Vicki, Wish her a Happy Birthday from all of us....... Athol Athol K. Foster DeKalb Co. Coordinator, TnGenWeb www.tngennet.org/dekalb My Fosters in DeKalb Co., Tn. www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/3627 ----- Original Message ----- From: Vicki Shaffer <tngibson@worldnet.att.net> To: <TNCHAT-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2000 1:08 PM Subject: [TNCHAT] "the truth is stranger than fiction" > Here's one for you all................................. > > My great aunt was born June 15, 1894 in Ray Co. Missouri. > Today she is celebrating her 106th birthday in good health! An amazing woman, > and genealogist, too! > > Vicki > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Edgar D. Byler, III" <edby3@netease.net> > To: <TNCHAT-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2000 12:34 PM > Subject: Re: [TNCHAT] Lynched Elephant With Photo > > > > I've always been told "the truth is stranger than fiction". This story and > > the photograph on the link page certainly do lend credence to that > > statement. Po' Mary the elephant - all she wanted was some watermelon. > > > > Edgar > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Morom01@aol.com <Morom01@aol.com> > > To: TNCHAT-L@rootsweb.com <TNCHAT-L@rootsweb.com> > > Date: 14 June, 2000 9:16 PM > > Subject: [TNCHAT] Lynched Elephant With Photo > > > > > > >We got eight new subscribers tonight (fifteen for the day) and I'm told I > > >sent the story too early. So here it is again. And for all you people who > > >read it earlier, I found a link to the lynched elephant photo. It's at the > > >end of the story. > > > > > >This story is told many different ways. What I offer here is my version > > with > > >facts that I have read since childhood. I'm not sure any official version > > is > > >available in a book, but the newspaper archives give the story very similar > > >to this. Regardless of the details here and there, that have been lost in > > >time, the story itself is true. Somewhere in some time past I remember > > >someone showing me a picture of the hanging. If I find it and get > > permission > > >from the person I'll display it somewhere. > > > > > >In the year 1916 many changes were taking place in the world. War was > > >ravaging Europe, the country was in an economic decline. America was > > >beginning to face issues that would plague us eighty years later. But in > > East > > >Tennessee and Virginia, in the area most people know as the Appalachians, > > it > > >was a good time to see the circus. > > > > > >The town was Erwin, Tennessee a railroad town and home to the Cincinnati, > > >Clinchfield, and Ohio Railroad's repair shop. There were only two main > > >employers in the town, the railroad and a pottery factory. This meant that > > >most of the town had the same days off and spent them together at town > > >picnics and other functions. Any meeting was a time for the whole town to > > >come together and the execution of an elephant on September 16th, would be > > no > > >different. > > > > > >Mary, was a five ton elephant owned by the Sparks Brothers Circus. Mary was > > >their main attraction as she was billed as the largest animal to ever walk > > >the face of the earth. Her owner claimed she was three inches taller than > > >Barnum's Jumbo. She was rumored (by her owner) as to have killed eight men. > > >How much of this was true, nobody knows, but it probably helped to seal > > >Mary's fate with the public. > > > > > >September 11th, the circus played a town in Virginia, (I can't remember the > > >town's name) where a man named Red Eldridge asked for a job. Red was a > > >drifter and rode the rails of America as was very common at the time. Why > > Red > > >decided to seek employment at this time is not understood, but he asked the > > >circus and was hired. Red was put in charge of a broom and made clean up. > > But > > >on the next day, after the sudden departure of another man, Red was > > promoted > > >to elephant handler. Not quite experienced at this job, Red made up for it > > >with a big stick. It is said that Red tried to intimidate the animals. A > > >small man with a big stick may strike fear into the hearts of hobos, but > > >elephants aren't impressed with such nonsense. > > > > > >On September 12th the circus came to Kingsport, Tennessee. As was the > > custom > > >the animals were unloaded at the train yard and paraded through town to the > > >delight of the crowds that gathered to watch. This day Red led Mary the > > five > > >ton prize elephant of the show. Along the way Mary saw a half eaten > > >watermelon left on the street by one of the spectators. Mary reached for > > the > > >watermelon with her huge trunk. Red decided that Mary shouldn't have the > > >watermelon and gave a jerk on Mary's chain. According to witnesses, Mary > > gave > > >a loud trumpet and went for the melon again. This time Red decided to > > strike > > >Mary in the side of the head with his large stick. What happened next, (the > > >manner of Red's death) is debated to this day. Oh, nobody says the elephant > > >didn't kill Red, it's just