Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1880-02-20

Blind as he was, the brute followed him,
by either sound or scent, so closely as al
most to catch him, and plunged into the
pen, where he was again secured. Big as
be was, that black rhinOcerOs was as nIm-
bic as a cat. 1t would make your hair
stand up to see the power and the quick
ness and the devilishness Of the beast.
Ibid | ever see hippOpotamus ighti
Well, no, but haYe seen one in a fit of
rage do things that discouraged intimate
acquaintance most nightly. 1t was the
one that Bailey, Nathan & Quick-the old
'flat-fOOt' combinatiou-hsd in 81 They
had an Arab keeper for him that he was
very fond of. and the Arab was struck with
paralysis. While the man lay sick they
thought they would see if they couldn't
get the beast into the ring, as the Arab
used to, and tried a rehearsal Of it In the
morning. But the moment the hippOpOtO-
mus was brought out Of his cage and miss
ed his keeper, he got wild. He struck a
man with the side of his head, Just a sort
Of careless tap, and knocked him clear out
Of the ring, with both legs broken. Then
he struck, in the same way, the hub Of a
low chariot wheel very strongly built, and
knocked every spoke out Of it. He took
after man who was famous short dis
tance runner, and was so swift he would
have caught and trampled him 20 death if
the ring had been q few feet wider. As
it was, the man Just saved himself by
darting up the seats. The hippOpotamus
was in such fury they we're afraid he
would die Of passion, but he charged back
into his cage, and they kept him for if
teen days, feeding him through hole in
the roof until he got quiet. At the end Of
that time the Arab had himself carried in
on the streteher, and the hippopotamus
was let out. As soon as he heard his
keepers voice and saw HIM, he was quiet
and dOeile ss a lamb. They made lots of
money on that hippopOtsmus. He cost
them $25, 600 originally, and they made
$50, 900 out Of him in the first season. He
lived eight years in this country, and then
one night in Kingston, turned over on his
back and died, nobody knew why.
Returning to the subject Of elephants,
I saw one lassoed one time at Truekee,
California, by Mexican vaquero. The
beast broke loose and ran away, not mean
ing any harm, but wanting TO 90 as he
pleased while. More than forty men, on
horseback, chased him fully two hours
and half, and couldn't head him of or
drive him back. At last they got q vague
70 to help, and be struck the elephant on
rising ground, where the brute couldn't
make time. The larist moose went Whir!-
ing through the air, and drew on the old
elephants head, and he Just stopped and
stood trembling until the man chat had
charge Of him rode up and put the hook
in his ear, and be went back like lamb.
The incident made a difference Of $500 in
our receipts that afternoon.
''But don't want any contracts for
stopping elephants. Last spring when we
were getting ready to start out from Coop
er & Bailey's building, in Philadelphia,
the keeper was trying to teach COW ele-
phsnt to go up on a pedestal in the ring.
She didn't want to learn, and suddenly
made bolt to get away straight at the
door where was standing. / got up in
to the loft in about two Jumps, and when
came down, the keeper said to me, mad
as sin, why didn't you stop herP Well,
it makes me laugh yet to think what cheek
that man had He no doubt thought it
was easy enough, because he could have
done it if he had been there before her,
but as for mel wasn't there to stop any
elephants.
''The funniest thing know Of though,
about elephants was old man Lent's ad-
venture with dwarf Asiatie specimen,
that he had here in his New York show.
1t was comical looking little beast-little
for an elephant, that is-With no tusks
and with ears like wings, and Lent used
to try and make pet Of it. he would 90
into the room where he persisted in keep
ing it in a heat like that Of a bske-OYen, |
and would fool about it until the keeper |
told him to take care or it would hurt him. |
But he pOoh-poohed that. 1'll take my
cane and scalp him if he doesn't behave |
himself the old man would say. One |
night, when Stiekney and myself were |
dressing, we heard from that room near |
US, a great noise of somebody coughing, |
and sputtering, and shouting, 'Ahl would !
you? Quit that 0hP and calling for help. |
We ran out, and the sight we saw Just |
paralyzed US both with laughter. There |
was Lent, backed up against the wall, ina |
corner, and the dwarf elephant trying to /
butt the life out Of him, but the beasts |
cham was so short that he couldn't get q |
fair chance at him, and could only sink |
in his stomach couple Of feet or so at |
every drive. The keeper soon put stop |
to the elephants fun, but I don't know |
how long it was before Lent's belly round |
ed out again to its former fair proportions. |
'The most interesting fact ever report |
ed about elephants in this country, is the /
now seemingly well authenticated story |
that the COW elephant, Baby, now in |
Cooper & Bailey's winter building in Phil |
adelphis, is going to have young one. II |
that is true, it will be the first elephant |
calf ever born in captivity, I believe. Baby |
is the queen of troupe Of five elephants |
to which she belongs. She manages and |
bosses them all, and they seem perfectly |
devoted to her. I saw them crowd togeth- |
er to catch her when she was falling from q |
pedestal, one time, and lower |
her gently to the ground. Let her call
for them and they will rush to her no mat
ter what stands in the way, and they viii
not allow her to be struck or hurt. They
all seem now to know her condition, and
take extraordinary care Of
her, but she has always been queen among
them. She Is naturally wiser than any
other elephant, and the kindest beast Of
the sort. She will not break loose herself,
or do any mischief, but she will turn the
others loose. It is pleasant to witness
their affection for her, and how thought
full they are to guard her against all risk.
They will not let her get into dangerous
bridge that might break,
or a ford in which she might mire-until
one of the old males has gone over ahead
and trumpeted back that all is safe for
her.