones of the feet had become
broken, detached, and dead, and accordingly
these bones were cut out, the process being &C.
companied by the loss of several gallons of
blood. No danger on this account was antic-
ipated, and it is believed that the death of the
patient was not hastened from this cause, as
to an elephant the loss of a couple Of buckets
of blood would be about equivalent to an Or
dinary attack of the nose-bleed on the part Of
one of the human kind. 1t was observed that
"Romeo" was suffering the most acute pain,
and it also became apparent that the infam.
nation was rapidly extending upward toward
the breast. For the first time in two weeks
he laid down on Thursday night, bis symptoms
of distress being 80 marked as to convince Mr.
| Forepaugh that he was about to lose the most
valuable feature of his show. Early on Fri
day morning the proprietor visited the menag.
erie tent, and found "Romeo" lying in the
same position, his colossal tanks heaving with
quick, short gasps, his eye fixed and filming,
and the further extremity of the trunk cold
and pulseless. The sound of Mr.. Forepaugh's
voice calling him by name was recognized by
the dying mastodon, and he attempted to raise
his head in response to the touch of his own:
ers hand, but his strength was departed, his
life was ebbing fast, his head dropped back
upon the ground, and after few weak, con-
vulsive struggles, he had ceased to breathe,
and all that remained Of Romeo" was mon
strous heap ofinanimate flesh.
The circumstance occasioned profound
sensation among the attaches Of the show, who
gathered about the spot and sorrowfully sur
veyed the huge carcase. Aside from the great
financial loss estimated at $5O,000-he had
sustained, Mr.. Forepsugh was deeply moved
by the catastrophe, as he regarded Romeo"
as the most valuable elephant in existence,
attributing to him degree of intelligence al
most human. He had made study of the
animals peculiarities of disposition, and had
succeeded in establishing the most afectionate
relations with him. "Why, dash it," said the
great Snowman, with curious quiver of the
voice and suspicious aversion of the head,
"he knew more than any trained horse / ever
owned. He knew he wasn't right these last
few weeks, and when I'd 60 up to him and
say, "How do you get along, old fellow, he'd
reach out his trunk and take my hand and
put it on his forelegs, as much as to say,
"There's where it hurts me; can't you do
something to help it"
And then the disconsolate proprietor went
on to enumerate "Romeo's" shining qualities;
how he would do any conceivable trick in the
ring stand on his forelegs or hind legs, turn
on pivot, waltz, 60 lame, kneel down, walk
over his keepers body, taking the incest care
not to touch a shred Of his clothing with his
ponderous foot-in short, do anything which
you could possibly think Of asking an elephant
to do how, when the wagons would get stuck
in the mud, old Romeo" with the power Of
hundred horses, would get behind and push
them along with the greatest Of ease; how,
when he was sulky and savage, and they had
thrown him down upon his side, he would lay
there day or two before he would give up,
but finally would weaken, and with his plead
ing eyes fairly beg to be released and so on
with volume of interesting "reminiscences.
"Romeo" has an eventful history, having
killed five keepers since his advent in Ameri-
lea, besides destroying any number of fences,
barns, garden patches, cornfelds, orchards,
etc. He was purchased by an agent Of j.
Mabie, in Calcutta, about twenty-five years
ago, having been taken from brick yard,
where he was being used in grinding clay.
The price paid for him was $4,000 in gold,
and he was brought to America along with
nine others. In 1852, while south of New
Orleans, he killed his keeper, known as "Long
John," whose successor, "Frenchy" Williams,
shared the same fate near Houston, Texas, in
1866 third, Stewart Craven, was killed in
1860 near Cedar Rapids, Iowa; the fourth,
Bill Williams, was sent to his last account in
Philadelphia, in 1867, and the fifth, named
McDevitt, in Ohio. IN 1869, completes the list
of "Romeo's" victims. In the winter of 1863
he made himself disagreeably conspicuous in
Chicago, by tearing to pieces the building in
which he was confined, on the site Of the
present City Hall, and was rushing out on the
street in reckless manner, greatly to the
alarm of the inhabitants, who brought out
cannon with which to cope with the formida-
bic monster, but he was recaptured before fur
ther damage was done.
Similar depredations have teen committed
by him in various places, and his grim hide
now bears the scars of numerous bullets and
red hot irons used to subdue him. His left
eye was shot out in 1866; near Philadelphia.
He was bought in 1863 by Adam Forepaugh
at an auction sale of Mabie's Menagerie, $685.
900 being the price paid. He was held to be
worth at least twice that sum, Mr.. Forepaugh
having been offered 10000 year for the use
of him five years. His weight, when in full
flesh, was TO- 1853 pounds, and he stood II feet
II inches high. He was supposed by compe-
tent elephantine chronologists to be about one
hundred years old.
The body has been donated by Mr.; Fore.
paugh to the Chicago Medical College, where
the mounted skeleton and stuffed skin will be
placed in the anatomical museum. Scarcely
had "Romeo" breathed his last yesterday
morning when Mr.. Forepaugh, with charac-
teristic energy, sent telegram to his agent in
New York authorizing him to draw upon Jay
Cooke & Co. to the amount of $4,000, and
directing him to proceed at once hY the first