The fate of Mary, a circus elephant that was executed in 1916 for killing an abusive trainer: Most accounts indicate that she calmed down afterward and didnt charge the onlookers, who began chanting, Kill the elephant! Within minutes, local blacksmith Hench Cox tried to kill Mary, firing five rounds with little effect. Meanwhile, the leaders of several nearby towns threatened not to allow the circus to visit if Mary was included. The circus owner, Charlie Sparks, reluctantly decided that the only way to quickly resolve the potentially ruinous situation was to kill the elephant in public. On the following day, a foggy and rainy September 13, 1916, she was transported by rail to Erwin, Tennessee, where a crowd of over 2,500 people (including most of the towns children) assembled in the Clinchfield Railroad yard. (It wasnt just putting down a dangerous animal - it was a public execution to save the circus from boycotts. And it wasnt clean, either - it took two tries.) The elephant was hanged by the neck from a railcar-mounted industrial crane. The first attempt resulted in a snapped chain, causing Mary to fall and break her hip as dozens of children fled in terror. The severely wounded elephant died during a second attempt and was buried beside the tracks. A veterinarian examined Mary after the hanging and determined that she had a severely infected tooth in the precise spot where Red Eldridge had prodded her. [More info: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(elephant) & blueridgecountry/archive/favorites/mary-the-elephant/]
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:19:14 +0000
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