The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1906-02-02
MOST DANGEROUS
BUSINESS.

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 circus.
There is a constant demand for ''bul
men," but few will accept the position
and most of us fell into the business
by accident and, showing talent OF
reckless disregard for consequences
made success in handling the ami
mails, and have since been classed as
bull men, and offered that job and
no other
Despite the perils, .the constant
watchfulness, the half conscious re-
alization that death is near, probably
not an elephant man in the world to-
day would leave his calling. 1t has
fascination Of a strange kind, and
the keeper, becomes attached to the
great brutes that tremble at his word
this 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
constant watchfulness, realizing the
treacherous nature of the brutes, and
those who do not realize this sooner
or later are trampled or hurled to
death.
The elephant is the most treacher-
ons, moody, changeable animal in a
menagerie. They are twice as dan
gerous 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.s 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 fataistic. 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 elephants
brain works nearer like that of hu-
man being that the brain of any other
animal. The moods and tempers of
the big brutes change suddenly. The
weather, a hard night ride on the
cars, bruised foot may turn the best
natured elephant into peevish 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 time after quieting down,
but the attack will return, and then
probably keeper will be killed. The
female elephants turn rogues earlier
and are more violent that the males,
and the females are more dangerous
in ordinary times.
Elephants form a great attachment
for certain men and bitter hatreds for
others, a hatred that means murder
when the opportunity arrives. But
the love of an elephant for it's deeper
will not deter it from killing him when
the outbreak comes.
There was one notorious elephant
who travelled with score of circuses
under different names and was finally
* ru',d, VINO loved one man, friend
ol mine, as never maiden loved him.
He drank. She cared for him and
drove away every one who tried to
come near when he was drunk and
asleep under her feet. He was dis
charged from several circuses and each
time took the elephant, no one else
being able 20 handle her. The owners
of the shows understood that to dis
charge was to lose the beast, and
tacltly she became his property. But
she in one rampage trampled him un-
til be is cripple for Lie, and killed
one of the rescuers, defending fierce.
ly the man she had crushed.
Good elephant men, those who can
train the animals, command big sal.
aries One whom | know received
$3.50 week, but the ordinary "bull
man." recruited from among the can
vas hands or laborers who have no
fear, receive small salaries and accept
the positions because the work is
easier, being willing to risk their lives
70 escape hard work. These men, of
course, are under competent trainers
Plain Dealer.