Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1866-02-10
A CONFEDERATE SHOW AT NATCHI-
TOCHES.

The town Of Natchitoces is n of IT,
oldest settlements Of the Red River
country. The inhabitents are mostly, O
| Freuch descent, of that primitive stool
| called Acadians, who, for several genera
tons, have preserved a guileless, content
ed simplicity as rare as it is remarkable
ia this land Of enterprise and improve
ment.
During the war Natchitoches has serv
ed as a military depot and rendezvous fol-
the C~onfederates, and was 50 still anc
sluggish that the young bloods Of the
post many Of them from the city Of New
Orleans, were at their wit end to dispe
the naRnotony Of the time.
on one occasion hand bills were post.
ed an over the town, Announcing III the
most fowery and glowing terms the ad
vent Of thcesiebrated Snowman Barnum
who had ed to penetrate the block.
ade Of sfeAk coast, and would make
his appearance t5r the first time in the
Transe-Mississippi Department, with his
renowned war elephant Hannibal, the
peerless Greek statue of A%ntinous, and
the unequaled man fly. who walked the
ceiling with his head downward. OF
course Natchitoches was agitated to its
center, AMI nothing was talked about ex-
cept Barnum's great exhibition. Those
in the secret took care to foment the spir-
it of creduious wonder, and would en-
gage in conversation together among
the groups OF gaping darkies, as to the
colossal size of t e elephant and the mar
wells of the collection. 1t vas also cir
culat-d about town that the elephat was
perdue III the pine woods about two
miles out, chained to two full grown pine
trees, in default Of a tent or shed capa-
cions enough to screen the monstrous
beast. In this belief a good many of the
inhabitents, white and black, secured the
surrounding forest in vain search Of the
elephant.
On the momentous evening, the hall
selected for the show was filed to suffo-
with people from the whole parish;
a military band played a prelude, and the
finally rose. In staIked a tall
{ keeper" leading by one of his tusks
(which were the long horns of a Texas
beef, the eagerly expected eIephat. The
huge animal appeared wonderfully dociIe
and intelligent, performing various tricks
IN obedience to his masters orders be
marched round the stage, waving his
trunk with portly majesty amidst the ap-
piause and admiration of the audience,
when, suddenly, n of his hind legs trip
ped, and the elephant was as suddenly
netamorphosed into two laughing soldier
. critters" who had stuffed the legs to
proportions, covering them
selves over with a Confederate blanket.
font n making a trunk, with his
arm wrapt in an old trowser leg. A cur
Tain rope, with a tassel at the end, sery-
ID for the elephants candal appendage.
The expose was infinitely too ludicrous
excite anything but laughter.
Soon tt e man who was to walk the
after the manner Of the fly, made
lis debut, preceded by two assistants and
our "supes,' bearing a couple of wooden
horses and a long plank. With a good
teal Of cerimony the plank was adjusted
N top Of the horses and its solidity tested.
The two assistants then took hold of the
" man, reversed bis position, and hold
og him head downwards, carried him
beneath the plank to and fro, his legs,
be while, a%mbulating as if he were really
Walking the plank.
The ingenuity of this sell excited
n rovernable mirth, and after several
Their equally amusing, and one or two
ealiy artistic performances, the auditory
lisPersed, better pleased, probably than
the exhibition had been of the genuine