circus-posters on him.Desires immediate answer.
Boggs，detective
“That is perfectly absurd!”I exclaimed.
“Of course it is，”said the inspector.“Evidently Mr.Barnum，who thinks he is so sharp，does not know me—but I know him.”
Then he dictated this answer to the despatch:
Mr.Barnum's offer declined.Make it $7，000or nothing.
Chief Blunt
“There.We shall not have to wait long for an answer.Mr.Barnum is not at home；he is in the telegraph office—it is his way when he has business on hand.Inside of three—”
Done.—P.T.Barnum
So interrupted the clicking telegraphic instrument.Before I could make a comment upon this extraordinary episode，the following despatch carried my thoughts into another very distressing channel:
Bolivia，N.Y.，12.50.
Elephant arrived here from the south and passed
through toward the forest at 11.50，dispersing a funeral
on the way，and diminishing the mourners by two.
Citizens fired some small cannon-balls into him，and
then fled.Detective Burke and I arrived ten minutes
later，from the north，but mistook some excavations for
footprints，and so lost a good deal of time；but at last we
struck the right trail and followed it to the woods.We
then got down on our hands and knees and continued to
keep a sharp eye on the track，and so shadowed it into
the brush.Burke was in advance.Unfortunately the
animal had stopped to rest；therefore，Burke having his
head down，intent upon the track，butted up against the
elephant's hind legs before he was aware of his vicinity.
Burke instantly arose to his feet，seized the tail，and
exclaimed joyfully，“I claim the re—”but got no further，
for a single blow of the huge trunk laid the brave
fellow's fragments low in death.I fled rearward，and the
elephant turned and shadowed me to the edge of the
wood，making tremendous speed，and I should
inevitably have been lost，but that the remains of the
funeral providentially intervened again and diverted his
attention.I have just learned that nothing of that funeral
is now left；but this is no loss，for there is abundance of
material for another.Meantime，the elephant has
disappeared again.
Mulrooney，detective
We heard no news except from the diligent and confident detectives scattered about New Jersey，Pennsylvania，Delaware，and Virginia—who were all following fresh and encouraging clues—until shortly after 2p.m.，when this telegram came:
Baxter Center，2.15.
Elephant been here，plastered over with circus-bills，
and broke up a revival，striking down and damaging
many who were on the point of entering upon a better
life.Citizens penned up and established a guard.When
Detective Brown and I arrived，some time after，we
entered inclosure and proceeded to identify elephant by
photographs and deion.All marks tallied exactly
except one，which we could not see—the boil-scar
under armpit.To make sure，Brown crept under to look，
and was immediately brained—that is，head crushed
and destroyed，though nothing issued from debris.All
fled;so did elephant，striking right and left with much
effect.Has escaped，but left bold blood-track from
cannon-wounds.Rediscovery certain.He broke
southward，through a dense forest.
Brent，detective
That was the last telegram.At nightfall a fog shut down which was so dense that objects but three feet away could not be discerned.This lasted all night.The ferryboats and even the omnibuses had to stop running.
3
Next morning the papers were as full of detective theories as before；they had all our tragic facts in detail also，and a great many more which they had received from their telegraphic correspondents.Column after column was occupied，a third of its way down，with glaring head-lines，which it made my heart sick to read.Their general tone was like this:
The white elephant at large!He moves upon his fatal
march!Whole villages deserted by their fright-stricken
occupants!Pale terror goes before him,death and
devastation follow after!After these,the detectives!
Barns destroyed,factories gutted,harvests devoured,
public assemblages dispersed,accompanied by scenes
of carnage impossible to describe!Theories of thirty-
four of the most distinguished detectives on the force!
Theory of Chief Blunt!
“There!”said Inspector Blunt，almost betrayed into excitement，“this is magnificent!This is the greatest windfall that any detective organization ever had.The fame of it will travel to the ends of the earth，and endure to the end of time，and my name with it.”
But there was no joy for me.I felt as if I had committed all those red crimes，and that the elephant was only my irresponsible agent.And how the list had grown!In one place he had “interfered with an election and killed five repeaters.”He had followed this act with the destruction of two poor fellows，named O'Donohue and McFlannigan，who had“found a refuge in the home of the oppressed of all lands only the day before，and were in the act of exercising for the first time the noble right of American citizens at the polls，when stricken down by the relentless hand of the Scourge of Siam.”In another，he had “found a crazy sensation-preacher preparing his next season's heroic attacks on the dance，the theater，and other things which can't strike back，and had stepped on him.”And in still another place he had “killed a lightning-rod agent.”And so the list went on，growing redder and redder，and more and more heartbreaking.Sixty persons had been killed，and two hundred and forty wounded.All the accounts bore just testimony to the activity and devotion of the detectives，and all closed with the remark that “three hundred thousand citizens and four detectives saw the dread creature，and two of the latter he destroyed.”
