Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-01-21
ELEPHANT STEALS
FOOD DURING NIGHT
SMALLEST OF HERD FEEDS BIG
ONE AFTER HIS THEFTS. ~
Cunning of Animal Discovered by
Trainer as He Watches Sammy
Carefully Free Himself

Baraboo Wls-The mystery Of van
ishang elephant food has been solved
And now Sammy, smallest of the
elephant herd, is in bad Babylon
the largest OF the tribe, also is receiy-
ing lew kind words during these DAYS,
for il is the big fellow who is credited
with putting thieying ideas into the
little elephants trunk
The elephants. which belong to a
circus, are housed in a large brick
barn.
Elephants have enormous appe-
tites. exclaimed George Denmau.
keeper. who discovered Sammy during
his nightly raids on the feed OF
course, there Is always great deal Of
feed around-tons upon tons OF hay
in the loft overhead and stacks of
sacked oats and piles of baled straw
n the cornecs OF the barn
Sammy though a tny chap. would,
| am sure, eat his weight in oats every
day, We're he allowed 10 have his way
But, though the elephants are We'll led
they are not allowed to have all the
food that they might like And now
We come TO our story.
The lights had been put out for The
night and J supposed that every one OF
my charges was snlnd asleep. SO
was about to leave the barn when |
heard low, rasplns sound coming
from the opposite side Of the biz room.
Instead OF walking straight across the
ring, | softly slipped around back OF
the elephants peering from behind
a Pile OF baled straw. | saw Sammy
was carefully lifting his chain stake
out OF the ground with his trunk
The stake came olt so easily that
knew the little rascal must have had it
oHl before. As | watched, he slipped
his foOtchain down ner the tapering
end OF the stake and was free | was
not afraid that he would do any real
for realized that he must
have been loose many times before
Across the barn. some twenty feet
from where Sammy had been chained. |
were a number of sacks filled with 4
oats. Picking up his foot-chain very 1
with his trunk. so it would /
not rattle or iansle on the floor he I
moved slowly and cautiously until he .
was within reaching distance OF the I
grain Then he laid down the chain F..
and picked up a sack Of oats in his
trunk. His journey back to the herd
was made even more cautiously. be- /
cause this time he was obliged to drag
the chain and yet have to make no .
noise
AT last he reached the elephant I
line and aent up TO the giant Babylon.
who stood like Il great, bronze statue.
There Sammy stopped and Babylon,
whom had supposed fast asleep, took
he oats. They got into the bag in
and then the feast began.
sammy filled his mouth and munehed
away, for he knew that his biz com
lanion would get most of the oats if he
ost any time.
"As it was, Babylon took almost
laf the oats at the very start, and
,oor little Sammy, his mouth so full
hat he couldn't speak
Il decided il was time to make a
loise, just TO see what would happen.
30 banged on the floor and then
walked to the back of the barn, won,
Ieline what | should do to punish the
'air. \ few days before had had to
se a sharp instrument on one Of
}abylon's teeth. and he hadn't liked
hat one bit. This gave me an idea.
Il Went to my own room, got out the
instrument and went back. There was
sammy in his usual place at the stake.
pretended TO be fast asleep. didn't
o anything to Sammy, but went over
. Babylon
He was playing poSsum too | bad
good deal Of trouble in Weakening ,
i'm. To punish Babylon. | ordered {
I'M 10 sit down and open his mouth as {
vide as possible. Then made a mo. |
ion as if to pass the instrument in
ide AT sight of it the big fellow shut
is mouth and began to cry and trum- =.
ct like a great baby. He became so
frightened that he never repeated his
rick with the oats again (
What about Sammy, you ask? Why, t
hat SLY little rascal is more trouble +
han all the rest OF the circus ele- !
hants put together, He gets loose y
list whenever he wants to. But then, ,
on see, he's the baby of the family -
nd that, Of course, make a differ
nee"