The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1905-12-05
DANGEROUS CALLING
POSITION OF ELEPHANT MAN IN
CIRCUS UNDESIRABLE.
He Lives in State of Constant Uneas-
mess and Almost Invariably Is
Killed by His Preacher
Gus Charge.

Perhaps the most dangerous, con.
stantly dangerous business in the world
is the one into which have been tossed
the business of elephant man with a
circus" said a menagerie employee.
There is a constant demand for bull
men, but few will accept the position,
and most of us fell into the business by
accident, and, showing talent or reck-
less disregard for consequences, made
a success in handling the animals, and
have since been classed as bull men,
and offered that job and no other.
Despite the perils, the constant
watchfulness, the half-conscious realiza-
ton that death is near, probably not an
elephant man in the world to-day would
leave his strange calling. 1t has fas-
cination of strange kind, and the keep
er becomes attached to the great brutes
that tremble at his word one instant
and the next may turn upon him and
trample him.
Good elephant men command good
pay
Most of them live in a state of con-
slant watchfulness, realizing the
treacherous nature of the brutes, and
those who do not realize this sooner or
later are traIhpled or hurled to death.
THE elephant is the most treacher-
Gus, moody, changeable animal in a
menagerie. They are twice as danger.
GUS as tigers, lions or bears. The men
who handle the big cats in their cages
are forced to watch closely and carefully
while they are in the cages with them,
but that lasts only short time.
I'VE bull men live with our gigantic
pets, sleep near them, ride them, order
them around, enter with them into
closed cars for long rides. We are not
afraid of them. Before many years we
become fatalists. We expect them to
kill us some day, but hope it may not be
soon, just as the ordinary citizen expects
death some day.
Trainers testify that the elephant
brain works nearer L.. that of
human being than the brain of any other
animal. The moods and tempers of the
big brutes change suddenly. The
weather, hard night ride on the cars,
bruised foot may turn the best natured
elephant into a peevish brute, ready to
strike and murder in an instant. But
hese moods pass quickly. The great
LANCER is when an elephant is just turn
ng into rogue. Every elephant turns
ogue sooner or later, and they never
'ecover. They may be tractable for a
line after quieting down, but the attack
will return, and then probably keeper
will be killed. The female elephants
urn rogues earlier and are more violent
han the males, and the females are the
more dangerous in ordinary times.
Elephants form great attachments
or certain men and bitter hatreds for
)thers, hatred that means murder
when the opportunity arrives. But the
owe of an elephant for it's keeper will
lot deter it from killing him when the
outbreak comes.
There was one notorious elephant
Who travelled with score of circuses
lnder different names, and was finally
executed, who loved one man, a friend
II mine, as never maiden loved him.
She would do anything for him. He
frank. She cared for him and drove
lway everyone who tried to come near
When he was drunk and asleep under
Ter feet. He was discharged from sew
raj circuses, and each time took the
elephant No one else being able to
handle her, the owners of the shows up-
Ierstood that to discharge him was to
ose the beast, and tacitly she became
lis property. But she in one rampage
rampled him until he is cripple for
life, and she killed one of the rescuers,
defending fiercely the man she had
rushed.
Good elephant men, ones who can
rain the animals, command big sal
iries. One whom l know receives $3.50
week, but the ordinary bull man, re-
,ruited from among the canvas hands
)r laborers who have no fear, receive
small salaries and accept the positions
because the work is easier, being willing
o risk their lives to escape hard work.
These men, of course, are under COM
)etent trainers"