Source: Royal Ulster Rifles – Thomas Shaw June 1899 – 2 March 2002
Monthly Archives: August 2017
“Murderous Mary” – The Elephant they Hanged
Mary the Elephant
They
Hanged
Mary (c. 1894–September 13, 1916) was a five-ton Asian elephant, also known as “Murderous Mary”, who performed in the Sparks World Famous Shows circus.
After killing a trainer in Kingsport, Tennessee, she was hanged in nearby Erwin, Tennessee, in 1916. Her death is sometimes interpreted as a cautionary tale of circus animal abuse during the early 20th century.
Mary hanging from a 100-ton derrick in Erwin, Tennessee
| |
| Species | Asian elephant |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Born | 1894 |
| Died | September 13, 1916 (aged 21–22) Erwin, Tennessee |
| Nation from | United States |
| Occupation | Circus performer |
| Employer | Charlie Sparks |
| Years active | 1898–1916 |
| Training | Playing musical instruments Pitching baseballs |
| Weight | 5 short tons (4,500 kg) |
| Height | 11 ft 9 in (3.58 m) |
Death of Red Eldridge
On September 11, 1916, a homeless man named Red Eldridge, who landed a job as a transient hotel clerk was hired as an assistant elephant trainer by the Sparks World Famous Shows circus.
He was killed by Mary in Sullivan County, Tennessee, on the evening of September 12.
Eldridge led the elephant parade, although he was not qualified, riding on the top of Mary’s back; Mary was the star of the show, riding at the front.
There have been several accounts of his death. One, recounted by W.H. Coleman, who claimed to be a witness, 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.
A contemporary newspaper account, from the Johnson City Staff, said that Mary
“collided its trunk vice-like about [Eldridge’s ] body, lifted him 10 feet in the air, then dashed him with fury to the ground… and with the full force of her beastly fury is said to have sunk her giant tusks entirely through his body.
The animal then trampled the dying form of Eldridge as if seeking a murderous triumph, then with a sudden… swing of her massive foot hurled his body into the crowd.”
Eldridge’s Death Certificate
It is clear from the photo of her hanging that Mary was either tuskless or had short ‘tushes’ common amongst female Asian elephants.
Execution
The details of the aftermath are confused in a maze of sensationalist newspaper stories and folklore. Most accounts indicate that she calmed down afterward and didn’t charge the onlookers, who began chanting,
“Kill the elephant! Let’s kill it.”
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 wounded elephant in public.
On the following day, a foggy and rainy September 13, 1916, Mary was transported by rail to Erwin , Unicoi County, Tennessee, where a crowd of over 2,500 people (including most of the town’s children) assemb led in the Clinchfield Railroad yard.
The elephant was hanged by the neck from a railcar-mounted industrial crane between four o’clock and five o’clock that evening.
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.
Although the authenticity of a widely distributed (and heavily retouched) photo of her death was disputed years later by Argosy magazine, other photographs taken during the incident confirm its provenance.
What do I think?
I think Mary was treated appallingly and those that killed her should have been punished for such a heinous act . However in 1916 the world was a very different place and many folks had strange primitive attitude towards animals and animal welfare.
Thankfully we now live in a more enlighten time and we are way to busy killing each other to execute our fella animals.
Amen!
- “Murderous Mary” – The Elephant they Hanged
- The Long Walk – Iconic Pictures & Story behind them
- V-J Day Kiss in Times Square 1945
- Vladimir Komarov – The Man who fell to Earth
- War is Hell – Iconic Pictures & Story behind them
- The Naked Gunner 1944 – Iconic Pictures
- Pictures that changed the World – Jan Palach – self-Immolation
- Tank Man – Tiananmen Square – Pictures that changed the World
- Earthrise from moon – Pictures that changed the World
- Pictures that changed the World. Dorothy Counts – High School Segregation
Before you go
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The Curious Case of Otto Warmbier
Source: The Curious Case of Otto Warmbier
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Kim Jong-un Supreme Leader of The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Source: Kim Jong-un Supreme Leader of The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
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Ri Chun-hee – North Korean’s “scary ” Doomsayer
Source: Ri Chun-hee – North Korean’s “scary ” Doomsayer
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Escape from Camp 14 – Shin Dong-hyuk’s Story.
Source: Escape from Camp 14 – Shin Dong-hyuk’s Story.
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These Faggots Kill Fascists – “The Queer Insurrection and Liberation Army “
The Queer Insurrection and Liberation Army
LGBT fighting unit in Syria ‘kicked out of Raqqa offensive’ by US-backed umbrella forces
US-backed Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces reportedly remove controversial ‘TQILA’ and anarchist unit from front lines of fight for Isis’ de facto Syrian capital
‘We fight against tyranny, oppression and domination with the people’, TQILA’s founding statement says IRPGF
A sub-unit fighting against Isis in Syria made up of LGBT individuals which makes “smashing the gender binary and advancing the women’s revolution as well as the broader gender and sexual revolution,” has been kicked out of the frontline fight for Raqqa, several reports have said.
