Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 78, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 June 1898 — SLAIN BY AN ELEPHANT. [ARTICLE]

SLAIN BY AN ELEPHANT.

Vicious Animal Gores nnd Tramples the Life Out of His Keeper at Racine. Wifi., Xune 4. —Prince and two other large elephants belonging to the Wallace circus went on a rampage Friday morning and killed their trainer, Joseph Anderson, aged 55 years. The show came from Kenosha and the elephants were unloaded at Fourteenth street. Prince was ugly, and although Anderson had been warned, he failed to hobble the beast, but chained him to a smaller animal. While driving the animals along the highway Prince became enraged at a passing bicycle rider, and, reaching out with h’s trunk, knocked the wheelman over and proceeded to wreck the wheel. Anderson prodded the anima! and was attacked. After knocking him down, Prince picked him up in his trunk and jammed him against a fence, dropped him on the road, and afterward stepped up<jn and gored him with his tusks and disemboweled the unfortunate man. Nearlj’ 1,000 persons witnessed the sight, and they fled in all directions, and during the panic some fell and were slightly hurt. In the meantime Prince was .wrecking every bicycle in sight. He turned ofrer two circus wagons, chased horses and people in buggies and damaged a store fropt. The body of Anderson was secured and taken to a morgue. Harry Reed and several other attaches of the circus attempted to capture the elephants, and succeeded in getting them to a lot near the circus grounds, where the murderous beast was secured after 50 men had worked an hour. But this was not accomplished before Prince got hold of Reed and attempted to kill him. Pitchforks and axes were used before the beast released the man. The other two animals were easily subdued.