The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-10-20
Did NOT GET EXCITED
Obeyed Commands of Keep.
er While Flames ROared

2 dhV' iH' 5teat Auan tofepkuGh sells
Brs shows which exhibit here
Wednesday IS ahead four elephants
which escaped the flames. After the
fire tha inaw people bought the ele-
phauts which Joined the show at
Springfield lll yesterday A Geneva.
Ohio. dispatch tells the thrilling story
of the heroic elephants.
Elephunts long yielded the palm in
the far east for intelligence among
brctcs. were the heroes of the disas.
trous fire that wiped ont the Walter
l. Main circus winter quarters and
the larger part of the Cummins wild
West Exhibition company outft
which had just been stored there.
One human life was lost, and more
people would have perished had il
not been for the trained sagacity Of
the folr elephants which rescued their
keepers. Rort Tyler and John Murray.
In the stress of a midnight fire they
not only endured the approach of de-
yourlng flame with ccmposure. but
re-enacted with brilliant results "busi.
ness and drills which had made them
the feature of a great stage spectacle
in the hippodrone at New York
The consequence was that they and
one bear got out alive from the roar.
ing furnace in which several hundred
avage and domestic animals wero
cremated a few seconds after little
Lou the baby elephant. gave the
initial alarm Lions, tigers. ostrches.
llamas zebras. wolves. buffalo
monkeys aud twenty-four head of
horses died helplessly. bedlam of
weird cries cchoing their doom.
AT the coroner's inquest on host
Ter, whose body was found among the
burned horses. Tyler testified that he
had been awakened by the baby ele
phant coming up to his cot in the
menagerie room to awaken him. And
here Is the story of the rescue, which
stands ont above the manifold terrors
OF that night
Lena Ada, Jennie and Lon rang
ing down in size In the order named,
comprise Powers hippodome ele
phants, so named from their part last
winter i'm the hippodrcme shows un-
der the direction of w W. Powers
business manager OF the combined
crcuses Powers says that In the fire
They closely duplicated their stage
acts We had one scene, he says,
in which military camp is shown,
the trainer and the larger elephants
lying down as if asleep and little
Lou remaining ON guard Then
shots I'm the distance are heard. This
is Lena cue to tug the trainer with
her trunk TO arouse the whole camp
by the side Of the hostler whose
body vas found was a revolver which
he had evidently purchased after be-
ing paid Off the day before believe
the FIRE originated close TO him, ana
that ne was suflocated and the blaze
reaching him sot or some cartridges,
providing a cue like that ia the stage
performance Being very tractable.
she was chained only by iimsy lit-
ne dog chain fastened TO one leg.
This she easily broke. and alive %
her training wakeued the keeper. ut-
terlng her Ilainuye cry OF carp.
Earp
Tyler testified that Lou nearly chok-
ed him. indicating that she was pretty
ox tied when the keeper awoke the
other man wa also Weakened The
former released the three other ele-
plants while his companion fumbled
with the big door which ne was un-
able to open
ln the meantime the fire had swept
4 through ue hay among the horses
and was q mining al the beard par
/ utiou of a menagerie No time was
TO be waste Here is where Lena, the
lmgest elephant rallied to the oecas-
ion.
Another ct OF the elephants had
been TO "a part in the selge OF a
castle m production called The
/ Hndoo Princes The saprers and
foot soldier who storm the walls are
repulsed Then the general cries
Bring on my war elephants.
Lena is driven on, majestic in her
bulk. and rams the castle gate a
frame anair painted TO give the i'm
precision OF great soidiW It splinters
under tho impact
~Iu the midst OF that inferno. ays
Power Lena was called upon 10 re-
peat this feat IN dire earnest Would
She mako good? Mahout Lena
MahM hat was the cue. IN res
ponse 10 the trainers nenzied ery sh,
went right through the heavy barn
door Then, instead Of plunglng oui
into the security OF the open fields
She PAT a climax upon aer discipline
by stepping back into me herd, just