ELEPHANTS IN BACK GARDEN

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 225, 21 April 1933, Page 3

ELEPHANTS IN BACK GARDEN

i When Mr. F. S. Heighway, of Burwood, Sydney, was aroused by the pevisistent and loud barking of his clog early on a recent morning, he discovered that a big elephant had taken possession of his back garden. There is a gate, but the elephant had not used it; it bad just knocked clown the fence. When Mr. Heighway had sufficiently recovered from the shock he noticed that the elephant did not display any of the ferocity that is sometimes associated with beasts of the jungle. It quietly searched about for something to eat, seemingly quite indifferent to the presence cf the owner. The mysterious appearance of the elephant was explained later on when the announcement was made that it had escaped from a circus. "I was awakened about half-past fi o'clock by the barking of a cog, and other less definable indications that something unusual was afoot," said Mr. Heighway. "On going to investigate I found that five tons of elephant had taken possession of my garden. It had not, troubled to open the gate, but had simply walked through the fencing, just as if it were grass. "Not finding anything to its liking in the way of food the elephant decided to visit Mr. A. J. Douglas next door, evidently to see if he had anything that was more in its line. It marched through the dividing fence. Later on it visited Mr. J. Hall's, and then Dr. Lee's properties with the same disregard of ceremony, and finally got into the garden of a house in another street. The fences were partly wrecked, and other damage was done."