Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-12-24
"JUMBO."
Personal "reminiscences by His Keeper,
Matthew Scott.

Personal "reminiscences by His Keeper,
Matthew Scott.
The following interesting sketch of
Barnum's mammoth elephant, which
met such tragic death in Canada last
summer, is taken from an article in a
late number of Horper's Young People:
cit was in December. 1851, that my
name was entered on the books of the
Roy al Geological Society's Garden, at
Regents Park, in London. was then
seventeen years of age, and my great
desire to be constantly among the ami
mails which had visited over and over
again was finally gratified.
Il well remember when it was an
nounced, eighteen years ago, that an
African elephant, with immense ears
like folding parlor doors, would soon
arrive, and the managers decided to
put me in charge of him. There was
great excitement when the boat arrived
from Paris, and it seemed as if all the
boys and girls in London turned out to
see him. The little elephant was a
curiosity on account of his peculiar
shape and his big ears, and the men,
bers of several learned societies came
to examine him. The name l gave
him, Jumbo, had no particular signifi
had ever heard it.
From the natives where he was
captured it was learned that Jumbo was
five years of age, and / took delight in
telling the visitors that he would grow
up to be the biggest elephant in the
world. This judged from the pecul-
lar size and proportions of his bones in
relation to the body, and | resolved
soon afterward that | would make
study of feeding him. He was then
sickly, and in a bad state of health gen.
orally. Jumbo and myself were fast
friends the first time we met, and he
would be governed by none of the
other keepers. He was like great
good-natured boy. and he took spe-
cial fancy to children and ladies, and
was never SO happy as when he could
carry back-load of little ones around
the Park. His passengers included
children of royalty and nobility, and
as he grew rapidly, a larger saddle was
necessary every few months.
lone day as Jumbo was passing
through crowd he suddenly stopped.
and would not move an inch when l
commanded him to proceed. From
nv seat i'm the saddle | observed that a
lady below was much agitated as she
came running toward Jumbo. Lean
inc over the side of the saddle, | saw
that a child of two or three years had
fallen in our pathway, and was lying
between Jumbo's fore-feet. The beast
would not stir until he had taken up
the infant tenderly in his trunk and
passed it over to the mother.
..Mr. Barnum, ten years ago, saw
Jumbo at the Gardens and tried to pur-
chase him. When he offered fifty thou
sand dollars for him was afraid the
directors would let him go and that l
would lose my best friend. l didn' t
have much to say to the great show
man, and was not at all anxious to eX-
hibit the good points of my big ele-
plant until after the managers of the
Garden had assured me that they
would never allow the animal to 90 to
America for any price. Six years ago,
however, Jumbo had turns of fretful-
ness which alarmed the directors, and
they even went so far as to purchase
blunderbusses with which to shoot him
if he became mad and unmanageable.
/ told them that elephants were social
animals, and that what allied Jumbo
was the want of society with his own
species.
LAS Mr. Barnum had score or two
of elephants in his great American
show Mr. A D. Bartlett. Superintend-
ent CT the Geological Gargens, advised
the sale of Jumbo at greatly reduced
price. Mr.. Barnum offered ten thou
sand dollars, and the managers ac-
ceGted it. on the condition that he
should take him as he stood, as they
would run no risks of removing him.
The bargain was made. and it was one
of she happiest days of my life when L
found that | was 10 accompany my old
friend across the water.
THE journey is familiar to every boy
and girl in the land. Even those who
have not seen Jumbo on his travels
through the country have read how
Jumbo was boxed up and hoisted
abroad the steamer Assyrian Monarch
by means of enormous derrickS. and
April, 1882, every paper in the land
hac columns of interesting news about
the wonderful beast that had now
grcwn to be the largest known animal
in the world.
Jumbo was unlike any other ele-
phaat in Mr.. Barnum's great herd. 1t
world never do to punish him or to
force him to obey. Mr.. Arstingstall
holds sway over nearly fifty great ami
mails (any of which mi ght pick him up
and hurl him as a boy would rat)
solely because they fear him. Not so
with Jumbo. He minded me because
he loved me. Many years ago it was
that he began &c show his affection for
me, and he never betrayed the conf
derce / placed in him. Whenever l
could make my wishes kn,wn to him.
he always obeyed. Like a child. he
would sometimes be peevish and
sallcn. lus 1t such times he would