Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-28
MAN KILLING ELEPHANTS
ARE GENERALLY INFLUENCED BY
RESENTMENT AGAINST CRUELTY.
Many of Them should BE Allowed to
Plead .Justifable Homicide"-
Character of MahOuts.


hen perforr,ing there broke from its fas-
Jennings and killed its keeper 1t then rushed
through various partitions of wood and
glass and appeared in the main DullolnS,
where a great number of persons were rs
tening to the music. 1t did not attempt 10
hurt any of the crowd. though 1t broke on
with its trunk the uplifted arm of a statue.
probably under the idea that this repSe-
scented a man about to strike After some
time il allowed itself to be secured by an
other elephant 1t was then decided TO XIII
the animal and after dose of poison nad
failed a London gunmaker was sent LOT DIS
executioner and shot the animal dead
On the following "Wednesday an ihqees 81
was held on the body of the man: II II
had been one of the trials or animals held
by jurists in the middle ages LOT the eNnI-
hilton Of legal subtiety the evidence N IA
yor of the elephant could not have been
more clearly put. Mr. Sanger, its owner,
admitted that the animal had once before
killed Il former keeper, and he gave the
facts which led to the death OF the setoil'i:
The facts speak for themselves The first
man had been discharged by MI sanger
fifteen months previously fof gross piu,
tally to the animals lie came IT,, pSGA ais
asked to be employed again rms vas
granted and he was taken on. not as
keeper. but as a laborer Inc very lrSl
tim. H.. went into the stable the elephant,
thnusb if was quite dark at the time. IN
stantly recognized the mans voice ana at
once crushed him to death against the stan.
That the creature had acted only IN pahlS
of horror at the Teappeafance OF d Iot-
mentor was so well established at the pre-
vious inquest that it was retained IN the
menagerie. 1t was exceptionally doch1,
and was taken through towns and villages
an over England. Why. then did he XIII
the second keeper? Because TINS man
after his Sunday dinner, declared that ne
would pay OUT the elephant Tor striking
him with his trunk. He actually took a
lance one of those taken from the ARABS
in the Soudan. tThose who have seen the
trophies taken from the mahdl followers
now kept IN the United Service lnSutdtle1'
will realize what a horrible weapon this
was) Followed by another keeper. also
armed with lance, ne proceeded 10 proc
i o. pierCe-the chained elephant Inc
tortured creature. after backing as tar as
it could lat length rushed forward to es-
cape the lance, broke its chains, threw
down the keeper and tramp!ed on MN.
If the elephant had been man and had
ben nut on his trial afterward, would 1t
BE- too much to anticipate that the Verhcl
would have been one OF JustltaoNe hotlI-
c-de2
All these facts. it is worth remembering.
wr~s sworn 10 oath They leave very
unpleasant impression as TO the manage
mem Of the elephant herd in this country
In is perfectly clear that the animal was
in each case intluenced by resentment
caused by the cruelty of one lndlNldual;
Male elaph4ntS apart from their occasional
attacks Of frenzy. are not as unaccnuhtahly
d0rile and submissive as the females, and
most accidents which do occur in their long
lives due to The Srdtudl lOEStllulIltSS
of this difference of sex and temper by men
who are 81 accustomed to witnessing the
llnhesitatine- obedience Of the one that they
make too great demands on the tprbearance
Of the other. At the present time the In
dian government with the exception of
few males kept for parade, only employs
female elephants for this reason: even so II
IS believed that the pay or pensions OF ma
bouts are calculated with reference to the
conviction that they pursue dangerous
trade. The native princes. on the contrary,
keep male elephants in large numbers for
purposes Of state, and ii IS among the at
PENDANTS Of these animals that accidents
most commonly happen. Experience as
well as common report, which declares that
every elephant Kills a mahout in his life
time shows that in far the greater number
of cases the person attacked is the animal $
own attendant.
to tn. general behav Of animals in cap
tivity or even in dOnestication. Generally
speaking. they are specially attached to the
person who feeds them and gives them ex-
ercise. and if disposed to be savage vent
their anger on strangers. There are few
instances on record of horses attacking
their groOruS, but this. a rule. is only be-
cause the attendant happened to be the
only person near when the animal was in a
bad temper. The only domestic animals
which habitUally attack their attendants
are the bulls kept for stock breeding in
England. which are responsible for most
Intentional homicides caused by animals In
this country.
The grounds for the i'll VIII which the ele-
phant often harbOrS toward Its Indian ma
bout lie partly in the animals tempera ment
partly in the character Of these men. AZ
most elephants behave with propriety tC
their drivers, we must believe that ethel
the greater number of the mahouts do theil
duty by the beasts or that the latter are
exceptionally fOrgiving. But there must bt
more than mere hearsay in the general he,
lief that the mahOuts commonly steal anC
appropriate a very large part Of the ele-
plants allowance of food, that they are in
consequence often half starved and hungry
and that the men use their Steel-hOUked anC
spiked "ankus'' In very merciless way OF
animals which are often not in condition L
do the work which Is set them AS the cost
of elephants keep IS from "a to IS g
month. in proportion to the food given him
a proportion and quality which is fixed ir
reference 20 the work to be done. the mar
gin for stealing is very great, being reck
onel between the minimum necessary u
keep the animal alive on low diet and thai
required for keeping him in fine condition or
the march in a campaign. when he is al
lowed extra ratious and even a bottle Of
rum per diem. No other animal is clever
enough to know that overwOrk and under
feeding are probably caused by the direc
agency of the man who maintains him. Blu
II Is pretty certain that the extraordinary
intelligence Of the elephant does enable
To put Two and two together and to corclud
that the person who gives him little food
ought not to punish him for not being W
To his work In any case. the elephant
bears no gratitude to the man who. if h
can. gives him starvation rations and Is hi
daily slave driver; and as long as native
usage holds that the driver and thre.
generations of his family shall live on th'
beast he is paid to nuurish.' II must b.
expected that the animal will occasionall,
Try the experiment as TO whether the mex
generation can possibly be worse than IL
present torm@ntor. 1t is sometimes forgot
ten that elephant may Hive for sevent,
or eighty years. or even longer, IN tn
service Of man, and that in the unchangin;
east he may. through this long life. h
farred kind Of property by the sam
family Of mahouts: that the brutality o
the father. if he be a brute. is learned b,
the children and grandchildren ard that
II the wretched elephant is in bad hands
he has to put up with practically two o
orr working lives IF i'll treatment and semi
starvation. The wonder IS. not that it
temper occasionally goes amiss, but that
does not break OUT Oftener.
The Inference is that the natural tempe
of the elephant is almost the best and mos
easy going of that of any beast. All Hindo
traditions and folk lore agree In this. tn
elephant is the type OF bonhOmmie and cas-
gsniaiity. II Is this belief which encour
ages its public To take liberties with It o
which they would venture with no othe
animal whatever.
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