The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-12-26
An Elephant Executed.


An Elephant Executed.
From the Philadeiphia Times
Chief the most vicious elephant in
America and the murderer Of seven men.
was executed Tuesday afternoon ia the
winter quarters Of Forepaush's Circus, az
Lelligh agenne and Front street. Chief
was fosty years old sad hai been "a this
country nine wears lie crushed man
to death shortly afser his arrival ana since
thea he had gone from bad to vorss.siie
was known all over the country as the
NEST wicket elephant thar ever crushed
circus peanuts Though alaays closely
watched he would go on periodical ram
pages.
On the sth Of October last Chief broke
from the winter quarters, up on Lehigh
avenue. He was ia a rage and was driv-
Ing men, women and chilaren before
him and creating panic, when the POI
lice were called out to stop the mad rush
Of the elephant He made srch a des-
penlie tigat that ten policemen opened fre
On him, bot It Was oaly when eight bul-
lets had been planted in his leit le- that
he was forced back TO the winter quar-
tiers.
Chief was at once chained, but broke
from the chains that night. He was
chained again, sil his feet being fastened
to the end Of heavy iron cables. He was
quiet for a few weeks, but lately he made
repeated stsuggles to burst his chains
Chief tried 10 kill his keeper on saturday
morning, and as he threatened 90 get
loose at any moment and clean out the
winter quarters, it was decided toexecute
MIN.
TIE TWO ExECUUoTEaS-
Three O'Clock yesterday afternoon was
the hour Of execution, and two other el-
ephants were the executioners. i good
sized but quiet crowd gathered 10 see
Chief die. A. the big beast stool g'aring
ct the crowd a Moose was made ia ihe
centre Of r piece OF rope half an inch
thick and ten yards long IS two men
tried TO put the moose around his neck
the doomed elephant got in a rage and
tried TO toss one. Of the men against tie
wali. By hard work the moose was +
nslly pulled over his trunk and placed
behind his ears with the knot directly
under his throat Then Basil AMI Bis
niarek, the most powerful elephants own
ed by Foreplugh. were fastened 70 an end
Of the rope on either side Of their muir
derous comrade.
{ As Chief stood waiting to meet death
he was more heavily chained. Then
I young Adam Forepaugh gave the word,
Basil and Bismarck were given a proa
with iron hooks and the death line be-
gan To grow tiut. Another signal and
the elephants pulled with an their mighty
strength in opposite directions Cbiei
began TO totter- In twenty seconds he
dropped to the ground dead elephant
4 Bismarck and Basil had straugled him.
DisPosD,G oF TIE RoDl-
At O'Clock this morning a big force o
men will b,sin 70 load the body on
4 catamaran. with the aid Of a derrick. Ter
horses will then haul the body TO th,
University Of Pennsy ylvania. where it Wi
be skinned and stntFed while the bone
viii be set mp By DR.. Joseph Leidy th.
eminent zoologist Of the University. Til.
elephants skeleton and stuffed skin vii
be placed in the museum Of the Univer
sity.
Chief was ten and a half feet high an,
weighed over lO,000 pounds. lie was ~
Asiatic elephant and was bought from
Carl stagenback. the noted animal deale
in Hamburg. nine years ago. lie beg1l
/ life in America by killing a man jast al
ter the ship came into port A yeariats
ne caught keeper and dashed hia
against a telegraph pole. Since then b
has murdered FIVE other men and ha
/ tried to kill scores Of Others lie was
terror when he started oui on his ran
rages and swept everything before him
eyen the lemonade, purple cauiy an
peanuts Of the circus butchers. Tie tor
down wooden house at Grand Rapid
Michigan. and when he had finished
visit to a side show one fair summer ia
at Tope IA the show looked as e il ha
been struck by n Kansas cyclone. Il
) took possession Of the town of Akroi
/ Ohio, and was finally arrested by q coal
try constable on the charge of disorlerl
conduct and malicious mischief
He vas again arrested in Cincinnati Z.
chasing German saloon keeper and
hundred patrons out Of a place 90 yin
street IN that city. He had been en-
ployed to appear in a spectacular play
few years ago, aad bad done good wor
until the second act. when be lay dow
on the stage and refu sed to lel the pla
20 on. While on tear down DC,
Cairo, Illinois. be grasped a canyasma
Of the circus and threw him in the 1li
sissippi river, and was ducking him q
be was almost dead. when 6fty men q
tackled the elephant aud saved The ma
He was the only elephant that Ada
J. T-.,-as,,,,rrt Tr ,sar,i1 uo4 cr,nasiar