Mary (elephant)
Mary († September 13, 1916 in Erwin , Tennessee , USA ; called Mighty Mary ) was a five-ton female Asian elephant . Mary was hanged in Erwin .
Life
Nothing is known about Mary's origins. She appeared as a circus elephant on Sparks World Famous Shows . She became famous for the circumstances of her death.
On September 11, 1916, the Kingsport , Tennessee circus had hired a hotel clerk, Red Eldridge, to train the elephants. A day later, on September 12th, Eldridge died trying to lead Mary to a nearby watering place; the elephant had crushed his head.
The lack of clarity about the details of the accident immediately led to sensational reports in the local press about the "murderous Mary", who allegedly already had several workers on her conscience, whereupon the citizens loudly demanded "Kill the elephant!", Which in turn was the sheriff 's Ort prompted the circus to forbid any performance as long as the elephant belonged to it. The ringmaster, Charlie Sparks, decided to counteract the financial ruin he feared by proposing that Mary be publicly executed.
death
On September 13, 1916, Mary was transported by train to Erwin, where 2,500 people, including most of the town's children, had already gathered at the station. In front of the audience, Mary was hung by her neck with the help of an industrial crane mounted on a freight car. The first attempt failed because a chain broke and Mary fell to the ground and broke her hips. The second attempt to hang up the animal was successful. The carcass was then buried next to the railway line.
Background and aftermath
Animal processes have been documented from the 13th century to the 18th century; The background of this legal practice was the persecution of heretics and witches in the Middle Ages and early modern times. In a contemporary animal trial, the "defendant" named Taro , an Akita Inu from Trenton , New Jersey , became known as the dog on death row ; He had bitten the niece of his owner in 1991 and remained in the sheriff's custody for three years until he was pardoned in 1994, through the intercession of Brigitte Bardot , with lifelong exile.
Mary's end resulted in conflicting stories and interpretations. For example, her case was cited as an example of animal abuse in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century, while other quarters questioned the authenticity of the story as well as a circulating execution photo. The obviously retouched photograph could, however, be confirmed in its origin by further recordings of the event. Similar to the circus elephant Jumbo , which collided with a locomotive in 1885, or Topsy , which was " electrocuted " in 1903 , Mary now has a considerable presence on the English-language Internet.
literature
- Peter Dinzelbacher : The foreign Middle Ages. Judgment and Animal Trial . Magnus-Verlag: Essen 2006. ISBN 978-3-88400-504-0
- Hanne Tügel: Animals in court . In: GEO Magazin 10, 2007; Pp. 218-224
- Stephan Oettermann : The elephant curiosity. An Elephantographia Curiosa . Syndicate, Frankfurt am Main 1982; Reference p. 73, note 84
Individual evidence
- ↑ Peter Dinzelbacher: The foreign Middle Ages. Judgment and Animal Trial . Magnus-Verlag: Essen 2006
- ^ Hanne Tügel: Animals in court . In: GEO Magazin 10, 2007; Pp. 218-224.
Web links
- Mary's story (English)
- A variant in which the audience has doubled (English)