The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-10
NINTH VICTIM.
Rajah, the Big Elephant In
Lemen Bros. Circus,
Kills His Keeper Frank Fisher
at Argentine.
FISHER WAS DRUNK
And Abused the Animal For
DiSObedience.
Animal Knocked Him Down and
FISHER WAS DRUNK
Animal Knocked Him Down and
Leaned on Him.

Kansas City. April 1O-Rajah, the big
East Indian elephant owned by Lemen
Bros. and in winter quarters at Argen-
tine, added the ninth man to his list Of
victims yesterday when he crushed the
life out of his trainer, Frank Fisher
Fisher, who was only rs years of age
and a native of Montreal, Canada, join
ed the Lemen Bros. circus in 1892 as an
animal trainer, and has had charge of
Rajah ever since the company acquired
that animal, which was in April 1892.
Saturday night Fisher quarreled with
his girl and began drinking heavily. He
put in an appearance at the circus
headquarters early Sunday morning in
an intoxicated condition and calling to
a number of employees told them to
watch him make the animals perform
They noticed his condition and advised
him to let the brutes alone. but, with
reckless laugh, Fisher said: I've quar-
relied with my girl and 1 would just as
soon die now as any time"
He then entered a lions cage, and af-
ter making him go through several
tricks came out and entered a cage
where a large bear was confined, the
animal being chained to the side of the
cage. Fisher slipped off it's collar and
played with it awhile. but apparently
getting tired of trying to make the
brute angry, left the cage and went
over to where Rajah was chained.
Just watch me make him perform,
he said to the men who accompanied
him.
Walking up to the elephant, Fisher
threw his left arm around its trunk and
ordered it to open its mouth. The ele-
plant refused to obey and he struck it
a blow with his fist. He raised his arm
to strike again, when the brute seized
it in its mouth, crushing bones and flesh
and almost severing the limb from the
body.
With a shrek of pain Fisher dropped
to the ground and the Mortified special
tors ran up to drag his body out of the
way, but the now thoroughly enraged
elephant was not to be baked of it's
prey, and trumpeting with anger it
knelt down and tried to force it's tuskS
through the body of the PROSTATE man,
while its trunk waved warning TO
those who would have interfered
The crowd of onlookers seized poles
and iron rods and attacked the beast
on all sides, but it paid no attention to
the prods of sharp instruments or the
blows of clubs. 1t was intent on one
purpose only, that of destroying the life
of it's trainer. Owing to the fact that
Rajah's tusks had been sawed off last
fall he was unable to use them to adj
vantage, and rising half way to his feet
he knelt with his entire weight on Fish
er's body. There was an awful crushing
sound. Fishers lower limbs were drawn
up conVulsively and then stiffened out
in the throes of death.
Apparently SatlSned CnaC ne ndQ dc-
complished his object, Rajah arose to
his feet and stood over the body trun-
peting loudly.
Some of the men ventured near
enough to get hold of the body and
drag it out of reach of the beast, and
1T was laid on a cot while a doctor was
summoned. Strange to say Fisher was
still alive. The crushed and bruised
chest quivered horribly as he tried to
breathe. In half an hour the pulsations
ceased and he was dead.
The dead man had no relatives that
his employers know of, and he will be
buried at their expense after the in
quest is held.
Rajah is the elephant who was widely
exploited last fall when he was allowed
to walk out of his quarters and play the
star part in a thrilling and circumstan-
tial carouse through the freight yards
He was worked for all he was worth at
the time.
After .'pieing'' a whole freight train
and trying to eat a couple of boxcars he
made a light lunch off switch engine
No 1892 or, at least, it is supposed he
did, as the engine has been missing ever
since he made the raid on the train.
1t was late in the evening when he
escaped" and all night long employees
of the circus company chased him on
foot and on horseback but he was en-
joying the decentralization of the train
service too much to permit them to cap
ture him. In the morning almost all of
Argentine Joined in the chase or watch
est in which was heightened from the
fact that Fisher mounted on a white
pony and armed with a Winchester RI
f1e, occasionally took a shot at the flee
ing beast.
A thrilling word-picture of the affair
was printed and the remarkable fact
that 44-caliber bullets failed to pene-
trate Rajah's hide, although fired at
only short range, was dwelt upon. The
phenomenon ceased to be a phenom-
enon when it was learned that the rifle
20 sfr-t1v1 rax-fs nc
finally captured" and returned to his
quarters, much to the disappointment of
the assembled crowd which begged that
Rajah be turned loose again so they
could have some more fun
In the seven years that Rajah has
been in the possession of Lemen Bros.
he has killed nine men, some of them
keepers and others employees of the cir
Gus company. He has always been con-
sidered dangerous animal. being sub
ject to periodical fits of sulkiness when
it was dangerous for anyone to ap-
proach him.