The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-04-15
BANTAM STIRS
 UP ELEPHANTS
Bellicose Mike Has Whole Barnum Herd Trumpeting and Squealing at
 COCkcrOW

There was trouble among the ele- phant people of Barnum & Bailey's circus in Madison Square Garden very early yesterday morning long before the roustabouts of the show had rolled out of their blankets. Bill Mooney. the head keeper, was awak- ened by the furious trumpeting and sQuealing. When he ran down the lines yelling to his charges he found that Hattie had broken her heel chain and was rolling up and down the line preaching anarchy and rebellion.
 Bill first secured Hattie, who is pretty we'll behaved old lady ordinar' fly, and then looked around to see if he could locate the cause of the trou- ble. All of the elephants were ner, and blowing indignant squeals. Know ing the likes and dislikes of his ele- phant folk, Bill surmised that mice had been annoying them. There are few things in the world that an ele phant loathes as much as a mouse. But the circus has a supply of cats to attend to the rodents, and Bill Mooney couldn't make up his mind that mouse or two had so upset the elephant line He decided to hide behind a stack of baled hay and see what would happen.
 In less than ten minutes Mike the bellicose bantam rooster that is the pet of all the circus people. appeared from the zebra quarters followed by his wife Theodore and their boarder, Panurge, a stalwart Leghorn. Mike had been breakfasting at sunup on stray grains of corn. Mooney watch ed the bantam to see what he would do. Mike scuttled along the elephant line until he came to Hattie: Then 1 1,iv Int straight at her trunk, striking out with his dulled spurs Hattie backed and shivered and trumpeted in fear, Mooney ended that performance quick ly and chased Michael and his inter esting family upstairs to the giraffe room, where they belonged.
 Mike wasn't really responsible. He ed the diminutive rooster. Circus hands who have petted him for eight Or nine years have taught him to fight anything that shows itself. Visitors to the circus are escorted to Mikes quarters behind the giraffe cage and are told to agitate Mike by pokins their feet at him. Mike always rises to the defence of his hearthstone by flying angrily at the legs of the in- truders and doing his bantam best to drive them away. What happened in the elephant line Bill Mooney con- cluded was that Hattie poked her trunk at Mike when he passed peace fully by with his wife and friend, and of course Mike was insulted.
 Hereafter Mike wifi be kept away from the elephant people because they have found some practical work for him. He will feature in a new act with Victor Vittori, the upside down boxer. Vittori is the man who puts ounce boxing gloves on his feet, stands on his hands and spars with all corners. They are training Mike to scrap with Vittori, and the re- hearsals have already cost the circus several pairs of gloves riddled by the bantam's spurs.
 This is the final week of the four weeks run of the Barnum & Bailey circus in the Garden. Next Saturday night the circus will trek over to Brooklyn and show under canvas for a week. Then it will take the road. On Tuesday afternoon a special per formance will be given for orphans and Tuesday night will be Shriners' night,