Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-03
A BURGLARY BY ELEPHANTS.
by a Drove of EIephants-A Govern
inert StOrehOuse DespOiled of its Con-


A VerItable Instance of Crib-Craeking
by Drove of Elephants-A Govern
mert Storehouse DespOiIed of its Con-
tents.
A burglary by elephants, says the Lon
don Telegraph, is a novelty in the chron-
icles of crime, and one which is to be
hoped will not become common among
those extremely intelligent and powerful
animals. The elephants in question con-
cOcted and carried out in remote part of
India, as determined a piece of s'crib-
cracking as was ever committed, and,
after robbing the premises of the rice it
Contained, made off. The police, as
usual, have a ''clew," which they hope
may lead to the apprehension of the Of
tenders; but meanwhile these mOnstrous
housebreakers have betaken themselves to
their stronghold in the middle of the
jungles, and, for all the cOnstabulary
know, may be there cOncOcting some fresh
outrage. And it is no laughing matter
when elephants burgle, for they have all
the sagaeity of their human cOunterparts,
and in their prOdigiously-lard heads and
huge tuSks always carry about with them
the most formidable and suitable imple-
ments for their criminal purpose that can
be imagined. No door could Withstand
determined ramming from an elephants
forehead, while the great, sharp ivory
"jimmies" once inserted into a creVice can
be piled with such terrific leverage that
none of the defenses which are found sue
cessful against Bill Skies could be of the
slightest service. If BehemOth got his
tusks fairly under the wall, of one of
those ''bijOu residences in the suburbs
which the nocturnal "cracksman" so Of
ten visits, the chances are that be would
Overturn the building as neatly as bear
does a bee hive. Orif he set his feloniOus
affections upon a bank safe, we should
have to go back to the workshops of Vul-
can and CyclOps to find strong box that
could resist his elephantine attentions.
Nor would it be easy to regulate the pro-
cedure of the police in accordance with
the novel circumstances of such an Of
Tense against property. Although the
constable might observe certain elephants
lettering after dark in a suspicious man.
per in the neighbOrhOOd of premises of a
tempting kind, it would be a hardy man
who should 90 up to the burglari0us giants
and ask them their business. The ele-
plant has a colossal way about him when
he is put out, and would think nothing of
taking up an inquisitive policeman and
throwing him into the next parish. Nor,
if the animal were actually. discovered in
the act of HOUSEKEEPING, would the guar
dian of the peace find the path of duty
less free from obstacles? Though it might
be as plain as possible that HOUSEKEEPING
was in progress, who is going to appre-
bend the person of an elephant? 1t is all
very well to talk of the efficiency of
police system, and the moral effect of au-
thOrity, and the formidable character of
the cOnstable's staff, and so forth, but
what is the force going to do when lot of
elephants are found pummeling the walls
of granary with their heads, and prylng
out the masonry with their tusks, with
the intention of eating the grain stored in
side? The animals have not the smallest
respect for uniforms, and, as for moral
effect" they care as little about the read
ing of the riot act as they do tor revolvers.
In India this was abundantlY proved.
1t appears that party of soldiers who
had been on guard over a certain gran
airy had noticed for some time the am
biguOus behaviour of certain wild ele-
plants that lived in neighbOring forest.
The animals used to Turk about the prem
ises in a suspicious manner. They were
often found "lOitering," as the police say.
But the object of their sinister man@uvres
was not guessed, and by and by the herd
left the place, leaving only one aged fe-
male behind them. Now it happened that
some disturbance in a village little dis
lance off necessitated the withdrawal Of
the guard, and one fine morning the
soldiers marched away, leaving the gran
airy unprotected. No sooner had this hap
pened than the old she-elephant, who was
really a confederate of the herd, got news
of the soldiers departure conveyed to the
gang, and back they all came. They
were evidently there with purpose, for
! two camp-fOllowers, who had been left by
the guard to look after some military kit
that was not taken on the march, state
that the elephants advanced so briskly to
the scene that they had no time to escape,
| but, climbing up into tree, became
spectators Of the burglary, which the herd
proceeded in the most WOrkmanlike man
ner to commit forthwith. First of all, the
| elephants examined the building on all
sides, but finding it four-square mass OF
masonry without any such weak points
as doors or windows, they tested the cor
ners, and at last, having decided that one
particular angle was the best for their
purpose, they stood aside while the giant
of their number. the Anak of the Ana
kim, came TO the front and attacked the
| brickwOrk. For a long time they all re-
NAMED in their ranks, watching their vast
companion at work, and when he with
drew another took his place and continued
| the lob. AS soon as he got tired a third
I came lbIN dINls anu ny bnlo LAllASs bhS
/ breach being large enough for cO-opera-
| ton, several Joined in and began tearing
| out the bricks as fast as possible, so as to
/ make the opening sufficiently cOmmOdiOus
| for their entrance. When this was ac-
| complished, the herd divided into small
| parties of three and four, and each OF
| them in turn marched into the granary,
/ ate their mOnstrOus bodies full of rice,
/ aud gave place to the next, those who
/ were satisfied retiring to some distance,
/ but in different directions, and there act
/ ing as scouts for their friends who were
| still eating. The whole of the herd, in
| this methOdical but very deplorable man.
ner. enjoyed what the Americans call ga
/ mortal gOrge'-that is a meal which is
something more than merely 'square''-
and were conversing in a desultOry man.
ner upon the success of their exploit
when a shrill cry from one of their SEN
tries warned them Of approaching dan
ger, and the marauderS hastily decamped.
1t was the soldiers coming back to their
post, and when they saw the havoc that
had been wrought, and the elephants tram
gully surveying them from the brow OF
the hill about a mile off, their wrath, nat
ural enough under the circumstances,
was such that they loaded up the field
piece which accompanied the detach-
ment, and let drive at the burglars. The
elephants, who had only come to dine off
rice, had no appetite for iVe-pounder
shells by way of dessert, and strolled away
into the forest, trumpeting as they went,
probably in derision and gambOling, we
regret to say, in a frivolous manner,
which was quite inappropriate to the cir
cumstances and in the worst possible
taste. The fact, nevertheless, remains
that the elephants planned and carried
into execution a deliberate burglary, and
finally escaped with impunity, taking
away with them inside their capacious
persons several tons weight of public
property.
a LONG PNEUMATIC TUBE.
A Nine Hundred Mile Double Barreled