THE ELEPHANT AS AN ENTERPRISING BURGLAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVI, Issue 6491, 16 December 1881, Page 5

THE ELEPHANT AS AN ENTERPRISING BURGLAR.

It is injudicious to instruct an animal in tricks, which if played in earnest hare disagreeable results to mankind. To teach a monkey to drink ram is a pleasing, if trivial, diversion for the mariner; but his mates see no joke at all therein when the cultured creaturw steals their grog. The proprietor of a circus lately visiting Boulogne-tur-Seine, in France, is indulging some such reflect ions at this moment, doubtless. Ue owns an elephant of peculiar intelligence, which draws corks, fires pistols, rings bells, opens doors, and so on, with unusual skill. This animal is the pride of the show, a safe draw wherever he goes, and he is cherished accordingly. At Boulogne-sur-Seine they gave him a stable to live in, a building which communicated with the establishment of a confectioner. One night his keeper did not sleep with him, and the pachyderm looked round for amusement in his solitude. He opened his own door and found himself facing the door of the shop. Profiting by his education in a manner which sets a bad example, he picked the look of the shop doer, opened it, and sacked the premises. First bo ate up all the cakes and sweets. Then he turned to the bottles, neatly drew the corks, and finished them one after another, replacing the empty flask exactly where he found it. Stimulated by wine, refreshed with pastry, the creature’s excellent taste suggested coffee, and he sought, discovered, andf consumed all the cafe noir prepared for next day’s use. After this, seriously ho began business, opening every drawer, and inspecting, if not swallowing, the contents. After devouring all the sugar—lump, and candied, and moist—he came to tho cashdrawer, and in the excitement of burglarious greed, at this moment he smashed a marble table. The noise brought down the householder, armed with the poker of domestic use, who became maddened with grief and fury on beholding tho scene. The sagacious intruder was employed in emptying tho till, and piling up its contents, preparatory to carrying them off, and he expressed hia refusal to be interrupted in a very emphatic manner. Not until his owner and keeper arrived would he cease reckoning up the coppers, which in some way doubtless represented to his mind the value of tho cakes he had eaten.