The Circus Runaway
A large elephant breaks loose in the middle of a circus, causing panic and injuring a local man.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Early this morning, a large elephant connected with a circus here broke loose, and pulling down part of the tent, rushed around the inclosure wildly. Great excitement ensued, being increased by the cries of the other animals. The employees ran out calling for the police, but the latter declined to assist in the effort to capture the animal. A young man named John Kimberlin, a resident of Altoona, was picked up by the elephant and hurled a long distance, receiving serious injuries. Eventually, a force of workmen secured the fractured beast.
“A young man... was picked up by the elephant and hurled a long distance.”
While traveling circuses are rare in modern city centers, this account of a public safety crisis met with police inaction is a recurring theme in the history of municipal governance.
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