The Press., 1894-05-17
Number 7.
(Hartford T1mes.) A "CUTE" ELEPHANT.

NeW l0rk'S central Park authorities having ordered the killing of "Tip," the big elephant that is said to have killed eight keepers, and who is now more than willing to add the ninth scalp to his belt if we may conceive such thing as belt of trophies on an elephant-the work of killing the huge beast began last Friday at 5 a.m. Adeeply interested crowd was pres ent, but all were prepared to flee, at the first sign that Tip would in his anger or agony break loose. Four sharpshooters were present with magazine rifles, ready at the word to fire at chalk mark on the ele- plants forehead, which had been made by fixing piece of chalk to the end of a long pole. But the Society for the Pre- vention of Cruelty to Animals interfered and forbade any firing.
 Resort was then had to poison; but the elephant was too wise to be killed in that way. Carrots, apples, pieces of bread, all were given him, some harmless, others containing big doses of prusic acid, or of cyanide of potassium. The sagacious an- imal would readily eat everything that was harmless, and spat out everything that contained poison. Those unreveal- ing but widely discerning little brown eyes, so far below the towering and bulky forehead, took note of all that was going on. Against Commissioner Strauss, who, standing in front of the big beast-but outside of the bars-a day or two before, had proposed to kill him as the only safe thing to be done, Tip took an immediate and deep sated antipathy. Lifting his trunk and trumpeting, he made dash for the commissioner that came near breaking down the iron bars. Again he dashed against the enclosure, and this time with such evident effect that success would obviously follow third movement, that the offending commissioner fled for his life.
 The attempt to remove Tip by poison having failed, nothing more was done pending a consultation of the park con- missioners with the Society for the P. o. A.
 Tip is apparently what elephant hunters in India call Ca rogue elephant" That means one whose "pure cussedness" Is such that his fellow elephants have had to drive him out of the herd, and he roams the great forests alone-a solitary and highly dangerous fellow, who, if he can- not find a man, or anything else to kill, will sometimes vent his fury on trees, tearing off the bark, or breaking down the tree. In confinement "rogue" ele- phant is almost as bad-for such an anil mai evidently has clear and undoubted accessions of anger-f1ts of rage-at which times he is not only likely to kill his keeper, or any one else he can reach, but to break his chains and iron bars, and get out among people.
 "Tip's" behavior attests anew the won- derful intelligence of this greatest of earth's quadrupeds. In all probability the elephant is the most intelligent of an- imals. It has been perhaps questionable whether the elephant, the dog, or the horse excelled in mental equipment; but the more that is seen of the comparative exhibitions of the intelligence of these animals, the more evident seems the bal ance of testimony in favor of the elephant. In world full, of such wonders as the intelligence of minute creatures like the ant, and many other insects, 1t may be rash to give the elephant credit for superb ority; but he shows too much sagacity to leave room for much question. Fifty-odd years ago huge elephant was led to the old Hartford bridge, with view to talk ing him over the Connecticut river on that solid and ponderous old structure, which contains heavy timber enough for two bridges. But the sagacious animal, first putting forward one foot, on which he bore heavily, to test the structure, drew back, and no amount of urging, or of prodding with his keepers spear, avail ed to make him go on to the bridge, and his managers had to ''swim him" across.
 It proved later that Tip had swallowed a dose of the poison before splitting it out. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon his trunk and hind quarters appeared partly par alyzed and he was breathing heavily. Af- terward at intervals he was fed with ap- ples and carrots. Those which were not poisoned he ate; those which were he threw away. At 3.15 o'clock a mash of bran was prepared, having IS small and two large capsules, containing in all two ounces of cyanide of potassium. Tip ate it, and in four minutes he felt the effects, went into convulsions, thrashed about at tremendous rate, and broke his martin gale chain Then he started scross the cell toward the door. The chain around his forefoot tripped him, and he fell on his side In 12 minutes from the time he took the mash he was dead. Ei fy ,f