Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1893-05-19
SWALLOWED THEM.
Ringling Bros, Circus Furnishes
Another Big Elephantine
Horror.
The Consort of '"Zip" Swallows
Two Good Sized Boys and
a GrindstOne.

0OOSl OuZcU Buys anu
q GrindstOne.
The following was clipped from the
Baraboo, Wis, Republic. When one
remembers that Ringing Bros.
visited South Dakota last year with
their show, one marvels at the good
fortune the state enjoyed in not
losing some of her citizens:
Yesterday the consort of old Zip"
excited vel the preparations being
made in the animal house at Ring
ling Bros. winter quarters to remove
the animals to the dens and cages
that will be their summer homes, in
an unguarded moment made a sue
cessful break for liberty. After
dcmolishing two or three vans that
happened to be in his way the now
thoroughly enraged brute came upon
two boys who were grinding a large
Ratchet On a grindstone used by the
carpenters Who are rebuilding seats,
center poles, etc. The boys, about
sixteen years of age, are connected
with the shows as jockeys, and were
getting the AK ready to go into the
woods to cut a fish pole. Without a
moments warning the elephant
swallowed the boy with the Ratchet
in his hand. His companion, with a
determination akin to that displayed
by the drowning man who clutches at
a straw, chung to the frame of the
grindstonc. The animal made but a
slight effort to disengage him, when
opening wide his m0nstrOus jaws and
rolling his great dark eyes, boy and
stone disappeared in the capacious
nav of the mastoden. by this time
hundreds of men, who L at this
eason of the year employed on the
grounds, were in hot pursuit, and it
was at once determined to dispatch
the brute before more lives were
sacrificed. A half dozen men with
Winchester rifles succeeded in des-
troying the animals eyes, when he
made a wild rush against Il truck
loaded with great center poles, driv-
ing one of the steel pointed ends into
his brain. This brought the mount
ain OF flesh to his knees, only for a
moment, but long enough to enable
two stalwart men to drive a crow-bar
into his heart, when it sank to the
earth, ~ to rise again.
1t was tllirty-eight minutes before
the hugh animal ceased struggling,
and life was pronounced extinct.
when those who were bold enough to
come near heard a grating sound
coming from the interior of the car
cass. To some this seemed very
strange, but the boss animal man
assured them it was not unusual, as
he had had many such experiences,
on the Soudanese plains where elc-
plants were used to carry cannons
and supplies for the British army.
He explained that it was the gastric
juices of the stomach rushing into
Il vacuum formed by the air leaving
the lungs. The father of the boys,
however, with an instinct born of
tilial love and parental affection, had
doubts as to this being the true cause
of the strange sounds, and demanded
that the animal be at once opened.
No sooner had he expressed his de-
sire than a hundred willing hands
were at work delving for the dead
monsters stomach. Judge, if you
can, the CONSERVATION depicted upon
the faces of that surging crowd when
that organ was ripped open, disclos-
ing the boys, perfect in health and
limb. finishing the job of grinding
with a view to hewing a way out of
their living tomb.
All business about the camp was
temporarily suspended, and the little
prisoners were the heroes of the
hour, the notoriety they had gained
seeming to fully satisfy them for
any inconvenience they had ex-
p~ericnced by their imprisonment.
This morning. the facts in the case
having been wired to Chicago last
night, a museum concern te%legraphed
the boys an offer of 5000 a week dur
ing the worlds fair season, but Ring
ling Bros. at once decided they could
as we'll afford to keep them as any
show on earth. The little Jonahs
will therefore be one of the at
fractions for 1898.
Facts and particulars regarding the
inside causes which led to the down