The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-12-20
Barnum,s White EIep,lant.

Mr.. Z. L. Barnum and his partners
have. after trying for yearS, at last
succeeded in securing q white ,ls-
plant. Last spring, it viii bc re
membered, AR. Gaylord, representing
Mr.. Barnum, yisite Siam and had an
interview with the king, with view
of securing one Of the sacred animals
Tor q term OF years or by purchase
outright. The king Indignantly re-
ferred him to his aged uncles, his adj
Visers, who in turn rejected with
scorn the offer of $1O0O00. 1t was,
they said. as if the king should ask
the President of the United States to
sell or loan him the tomb
OF Washington for exhibition in
Siam. Mr.. Gaylord was advised
to leave the Bangkok, which he
did without delay. Subsequently,
ID British Burmah, three Siamese OF
fered to bring out a. white elephant
captured by q nob!eman some distance
from Bangkok, and Mr.. Gaylord sign
ed a contract to give them 100000
if they could purchase the animal
$4,000 upon arrival in Mouimein,
$4,000 upon delivery on d steamer at
Singapore, and $4,000 upon arrival in
good health at San Francisco. In
forty days the elephant arrived at
Moulmein. The party had Travelled
stealthily by night, all being liable to
instant death if They were caught
smuggling this sacred animal ont of
the country. Gaylord paid the first
installment of Sc, 900 and the animal
was shipped to Singapore,
where it was killed by poison
supposed to have been admins
tered by Slamese emissaries. The
fact was cabled to New York last
May. Mr.. Barnum and his partners
cabled to Mr.. Gaylord 10 offer $780,
COO for white elephant owned by
some potentate, $4,000 on arrival in
British India, $4,000 on arrival in
Cairo, $4,000 on delivery in London,
and the remaining $4,000 on arrival
in New York. This offer stirred up
hundreds Of fortune-hunters in Asia,
and the result is that, after months of
diplomacy and large brides to court
iers, a white elephant has been pur
chased from .the notorious and cruel
King Theebau, OF Burmah, with all
the royal documents under seal estab-
fishing its genuinenesS. The price paid
by Z. L. Barnum aud his patners, Jas.
A. Bailey and j. L. Hutchinson is
100000 in gold. The first INSTALL
ment of $4,000 has been paid, and the
animal is now under the care of Bar
NUNS agents in India-J. Is. Gaylord.
Robert White and T. IL. Davis. A
telegram dated Rangoon, Nov. 20,
1883, has just been received by Mr..
Barnum from MIR. Gaylord, in which
he states that Mr.. Robert White, with
two attendants, will leave that port
for London via the SueZ Canal to-day.
The animal Will probably reach Lon
don in February, and will not closS
| the Atlantic before June. London
and Paris Will, therefore, have the
first peep at him. This is the first
white elephant ever permitted to pass
into Christian territory. There is no
breed Of white elephants. They are
albinos, freaks Of nature, and are rarely
born. When one is found in Siam a
great fest day is appointed-the
king, court and priests Joining in SOL
emn ceremonies. The animal is invest
ed with all the trappings Of royalty
and installed in the sacred elephant
palace. The finder is created q noble
and presented with $1,000 from the
royal treasury. These animals are not
pure white, but vary in shade from a
light drab to d clouded cream color,
and that not always extending over
the entire body. The SiameSe worship
the white elephant. and the king de-
mands for them the same care and re-
spect that is accorded to his majesty or
any member of the royal family. and
the people believe the spirit Of deities
and the spirits OF their kings possess
these sacred animals.