The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-10-20
Elephant TORTURED,


u.n u,, PushrIrE' aud Fire to
Gre" 49, III, Aulmal-A Most Horrible
.O,e,aels-Hruts would not give I've
r.,.r.soro. n c, Dispatch: sgd, the
,'rh,rt belonging to Robinson d
es ,'l Rrotbcrs circus, which was in
L'. ,,,y Yesterday, became angered at
''s ~, and soon worked himself
'o, rase. Keeper smith went up to
NV, ,,,, n oulet him and the animal seized
s NV, with his trunk and hurled him
twenty feet through the air
'T ,,,,,sr AZ Animals jerks rushed up
as saJzed and thrown upon the
SUI ,r5 and had not an attendant run
EO I'D dragged him away he would
!" neon trampled TO death. AS ii Was
hs was moi seriously hurt
hr y,Snsr Smith was picked up and
rlarei in the shade Of a tent; wheie
,Src. men held him Will he writheh IN
ar,ny. His lips were dyed with bloou
as.t aowed from his mouth.
"a has killed two men before and has
~ beeu punished and the master OF
hs ,nsIs decided that he must be con-
a A"o,ed Accompanied by another ele-
4S.nt syd was led into a thicket OF
p na' Here his front feet were bound
XXX bsayy chains to two trees, and his
VA faet shackled. Then a block and
,a"E,s carrying two-inch rope was
listened 10 his feet and to another tree,
snd thirty men caught hold Of the rope
and began TO pull.
with scream OF rage and pain the
elspbant plunged forward and the rope
snapped like thread, Again the rope
was made fast, and again, as the men
rnlled on II, the animal plunged for
ward. swapping off the hook. All the
while he was trembling fiercely.
Finally he was securely fastened and
,be men fell upon him with spikes,
pItchforks and clubs, The animal
screamed and lunged while the men beat
and prodded him, The forks stuck In
The tough hide, necessitating two or
three attempts to get them out The
blood was oOzing from a hundred
wounds
directly In front OF the elephant
was a tree foot In diameter, Putting
his forehead against this he swayed 1t
back and forth like bush Suddenly,
with one stroke Of his trunk, he swept
Il clear OF limbs as high as he could
reach With one limb held in his trunk
he struck fiercely right and left and his
tormenters scattered pefi nell TO get out
OF his reach one man ventured too
near, and with a single push the ele'
plant threw him dozen feet away,
where he lay stunned, Two others were
treated In the same manner.
A fork thrust through one OF the ami
mails ears was pulled out Of the handle,
The elephant caught the fork and drew
Il out himself and threw II away. He
threw a stone fifty yards.
After the men had belabored him until
they were exhausted, the elephant was
still unconuuered Then they brought
straw and piled II under him and fired
IT, As the flames rose. the suffering
beast screamed and struggled He
caught quantities al dirt and throw Il
on his back In efforts to protect himsels
against the fire. Three times the straw
was rcarranGcd and the flames curled
about his body. But still he would not
give mp
Finally the tough hide began to loosen
from the sides until It hung In sheets
three feet SQUARE exposing the smooth
whne flesh owing To the struggles Of
tho moor animal the chains by which
he was hold had cut into the tree two
or three inches.
Hundreds Of townFpeople looked on al
The horrible spectacle
Rul the elephant remained uncon-
QuerCi and the attempt to subdue him
had ? hc abandoned.
Then the master Of animals had a
tent erected around him and gallons OF
p"Iine Wore applied to his scorched
and burned sides It is said that he will
tckillcd II he over attacks man again
Keeper Smith viii recover.