‘TQILA’, as it is known, made headlines after its formation was announced last month by the anarchist International Revolutionary People’s Guerrilla Forces (IRPGF), a small offshoot fighting force in Syria made up of foreigners.
Initially it appeared that TQILA and the IRPGF were working with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Arab-Kurdish coalition Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The mainly-Kurdish militias in the north of the country have won significant US support for proving themselves the most effective ground force against Isis since the militants rose to prominence in 2014.
However, as word spread of TQILA’s formation, requests for comment were met with denials from the SDF that the group is affiliated with their fighters, or exists at all.
While the new unit was praised by some as a positive response to the systematic persecution of gay individuals by Isis, it was also met with criticism for what many saw as a tone-deaf announcement by foreigners which could inflame tensions with more conservative militias fighting for the same cause.
TQILA told The Independent that its members counted themselves as “Middle Eastern queers” which come from a range of countries, as well as the Middle East’s ethnic groups. It is not clear how many they number – by some accounts, fewer than 20.
A later statement said that “Our unit, as an autonomous organisation and member group of the IFB (International Freedom Battalion) has the right to make subgroups. TQILA is one such subgroup and as such not a battalion or formation apart from our armed struggle collective, the IRPGF. This is where the confusion is coming from.”
Social media posts and inquiries made by The Independent to people in the region indicated that TQILA had members both training in the city of Rojava and involved in the fight to reclaim Isis’ de facto capital of Raqqa, which began in earnest in June.
A tweet on Sunday from an account affiliated with the official YPG international battalion, however, said that the
“IRPGF yesterday got kicked out of Raqqa, hopefully soon from Rojava – we need less empty propaganda, more fighting”.
The tweet has since been deleted. SDF, IRPGF and TQILA representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
YPG fighters have previously been critical of the IRPGF’s efforts in the fight against Isis. An official Twitter accounts said they are “three crazies” with which they refused to form an alliance with.
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The Black Death Group
The Black Death Group
&
The Dark Web
Mafia cops probe mysterious ‘Black Death’ group known for ‘dark web’ abductions over kidnap of Brit model – who was only released because she is a mum
The shadowy organisation allegedly operate in eastern Europe and are said to deal in ‘assassinations, bombings and arms dealing’
ANTI-mafia cops are probing whether the shadowy crime syndicate known as the Black Death is behind the kidnapping of a British model.
THE Black Death group has been named as a sinister sex slave syndicate behind the kidnapping of British model Chloe Ayling.The mum-of-one, 20, has spoken of how she was drugged, handcuffed and stuffed in a suitcase while being held captive for six days after being lured by the promise of a £600 photoshoot.
Who are the Black Death Group?
The so-called Black Death group is an organisation operating deep within the “dark web” rumoured to be responsible for a network of kidnapping and people trafficking.
Although rumours of its existence have circulated for several years, the kidnapping of Chloe Ayling in Milan is believed to be the only crime authorities have publicly linked to it.
The name is notorious on sections of the internet due to the scale and depravity of its offending, though it’s not clear if its photos touting women for sale are authentic, nor if it is as proficient as it claims to be.
It’s claimed that users of the “dark web” pay huge fees to buy women who have been kidnapped from across Europe.
A 2015 article by Vice’s Motherboard stated their reporter had found images of women chained up with the victim being offered for sale £115,000.
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Ryan Lock – Rest easy warrior & enjoy the majestic halls of Valhalla
Briton Ryan Lock killed himself in Syria to avoid being captured by IS
The British chef, who travelled to Raqqa to fight against IS, wanted to avoid capture or torture at the hands of the terror group.
A British man who travelled to Syria to fight against Islamic State shot himself to avoid a “painful and frightening death”, an inquest has heard.
Ryan Lock, from Chichester, died last December fighting alongside Kurdish forces in Raqqa.
The 20-year-old had only been in the war-torn country for four months, and he died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
Mr Lock had been seriously injured in battle and was surrounded by IS fighters when he decided to kill himself to avoid being captured or tortured.
His mother, Catherine Lock, had no idea that her son was planning on travelling to Syria. Instead, she thought he was going backpacking around Turkey.
She said: “He just said that he had planned this for ages and that he had time off work. He said he would be going for a few weeks, maybe a month.
“And when I found out he was going to Turkey I said: ‘You do realise that’s right next to Syria, where there is a war.’
“I hadn’t twigged that was exactly his plan, to head to Syria.”
A day after Mr Lock arrived in Turkey last August, he told his mother that he had signed up to fight for the People’s Defence Units (YPG), a Kurdish military force.
She contacted the police immediately and continued to stay in contact with her son on Facebook Messenger, where he regularly posted pictures of himself during his military training.
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