The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-02-05
CIRCUS ELEPHANTS.
AN OLD CAMPAiGNER TELLS or HIS
EXPERIENCE WITH THEM.

Trunk-Tenung Life in the Days Before
show. Travelled by Rain.
III must have been n great life In the old
tonting days" aid the reporter.
1T was pretty tough, now. and don't you
forget it. Scrapes ike that are buls to tell
about nfterward. but 1t used TO DO cold com
fort. tell you
Il see by the papers that the big elephant
belonging 10 Roblnsons show was recently
kilei" said the reporter.
"Chiof. you mean" Wei. be ought 20 have
been KILLED long ago When an elephant
once gp-. for a man IN cold blood its no use
TRYING to do anything with him A. for out
sders getting hurt. boys that plague the e!e-
phant or rs far as an elephant going for
uiau Whcu they're scared and don't half know
what they're az. that, different matter
bat Chief Eiiici john King. who was as good
cscn tempered a man rs ever worked 10 a
show. ani that's pure ornarincs Sometimes
an elephant viii tako 70 into his heat that
every man on earth Is his enemy and then
tnere's 40 knowing who bed go for.
ELEPHANTS GET CRANKY
is II like q dog going mad
"No. not a bit OF t. They're not crazy,
they're only wicked it'sadis1ase, You might
say. though You SEQ they're lsadils an un-
natural life. the crowd AMI the noise and the
training and performing in the rias, and the
parading and ono thing and another leases
the fooi thing. An elephant is smart enough
IN his way. but he's jog trO. kind of AMI
NAL Charley Gaylord. Barnum's agent, who
went o. India and oil around buying stock,
told me bod 9cn elephants piling timber
without auy bos, for holis 40 spoil An
elephant don't mind that. All 10 dol't hurt
bin bIt the everlasting pstoring they get
travelling with show knocks them silly. It's
enough 70 drive q man l0ony, to-
1T must bo nervous bushes. remarked
che reporter
'.You get used 10 10. like anything else As
Tar a. elephants 60. they're mighty Ike
cattle you take noaI tempered Old bun
Ia farm yard. hes as likely 10 turn on you
asang ordinary elephant ~ conrso ho amt
rs dangerous bccluso he hasn't a trunk to
catch you with. but IL he gets ugly you
surely want 10 go for shelter. For that mat
ter. ! saw an old lean OK bluI on elephant
l0un m Rhode Island We were stuck 10
The mud. lust Ike the other time told yolhpt.
At 10 VS. AN rF FtttN tttttl1 ~ ttAt - At'
roads were nothing hko what they are now IN
those days, an the clay used to st up over
tho axis Of tbs wagons waonsyeT it rainel
moro than usual
Il don't know a. it rained moro than II
does now--it seems as If it did, but suppose
that's only because took more notice OF tho
iain when bad % keep dry between times
anyhow. SIC were glued up rs tight as box,
and The elephants bad pulled their hearts out
tlr.ng the wagons olt OF one hole after
au0thcr Wo clmr-l near farm house one
Night. and the OH slell back potato baker got
talking TO o couple of ms that went up % tho
house % d,al f0r crg- Tie pitched out jug
Of cidsr. aud $50 tlls,d show 10 him-thats
always the way 10 get on the soft side of
colutrymln. told him how tho elephants
we're plumb baat. and how we'd lelt ono
ueaey wagon . couple OF miles back, and
gishoi IN toa camping ground without wait
iu- for o.
b. tmnlarr says be-. I've got four oxen
that can yals a1y wagon out OF hole that
ever ral on wheels Ii they can o they sure
bring tAe logo 0'sels with EN-; somctlnn's
sot % give WHOM they lay down % ihe JOB
"Wo joshei him aboni ii. just to keep the
talk going while gee uere pushing down pie
and CIDER and finally hs said hsd knock OF
hauim wool the neAt day and seo It he
clu.dut start tho wa .Iu.
"Thm wo vent hael. to camp told the
90 inln about e.. and Boz said o.. was going 90
send two elephants haca next day, anyway.
and IL tho old chap wanted 10 try bis oxen be
might
THE Old FARMER SMILED.
Early in tho morning saddled mp pony
and called for the farmer. Fat Nike as we
nsed ~ call him, al big Irishman, was handling
the elophants-ha was killed in "a railway
smash near st. Louis afterward-and he
ehatfsi tho farmer all tine way along the
road, telling him how tho elephants could
drag his oxen backward faster than they
could walk forward.
Finally We got back 70 tho gulch, where
the wagon was stuck. Nike grinnoI at the
farmer and told him 10 tive away with his
OK team The elephants pulled ont TO ono
side Of the road aaI l1it ry1hing Clear /
and tie oxen were bitched % tho wagon with
a By chain the Old man had brought
They were q hungry l00kln' lOt but they
could pull sure Ol course four oxen couldn't
come anywhere near two elephants on "a
square tug but when tho elephants had tried
10 tho day before they wero dead beat before F.
hand. and the steers were as fresh al paint
They baei,0d and filed tor littlo while, the Z
farmer swearing and hollerin' and finally 1
they started the WAGON.
"When they got 10 up on th0rso the farma I
took en- on ami began laughing at Us Nike .
had come up with tao elephants and wo were
all right together noticed ono u the ele- F.
plants Nero be was caued, NOT the famous /.
Nero. but an elecipnt that was lost ia a
steamboat lio afteTT-. p 30 commence 10 4
swing bis trunk Wen. that's jrstas common /
with elephants a. 10 Is Tor "a dog 10 weg bis /
tai. but with this ono 30 always meant that /
he was sore about something -ho only iii it /.
when be was cross
II was just goia 20 speak 10 iliLo and tell
hin % lool. ont. but beioro / could sey any .
thing Nero caught tho nigh lea.l Ok loual 10 /
neck with his trunk and doHned him as easy +
as II it was peanut boz. lnevor Was 81, +
dumfoundcl ia ray lio /. SEEMED cs l Oh, /
big beast knew he was being mai3 game C. /
when the ox team did his work Nike yc.lcl /
al bin just il time 80 keep him from uampin /
the steer Tic farmer was o. white as youi .
shlrt-.he WORT scared man ever saw Blu, T
tho steer picked himself Up Looked around /
shook hiuls-1 for o minute, nSi then charged 4
H. caught NerO in the knee and hOrnri OF G .
pieos q skin as big as q hat
Il got ready - mako mylelf seagce, calcu /
latin ON "a general scrimma5o. but Nero took /
il as quiet as could 30. lie wls biuifed cut /
as fair as anything you ever saw. The steer /
turned 10 hayo another 60 at hin, and Nero I
turned tail and went lumberln through tn /
mud, splashin the saplnCs 40 the side Of the .
road 20 the top
II never saw anybody as pleased as that /
old farmer 10 al my life san Francisco +
Examiner