The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-07-13
ELEPHANT MEN.
Sooner or Later They Are Killed OF In
jured.

IhtIus
Perhaps the most dangerous, constant
" dangerous, business in the world is
the one into which have been tossed
the business Of elephant man with a
circus.
There IS constant demand for 'bull
men, but few win accept the position,
and most Of us fell into the business
by accident and, showing talent on reck-
less disregard for consequences, made a
success in handling the animals, and
have since been classed as "bull mem
and offered that Job and no other.
Despite the perils, the constant watch
fitness, the half-conscious realization
that death is near, probably not an ele-
plant man IN the world today would
leave his calling. It has fascination
OF strange kind, and the keeper be-
come attached to the great brutes that
tremble at his word one instant and
the next my turn upon him and trample
him.
Good elephant men command good
pay. Most OF them live in a state OF
constant watchfulness, realizing the
treacherous nature OF the brutes, and
those who do not realize this sooner or
later are trampled OF hurled To death.
The elephant is the most treacherous,
moody, changeabIe animal in a menag-
erie They are twice as dangerous 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 d short time. We
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
fatalistic 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 like that OF human
being than the brain of any other ami
NAL The moods and tempers Of the
big brutes change suddenly The wealth.
Ell, a hard night ride on the cars, a
bruised foot, may turn the best ma
tued elephant into peeyish brute
ready to strike and murder in an in
slant. But these moods pass quickly.
The great danger is when an elephant
is just turning into a rogue. Every
elephant turns rogue sooner or later,
and they never recover. They may be
tractable for a time after quoting down,
but the attack win return and then
probably keeper will be killed. The
female elephants turn rogues earlier
and are more violent than the males,
and the females are more dangerous in
ordinary times.
Elephants form great attachments for
certain men and bitter hatreds Of 9TH
ers, hatred that means murder when
the opportunity arrives. But the love
Of an elephant for its keeper viii not
deter il from killing him when the OUT
break comes.
There was one notorious elephant who
travelled with score of circuses under
different names and was finally exc
cuted, who loved one man, a friend of
mine, as never maiden loved him. She
would do anything for him. He drank.
She cared for him ana drove away ev-
cry one who tried to come near when
he was drunk and asleep under her feet.
He was discharged from several cir
cuses and each time took the elephant,
no one else being able to handle her.
The owners of the shows understood
that to discharge him was to lose the
beast, and tacitly she became his prop
erty. But she in one rampage trampIed
him until he is cripple for life, and
killed one Of the rescuers, defending
iiercely the man she had crushed.
Good elephant men, ones who can
train the animals, command big salaries,
one whom / know receiving $3.50 d
week, but the ordinary bull man." re-
cruited from among the canvas hands
or laborers who have no fear, receive
small salaries and accept the positions
because the work Is easier, being will
ing to risk their lives to escape hard
work These men, Of course, are under
competent trainers Cleveland Plain
Dealer