The Red Cloud chief., 1880-06-03
Stories About Elephants.

NOBODY in the country processes to
know rs much about elephants as Stew
art Craven does. He began his expert
ence with famous old Tippoo Saib in
1858, and in 1857 exhibited him in a
spectacular production at the Broadway
Theater. Since then, with the exception
of a couple of years spent in cattle
herding in Texas, he has always been
with elephants. He lisa tall, raw-boned,
powerful man, with a quiet, serious air
that the elephants seem to like, and they
appear to understand him as well as he
does them. "When he is c~Ontented and
feels safe" says Mr.. Craven, in answer
to a question. "the elephant always lies
down to sleep, l believe; but he can
sleep standing up. if there is any occa-
sion for il. When we were on board
the Floating Palace on the Mississippi
River in 1854. Tippoo Saib laid down
and slept for the first three months as
regularly as any body connected with the
show did. But then one night a steam
boat ran into us-came crashing into the
Palace, and came near sinking us. The
accident happened while TippOo Saib
was lying down, and frightened him 50
that as long as we remained on the
Floating Palace, full six months after,
he Reve laid down except in a perform
ance. 1t seems to be as easy for an
elephant to lie down and get up as for a
dog. and takes no more time; but when
he imagines that any danger is about, he
wants to be ON his feet to meet it.
1.-The elephant was a great card in
the South and West in those DAYS. You
can have little idea now of the effect it
had upon backwoods folks who saw it
for the first time. Some were disposed
to doubt its being alive. One woman I saw
drop stone dead in front of Tippoo Saib,
just through sheer fright. He was at
one end. with a row of cages con aiming
animals on each side down to him. This
woman went along looking into the
cages, and did not see the elephant until
she was right in front of and close to
him. When she did look up and saw
where she was, she dropped, and never
smiled again. He was up on q raised
platform, and looked awfully big. but I
thing she must have had heart disease.
You had some stories in the Sun a
few weeks ago about elephants, which
people unacquainted with the brutes
might think were pretty tough. but l
assure you they do no more than due
credit to the cunning of the elephant.
All that about their untying bags and
breaking open granaries to get at food
l have known by personal experience.
| have zen an elephant unite q chain
from the stake to which he was fast
ened and make for y cornfeld. And
he vas too cunning to walk through the
fence from the road, where he could
have been tracked. He struck of into
the woods, where his steps would leave
no tracks on the dead leaves. and car
ried his chain with his trunk, so as to
prevent its dragging and making trail.
In that way he went around to the back
of the field, entered from the woods and
went to eating.
Ibid I ever see = white elephant?
Yes. once, for q little while. And that |
white elephant was Tippoo Saib. 1t
was in Keokuk, Iowa, where he united
himself one morning q little before day
light and started of for 3 promenade
through the country on his own account.
He stroIled out to the suburbs Of the