The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-31

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Just a little before dark Rajah snapped
his chains. threw the h 40 feet
away and walked out into the street
Believing ~furiously and threatening to
attack every living thing he saw. Be
fore the show people rallied and loos-
med another elephant named Prince.
Rajah had passed through the town
and crossed the Davidson creek bridge.
There is a great forest there which
reaches to the Brazos bottoms. Ratah
walked into these woods and disap-
peared. Darkness came on and the
show people abandoned the chase.
though MIR. Lemons offered a handsome
reward for any information about the
animal. and sent runners along the
roads warning the people TO keep out
o. the way OF the dangerous beast. RAJ
jah kept in the woods. n near morn
ing he struck the Brazos river. within
sight OF Nose Ryan's house. Noticing
the haystacks and corncribs. he knock
cd the gate down and went into the
horse lot and coolly proceeded TO NIL
his capacious stomach with hay and
odder.
Now. II Mr.. Lemons or the mahout
had seen Nose Ryan walking towsrd
Rajah with a lariat neither Of them
would have given 3 rents for his life.
As Ryan approached Rajah the big AMI
NAL began to sway his body and trum-
pet in tones that an elephant driver
| MOul0 nave INTERPRETED W Hitdh Ahot
the elephant was in a fine humor. and
would be very much pleased to be num-
bered among Mr.. Ryan's dearest and
warmest friends. Nose Ryan not only
roped this elephant. but after feeding
him apples. potatoes and everything
else that he could think OF, he got a
ladder and W upcn his back. la
ter on he induced Betsy. his wife. and
Souser to join him.. and they rode Ra-
jah down to the Brazos river. where
ne drank until the sandbars began 10
show above the falling waters. and he
acted at one time as II he had half a
mind to swim across to the other shore.
This Is a good elephant. Betsy"
said Nose. smiling with pride. "Oh,
when IL comes to elephants. Nose Ryan
is there. Elephants Is kinder skase
now. and ] expect they sell pretty high.
Betsy. s'pose we take n dozen chickens
and q basket Of eggs and Souser's wolf
skins and my Middle and go to town to-
day. Been a-thinkin' I'd go up there
and whip old Billy Homes for some
time"
Mrs. Ryan was pleased with the idea
OF riding the elephant to town. and u
was not long before they were prepared
to start. The show people had beer
badly puzzled. They could not hear a
word of the runaway elephant. Ryan.
with his family and his poultry pets
and Eggs mounted on Rajah. came
through the bottoms. and no one saw
them until they emerged into the old
San Antonio road, about n mile from
Caldwell. Their approach to the city
was heralded By the noise and clatter
OF about 40 teams that were running
away from frightened and yelling driv-
ers. The main th~oroughfare was
choked with overturned wagons and
buggies. Maddened mules and crazy
horses were ~floundering over each 9TH
er. while hundreds of negro drivers.
frightened out OF their senses. were
yelling thai the end of the world had
come. Merchants and clerks were at
the doors with AK handles and various
other weapons. beating negroes and an
finals back and wondering what on
| earth had happened.
Entering the town Rajah took posses
sion of a fruit stand. and after throw
ing the Dago upon the roof he de-
voured the bewildered foreigners whole
stock before the man had time to en-
ter a protest. Instantly the news spread
over town that the mad elephant was
loose in the streets killing every living
thing. This added a new element OF
terror to the situation. Merchants at
tempted to close their stores. but the
frightened people crowded through the
doors as IL certain death were at their
heels. The housetops were covered
~ H'tHIt VIZ ~ NNtoA "
were able to climb posts and brick
walls, and In all that mass OF human
ity there was but one man whose mind
was not at all disturbed. Nose Ryan
stood up on Rajah's shoulders. and af-
ter calmly surveying the astounding
scene he said:
Betsy, DANCED II I don't believe there
is some sort OF a frolic goin' on In this
here" old town. Hold tight and don't
drop your eggs. and I'll play them the
'Arkansaw Traveller N we will ride
right into the crowd. and We Will tine
the people in the fun"
Just at that moment a small man on
a calico horse galloped within a few
steps of the elephant inc shouted:
Here. what are you doing on that ele-
plant? Perhaps you don know hat
you are perched or the devil and a MUIR
derer -four times over" This man was
Frank Lemons, the wuer OF Rajah.
n he was so paralyzed with astonish-
ment when he saw those people serene
~ seated on the back of that mad mon
ster that he doubted his sanity.
Nose Ryan shook his fist at Mr.. Lem
ons and intimated that he would make
his elephant eat him up alive II he pre-
sumed to further interfere with the
pleasures Of the Ryan family.
THAT is my elephant" shouted Lem
ons. ar you crawl OF of him right
here, or l will shoot you on"
Il yi." exclaimed Nose. I'D like to
catch you at that. for II Is a game I am
very fond Of" He cooked his old mus
ket m the elephant moved on.
The mahout. mount on "A gentle ele-
plant. debouched from "A cross street.
and when directly In front of Rajah he
fired two loads Of shot into the old
elephants trunk. Rajah wheeled
around so suddenly that the Ryan fam
lily rolled of into the street. badly mix
ed with eggs, poultry and pelts. Twen-
~ thousand men surrounded the furi-
GUS animal. firing pistols and driving
spears n pitchforks into his CULVER
ng flesh. The big. cowardly brute stuck
his head against "A brick wall. and
when the mahout drove the spear into
his flesh with all his strength he
ed like a baby and tears ran down his
eyes in streams. He was conquered,
and he knelt down TO be chained. all
the time manifesting the most piteous