The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1851-09-25


Bogus Elephant.
The werd Caucus was originated as fol
lows: During the Peninsular War, carried
ON in Spain, 10y the English, under Lord
Wellington, then only the Duke of Welles-
ley, the army had to cross the river Guadal-
culver, With all their baggage, mules AMI
asses, numbering 500, and the river then
swollen with rams, so that it was impossi-
ble for the mules and asses to swim over,
without being borne down 10y the current so
/ far before they could land on the opposite
| side, that they would sink, through fatigue
/ Accordingly, the General called II conven-
ton of his officers, TO devise some plan for
getting the animals over; and after long
consolation about ii, ailordng much mer-
riuen, to the army, who knew what il was
! about, it was finally agreed and orders were
given, 10 have large ban,lage or jack ct Of
cork, buckled like 4 saddle, around each Of
the brutes; but upon trial they were all
drowned. The counsel Of officers who de-
vsed jackets Of cork, for The mules and
asses, was jeeringy called the cork ass
counsel ana finally Hwas abbreviated into
cork ass; The photography Of the word was
changed from cork ASS into caucus, to con-
ceal lis mean origin; aud caucus AT length
climbed up and took a respectable seat in
the columns of the dictionary,
! N.,H,r IA ii
Gus, probably. has it been applied in sense
so proper and so strictly literal, as to the
Rice "cork-ass" last week, which fitted out
their caravan of candidates, TO be support
ell at The coming election.
! l he Rice people had protractcd meet
ing, which consumed the two hind quarters
of last week and gnawed the heal of the
Sunday following. They must have had
refreshing time Of it, from all appearances
We refrain from commenting upon the ieal-
ousies and fierce and angry debates and vi
olent denunciatons and recrmination a
mongst them; rs il is family matter Of
their own; and AS many Of them were
caught and after actual trial, are now heart
! lily sick OF the whole greedy set Of corno-
rants, ami would like TO crawl out Of the
scrape, without lis being understood they
were in it. Ii will be as hard, in month,
to find a man who was in that Convention,
as it was in Cincinnati to find man who
would own that he attended the chase of
buffaloes there exhibited; when the bufla-
loes being turned loose. went quietly to
grazing. To strangers and Spectators.
looking on, who have listened TO the hypo-
critical braying of the Rice leaders, about
principle and democracy, for some time
past, it was an exhibition which needed no
comment. They ''saw the elephant"
skin was blown off and the ugly little beast
stood in all his native deformity, a verita-
bic jackass, from his hoofs up the tips of
his long ears.
The Democrat, who grooms The animal,
was greatly illustrated to see the beast de-
nuded; and began to whisper aud coax and
pat and wheedle him; begging him not to
kick off the elephant skin and spoil the ex-
hibtion by braying before the crowd but
the animal had got obstinate and continued
to brace back and pull at the halter, bray
ing out that unmistakable he-haw he haw
he haw! until the scene was perfectly lu-
dlcrous, the keeper trying to hold the elc-
phant skin down over the rump Of the little
donkey, by the crupper, while the donkey
continued to bray and kick up behind. At
length the animal got quiet; aud the keeper
men, this is the lephant; but he is very
young aud vicious. Still, you see it is a
genuine elephant; knew the mother Of this
animal, in Ohier. will show you, that
he las the motions aud habits Of the ele-
plant Kneel down, sir (The beast
drops upon his knees.) Down (beast
drops his hiud-quarters.) spectators
laugh when they see the beast coming down
behind as if he had no knees in his hind
Iegs.) Gentlemen, you need not laugh;
this young elephant has the natural knee
! joints of the elephant in his hind legs; but
he was foun,iered by eating wiId-rice, so
that he cannot bend them. (He haw! he
haw! brays the PROSTATE donkey) Now,
says the keeper, you seven gentlemen whom
| designated, may come forward and sit
astride Of the elephant. Nelson e. Free
born having more weight, may sit upon the
shoulders. Mccain, Burns, Kennedy and
Keller, may sit next; and little Jack Nor
gan, selected as the least of evils, nav Law
hold Of the crupper. They know but little
of natural history, who believe that little
disguised jackass will ever be able to get
upon bis hoofs with such burien-coax
aud whisper and storm and rant and goad
him, as much rs the Democrat driver may
What is one poor little jackass, under six
such weighty candidates and Jack Morgan,
a catch rider, mounted behind, like a mon.
key in a circus!