The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-01-07
JU1lBO's SUCCESSORS.


{ Only . few years have elapsed sines
the London Spectator declared It quite
likely that If Jumbo attained tho nat
ural limit Of his lie, $50 years; he
might be the last Of his race on tho
globe. The production Of the 1900, 900
pounds of ivory used in England alone
every year necessitates the death of
$4,000 elephants, and from various
causes the annual death rate Of this
most interesting OF quadrupeds il esti-
mated at not less than 100, 900.
The fish-eating elephant is oonsid.
cred in India the most vicious of bis
species. In the Himalayas each varie-
ty of the semi-sacred beast has name.
The crab-lover is called Hinaxat, and
turns readily to man-eater. Another
monster. which eats so much fish that
his hide becomes scaly. is called Bek.
But the famous mad elephant of 4unda
ls conceded to be the worst ever known.
For years he had been In the stud Of
the East India Company. One night
he became possessed of a demon and
the next morning broke loose and fed
to the woods For weeks that whole
province was terror-stricken. With q
cunning which could never be antici-
pated, the mad elephant set hundreds
of hunters at defiance, and, creeping
on unprotected villages, smashed the
huts and trampled the women and chill
dren. He had destroyed thirty-tive
lives when killed.
When Jumbo first came over here
the London Times commiserated his
unhappy lot, but said it was better,
after all. than the treatment the trib-
ute elephants sent from Burmah to
Pekin get when they misbehave. They
are blinded and tumbled into a great
pit to starve.
When the Emperor of Brazil came to
Philadelphia in 1876, a newly-arrlved
elephant at the Zoo was named Dom,
after him. When Dom became insub-
ordinate hundreds of people went out
to see first one foot chained and then
another, until each of the four was fast
to cable running over pulley wheel,
when with a single pull Dom's legs
were stretched out, and he was re-
duced gradually to subsection. Dom
had to be punished this way when he
was 10 years old.
Barnum's big Pilot had to be severe
~ disciplined once for engaging IN
regular prize fight with a fellow man.
NAL. Pilots morning cocktail of
twenty gallons of water didn't
cool his coppers on one occasion, so he
deliberately kicked out and BACKED
cOmpaniOn's eye. The rough-and-
tumble fight which ensued was excit-
ing. But no elephant is ever SO wicked
as when he is travelling. In 1880 John
Robinson's Chief, with the circus at
Charlotte, N. c., instantly killed his
keeper, John King, while the latter, in
the presence of large crowd, was en-
deavoring to show how the beast
climbed into his special railway car.
The comedy became tragedy when
Chief seized King by tie waist and
dashed him to instant death against
the side of the car. The crowd of
North Carolinians became so enraged
that, until the absurdity of the thing
dawned upon them, there was actually
serious talk of trying to lynch Chief.
The first modern instance of deviltry
on an elephants travels was the muir
der by the Duke of Edinburgh's Tom
of his keeper en- route from Plymouth
to London. Tom had been brought
from India in 1870 in H. r. H., yacht
Galatea, and trumpeted frantic pro-
tests when put on the cars. A few
minutes afterwards he reared and
crushed VIM. Patton, his keeper, against
the partition.
But the most ferocious elephant spree
on record is that of Barnum Emperor
in Troy, N. Y, when in company with
Jumbo, the attempt was made to drive
him through the streets to the train for
Gloversville. Emperor did not want
to travel. He first ran through the
streets to Erastus Corning's iron foun-
cry, and, rushing in, burned his feet
badly on the red-hot blooms. Filling
the air with shricks, he proceeded to
run amuck until he had done $4,000
worth of damage at low valuation.
Mr.. Hutchinson gladly paid this sum
in satisfaction.
Bolivar, until Jumbo, tie biggest
elephant in America, was brought by
Forepaugh from East India via. New
York to Philadelphia. No sooner had
Bolivar's special car been closed on
him in Jersey City than he began to
rage. He drove A. H. Forepaugh out
of the car at the tusks' point.
Great Improvements have been made
in special cars for elephants. In 1879
the English experimental on the trans
portation of these beasts for use in the
Afgh war, and found that the cattle
cars used on Indian railways made ex-
cellent elephant cars when the freight
was placed in the center, fenced in
with six stout shafts, and held down
by four anklets to the floor. If Jumbo
had been any taller it is doubtful if his
car could have been hauled through
many railway tunnels.
When "His Sublime Grandeur, the
Court and Body Elephant of the King"
dies in Siam. the rest of the court have
a very unpleasant time for thirty days.
The last body elephant went mad one
night and trampled five attendants
to death. On the next morning an ef-
fort was made to corral his sacred body
in ring of ''holy bamboo He broke
loose again, and in a frenzy fell over
and died. All the court was punished
severely.
A distressing death was that Of the
elephant Romeo, at Boonville, Mo-,
in Barnum, Baily & Hutchinson cir
Gus. Romeo was very large, and was
valued at 1000. The machinery for
lighting the tents by electricity had
just been set going. Romeo came by
and touched the armature with his
trunk. In an instant it was carried
away, torn off at tho roots, and he
died in few minutes, suffering terri
bly,.
Old Bolivar, brought to Philadelphia
in 1889, 36 inches lower, by the way.
than Forepaugh' g Bolivar, was drowned
while trying to swim the Delaware In
1876.
~