On September 11, 1916, a homeless man named Red Eldridge was hired as an assistant elephant trainer by the Sparks World Famous Shows circus. His only job role was knowing how to use an elephant stick (literally a sharp spear). The day after he was hired, the circus announced a show in the town of Kingsport , Tennessee , featuring an elephant parade.Tragedy occurred when Mary the Elephant went on a rampage: while she was nibbling on a watermelon rind, Eldridge tried to keep her in line by prodding her behind the ear with a hook. Onlookers - stunned and helpless - watched as she grabbed Eldridge with her trunk, threw him against a drinks stand and stomped on his head, crushing it.Within minutes, the local blacksmith who thought she had gone mad shot her 5 bullets, but to no effect. Some spectators then began to chant: " Kill the elephant! Let's kill him ." Meanwhile, the mayors of several nearby towns threatened not to allow the circus to visit if Mary attended the show. So the circus owner, Charlie Sparks, decided that the only way to resolve the matter quickly was to kill the elephant in public.
The next day, September 13, 1916, Mary was transported by rail to Unicoi County , Tennessee , where a crowd of over 2,500 people (including most of the town's children) gathered at the Clinchfield rail yard.It took 2 attempts to kill the elephant, who trembled as he waited as if he already knew what was about to happen. Using not a rope, but a chain, the men tied her to a crane and attempted to lift her. However, the first attempt ended in a broken chain, causing Mary to fall off her feet and break her hip while dozens of children fled in terror. The seriously injured elephant died during a second attempt and was buried near the tracks.A veterinarian examined Mary after the hanging and determined that the creature had a badly infected tooth in the precise spot where Red Eldridge used to prod her. The animal had only responded in kind, following her instincts , and for this alone she had been lynched alive by a bloodthirsty mob.
