The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-05-28
LIFE CRUSHED OUT
BY ANGRY ELEPHANT
Early Morning Tragedy in a
Circus Tent.
TOPS OBJECTED TO TEASING
Ex-EmPlOye Was Having Fun With the
Herd When the Big Brute Seized Him
and Dashed Him to the Ground, Kill
ing Him Instantly.

NEW YORK. May ga man was
killed by an elephant this morning at
Saratoga Avenue and HaIsev Street.
Brooklyn, where the Forepaugh and
sells Circus Is camped. Il is supposed
that ne was formerly an employc OF
the circus He had been teasing the
elephant and the animal picked him up
and dashed him 10 death against the
ground Most of the bones in his body
were broken and he died before The
ambulance which was summoned ar
rived
The man was supposed to be J. Field
Ing BlOunt. thirty years old. of Fort
Wayne, Ind, from papers that were
found in his pocket. He was known TO
the circus men. having been seen around
The tents Tor several days last night
the man slept in one Of the t1--zs with
some CT The circus hands and when thcy
began TO stir around early this morning.
ne went into The elephant tent to have
some fun with the elephants, he said
leased Twenty Elephants.
3nfs vas at o'clock Then the
twenty elephants. picketed in two rows
dova She middle Of the big tent, were
just waking Up One Of these was Tops.
a big female elephant. of none too gentle
a disposition BIount had a small
whisky glass. which he held out to the
first elephant IN the line, big male.
and said:
Have . smile"
The elephant stretched out its trunk
to grasp the gIittering object and with
a dertslve laugh Blount moved just o,lt
Of reach. Several times he repeated the
trick and at last the elephant uttered
an angry gTunt and began stTaining his
letters. This gTunt was passed down
the line and Tops Jrumpeted angTily,
bringing in one OF the keepers, who
warned BloUnt TO get out and quit his
fooIishness. BUt Blount continued his
play and ives having a good time Of it.
Tops Was Waiting.
After fooIing several Of the elephants
he went 10 Tops. The big female was
rocking from side to side slowly as II
perfectly ccntented, but there was a
wicked CLEAN in her little eyes which
the keeper noted ana Ne again warned
Biount. Blount said that he knew
enough about elephants 10 keep out Of
harms way and held out the glass TO
Tops, Wake up. old girl. and have a
smile" he said
Tops hapDed her ears and lifted her
tTunl only a little way. Then she
stopD,. 1t and seemed not TO notice
Blount- This brought the joker step
nearer. he tossed a handful OF sand
into her face and then held out the
glass again Tops gave her ears one
more flap and then walked up. Il was
all over in an instant Her trunk shot
out and eucIrcled BI0uEt's body The
man U. tered cry Of fright and st=ug-
gled desperately. The huge elephant
lifted lim high above her head ana
flung him 10 the ground with a thud- |
The breath left Blount's body instantly /
Tops knelt On the body and guarded it /
until it was halt buried in the dirt AID /
then she crushed IT with her head
The keeper. paraIyzed with fright was /
Unable TO summon help until Tops was /.
OF her feet again and had turned ava
from the man and begun eating hay.
Il took the Keepers half an hour to /
quiet the twenty eIephans. and order I
was not restored until all Of the lo1 had F.
been implicated and put in other places I
10 distract their attention.