White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1858-07-29
Death Of 4 Distinguished Foreigner.

HANNIBAL the large, named alter MN d
Gamma, Hannibal the Great. is dead
He was not an African like the Cartha-
genian, but an Asiatic. Whether from
Hindoostan, Burmah, or the gloriou:
island Of Ceylon, his biography saith not
He was probably above FIVE hundred
years old at the time of his death; and
he saw the throne of the Moguls bsfor'
the British set foot in India, or roamed
the forests of Ceylon long ere the Dutch
landed at Gambia and Columbo. Hi:
skin should be preserved and stuffed, fol
he was the largest quadruped that ever
set foot on this continent, since the days
of the ante-diluvian monsters whose gi-
gantic remains are sometimes discovered
upon the banks of the Missouri, to tell us
of the wonders Of nature when the world
was young. We append the following
from the Cleveland Plaindealer -
The old and justly distinguished ele-
plant Hannibal died at Garfield, on
Monday. He was quite old-extremely
so. We have heard his age stated vari-
ously at from five hundred to one thou
sand years. Our respect for him was of
the most profound character. We pre-
sented him with gingerbread long ago,
when we wore short jackets and cordu-
roys. He was the first live elephant we
ever saw. We gazed upon him with
mingled wonder and delight-with the
old lady, we wondered if he knew he was
an elephant, and if he was elephant all
over. We wondered how many naughty
boys he had swallowed without even
greasing their heads, and how many
wicked men he had stamped his great big
feet on, and killed dead. We had been
reliably informed that Hannibal loved
good little boys, who minded their moth
ers and behaved pretty. He never came,
we were informed, and carried off this
kind of little boys. This information
was remembered for some time after the
caravan" had left the village. AT times
Hannibal was rather wild. Domestic
troubles may have been the cause Of this.
We believe his faults were of the head,
however, and not Of the heart. He never
used tobacco in any form, and in all his
travels was never forced to "spout" his
trunk for his hotel bills. What other
Snowman Of any note can say as much 7?
Still. the fact can't be disguised, Hanni-
bal cut up some very hard capers during
his life. In Maine, years ago, he was
one night shut up in shed. In the
morning he was found three or four miles
of, with the roof of the shed upon his
back
When connected with June & Titus
Circus and Menagerie, he had falling
out with some of the performers, and one
day whilst they were making their grand
entree in the ring, on their high-mettled
and gorgeously-caparisoned horses, Han
nibaf burst his fastenings, rushed into
the ring, and endorsed every man ofthem.
After tossing them around for a while.
he returned to his accustomed place, and
permitted his keeper to tie him up again.
Going from Boston to Salem, some
years ago, he became enraged at some
thing or other, and made terrific work on
the road-tearing down fences, tipping
over wagons, and tossing men and horses
into the air.
Travelling from one small town to
another, one Sunday afternoon, in New
Hampshire, Hannibal met long line Of
filed with people going home
from church. The man in the head car
riage struck the elephant q smart blow
with his whip as he passed. Hannibal
Immediately unloaded the entire line Of
carriages. No one was seriously injured.
One night, as his keeper was driving
him through strip of woods in YER
mont, a violent thunder storm arose A
tree was struck by lightning. and one Of
its shattered branches struck the keeper
and killed him instantly. All night
long the elephant watched the dead man
closely and tenderly, even as q mother
would watch the cOlp se of her child, and
never from that moment left him until
he was buried. Hannibal meant well.
We don't hear what allied Hannibal
probably it was old age. We under
stand that he cost his last owners, Van
4 Co., $4,000. Peace to
his ashes"