Area authorities suspected that the fires were arson.' Of course, that paragraph checks in at 80 words, or roughly four times the amount of text related to Hugo's position as the winter circus capital of the world. In reality, it was the groomer that she had severely injured. The circus was in Honolulu in 1994 when attendees at the day's performance were surprised to see the elephant enter the ring tossing around what appeared to be a dummy. Undercover video taken by an LCA investigator of circus elephants being. The Belmont Hotel, which the area historical society was renovating, was destroyed. Tyke was a 20-year-old female African elephant who performed with Circus International. LCAs footage showed evidence of ITRs grave neglect and mistreatment of animals. On December 28 a fire erupted in the central business district of Hugo, consuming five buildings and burning for four hours. Within one week in December, two fires occurred the first was at the Booker T. Before Christmas, a shootout occurred in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Mary’s execution, and the photograph of her hanging, were widely reported in the press. Her huge body was then buried in a large grave which had been excavated further up the tracks. After she was dead, Mary was left to hang for half an hour. From Wikipedia: 'In late 1993, the town suffered several violent incidents. The derrick once more began to lift the elephant, and this time the chain held the weight. CAPS believe there can be little mystery as to what motivated her to escape'.

We should note here that Hugo is not without other exciting, non-circus-related occurrences. Tyke’s final day was preceded by four days confined on a ship traveling to yet another performance, 21 years of captivity, a humiliating life of performing, being beaten, chained and denied the simple act of behaving like an elephant. Ringmaster John Strong, also known as 'Big John,' has an epitaph that reads: 'The man with more friends than Santa Claus.' Ted Bowman, who passed away in 1999, has a wagon wheel tombstone with the following inscription: 'There's nothing left but empty popcorn sacks and wagon tracks-the circus is gone.' There are some photos here, and they are fantastic. Woodcock, and entrepreneur Jack Moore, whose tombstone is shaped like a circus tent. Some of those include wire artiste Huberto Weber, elephant trainer William H. He purchased a number of plots and reserved the spaces for anyone who fit the description. Miller got the idea after the death of his brother, Kelly, in 1961. Even better: Showmen's Rest, part of Mount Olivet Cemetery that is dedicated to circus performers.

Tyke the elephant grave