Elephant Wouldn't Move Until His Foot Was Fixed, Oct. 10, 1921

Elephant Drew Lines to Halt Until Keeper and Prodder Pulled Long Iron Spike Out of Its Foot

That an elephant knows his business as well as anybody else was proven by a strange procedure on South Tryon Street Sunday afternoon when a huge elephant of the Ringling Brothers’ Circus deliberately blocked the way of some dozen elephants walking behind him.

It happened while the circus employes were unloading on First Street and moving the attractions to the circus site on South Tryon Street. Just before the procession of elephants reached Morehead Street going down South Tryon Street, a huge elephant near the front of the line suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Quickly a keeper ran to his side and prodded him with the sharp spike with which the big fellows are handled. But Mr. Elephant refused to bat an eye. Not an inch did he budge as other attractions and parts of the big circus behind him began to jam up in the street behind him. Despite the harsh cries of the keeper and pricks of the spike, Mr. Elephant calmly twitched his funny looking tail and made up his mind that some business or other had to be transacted before another foot of ground would be covered.

And knowing that when Mr. Elephant once made up his mind to anything the elements themselves couldn’t change it, the man who had been peacefully riding on the giant’s cranium pricked the big fellow n the ear, which was a sign that he meant to get down. Mr. Elephant immediately rolled up his snout for a footman and lowered the man to the street.

Then he did a strange thing. He deliberately held up one of his front feet and thrust it towards the circus man. The man peered anxiously at the great paw. Then he saw the root of the whole trouble. Protruding from Mr. Elephant’s foot was the big end of an iron spike.

Then began the real work. The circus man took hold of the spike and pulled for all he was worth. In spite of his best efforts, the spike failed to come out. It was only through the combined efforts of the keeper and the man who had been riding on Mr. Elephant’s head that the spike was finally extracted.

Then Mr. Elephant lowered his snout, assisted the man to his head once more, and again, started on his march to the circus grounds.

“You can’t change his mind when he puts his foot down on anything,” laughed the keeper.

From The Charlotte News, Oct. 10, 1921