The Hanging

The hanging of ‘Mary’

Mary was a five-ton Asian elephant who performed in the Sparks World Famous Shows circus. On September 12, 1916, she killed assistant elephant trainer Red Eldridge while he was taking her to a nearby pond to splash and drink. There are several accounts of his death but the most widely accepted version is that he prodded her behind the ear with a hook after she reached down to nibble on a watermelon rind. She went into a rage, snatched Eldridge with her trunk, threw him against a drink stand and stepped on his head, crushing it.

On September 13, 1916, she was taken to Erwin, Tennessee, where a crowd of over 2,500 people assembled in the Clinchfield Railroad yard. There, she 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. 

(not my work, just sharing the news)