CHASED BY AN ELEPHANT.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XV, Issue XXII, 30 November 1895, Page 675

CHASED BY AN ELEPHANT.

The most critical experience of Animal Trainer Conklin came several years ago when he was travelling through Idaho. The show was in a little town called Haley, and the morning procession was just over, when the six-ton elephant Samson burst the chains by which he had been staked and made a rush for his keeper. At the time Conklin was inside the lion’s cage, where he had been riding in the procession, for he is not only one of the most experienced elephant trainers in the world, but he is a tamer of tigers and lions as well. As he saw the elephant rush at the cage, he realised that he was going to have a close call for his life. By great good luck he managed to undo the bars and get out before the shock came, but Samson was after him with trunk waving and with shrieks of rage. Conklin dodged behind another cage of animals, which Samson butted over as if it was a child’s cardhouse, the leopards inside squealing in terror. Again Conklin dodged for his life, while Samson butted over the cage that came next in his way. Thus in succession six cages of wild animals were overturned by the irritated monster. Then Conklin succeded in getting on a horse. Throwing himself into the saddle, he dug his heels into the horses’ flanks and made for the open prairie, Samson the meanwhile trumpeting behind and running at full speed. Now, a large elephant, when his rage is up, can run as fast as a fleet horse, and Conklin soon found this out to his cost. Ride as he would, Samson kept gaining on him, the speed being so great that the red and gilt caparison with which Samson had been clothed for the parade stood out in the. wind at each side like a pair of curious wings. ‘ Make for the railroad,’ someone shouted to the flying showman. Like a flash Conklin caught the idea and swerved his horse to the left, crossed the tracks that ran across the prairie in a long ridge. In a moment his horse was over the railroad and out on the open ground on the other side. But the track caused Samson some delay in scrambling over, and thus Conklin and his horse made a little gain. But once across, the elephant only ran the faster, and once more began to close up the space between them. By this time the news had spread through the community that a mad elephant was chasing Conklin to kill him, and a company of cowboys, armed with rifles, revolvers and lassoes, came galloping to the rescue. A fusillade of shots was fired into the elephant, but paying not the slightest attention to the attack he kept straight on in pursuit of Conklin. Again and again the showman was obliged to cross the track to make a gain. But Samson’s speed seemed only to increase, while the horse was steadily getting fagged out. About three miles from the show grounds a cowboy gave Conklin a shotgun and a bag of buckshot, and turning on his horse the showman began to fire into Samson’s trunk. Fifteen times he empties the gun, the bullets striking home every time. Soou the elephant was bleeding profusely, but he kept on unflinching in his hatred. At the sixteenth, however, he turned tail and fled. He was conquered at last, and complete victory was assured later that day when Conklin chained him down and had him whipped by assistants until he squealed and begged for mercy. In spite of his many wounds Samson recovered entirely, and remained with the show three years, his death not coming until the fire which swept through the Barnum show when in its winter quarters at Bridgeport.