The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-13

PeriIs of the Men Who Care for EIe-
plants and other Brutes.
From the ChIcago Tribune

last" -
Yes" answered the animal supernten-
Cent First he threw him in the river
and then he stamped the life out of him.
I'd rather play tag with one OF my
tigers than try to get away from an old
bull elephant once he goes on ramp
age"
The trolble is" said the elephant man.
that an elephant costs so much money
and fellow hates to kill him off. U.s.
usally they wait until he does something,
and then it is too late. Once an elephant
goes daffy he doesn't know his keeper
from side of solelea Their He just wants
to Kill something and he don't care what
1t Is. The reason so many keepers get
Killed is that they think an old elephant
they have taken care of for fifteen or
twenty years must remember them, and
they go in and try to make him keep
quiet. We only got Tom the big tusker
Killed down in Texas last summer in time
TO prevent him killing half dozen men.
on Weren's with the show then? George
had been in charge of him for five or six
years and Tom had never shown any
particular signs of going daffy although
he never was nice-tempered brute.
one boiling hot day when we just had
the sidewalks up around the animal cages
Tom knocked George down with his
- anu NAllh " hHeti on MN ana crush
him. Fortunately George was quick on
his pins and he managed to roll out of
the way of the trunk under one of the
low cages. He spent the rest of the day
making Tom realize that he was the boss
lie made the elephant kneel down and
stand up on his hind legs. and he thought
he had won the day. But about a week
after Tom went daffy again and chased
one or the tenders about half a mile over
the prairie Then we finally decided that
we would have to kill him He was we'll
trained and was worth a matter OF s., 900.
but 1t was him or half dozen OF the boys
We got Tom into car and fastened
two chains around his neck One of the
chains was hitched to a big tree standing
some distance at one side OF the car The
other had q big hawser fastened to It,
and We put nearly 100 canvasmen to work
pulling at It. with the help of a block
and tackle arrangement that multiplied
their strength by at least Ave. l gave the
signal for them to pun and 1t took four
teen minutes 10 strange the old brute
DO YOU remember Sam the big tiger
that killed George Martin, his keeper
down at Maysville, KY, In 1898? There
were two big tigers in the cage. and
George was riding with them during the
parade. He had been doing the turn for
a long time. He had been out in Austria
liza with the show and he knew both OF
those tigers we'll. He rode downtown with
the parade and they were almost back to
the lot when the accident happened. If
you have ever been down to Maysviile
You remember you pass under a covered
bridge just before you get 20 the lot. 1t
was just there that Sam broke loose
George told me about II before he died
he was sitting there and both of the tlR-
ers were lying down. AS they drove un-
der the bridge one of the hind wheels
struck big stone and raised the cage
up. so that he was thrown from his seat
lie was carrying a club. and as he fell
forward 1t fell on SANS back That
seemed to make the tiger furious. and he
Jumped on George and caught him by the
shoulder. George was done for BEFORE
they could get help to him.
Did you ever travel with one of the old
wagon shows? A fellow got better ac-
quainted with his elephants than he does
now. ] knew one old BUN in those DAYS
who was regular practical Joker He
had found out that the cattle out in the
country were scared to death of him and
he used to take advantage of it every
time he got a chance. II we were driv-
ing along road, for instance, and he saw
bunch of steers grazing I'm a pasture be-
hind barn in the distance he would drop
Dehind the rest of the column. Then he
would gather up as much dust in his
trunk as he could carry and make a sneak
up on them I'm the cover of the barn
When he got within charging distance he
would tear out on the run. blow the dust
up I'm cloud and trumpet for all he was
worth Ihe cattle would run like devils
were after them, and that old rogue eIe-
phaht would come back to the road and
paddle along behind the rest of the col
uihh as peaceaple ana quiet as you please.
But II you tried to stop him from play
ing MS Httle joke on the steers he would
De mean ana ugly for a week"
Ihere are probably not more than fifty.
or al most hundred. competent and ex-
perienced animal men In the country.
Iney form close corporation or caste by
themselves. The business seems 10 de-
scehd from generation to genera ton in
the same family. Not one Of them, wheth-
er he looks after the elephants or the big
cats, escapes more or less bruises or
scars. But there is something about the
life which seems to be fascinating,
strange as IL may appear to the average
man. 1T Is the consensus Of opinion
among the fraternity that most serious
accidents which occur in the handling Of
wild animals OF any kind are due 10 one
or two causes. The first and most com
mon cause Is the fact that all men who
are employed around animals get careless.
Long immunity makes them reckless and
they take chances which would brighten
a novice half to death. At first they are
careful never TO enter the cage of a lion
or tiger without the proper weapons and
unless assistance Is near Mt hand RuA