The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1895-05-16
SALTWATER, MINNESOTA, MAY Is, 1895.

appointed member of a court-martial
ordered to assemble at Campbellpore
for the purpose of trying elephant
Abdul (No 15) for causing the death
of Syce Ramboucles. This court
martial was certainly the most impress
sive one l had ever witnessed. The
prisoner, with eyes filled with tears,
was marched in front of us between an
escort composed of No. and No. 3
elephants. Along with them came all
the witnesses. The president of the
court martial was Major Cameron, a
gray-haired man of the Thirty Fourth
Hogras Native Infantry, who had been
for years in India He read the charge:
elephant Abdul is charged with caus-
ing the death of syce Ramboucles by
catching him by the legs in his trunk
and beating his brains out against the
wall of the grain hut The first wit
ness called was orderly BOmbadier
Roberts, who said he was in the lines
at II o'clock seeing the elephants fed.
When the trumpeter sounded ''feed,'
he saw Syce Ramboucies run with
bag of grain toward Elephant Abdul.
At this time all the other elephants
were fed, consequently Syce Ram
boucles was late in feeding Elephant
Abdul. He, the. bombadier, ordered
the Syce to hurry and feed him, but he
did not seem to move any quicker. AS
soon as he approached Elephant Abdul
seized him by the legs and dashed his
brains out against the little grain hut.
Eight Syce's and She Jemmodah gave
similar statements. When they had
finished, the president, who had kept
his head down the whole time with the
elephants defaulter sheet in front OF
him, suddenly looked up and glared at
at the prisoner. Seeing the elephants
eyes swimming in tears he said: ''1t's
no use; that game won't do me. l am
quite accustomed to see tears and
never take any notice of them. | see
by this defaulter book that you have
been guilty of no fewer than sixteen
crimes of injuring people, and | have
not the slightest compassion for you.
We members all agreed with the ole
major, and after short adjournment
found Abdul guilty, and sentenced
him to fifty lashes and two years i'm
priSOnment.
When the elephant was marched
7 back a prisoner he roared, crying, no
> from grief for having killed Ram
boucles, though, but for his own sake
! He anticipated some severe punish
| ment, especially as he was marched t.
5 the prison shed, where only those VIII
I are awarded long term Of imprison
$ ment are taken. Three days after thi
q l was informed the fiogging process
= would take place, and as | was yer
|. anxious to see how the gigantic Abdu
= would stand his punishment resolve
O. to be an eye witness to this palnfr
d though necessary mode of enfOrcin
}. discipline. The whole thing struck m
: as being most peculiar sight, bu
l. rendered very distressing owing
IS Abdul's pitiful hoWls; but you coul
# not help laughing occasionally at tn
o comical actions Of the logger. Whe
e I arrived on the scene [ found tt
e whole battery drawn up in squar
l. fourteen elephants forming one sic
le and the on-commissioned officers an
n men the other three sides. In tt
" center were two huge elephants, tt
ID prisoner Abdul and his fogger, Lal
Dr. No. l. 1t always falls to the SEMI
I elephants lot to infiict the punishmer
~ Beside these two elephants all tt
II, officers of the battery, the provosts, tt
r. brigade major and the doctor, were
at the center, and elephants Nos. 2 and
Id stood on either plank as an escort
n. case the prisoner might try to escal
We There were four great iron pegs driv'
1g into the ground, to Zach of which O.
le, of the prisoners legs was chaine
of Lalla No. elephant stood by with
he huge cable chain fastened around b
st trunk, waiting further orders. VIII
Dr. all was pronounced ready the doct
who stood with watch in his hal
be gave the signal to begin. Lalla rails