The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1899-02-23
TRIALS Ca AN E~LEFHANr.
court-Martiaiod and whipped for XIII
ing His Keeper.

ing His Keeper.
The court-martialing of an elephant
isn't such an everyday occurrence as ia
pass ~unnoticed, even in central India,
where the doings of the Jungle folk
are unusually dark and vain, says the
New York Herald. Consequently the
celebrated trial and punishment of an
elephant residing in the vicinity Of
Mhow form a theme upon which the
native loves to dwell; The elephant
had killed his keeper. That fact was
clearly established. A number of wit
nesses bore testimony to the manner
of the mans death. He had been a ma
tive soldier. He and his charge didn't
seem to hit it off very well. There
were frequent jars engendered by the
elephants in~disposition' to'yiefd readily
to the demands and commands of the
native. These occasional demonstra-
lions of INSTRUMENTATION were %invaria-
bly, followed by the introduction of a
sharp spike into the tenderest 'part@of
the elephants anatomy. After that the
situation was somewhat strained and
when this particular elephant met
other elephants and-stopped TO pass the
time of day he complained in trumpet
tones of the unreasonableness of men
and of his keeper specifically. Matters
appear to have reached a climax when
the keeper one day appropriated a por-
ton of the food supply allotted to the
elephant. This was more than ele-
plant flesh and blood could stand. The
big fellow remarked to himself that
while he might occasionally be in
duced to work overtime at the ardous
labor of drawing heavy trucks-thus
laying himself liable to expulsion from
the Elephants Labor Union-at least
it could never be said that he so far
forgot his position as to suffer the loss
of a square meal at the hands of a mere
man. And SO it came about that Mr..
Keeper suddenly felt the weight of a
great foot. What followed is not sup
piled by the keeper, for he was by this
time a subject for the obituary writers.
Eye witnesses, however, averred that
the elephant raised him by the trunk
line and thoroughly beat a tattoo with
him on the stoniest ground in that
vicinity. The elephant was properly
tried in the presence of all >the ele-
plants belonging to the station. These
had been marshaled in two parallel
lines. In the center stood the prisoner,
his giant feet chained into four holes.
A chain held his neck secure and each
end of the chain was firmly attached
to big elephants, which stood on either
side of him. The brigade. major vas
the! judge. He and his staff were
mounted on horses. The facts in the
case were related after the major had
announced to the elephant thatche WA
on trial. No counsel was assigned to
the prisoner. The prosecution had
lings all it's own way and. the SEN
fence of forty-eight lashes with a chain
Twas carried out Immediately it hid
been passed. The corporal elephant
was selected to put the judgment in
executionr%.He wa provided with. a
heavy chain, and grasping it tightly in
his trunk, he applied the four dozen
strokes sd vigorously as TO bring&forth
most agonizing groans from the prison
er. In addition to the f1ogging the
murderer. was sentenced to draw a log
chain attached to his leg for three
months.