Mary, though mostly forgotten today, was once famous. She was the star of the Sparks Circus, dubbed “ Mighty Mary” and “Murderous Mary” because of her jumbo size and because she killed her new handler. There are several versions of exactly how and why she killed the new circus employee, Walter Eldgridge, in September 1916. But it's indisputable that sometime after she was born in 1886, she was captured, then trekked from her home in Asia across the ocean as living cargo, and for 18 years was brutally forced to learn tricks.

A life defined by quiet suffering

Mary was trained to play musical instruments and pitch baseballs. She lived in tight quarters with other elephants and travelled to cities around the country to perform. She spent her days shackled and her nights performing. Her life was never easy, but she endured it quietly, obeying the commands to pose, kneel, turn, pitch balls, or play an instrument, always nudged with the ever-present bullhook that pierced her sensitive skin under her ear if she did not immediately comply.

Mary delivers a mighty blow

She performed on cue with stoic acceptance of her fate until September 12, 1916, when something snapped inside Mary, and she lashed out at her new handler. She tossed Walter “Red” Eldridge into the air and then crushed him with her mighty trunk when he landed. Speculation ran wild: was it due to her brutal training, and had she finally had enough? Was it her bad temper, as some claimed? It is more likely that it was due to a toothache. After her death, an autopsy revealed she had an infected tooth. When Walter prodded her near that sensitive spot, she instinctively reacted to the intense pain and lashed out.

Even though, by most accounts, Mary had calmed down after the attack, horrified bystanders demanded Mary's death. "Kill the elephant! Let's kill it!" A local man, Hench Cox, fired five rounds at Mary, with little effect. The circus owner, Charlie Sparks, decided that the only way to save his circus from a ruinous reputation 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, Tennessee, where 500 people, including most of the town's children, gathered in the railroad yard.

Her torturous death drew large crowds

Mary was hanged by the neck from a railcar-mounted derrick. The first attempt resulted in a snapped chain. Mary fell and broke her hip as children fled in terror. Severely wounded, Mary died during a second attempt and was buried beside the tracks. The ten minutes of horror Mary suffered for her outburst were terrible to behold. She was not the only elephant to be killed for striking out at handlers or trainers. But her story is a cruel reminder that forcing these majestic wild animals into lives of servitude and punishment does have its cost, to the elephants and to the humans who try to control them. Elephants, no matter how long they live in captivity, are still wild animals, and even sharp, pronged weapons like bullhooks don't always work to tame them.

RIP Mary. Any semblance of a life as the wild, free elephant you were meant to be was snatched from you, and you lived and died as a slave for entertainment. We pledge to never forget your tragic life and death, and to keep working to free all elephants from suffering in circuses, zoos, and tourist facilities.

Sadly, there are still circuses today that exploit animals, including elephants. Fortunately, more and more human-powered circuses are popping up in cities around the world, engaging audiences with compassionate, dynamic entertainment.
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