THE ELEPHANT "BLIND BILL" AT THE ALEXANDRA PALACE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4508, 5 October 1882, Page 3

THE ELEPHANT "BLIND BILL" AT THE ALEXANDRA PALACE.

* (Land and WaUr.) Hearing that the Indian temale elephant " Blind Bill," now oxhibiting at the Aloiandra Palace, that had killed Oharlci Hodges two weeks ago, had dune another man to death, we made in riiruo, and are glad to learn that the runi'.u> vi tho second oatastropho is quite unfounded. Wo hare been eer.v »v aooount of " Blind Bill'e" interesting his tor y, from which we gather that the aiuui i ia believed to bo over 70 years of age, and was about SO years old when she first came to England. Wo aro told that shortly after Queen Tie oria camo to the throne, this elephant, just landed at tho Saab India Docks in London, wa* ©fforod as a present, to Her Majesty. An elephant is rather an embarrassing gift. Ilor Majesty, it seems, did not see her way to accepting it, mid tbo captain of the vessel in which the animal camo from India sold her to Mr William Batty, then proprietor of the colcbratod amphitheatre in Westminster-road. How this female elopbant pot. its masculine ntirue was in this wise. Williem Batty had a brother Qeorgo, the ownor of h travelling inenogorie, ond to him tho elephant was given, Georgo Batty naming the brute "Billy" in compliment to his brother. " Billy " hnd hu sight in those days, and for thirty yoars was exhibited up and down tho country through England, Ireland, Xcotlttud, ttu i Wales. Afterwards she u<- ■■ rupi.nied thn menagerie on a tour on the V-,i .' iutrit, travrrMpg GuropO from Spain toßu--i b-f ore agaiii returning to SCnglund. In ilh.-h' 1 da) a, and ivor iiinco, we are told she v>>>> considered "the most; docile and best performing elephant in tho world." It wiib with Mr Myern, who purchasod Billy about twenty yeara ago, that tho olephnnt traversed .Europe, being exhibitod •bofore all the crowned heads, going through her performance of standing on tubs, etc During this tour Billy loot her sight. About thiitt'en years ago, whon tho raormporio was in Franco, a groom bolouging to tho establishment for some unknown cause stabbed tho elephant iv tho eye wit b a pitchfork, destroying the sight of this eye, and the sight of tho other shortly after became affected. The man wns dismiptod, and Billy never saw him ngain ; bub two years aftor, whon tbo n.enaporio wbb in tho I'lrtunel Island?, it happened that tho »-im who stabbed tho olopbmt had b«oorao a cabdriver in Jertey. Hi* narao vao Goorge Williams. When Mrcm' company was porforming in Jersey, Williams came into tho stable one day, and slapping tho eloplmnlj on his mdc, said to his companions, " Thin iri the pi-eat brute that loet mo my sitnution." The elephant wot then stone-blind, but or. !*.oaring Williams' voicn she rushed f orwnrrl , and, t'epurating Williams from hip companions, with her tudo pushed him right against, the wall, noarlj squeezing him to death. Williams' eyes, by tho preisure, wo uro told, were half-turned in their Buckets, and, although roscuod from dealh, " he has nover looked straight sinoe." When "Blind Bill" i« travelling through Knpland, ono of the smaller elephant*, witlx good eyes, i 8 always oti&clied to her by n chain, loading hor much us a dog would lead a blind man. Ono day last, yctr, it leems, while Afyera' Circus was pnsaing through (bo town of Rending in gr«»d parar.'o, v young nmn hawhinr vegetables in tho >uurfcofc'pl>oe, brought hi? basket too clouo to tho elephants, and tho little elophant, " Blind Bill 1 * " leader, put out bis trunk, and helped himself to some of tho vegofublcs. The man, torrified, droppod his basket, whoroupon Bill and her mate ato all tho contents, to the groat ainusenient; of the crnrd, but to tho n»gn of tho hawker, who becoming ongry, pulled out a penknife and slabbed " Blind Bill " on tho hind flank. Tho sanio night, when the olephants were alnndinp in the tent, tho man whoHO vegetables had fcoen i>at«n up throw stones at them. Curler. Hodpee, who a week or two ago was killnd by ".Mind Bill," strangely enough was a hnwkor in Heading, and had only joined Myers* company about six woeks ago. Ho hud told somo of the grooms f bat ho well romoinbi-red the visit of the (ircus to Reading, Hud it »ns a curious circumstance that the blind elephant nover would malo friends with him. Although there were about ton men in th«Mn'.lfß on the Sunday morning when Hodges woe killed, no ono hcurd any noise or had any irUt tint an accident had happened until Hodges was found lying dead a couple of yards from lh« elephant, who was standing quietly in tho entry to the stablo door. Wo aro told tho animal Has shown no malic* since, but goes through her performances as u«ual, hundreds of men, women and children feeding (< Blind Bill" as if nothing had happenod. It is, however, added "Slio is very sensitive, and won't stand abuio." We aro tod, but whotber correotly wo ©annot say, that "Blind Bill " "h tbo hcaviost elephant cvor imported. Wo are not asked to believe that the Indian female elophact » m tall m the African male Jumbo, but are in* forari th«l> oaly iborUr bj two iacbn.