The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-01-05
The Crazy Fits of Elephants.

Duh1ch o. hooe CicpHdutS TccOfGl
from mad fit within a few days, but
Kannibal-well, he would keep up q
tantrum for weeks and n0aths at q
time. The longest spell he ever had
began early one morning in June, 1854,
while travelling with Raymond and
Warnings menagerie from Pawtucket
to Fall River. He broke away from
his keeper and ran the highway thir-
teen miles, smashing everything he
could. Talk about elephants being
large! Hannibal looked as big as q
locomotive that morning. The keeper
attempted to check him and was chased
into a swamp. The first vehicle the
mad elephant met was butchers cart
loaded with mutton. He smashed the
carr, kfiledt horse, broke the driver s
arm and scattered the quarters of mutton
along the highways. Two vegetable
wagons were upset and the horses
were killed,~ the drivers escaping UNI
hurt. When the fury of his fiji, was
spent, Hannibal was found beneath a
tree on the road side completely ex-
hansted ,sand~for the stime Submissive.
Tusk chains were applied, and for
many weeks afterwards he was kept
under the strictest surveillance. To
approach Hm daring this period was
dangerous. On turning out one morn
ing in Burlington, VT, found num-
ber.of women and children petting him
whne he was swinging his ears in evil
dent enjoyment. Then L knew the
spell was broken. He was very doeile
and tractable the balance of that season.
Hannibal was the most vicious
elephant that ever tramped with a
show. In 1919, while we were at Con-
nellsville, Ohio, a stranger gave him
pail of water. He drank the water
lebErely. and then, suddenly turning
his head struck tlfeiman with his tdsks.
The poor fellow died. While chained
at Williamsburgh, N. Y. in 1857, he
took fit and pursued the keeper into
stoneyard, when he got wedged in
amongsthe boulders, and was subdued
in thatdilemma.a Up 70 1916, Hannibal
wasAfoted fH his nlc7iangeable rood
nature. In those days oil put"
Townsend used to be his keeper.
Putt had trained him to drive the
stake to which it was customary
to chain him. One day, g Putt
started the stake and handed the sledge
to Hannibal to complete the job. Han
nibal made. ponderous blow at the
stake head, but struck his foot instead. !.
lie threw the sledge so far that it re-
qulred an hours search to find it, and
never would touch one again, Han
nibal lived TO be one hundred years old,
and killed twelve men.
Columbus was another bad ele-
arf In 1
Raymond and Warnings menaoere.
Chestnut street, Philadelphia, he killed
his Keeper, took possession of the show
and retained it for three dass, killing
in that time two camels and llama,
and upsetting a large stove and, two
animal cages The doors were barri-
caded,' cannon were mounted in the
street, and soldiers paraded the prem
ises in readiness to give. him a warm
reception should he appear. Finally
two keepers entered the building from
above, straddled the crossbeams.- and
dropped a nooseds rope to the floor.
He walked into the trap. and when
he realized that he was caught, SUBJ |
mitted Quietly to the claiming opera
ton. Columbus fell through asbridge
ut North Adams, Mass, the following
summer, and died few days later.
" Bill Williams, or Canada Bill, as
he was professionally called. was Col
umbus's first keeper. Forepangh's
elephant Romeo killed him in winter
quarters at Frankfort, Pa, in 1865.
Bill Went intogthe elephants den to do
some chores and his crushed and
body was found few hours
afterward. George Waste was killed |
IN much the same manner by Turner's
African Romeo. Before q rescuino
party could get his body away from, the
elephant it was denuded of everything
except one boot. The elephant ri.
zarro had mad spells oftener than
those | have mentioned. In 1850. he
killed his keeper and two eamels near
New Orleans, and then raided the
country for miles around, doing a great
deal of damage to farm property.
Chief, who is the only ore of the mad I
or . rogue elephants alive, killed John
King, the keeper with Robinson's show
in 1897
What causes the madness of ele-
phants?" was asked.
Ifyou have ever noticed you may have
ooCu elao tHcIc arc ISSUES from the head
OF the elephant, just behind the ear.
When these are kept open, thin watery
substance exudes therefrom. / have
always remarked that elephants are
kindly disposed and easily handled
while these tissues are open. but Just
IS soon as they become clogged mad
ness ensues. The insertion OF q COM
mon tape needle brings relief,
: Is it true that elephants are fond of
'timnlan.s and narcotics?''
Yes, exceedingly SO. Now there's
! popular error that should be cor-I
'ected. 1t has always been Thought s
hat. 1T you gave an elephant tobacco
le would never forget it, and wears
lfterward would kill you should an &
present itself. That is not
o. On the contrary, there are only 81
wo things which they relish more.
Ippletree boughs and thistles. Their
,assion for fine-cut tobacco is something
marvellous. Some years ago when i X
vas travelling with the elephant Con- /
Iueror. it was my custom to carry a I
aeerschaum pipe in a particular pocket 1
4 my coat. One day / left my coat ,
'ithin reach OF his. trunk, and in less e
ime than it takeS to xt,aH its he Nbad !