The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-08
TIE MADNESS on ELKPHAKrs.
A Peculiar Orifice In the Head Supposed IA
BE Connected with Their Insanity.

he Connected With Their Insanity.
II Il difAcult to determine the greatest test of
All elephants intelligence. but no one who has
watched the herds OF elephants a, work In tho
timber yards Of India ran fail 10 be impressed
with their faculty Of understanding what man
requires Of them. II Is, however, In watching
elephants when they are alone that the most
remarkable obsery atoms are made. Thus an
elephant has been seen repeatedly to blow dust
over It's back 90 dislodge flies, and then falling
IL reach them, 10 break oil n branch and defily
use II NJ n ian To sweep away the insects, an act
that required thought TN one occasion two
elephants were seen at a spring A large one
pushed the smaller aside and took its place. The
little fellow backed of, lowered i,s head and de
libcrately butt"d its companion into the pool, and
made its escape.
A man who had several elephants under his
observation In India once told this story: One OF
the elephants was kept in a corral. the door Of
which was boltcd This elephant came one day
TO the gate. carrying a pi,cher in its trunk, which
1t overturned when We approached Its master
opened the gate whcreupon the elephan, marched
TO the spring and drank, Then it turned and
opened the gate, by sliding back the Dol, and en-
tered the corral, then put lis trunk over the fence
and ran the bolt in again This man would
speak in a low voice as follows: Maggie. l wish
you would come and take my friend on your back '
The elephant would Immediately respond. Al a
lc1cheon given by this gentleman he said Maggie.
will you oblige me by opening the clare," The
animal at once took up the bottle, In which the
oorkscrew had been inserted. and opened 1t with
out splitting a drop An instance Of the intelt.
eence Of the elephant is seen in the yards al Ma
dras Here many work, and gather as human
laborers at the sound Of a bell; but when the noon
hour comes they invariably stop and cannot bs
deceived by deferring the ringing Of the bell
Elephants are afraid Of fire, but they have been
known to work in tearing down buildings. aiding
the men in preventing the spread Of flames"
Perhaps one Of the mos, interesting features
about the elephant is the fact tina, at certain times
II becomes dangerous Whenever trainers or
keepers are killed by elephants 1t Is by those
animals which, are said to be must" II the
head OF n elephant il carefully Examined
between N" eye and the ear a very small hole
or orlfice not mM.h larger than the head Of a pin
VIII be seen, This Is tho OPENING TO a gland
which. according 10 all elephant exp-rts, is the
seat of trouble in the case Of ugly elephants A
keeler wh" was with elephants all the time said
That he had often seen elephants select a small
twig or straw and carefully probe the opening.
The keepers are of the belief that when this duct
becomes cl"gged the elephants become insane
Elephants that are must, or mad, are affected
in. different ways Some become very sleepy,
Others are seized with a mania To kill everything
IN sight. others break away and take TO the woods
and never recover, seemingly venting their spite
against all mankind. So universal Is the belief
among elephant men that the period Of must
or madness rs associated with the little orifice
In the side Of the head that when they see an oily
mud coming from II. the animal is shackled and
watched, and considered dangerous This pe-
culiar secretion flows for a while; the temples
swell and the elephant is as mad as 1t can he.
In India the term rogue, or mad elephant, is
applied to the must elephants, and 4 there was
an elephant insane asylum such elephants would
he the nNtlantS The nOW Of m ISt from The little
oriiice referred 10 is observed in both male and
female, but curlously enough, not in females
IN confinement. " hen an elephant becomes
insane from must, or some other ca use, the first
symptom, AS a rule, ls q desire TO kill every other
living thing. 1t viii allow a keeper To approach,
then suddenly will snatch him up with It's trunk
ana hurl him 10 the ground, or II excited by a
crowd, IT viii burst It's bonds and rush into it,
n IN m > c,. se"p his do os,iod Or ., 'I yns Is, 10 ,s s1li snTIu.
