Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-05

FIWFW
OF the weapon grunt. The elephant turned
| quick as a flash and rushed the length OF
| his chain.
But he recoiled with a scream. The
| pftchfork man had begun Jab! jabl jab
| straight into the sensitive trunk went the
two tines, each time with lunge. once
| they went clear through the thick trunk
Twice they buried themselves half way.
| Squealing, shrieking, screaming, trum-
peting, the elephant stood still for mo-
ment-but only for a moment. Then he
coiled his trunk between his tusks to pro-
tect it and made another dash. He nearly
got the man with the goad. Only blind
ing blow from the sapling saved his foe.
Dusk came and black night came, and
still the men fought the unconquered beast.
They knew that now it meant a probable
loss of human life and a certain destruc-
ton of valuable property if they gave the
brute chance to tear at the weakened
tree for even moment
So. steadily. continually. they hammered,
stabbed and dubbed the monster. Other
employees took hand, and for three hours
a steady rain of blows fell on the elephant
the poor, mad. brave old beast, who
sobbed at last, but still would not yield.
Chained at Last.
At last. long after midnight, a new and
mighty man took turn at the sapling, and
with a terrific blow he brought the beast
up again as plucky as ever But in that
moment a chain had been passed around
his hind leg and its other end fastened to
a stake driven deep In the earth beyond
his reach.
Try as they would the beast was not to
be caught mapping again, and no more
chains could be passed. SO, until dawn,
the watchers circIed around and around.
Ieaping In and delivering blow or cut when
ever the elephant began to tear anew at
the tree.
Soon after dawn help came, just in the
nick of time. 1t came in the shape Of two
huge trained elephants sent in a special
car from circus train that was showing
some miles away.
The "old man. had communicated with
the proprietors and they had made him
an offer of $500 for the elephant ''as he
stood 1t was a sporting chance. The
circus Were dead game sports.
The 'old man. had no sooner accepted
than the car was on it's way.
MaJestically, ponderously, the two big
elephants swung up the road for two miles
TO the animal farm, and majestically they
marched up to their squealng brother. His
frenzy was increased by their appearance,
but they didn't pay the slightest attention
to his RACES Slowly they backed UP to
him, one or each side. He thrust at them
vicfously with his tusks, but they squeezed
him tighter and tighter between them till
he could move no more.
Quickly the circus men slipped chains
around the mad elephant and shackled his
legs together with short chains. Then they
cast off the bonds that held him to tree
and stake; and at the word the circus ele-
plants marched off, dragging their captive
with them
He objected with every kind of sound
that good elephan lungs can produce, but
the two big beasts dragged him on.
They Smash House.
Everything went we'll for a quarter Of
mile. Then suddenly the crazy elephant
made a bolt which forced his captors al
most off their feet. In the struggle the
three colossal creatures half stumbled. half
fell against a frame house Just off the
road.
Then there was no more house.
Timbers. furniture and elephants were
mixed on the ground. The two circus eIe-
plants soon struggled to their feet again.
but the mad elephant absolutely refused to
stir. He was unhurt, but he would not
rise.
Renewed beatings and proddfngs were
vain. After an hour of labor the circus
men gave the word to their charges, and
off they went, dragging the captive along
the road.
First he was dragged along on his side.
then on his back. Now he was rolled over
then he went souse into mud hole Over
and through everything he went a mighty
living. swearing. protesting hurdle giving
that New jersey road such scraping as IT
never had before or since
It was a long pull and a hard one but
the circus animals were big and impa ssive
They listened not to the furious noises ~
the fallen. nor did they condescend even to
peer behind them. Calmly frresfstfbIv thew
dragged him with cloud of New Jersey
soil and dirty snow lowering over the cavai
cade as If an army of 10000 men were
marching on.
With a final rush they dragged him like
bag of meal up the inclined plane to the
car and then
They stenped all over him They fell IN
him with their mighty knees They prod-
ded him with their tusks They kicked him
and butted him
In less than fifteen minutes the mad ele-
plant. whom a whole night of stabbing
and clubbing had not suhdued enough to
make it noticeable even with mfcroscope
uttered ng-drawn. p1aintive soueaI like
thousand-ton pig whose tail Is stepped
on by freight car.
In a trice the circus men were in the car
and cast the chains off so that the beaten
beast could rise They had recognized the
elephantfne signal OF surrender
Now. tell you" said the Swiss animal
man, dat was de time was beat But I
bet you we did good tings for dat eIepha Mt
and de circus he got good bargain out Of
de old man Dat Kicking dat we and de
oder elephants give him. by CHRISTOPHER II
made him de best elephant in de country
He's In dat. circus now. and he's so good
dat dey let de children ride on him ali de
time. His keeper tells me dat he amt never
showed bad temper since dat day What
you tink of dat hey?"