The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-06-22
MANKATo FREE Press.
FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 1883.
BARNUM'S WHITE ELEPHANT.
The Newly Acquired siamese Curiosity
Reported to be Dead.
From the New York Tunes.

From the New York Tunes.
l.. L Barnum, the Snowman, was
at the Windsor Hotel last night, on
his way from Chicago, where he left
Jumbo and the rest of his show. to
his home i'm Bridgeport, Conn. "Iet
thy servant depart in peace, he said,
but before go--and l hope To ie.
main q long time yeti want white
elephant Mr.. Barnum felt conf
dent that n white elephant and
spotted elephant were OH their way
to this country with u lot of other
elephants for him. They were ex-
pected to arrive ut San Francisco
July /, and his partner. j. A. Bailey.
was going IL meet the ship there.
The agent, J. Is. Gaylord secured a
personal interview with the King of
Siam, but opened negotiations direct
ly with the Prime Minister. The
potentates and the people were
wrought up to Il great state of indig
nation by the proposal To take one of
the beasts which they worshIped
away.
The United States Consul at Bang.
kok wrote Mr.. Barnum that If he had
been there when the proposition was
made ii WAS doubtful if his life would
have been safe. Whenever IL white
elephant is brought tO the King of
Siam 1t is the custom to present the
person bringing the beast u sum equal
in American money Ia n few thousand
dollars and make noble of him
Several SiameSe men went to Mr.
Gaylord. and told him that they
knew of II white elephant belonging
to il rajah OF some other Individual,
which they could get. They wanted
100000 in English gold OH its deliv-
cry 1T Muulmein, in the British Bur
nah. Gaylard has said that he would
take the animal only in British pos
sessions. 1t was u hazardous under
taking. The men would have ii
travel six weeks with the white ele.
plant. They could only drive him
under cover of darkness, OH account
of the fear of trouble, and would he
obliged to rest during the day for that
reason. Sam NickerSOn, q Connect
cut Yankee, volunteered to go. The
rajah preferred cash to u title, SO /;
bargain was struck whereby $25, 900
was to be paid at MOulmein and the
remaining $75 900 at San Francisco
Buddhist priests were to accompany
them.
Gaylord cabled Mr.. Barnum earl,
in May that the white elephant hal
arrived safely at Moulmein, and tina
. he had secured 4 spotted elephantlfO
{ about $50. 900. lie added that h,
would arrive at San Francisco, Jul,
LIST. The next day "a dispatch cam,
saying that Gaylord had been arrest
ed for stealing the white elephant
but subsequently, that he had beer
acquitted. Nothing more was heart
from Gaylord. Two or three day
afterward dispatch was printed il
a newspaper saying that a white ele
plant belonging to a circus had dice
at the place where Gaylord was sup
| posed to he. Bailey said that was
ruse of Gaylord to silence tho na
!: tives.
. Mr.. Barnum said that if whit
5 elephant really did die rs reported i
! must have been his, but in that cas-
GAYLORD would have been apt to in
form him. AT any rate the spOtte,
j. elephant was all right. The animal
! were to be finally shipped at SING,
: pore. In the lot was an elephan
!, whose tusks ran Oh the ground lik
i, the runners Of II sleigh and curled ut
. General U. S. Grant told Mr.. Barn
. nm that the King Of Siam had an ele
. phant OF this description. I'll
q greatest fear now is the pas
/ sage over the equator. FIX. Mayo
: Warner, of Lansing, Mich, who ne
y gotlated for Jumbo; Elephant Bill
= = and man named Buel, of st. Lonis
y went to Russia to get white elt
2 plant belonging to the Gar in tn
d Geological Gardens. 1t was given
70 the ruler Of Russia in part considers
Y ton for surrounding some lerritOr
). that had been taken from anOthe
2. country-Sam. Mr.. Baruum was q
a the opinion that Elephant Bill teste
n the beast and thought it was blac
3 elephant troubled with scuryy; 80 tn
men came back. The Car offered {
4 2. let the beast go for year. Mr.. Bal
E mum wanted him for two years. MI
Barnum was not SD sure that after a
!. he was genuine white elephant.
ID there had been no doubt he cOul
'r have been secured for two years.