On the DC-9 and MD-80 the wires, pulleys and bellcranks don't move the actual elevators. They move the control tabs and air flow across the control tabs generates a force that moves the elevators. That's why it's common to see one elevator up and one elevator down on a parked aircraft. And even if you had someone looking aft from the main door and they could see the left elevator control tab the problem was the right elevator had been damaged by high winds while the aircraft was parked. The right elevator control tab was not able to generate enough force to over come the damage.