The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1882-01-18
A ELEPHANTS.
Mighty Animals Growing Enraged at
Their

LnlnK, was Tue WOTsL, sdlQ LIT. L.. a. UIaNeS,
the veteran Snowman at Bunnells. "Most
elephants recover from a mad fit within in a
few days, but Hannibln-well, he would
keep up a tantrum for weeks and months at
a time. The longest spell he ever had began
early one morning in June, 1854, while trav-
cling with Raymond and Warnings manag-
erie from Pawtucket to Fall River. He
broke away from his keeper and ran the
highway thirteen miles, smashing every
thing he could. Talk about elephants being
large Hannibal looked as large as q loco
motive that morning. The keeper attempted
to check him and was chased into q swamp.
The first vehicle the mad elephant met was
8 butchers cart loaded with mutton. he
smashed the cart, killed the horse, broke the
drivers arm and scattered the quarters of
mutton along the highway. Two vegetable
wagons were upset and the horses killed, the
drivers escaping unhurt. Wien the fury OF
his fit was spent Hannibal was found be-
meath a tree on the road side completely ex-
hausted and for the time submissive. Tusk
chains were supplied and for many weeks he
was kept under the ~strictest surveillance. To
approach him during this period was danger
Gus. On turning out one morning in Bur-
lington VT, | found a number Of women
and children petting him while he was
swinging his ears in evident enjoyment.
Then I knew the spell was broken. He was
very docile and tractable the rest of the sea-
son.
HANNIBAL was the most vicious elephant
that ever travelled with a show. In 1849,
while we were at Collinsville, Ohio, a strang-
er gave him a pail of water. lie drank the
water leisurely, and then suddenly turning
his head he struck the man with his tusks.
The poor fellow died. While changed at
Williamsburg, N. Y. in 1857, he took a fit
and pursued the keeper into a stoneyard,
when he got wadged in among the powders
and was subdued in that way, Up to 1S45
Hannibal was noted for his interchangeable good
nature. In those days old Put Townsend
used to be his keeper, Put had trained him
to drive the stake to which it was customary
to cham him. One day Put started the
stake and handed the sledge to Hannibal to
complete the job, Hannible made a ponder
GUS blow at the stake head, and struck his
foot instead. He threw the sledge SO far
that it took an hour to find 1t, and never
would touch one again. Hannibal lived to
be one hundred years old, and killed twelve
men.
columbus was another bad elephant. In
December, 1849, while with Raymond and
Warnings managerie, Chestnut street, Phila-
delphia, he killed his keeper, took possession
of the show and retained it for three days,
Killing in that time two camels and a llama,
and upsetting a large stove and two animal
cages. The doors were b~arricaded, cannons
were mounted in the street, and soldiers par
AIDED the premises in readiness to give him a
warm reception should he appear. Finally,
two keepers entered the building from above
and straddled the crossbeams and dropped a
moose rope to the floor. He walked into the
trap, and when he realized that he was
caught submitted quietly to the claiming OPP
Grafton. Columbus fell through a bridge at
North Adams, Mass, the following summer,
and died a few days after.
"Bill Williams, or Canada Bill as he was
professionally called, was Columbus first
keeper. Forepaugh's elephant, Romeo, kill
ed him in winter quarters at Frankfort, Pa,
in 1865. Bill went into the elephants den to
do some chores, and his crushed and mang-
led body was found q few hours afterwards.
George Waste was killed in much the same
manner by Turner's African Romeo. Before
a rescuing party could get his body away
from the elephant, it was denuded of every
thing except one boot. The elephant Pizar-
70 had had mad spells oftener than those I
have mentioned. In 1850 he killed bis keep
er and two camels near New Orleans, and
then raided the country for miles around,
doing q great deal of damage to farm prop.
erty. Chief, who is the only one of the
mad or rogue elephants alive, killed John
King, the keeper with Roblnson's show, in
1879"
"What caused the madness Of the ele-
plants ?" we asked.
eff you have ever noticed you may have
seen that there are issues from the head of
the elephant Just behind the ear. When these
are kept open a thin watery substance exudes
therefrom. / have always remarked that
e.