Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-05-24
A Fight Among Elephants.

The Piedmont VSrginian gives the
following particulars of q fierce fight
among the elephants belonging to q
travelling menagerie: A rather exciting
scene occurred while Old John Robin
sons Circus was travelling en- route to
Louisa Court House. The belligerents,
Chief, Princess, Mary and Bismarck,
were the actors and actresses in the
"little difficulty" 1t had been appar-
ent to Mr.. King (their keeper and sew
eral older attaches of the show that
trouble was brewing, the two factors,
Mary and Chief (Asiatic) on one side,
and Bismarck and Princess (African) on
the other. The denouement occurred
while crossing the South Anna
river, on a bridge; the elephants cross
ing in the following order: Princess
first, Mary second, Bismarck third, and
Chief bringing up the rear of the squad;
the other elephants not being allowed to
come on the bridge at the same time on
account of its apparent weakness, their
weight being twenty tons. About
midway of the bridge Chief became I'M
manageable, and despite the efforts of
Mr.. King, with hook and spear, made
a fearful onslaught on Bismarck, and
such was its force that he was knocked
head foremost into the river. As the
water was very deep he sustained no in
jury from the fall, but when he rose to
the surface he emitted from his flexible
trumpet such an unearthly blast that it
was heard for miles up and down the
river. And then scene commenced
which is indescribable. The elephants
on the other side rushed into the river
to the assistance of Bismarck. Chief
ran off the end of the bridge and into
the river, where he renewed the contest
with redoubled fury. Emperor Gan In
dian animaD got to Bismarck about the
same time that Chief did, and then
trunk-to-trunk contest commenced
which beggers description. They fought
right on top of Bismarck, who did not
come to the surface for ten or fifteen
seconds. At this juncture Radjak,
Whoodah and Caliph came up, and the
fight became general. Bismarck grad
ually worked himself up to the shore,
but the banks being muddy, and he be-
ing weak, he sank in the mud completely
begged and perfectly helpless. Just
then Mary, together with Princess, who
had been passive spectators of the trou-
BILE, sounded their horns and pitched in.
They made short work of it, and soon
put the rest to flight. They, then, with
almost human intelligence, turned their
attention to old Bismarck. Mary put her
tusks under his back, and with the as
slstance OF Princess, succeeded in get
ting him into sitting posture. Mr..
John F. Robinson, Jr., with all the
managers. canvasmen, grooms, perform
ers and musicians, with rope and block
and tackle, came on the scene at this
time, and after two hours hard work
succeeded in getting old Bismarck on
dry land. Chief and Mary were bound
together with chains, and although they
looked daggers at one another they could
not hurt themselves or any of the herd.
In this maneer they were marched into
town. Chief was conquered but not
subdued, and the old fire still flashed
from his eyes. Mr.. Robinson saw that
more punishment was necessary to make
him perfectly tractable. He ordered him
to be taken down into a thicket, where,
being properly secured, he was beaten
until he cried enough, i. e., blew his
horn like good fellow. He then
walked to his quarters as meek as the
historical little lamb that followed Mary.