[1] This film documents the publicly announced killing of Topsy the elephant at the unfinished Luna Park on Coney Island, New York City on January 4, 1903.

After several incidents at Luna Park (sometimes attributed to the actions of her handler, William "Whitey" Alt) the owners of Luna Park, Frederic Thompson and Elmer "Skip" Dundy, claimed they could no longer handle the elephant and announced they would hang Topsy in a public spectacle and charge admission.

Thompson and Dundy cut the event back to invited guest and press only and agreed to use a surer method of strangling the elephant with large ropes tied to a steam powered winch.

The 74-second film opens with Topsy being led past a crowd of people through an unfinished Luna Park to the execution spot, an island in the middle of a "lagoon" used for boat-rides, by elephant handler Carl Goliath.

Topsy was also fed carrots laced with cyanide while copper-clad sandals connected to electric lines were strapped to her feet.

It was described in the Edison catalog as: Topsy, the famous "Baby" elephant, was electrocuted at Coney Island on January 4, 1903.

The film was also used in a memorial arts piece to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Topsy's death created by New Orleans artist Lee Deigaard and exhibited at the Coney Island USA museum.

It allowed the public to view the film on a hand cranked mutoscope while surrounded by hanging chains and standing on a copper plate.