AN ELEPHANT KILLS HIS GROOM.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3481, 2 September 1882, Page 4

AN ELEPHANT KILLS HIS GROOM.

An elephant crushed his groom to death at the Alexandra Palace, London, recently. At the inquest some curious facts in relation to tho intelligence, vindictiveness, and extraordinary memory of elephants were given. The owner testified that he had owned the animal about twenty years, and that she was always very quiet unless aggravated. About thirteen years ago the man now killed put out one of her eyes, for which he was dismissed. A year ago the elephant lost sight of the other eye. Two years after that when his company was at Brighton, the groom in question came into the stable, and, slapping the elephant on the side, said—'This is the old brute who got me dismissed.' On hearing the man's voice the elephant pushed him up against the wall and twisted his head and eyes, and ever since the man had been cross-eyed. Ho did not mean to say that the elephant injured the man's eyes because he had served her the same, but at the same time it was a curious coincidence. Eight months ago the deceased was a peddler in the show, and the elephant put his trunk into the basket and ate up the contents, whereupon the man pulled out his penknife and stabbed the animal in the trunk. On the day when the accident occurred deceased was again acting as groom, and as the animal passed out of the stable to go into the grounds it put its trunk into a large tub against which the groom was leaning. The deceased pushed the trunk aside, saying : ' Get away, Bill,' when the elephant pushed the man against the wall and gored him. It is evident that the elephant had a keen recollection of the harm it had suffered from the groom.