Rampage through Finsbury Park

The salubrious North London suburb, of which Finsbury Park is the centre, was, on Sept 20th, the scene of a lively escapade. Mr James Sanger's 'Jim,' as sketched by a P.I.P Artist, was the offender, 'Jim', a big twenty-five years-old elephant, had been for some days at Mr Sanger's depot in Woodville Grove, St. Ann's Road.

On the Wednesday afternoon Mr Turner took this elephant and two llamas for a walk through the streets. The llamas were led by boys, and Mr Turner was leading this elephant with the usual hooked stick used by keepers attached to one of the animal's ears. When outside the Manor House, the elephant, usually of most docile disposition, became restive, and, breaking away from his keeper, dashed at break-neck pace into Finsbury Park.

The brute ran straight forward; neither railing nor fence proved any obstacle, and those bars which he could not step over the elephant wrenched up or broke down. After trumpeting loudly several times, the elephant charged the bandstand, and damaged a few chairs. The keeper found plenty of people willing to assist the chase, and it was no difficult matter to get up to the brute, but to secure him was another thing. Leaving the park by the gates at the other end 'Jim' ran into Blackstock Road, followed by several policemen and a large crowd of men and boys. 'Jim' then carried on through Highbury, Clissold Park, Stoke Newington, Newington Green, Dalston Lane, Lea Bridge, Stamford Hill and ended up in a field he knew near Bruce Grove, from where he went quietly home.

From The Penny Illustrated Paper, 30 September 1893​