again the animal appears 10 60 insane In every
sense 81 the term,
In their native wilds q must elephant becomes
what Is termed a solitary, in other words, II avoids
its own KIND very much as does q human luna
tic. Last year these ~solitaries killed sixty one
persons in India. Parts Of that country are fire.
quently terrorl2ed by mad elephants. and re-
wards are offered TO hunters to kill them. Some
time ago the natives Of Jubbulpore, in u central
province Of India, appealed TO the Government
10 protect them from a mad elephant ThL, Gle
ihant was called the man eater from tie fact
human Veins ns'''Ti1hhs s elephant Undoubtedly had
a craze for killing human beings. To secure
It's prey this elephant, which was called Manila.
and was once q tame animal, would break into
homes, rushing at the fran walls like a batiering
ram ana selling the occupants as they ran out
The Hoyetnment sent n detachment Of troops
elephant was brought down by a rife bullet, bot
not until 1t had destroyed hundreds Of dollars
w? r.. of rI4p%Jly snd many human beings,
the most dreaded Of all mad elephants, 1t began
by killing It's keeper and then rushed into the
forest and became n terror 10 all The inhabita nts
7 round ahput lnS1pnl nf fpptlpp in The forest
II took possession Of rice fields and entered vii
iag1s. aHying the people away and deyouring
the crops before their eyes. 1t killed many per
sons. its method was 10 conceal itself by the
road and rush upon passers- by and Kill them,
TN" sight Of a human l~ing seemed 10 set the
elephant crazy. II was finally killed by a force
Of British soldiers sent against it
Aremarkatle mad elephant pa,rolled the coun-
Try known az the Doom IN India, killing natives
Tor fifteen years before 1, wGs slain; and in That
time II destroyed a vast amount Of property and
scores OF lives and many domestic animals, Tho
elephant was originally owned by the Govern
ilent, and when IT escaped II wore a shackle and
cham, the Clanklng Of which became well known
10 The natives, who, when they heard il, ran for
their lives. In trylpn the mad elephant IL called
n iord or ronksdor. and some years ago one took
possession 81 tie ANGUS RanEhoade Pass and
held II against all Corners This elephant had a
peculiar method Of destroying its victims. which
was To seize hem by ihe feet and beat out their
brains against q bank. Coming upon a party
a. travellers II killed hose II could catch, tor"
the carnage in pieces and destroyed every article
That could be pulled apart Another mad ele
phant rushed AT a gentleman and his valet, killing
III" latter but IN trying Ia wrench an arm from
the former the elphsnt threw the man aloft with
such fore" that h" landed in q tree and so esra ped
II Is not uncommon To read advertise enis In
the teylOn paperS ~ the effect that a reward will
I've offered for The destruction Of an insane ele-
phant lhat has taken possession Of soEle part Of
the country
Mad elephants arc not unknown in the United
States. The famous Dom Pedro, owned in Phil.
%adClphia, went mad The well known ,hlef,
owned b$ a circus, went mad, and in Charleston,
8 c., hllled lis keeper before hundreds Of people.
ana would have killed Others had it not been for
the Coolness Of the other keepers. The pet ele.
! plant Of The Duke Of Edinburgh, Tom. went
mad in the same manner and killed its keeper,
Perhaps The greatest panic ever oCCasioned by
an elephant IN This country was that caused by
the sudden madness Of Emperor, which belonged
Ia l|arnum. The elephant first dISpla yed eyi
d"nces of insanity IN Troy, where " suddenly
ran away and plunged into he iron foundry II
ErHStTS Corning Then II rushed ont and killed
or injured several persons. In addition IT dc
strOyed $1,000 worth 81 property The elephant
Romeo, ~ The ForepAugh company, was un-
duuDtedly Insane aud had a record, when II finally
died, e having Killed ihrr men md destroyed
SIDUNu worm of property. Barnum's ALERT
was another insane paChyderm.
CHEAPEST or RAILROAD FARES.