Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-04-26
killed BY ELEPHANT
The Wallace Shows big Char
lie" Kills Its Keeper at
Peru. Ind.
Henry v. Hoffman Crushed and
Thrown Into River BY
the Brute.
Enrased Animal Attacks Other
Employees and Is Killed
by Poison.

Peru Ind, April 26.-Henry V. Hon
,erday morning by Big Charley, an ele-
plant belonging to the Wallace circus,
which has been in winter quarters here.
After killing Hoffman the elephant
charged the employees in the circus
quarters, and kept them at bay for three
hours. He was finally induced to eat
apples heavily charged with strychnine.
and his death followed.
Big Charley was one of the largest
elephants in the United States. He was
80 years old, weighed $500 pounds, aud
was we'll trained. He had an ugly tenn
ger. however, and needed constant
watching.
Early in the morning Big Charley
showed his ugly temper by attacking
Alex Morist, one OF the circus employees.
Morist was rescued from the elephants
anger With some difficulty.
Later in the morning Hoffman and his
assistants took Big Charley and the
ether elephants to the Mlssissinews riv-
en- near the city.>for their customary
Big Charley, half in rage. half in play,
seized Hoffman with his trunk and
tossed him INTO the river.
Hoffman scrambled out and at once
ordered the elephants to form in line.
IS they had been trained to do. Big
Charley obeyed every command prompt
ly and marched up the bank of the river.
Holman by his side.
ii was then that Hoffman made the
remark, Charley. amt you ashamed OF
yourself at the way that you treated
me?.
Customary to his habit, the beast put
his trunk about Hoffman's body in a
caressing way, and Hoffman thought
the battle was over.
Scarcely more than five steps farther
followed when, without any warning,
the animal reached forward, and, encir-
cling Hoffman with his trunk, threw
him into the swollen river below Then
the enraged animal followed, and when
Hoffman came to the surface jumped
on him, crushing out his life in mo-
nlent.
Not content with this, the elephant
again seized the body of the dead keeper
and tossed it into the middle of the riv-
or. The swift waters carried the body
fully half mile before it was recov-
cred
Then, trumpetng with rage. the ele-'
phant returned to the circus ground.
where the employees to the number of a
hundred or more had been warned that
lsig Charley had killed the only man
who had ever been able to control him
and was ungovernable
The employees took refuge In the cir
Gus quarters. where the elephant, un-.
able TO get at them. kept them at bay
for three hours. The superintendent
finally decided to kill the huge beast,
and he was tossed number of appies
IN which a large quantity of strychnine
had been placed.
The elephant swallowed the poisoned
fruit. but IT was some time before he
,felt the effects of the drug. When the
POISON began to take effect the elephant
left the circus grounds. and when he
finally succumbed he was over mile
from the quarters.
Hoffman's home was at Columbus, o..
where his wife and two children reside.
He had been an animal trainer in Fair
| mount Park. Philadelphia, and at Cen
trail Park, in New York.
Big Charley had a record as a man
killer having killed in his lifetime at
least four of his keepers. He was val
ued at $4,000.