The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-10-22
n 49,
XYs1,&d El&hfp.s

EcChH N1NAu1y Vuv U0e'o FSon OonA
King lin this city last fall. Chief i
about ,twenty-one years old, although
Robinson has owned him only abou
nine Il ten years. He was purchased
from she proprietGs OF the Cincinnati
Hippdrome. Until about a year agt
he wal as gentle as lamb, although HI
did Kill two or three negroes during tina
time. but it was all dole in fun. HI
never got into rage. But during thu
springof 1880 he began p show temper
and a desire to do serious mischief. HI
wouldget into frequent ages, lay abou
ffierceE attack stone walls, or any suci
trif]ing distractions, dshing his ivory
tusks against the solid Masonry with ,
strength which threatned to break
them off.
Startling on his headwas one Of the
tricks Of his old playfu days, aL.sor
one occasion after his yiciousness de-
yelopea, he practiced This feat with
seeming good humor Although he
had gathered a negro a with his trunk
with the seeming inten on of atomizine
him. he delicately pleed him on the
ground, and, placi4 bis huge tusks
c Carefully on each SD of the terrified
darky and his brod forehead in the
sawdust of the aren1 hoisted his ample
nosterior in the air a waved his flabby
tail in triumphant ae. 1t is said that
darby is not fond elephants since
that time. About I time John King,
the keeper, announq that he was going
to make Chief the trst elephant in the
world. He wouldG punish the ele.
phant. nor would ALLOW any enc else
to do SO. lis Sc King pursued this
policy to keep position with the
show.
Wen, Chief diget to be very bad,
and finally Mr.. binson, seeing tina,
the elephant wouhurt somebody i his
yiciousness wasnubdued, determined
to have him sevg punished. King
declined to do shing. The circus
was then travel up and down the
Ohio River, anhe day Chief getting
on his ear "a steamboat, a
halt was ordered an Island in the
river, and the elent was disembarked,
Ropes we're fl over the brawny
branches of h,tree and tied to the
monsters legs. strong pull by many
J men jerked hist from under him,
and he was ri over on his back.
His trunk wasoed and tied, and six
or eight men a time would dash at
! him with spealongs, and other hor.
rble instrumef torture to pierce his
thick hide. Bwas all no good; old
Chief would nueal. 1t was deter
j, j, mined to bupe spirit out Of him.
i Sticks of woore rolled against his
), carcass, and , saturated with kero-
sene thrown dis huge legs kicking
; in the air. orch was applied, and
q q the elephant ued. "Such cries"
y said Mr.. LJ, "neither man nor
brute ever So before. They were
e pititul beyoescription." A huge
!. scar on the sf the old elephant now
=, tells the stef his terrible punish
# ment.
=. While thrture was going on,
vi KING. the ks sat on 3 log and went
~ ~ and cursed selephant cried. "I'll
IN u. make someou suffer for this" he
" said, betwes sobs. "Chief shall
~ ~, kill some Of King was himself
= he first vic For three months af-
u, 10 er the punjnt on the island, more
, Ne, ocile elep than Chief was never
ny ben. Hisrage afterward was in
' III, harlotte, A!l, when he killed John
,ll . Ing, whoidness had begotten the
Wv " irceness 10 animal. King now
,ro 4 hurried 1FaQd ,Cswatary in this
ny ny fly. A haf monument, erected
= y his felloa owmen, marks his
." Irave. Wife story of his death
), Charlotte petre familiar.
,n About twoths after the tragedy
'sy in Charlottaief crushed q man
named Sulliw Cincinnati, so severely
:, that he lay he hospital for some
1 months, but y recovered. He broke
, out afresh inamont, West Virginia,
, last spring, u he dashed fraatically
! through q Grand ran six miles into
r the country re he was overtaken
i and capturedhen ON horseback. He
, cut up corably in Warrenton,
Goldsboro, lin Tarboro, and in
Raleigh be led q large dog. But
the showme1tell when his fits are
coming on inc to secure him with
heavier chaia IN those he wears con-
tinually. hsks have also been
sawed off.
The femaphant Mary, it will be
rememberedrsued and knocked
; Chief down he escaped here last
fall; but alt1 Mary is larger, she is
getting old d now somewhat afraid
OF him herslThe curious fact has
been observlst the elephant does
not seem t>r any malice toward
intoxie ated | They frequently come
within his ! with snnoyances, but
he pays nosntion, seeming to be
aware heninferior animal, man, is
drunk. Tkrhoaranoo Ia alao ov-