The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-08-15
Attaching an Elephant.

Hdu furnished three tons OF hay tc &
travelling circus" said the farmer, '-and
when L came to present my bin the
treasurer couldn't pay it, He made
promises, but wasn't to be put off. and
as the show was ready to leave town six
OF his creditors pooled our interests and
legally attached one Of the three ele-
plants. We picked out the largest one.
and though the circus people seemed to
be put out | caught them smiling and
winking al each other. The constable
who served the papers had more grit than
common sense. When the elephant was
left on his hands he took possession, and
l. has always been Y wonder that he
wasn't killed inside oS a minute. The
beast had vile temper, and the only
reason he kept quiet was because he saw
some fun ahead. 1t was decided to take
him out to my farm until the case came
up, and he went along as quiet as you
please. We stabbed him under shed,
and everything went well for three or
four hours. Then the big fellow turned
loose to enjoy himself. He was the first
elephant | ever saw out for vacatio
and L don't care fer any more such
sights. The shed was thirty feet long by
twenty wide, and he tore that down as a
starter. He knew just how to go TO work.
The shed was supported by five posts,
and he pulled them out in succession and
let the roof fall fat
in the barnyard." continued the farm
er with a smothered groan, Il had two
wagons, a reaper and a cart. 1t didn't
take the elephant FIVE minutes to make
kidding wood of them. | saw him put
his tusks unGer one of the wagons and
toss il thirty feet high, and with one lit
tie twist of his trunk he'd tear a wheel
away as if it had been fastened with glue.
1t being summers night the barn
doors stood open. There was only one
horse in there, and the elephant went in
there and scared him to death. He did
for a fact. He never touched the horse
and yet we found the animal dead in his
stall. Lord but didn't he wreck that
barn, He smashed up my faIning-mill
broke the corn-sheller 10 bits, and then
tore down doors and pulled away beams
and braces until you'd have thought a
hupdred fremen were at work. When he
left the barn il was to make a call al
the house. He smashed through the
fence, tore one side off the pig-pen, and
upset the smOkehOuse and the chicken
coop as if they had been paper boxes
Near the smokehouse was a cherry tree
as big as my body. He wound his trunk
around it and pulled it up by the roots.
AT the kitchen door he served an oil
pear tree in the same way | expected
him 10 tear the house down. but he de-
cided that it was more fun TO uproot
trees. Back of the kitchen was the or
chard. To reach it he had TO pass a milk
house over spring. He just fell against
that milkhouse and piled it in a heap,
and then went on and pulled up twenty
one choice apple trees. He was still at
work when l got his keeper up from the
town. The man had been left behind
for just such an emergency. As soon as
he began calling the elephant stood still.
and after few minutes he had control
of the beast.
My individual claim against the circus
was for $50, and that elephant had Great
ed damages to the extent of $500. / didn't
want any more of him, and the other
creditors wouldn't take him on. and so
we told the man to be off with his pet.
That wasn't his game. however He
wanted 10 be paid for saving the rest of
the property, and I'll be hanged if we
didn't have TO make him up a purse of
$50 and agree 10 pay all the legal costs!
All the claims footed up to $3.50 but we
d dn't do any more running after that cir
Gus. We had met the elephant and we
were his'n, and We thought the payment
of $50 mighty cheap way of getting out
OF it. / think | saw that same elephant
in a circus seven or eigh. years later.
AT least, / saw a WhopPing big fellow who
looked at me for a minute and then sort
o grinned and wiEked mis- left eve and
seemed 10 want TO ask me If I wanted
any more buildings smashed and fruit
Trees DuilPd IN for fireKOOd -