The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-01-13

as he looked tor me / gave him both
barrels in the trunk and then sprang up
and ran to the haymounds and Romeo
after me- The mounds We're set close
together, so that I could run between
then when the elephant had to crowd
through. He chased me around for
while until at last | got back to the
barn. The next day we trapped him. A
hole big enough for me to get through
was cut in the elephant house opposite
the door, and ropes leading to the loft
were fastened to the floor near the door.
Then | went for Romeo, and when ne
saw me he went for me. | ran into the
STALL through the doorway and out on
the other side by the hole. Romeo fol-
lowed, and when he got past the planks
with the ropes to them l raised the gun
and cried "Det!" I had never disap-
pointed him with the gum and he stopp-
ed The man in the loft raised the
planks behind him by the ropes and we
had him. / was in front Of the gun, and
in his rear was a big hole We soon
stopped the entrance up with bars, ana
then managed to secure the elephant
feet with noo6es. When we got him tied
up we threw him and burnt him. Ii
was the first and only time ] ever burnt
an elephant. An inch bar of hot iron
was pressed against his sbody, but he
did not move. Then we beat him clubs
until he halloed He gave up pretty
soon, and we took the chains off at
once. Romeo was all right again. cut
the shot from his trunk, and had no
more trouble with him then.
,er1, nd
bought the show. We got along that
season in a sort Of way, with more or
less trouble. In the fall we qpartered
in the old depot in Philadelphia at
Twenty-thlrd street and Ridge avenue,
and that winter opened the circus at
Tenth and Calowhill streets. Romeo
got into the streets one day and was
racing people ro1nd, but when i went
after him he followed me back to the
circus 1t was here that l accidentally
put out his eye, He had bad spell
there and knocked down little Juliet,
his companion-not the original Juliet
she was dead Just as Romeo was go
ing to strike the little one again and kill
her i fired, but instead of hitting his
trunk the shot went into one of his
eyes. Upon another occasion, when at
Tenth and Callowhill streets, he actual
ly knocked out one entire side of the
brick elephant house in which he was
confined. The next season we travelled
with Romeo we'll enough. In the fall Of
1868 the show wintered in Hatboro, on
James B. Millers farm. 1t was here
that Romeo killed his keeper, William
P. Williams, in December Romeo got
a fit on him and Williams took no pre-
caution to keep out of his way. One
day while watering the elephant Will
Jams happened to turn his back, when
quick as a flash Romeo knocked him
down and then kneeled on him, breaking
almost every bone in his body. Romeo
however, was securely chained and
could do no more mischief. He remain
ed there all winter and in the spring |
was sent for to conquer him. Well it |
was the old story. When he saw me he
became terribly enraged, and if he had
not been chained would have been kill;
ed. We got him down and began to
punish him. 1t took us all Saturday
and Sunday night and until Monday |
before he halloed. Then he was
all right again.
This was my last experience with |
Romeo, He died in Chicago The peo-
pie who had him In charge punished |
and shot him so often that they killed |
him at last Romeo was fine fellow. |
He was the greatest elephant of his |
day. He weighed about five tons and |
was worth $4,000 at the lowest estimate. |
If he had been handled right from the |
first he would have been the biggest
card in the business to-day
If you have read all this carefully it /
is not likely that you will again permit
your little ones to get astride an ele-
plants back, as is frequently done In
-Philadelphia Times.