Morning journal and courier., 1881-09-24
A Very Bad Elephant.
Some of the Doings of Chief, who K filed Negroes for Fun and his Keeper in a
 Rage.

Negroes for Fun and his Keeper in a Rage.
 (Erom the Charlotte Observer.l The return of John Robinson's circus and the presence of the elephant Chief recalls vividly the death of poor John King in this city last fall Chief is about 2l years old, although Robinson has owned him only about nine or ten years. He was purchased from the proprietors of the Cincinnati hippodrome. Until about year ago he was gentle a lamb, although he did kill two or three ne- groes during that time, but it was all done in fun. He never got into rage. But during the spring of 1880 he began to show temper and desire to do serious mischief. He would get into frequent rages, lay about pro- niscuously with his trunk, and fercely at tack stone walls or any such triding obstruc- tions, dashing his ivory tusks against the solid masonry with a strength which threat ened to break them off.
 Standing on his head was one of the tricks of his old playful days and on one occasion after his viciousness developed he practised the feat with seeming good humor. Although he had gathered negro in with his trunk with the seeming intention of atomizing him, he delicately placed him on the ground, and,
 placing his huge tusks carefully on each side of the terrified darky and his broad forehead in the sawdust of the arena, holsted his am pie posterior in the air and waved his fabby tail in triumphant glee. It is said that dar- ky is not fond of elephants since that time About this time John King, the keeper, an- nounced that he was going to make Chief the worst elephant in the world. He would not punish the elephant, nor would he allow any one else to do so. It is said King pursued this policy to keep his position with the show.
 We'll, Chief did get to be very bad, and fin ally Mr. Robinson, seeing that the elephant would hurt somebody if hIs viciousness was not subdued, determined to have him severe
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 The circus was then travelling up and down the Ohio river and one day Chief getting on his ear on steamboat, halt was ordered at an island in the river, and the elephant was disembarked Ropes were flung over the brawny branches of a huge tree and tied to the monsters legs. strong pull by many men ierked his feet from under him, and he was rolled over on his back. His trunk was lassoed and tied, and six or. eight men at a time would dash at him with spears, thongs and other horrible instruments of torture to pierce his thick hide. But 1t was all no good; old Chief would not squeal. It was deter mined to burn the spirit out of him. Sticks of wood were rolled against his carcass, and hoops saturated with kerosene thrown over his huge legs kicking in the air. The torch was applied, and the elephant subdued. 'Such cries." said MT. Lowlow, neither man nor brute ever sent up before. They were pitt full beyond description A huge scar on the side of the old elephant now tells the sto- ry of his terrible punishment.
 While this torture was going on, King, the keeper, sat on log and wept and cursed as the elephant cried 9TH make some Of you suffer for this," he said between his sobs. .'Chief shall kill some of you!" King was himself the first victim. For three months after the punishment on the island, more docile elephant than Chief was never seen. His first rage afterward was in Charlotte last fall, when he killed John King whose mild ness had begotten the ferceness of the ami nal. King now lies buried in Elmwood ceme- tery in this city handsome monument, erected by his fellow showmen, marks his grave With the story of his death Charlotte people are familiar.
 About two months after the tragedy in Charlotte, Chief crushed man named Sulli- van in Cincinnati so severely that he lay in the hospital for some months, but finally recov- cred. He broke afresh in Piedmont, West Virginia, last spring, when he dashed franti- cally through crowd and ran six miles into the country before he was overtaken and captured by men on horseback. He cut up considerably in Warrenton, Goldsboro and Tarboro, and in Raleigh he crushed large dog. But the showmen can tell when his fits are coming on in time to secure him with heavier chains than those he wears continual ly. His tusks have also been sawed of.
 The female elephant Mary, it will be re- membered, pursued and knocked Chief down when he escaped here last fall but although Mary is larger, she is getting old and is now somewhat afraid of him herself. The curi- ous fact has been observed that the elephant does not seem to bear any malice toward in- toxicated men. They frequently come with in his reach with annoyances, but he pays no attention, seeming to be aware when the in ferior animal, man, is drunk. This forbear- ance is also extended to children, and, in deed his malice seems to be directed more especially toward the showmen, every one of whom he seems to know.