The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-25
CHASE OF ELEPHANT
AT VALDOSTA.
sim Furnishes Much Interest and
Discussion There.

sim Furnishes Much Interest and
Discussion There.
! Valdosta. Ga. Nov. 24.-The esca-
| pade of Gypsy the big elephant who
was shot to death six miles above here
yesterday morning. after terrorizing the
town and after having killed her keep
er, has been the topic of conversation
here among showmen and others since
IL all happened. Traits of elephant
character have been discussed in every
conceivable way. and past tragedies
that Gypsy figured in have been warm
ed over and retold.
One of her former managers, Mr.
Tom Powers, said to-day that Gypsy
was about 60 years of age, and was one
of the most intelligent animals I'm cap
tivity, though her very intelligence had
helped to ruin her temper. She had
killed five or six of her keepers in the
past and nearly all of them were killed
in similar manner. In each case she
struck when she had every advanta ge.
but only after she had been angered.
She had long standing grudge against
her keeper, ORourke, and she played
for even as soon as she got him where
he could not help himself
Besides, it leaked out that O'Rourke
had ridden the elephant to the car at
the Georgia Southern depot and then
back up town. The elephant keepers
say that she did not like that at all.
O'Rourke evidently lost his way to the
Fair grounds, another fact that was
known to the elephant and which help
ed to anger her.
The elephant recognized Barney
Shea's voice just after killing her keep
er and started to follow him. his in
tention being to carry her to the car
and load her there. A large crowd fol-
lowed and a train ran up to the depot
on the Plant System tracks, making a
stop necessary. This is said to have
ratified the big animal. and shortly
after she went on the warpath.
Her attention was directed almost
entirely to the circus people, who were
calling to her in elephant language.
The town folks swarmed about her, but
she paid little attention to them. Billy
Mincer, the clown who was jerked from
the doorway of the new Christian
Church and thrown half way across
the street, was calling to her. while
Barney Shea was shooting at her. from
a window with a pistol
After a couple of hours spent around
the Valdes Hotel and the new Christian
Church. the big brute started off in a
luii run lOT the falr grounds, ana she
kept up the gailop nearly all of the
way At the Fair grounds she was
thought to be under control, as she
answered the calls that were made to
her by her former keepers. but none
of them would dare to go about her.
She was killed "A little after 6 o'clock
Sunday morning. after an alI-night
chase. A shot from a Krag -Jorgensen
rifle did the work the bullet sinking
two feet into her temple. shot that
was fired before that passed entirely
through her neck. The bullets from
the pistols and Winehesters went only
an inch or two under the hide
Gypsy Is said to have been in this
country since 1S47, having been import
ed for she O'Brien circus She had
been owned by a number of the large
circuses, including the Forepaughs,
and was sentenced to death in Chicago
a year or so ago for her in temper, but
the sentence was withdrawn on ac-
count of the city's refusal to furnish
electricity for the execution, 1t being
the intention of the owners to cleo
trocute her.
Mrs. Harris. her owner expressed re-
lief to know that she was dead. though
the death Of the big brute involves a
loss of probably $4,000 or $4,000 to her.