The Portland daily press., 1893-07-18

Rescued by His Associates.
A performance not down in the pro-
gramme at the circus yesterday after
noon created great scare and almost
precipitated dangerous panic. 1t was
after the main performance had closed
and the great audience had divided,
portion remaining in the large tent to
hear the concert, while the others went
out through the menagerie, taking fl
nal look at the animals as they went.
The elephants were back in the area re-
served for them. and their keepers were
attending to them. Among these keep
ers was Henry Myers, of indianapolis,
who had charge of four of them. My
ers was inside the enclosure allotted to
the elephants watching them eat their
supper. Around the ropes were gath
cred large number of people interested
in the scene. Mandum. vicious old
elephant which has bad record, was con-
tentedly chewing at bunch of hay
when a spectator evidently anxious to
appear.smart crossed the enclosure. He
had a small whip in his hand such as
vendors sell to children. When pass
ing Mandum he gave him cutting blow
across the trunk. Mandum snorted with
pain and tugged at his letters and
snapped one chain as if it had been
made of Irvine. He was after his tor
menter and would doubtless have
reached him had not Myers compre-
hended the mans danger. He sprang
to the rescue with his prodding stick
and struck Mandum on the side of the
head. Usually odedient to the will of
his keeper Myers thought he could
subdue him but the beasts anger was
thoroughly aroused. He seized Myers
by the leg with his trunk and tossed
him dozen feet in the air. Myers fell
with a thud at Mandum's feet and
shouted for help. Several keepers and
other employs ran to the rescue, and even
old Zip, one of the best bred elephants
in the whole herd, sought to prevent
Mandum from doing any further dam
age.
The Infatuated beast again caught
poor Myers by the leg and beat his head
back and forth on the ground. Then not
being satisfied and despite the fact that
men were raining blows upon him with
stakes, clubs, pitch-forks and in fact
with almost any available weapon,
the keeper again fell into the beasts
clasp. Mandum meant to devour him
in earnest. He got Myers by the leg
again and essayed to chaw him to pieces.
He crushed his leg, just above the ankle.
before he could be pounded into submits
sion.
In an instant the whole tent was in an
uproar. The other elephants realize
instantly what was going on, and set up
a great and frightful trumpeting. This
was signal for panic among all the
rest of the animals. The Gorilla which
was the sharpest, jumped up and down
and sent forth portentous and blood
curdling yell. The lions and tigers be-
gan to dash at the bars of their cages
and to add their own frightful snarlings
to the din. AS for the shrieks of the
monkeys and the other lesser beasts,
they were indistinguishable in the
roar; but added to it's volume.
The effect upon those who were in the
tent was instantaneous They dashed in
all directions to effect their escape,
Many got out under the folds of the
canvas, and one who saw the affair from
the outside said it looked as if heavy
weight had come down on the mass of
people on the inside, and crushed them
out under the edges of the tent. The
panic communicated itself to the people
in the large tent, as the fugitives from
the menagerie came dashing in stimuli
taneously with the great uproar of the
beasts. Immediately affrighted people
began to run up the seats as if to seek
refuge under the caves of the tent. But
a few sharp words from the ushers, &C
by subsistence of the hor-
rible noises from the menagerie served
to allay the fear and restore order.
Meanwhile the spectators in the men,
agerie had vanished, men. women and
children having gotten out of the way
with astonishing celebrity. The keepers
took Myers, who was writhing and
groaning, and placed him carefully in
barouche which was to take him to the
Maine General Hospital. They babe
him good bye, evidently believing that
he was dangerously hurt.
L At the hospital the surgeons found
that Myers's leg was very much bruised,
and that the ligaments were badly
No bones were broken, but
the injuries are so severe that five or six
weeks will be required for recovery.
Myers is IS years of age and unmarried.
Mandum is very ugly animal, few
weeks ago while the circus was
performing in FitcbburU Moss bo