that some say, she gored him with her tusks, > > >others say she squeezed him to death with her trunk, some say she trampled > > >him, and other say she kicked him. No matter what, Red was as dead as a > > >doornail and Mary had her melon. > > > > > >The owner of the circus, Charlie Sparks realized the publicity this would > > >cause. It was one thing for him to claim that Mary had killed eight people, > > >but if it were true and in the papers that was different. No town would > > allow > > >his circus to come with a real certified rogue killer elephant. Charlie > > >decided that with Mary around his circus was finished. Mary had to go. > > > > > >First it was decided that Mary would be shot. A local man shot Mary five > > >times with a shotgun while she was chained. The shot hardly phased her. > > Later > > >that day the sheriff shot Mary repeatedly with a 45 pistol. Still no good. > > >Mary was simply too thick hided for bullets to kill her. > > > > > >Next the town of Kingsport decided that they would electrocute her. A trunk > > >line ran the length of the railroad track that supposedly carried 44,000 > > >volts. Mary was chained and the voltage applied. She jumped a little each > > >time, but never seemed to be injured by the voltage. (Chips note: I doubt > > >this part of the story because electricity wasn't that common in the area. > > I > > >doubt that there would have been that much voltage in the town pre TVA.) > > > > > >Other options were discussed including hooking Mary to two train engines > > and > > >allowing them to pull her apart. Another said to put her between two > > engines > > >and let them crush her. Both of these were ruled out. > > > > > >It was decided that Mary should be hanged. But how do you hang a five ton > > >elephant? The heaviest crane in the area belonged to the Clinchfield > > >railroad. It was kept in their shop at Erwin, Tennessee. Mary was taken to > > >Erwin on a train to await her fate the next morning. > > > > > >The next morning Mary stood tied to a rail in the train yard. Witnesses say > > >that Mary seemed nervous and paced back and forth like she knew her fate. > > The > > >crane was brought out and a steam shovel dug a hole right beside the track. > > A > > >chain was placed around Mary's neck and the winch began to hoist Mary > > >skyward. As she left the ground a crack was heard. It was then discovered > > >that Mary was still chained to the track and her leg was breaking. Quickly > > >the chain around her ankle was cut. Mary began to thrash. > > > > > >Another crack was heard and Mary plummeted to the ground. The chain around > > >her neck was too small and it broke. The crowd scattered, fearing an > > enraged > > >elephant stampeding loose in the town. But Mary's hip was shattered and she > > >couldn't move. A railroad worker climbed Mary's back and attached another > > >chain. Mary was again lifted by the crane. > > > > > >Mary was held in the air for two hours as crowds gathered for a look. Then > > >later that day, the crane took Mary down the track to the hole that had > > been > > >dug and placed her body in it. It was covered with dirt and Mary's body is > > >buried there today. > > > > > >Some of the tracks are gone today, others are in bad repair. The area is > > >seldom used and the railroad long out of business. But there in Erwin lies > > >the only elephant found guilty of murder in America and publicly hanged. > > > > > >Chip's Comment: > > >Was Mary guilty of murder? No. I would say the circus was more guilty than > > >Mary. They put this untrained man in charge of a five ton animal and > > allowed > > >him to strike her with a stick. Common sense says this man is going to die. > > >Mary was never ill tempered and had never hurt anyone before. She wanted a > > >watermelon and Red paid with his life for his own stupidity. > > > > > >To see the photo use the following URL. I can't vouch that it's a real > > >photograph as it differs from the one I've seen. > > >http://www.blueridgecountry.com/elephant/elephant.html > > > > > > > > >==== TNCHAT Mailing List ==== > > >To subscribe or unsubscribe to this list please visit: > > >http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnunion/tnchat > > >This list is generously donated by Rootsweb for our use. > > >Complete rules for TnChat may be found at: > > >http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnunion/tnchat > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== TNCHAT Mailing List ==== > > To subscribe or unsubscribe to this list please visit: > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnunion/tnchat > > This list is generously donated by Rootsweb for our use. > > Complete rules for TnChat may be found at: > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnunion/tnchat > > > > > > ==== TNCHAT Mailing List ==== > To subscribe or unsubscribe to this list please visit: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnunion/tnchat > This list is generously donated by Rootsweb for our use. > Complete rules for TnChat may be found at: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnunion/tnchat > >