Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-12-25

solicit me to pet him, and if 1 re.
manned near, he would soon get over
his i'll feeling.
"We have travelled many thousands
of miles together in the magnificent
car built expressly for our use. My
sleeping apartment was at one end Of
the car, and my bed was near Jumbo.
Unless 1 was in it he would not go to
sleep, no matter what hour of the
night it might be. Sometimes l would
take a short walk around the city after
the exhibition vas over for the day,
and before the cars started. Jumbo
was always awake, and waiting for his
bit of cake and beer, or whatever I
had. He always shared my beer at
night. Once l forgot to give him his
| portion, and after l had dropped
asleep he put his trunk around me,
| and lifted MT out of my bed. 1 then
recollected the nip of beer I had left
in the mug, not enough to wet the old
fellows throat, but as soon as he got it
he was satisfied.
"He was mischievous, too, and
fallen asleep, and then carefully take
off my bedclothes without awakening
me. If it was cold weather, I would
find the quilts crowded into the venti-
lator overhead. 1 recollect finding my
coat and vest carefully tucked into the
grating of the car, out of my reach. I
looked for them for half an hour,
while Jumbo swunk his trunk like an
enormous pendulum, as he always did
when expressing delight. Finally he
directed my attention to the grating,
and at my request gave them back.
Many times Jumbo has picked me up
and placed me out of danger of vnri-
GUS kinds to which he fancied I was
exposed, and in several instances he
saved my life. When the stampede of
elephants took place last year, he
caught me in his trunk, and held nut a
prisoner between his fore-feet until the
general alarm had subsidized.
"An amusing instance occurred at
Penn Yam of Jumbo's jealousy of the
attention paid me by visitors to the
great show.
"a young lady from the rural dis
tricts took quite a fancy to me, and I
suppose l took more pains than usual
that she should know the whole history
Of Jumbo. She returned several times
before the circus performance began
in the big tent. and each time brought
a bouquet or other small gift. After the
exhibition she came again, and Jumbo
concluded I was either in great dam
ger or else receiving altogether too
much attention from the damsel. At
any rate, he wound his trunk around
me and drew me away from her. I.
freed myself, and again made myself
agreeable, when Jumbo picked me up
and placed me on one side, and then
gently but firmly pushed the lady away
from him as far as his chains would al
low.
II do not like to review the details
of Jumbo's sudden death. He showed
his affection for me to the last mo-
ment, and it seems that he realized
the danger to which 1 was exposed.
He first took care, as he saw the fatal
train coming, that / should be saved,
and quickly put me out of harms way.
Then he as quickly rolled Tom Thumb
away from the track, and ip so doing
lost so much time that the engine was
upon him before he could move away.
He was a king, and he faced death like
a king. The locomotive struck him on
the head, fracturing his skull.
"Jumbo's hide and bones are now
in charge of Prof. Ward, proprietor of
the great museum at Rochester, N. T.,
and he is preparing them for Mr.. Bar
nun hereafter to transport through the
country with his show. Eventually the
skeleton will rest at the National Mu-
scum of the Smithsonian Institution at
Washington, while the stuffed skin will
be placed in the Barnum Museum of
Natural History at Tufts College, near
Boston,"
Mr.. Barnum sends the following
short account of Jumbo's introduction
to his herd of elephants:
"The day after Jumbo's arrival at
Madison Square Garden we resolved to
introduce him to the thirty-tive Indian
elephants which we had there. Some
of us feared the result, but Scott in
sisted that Jumbo was too much of a
gentleman to misbehave. So we placed
our thirty-fve elephants in a row., each
being chained one leg to a post, and
then Scott led Jumbo in. He passed
in front Of the string of elephants, look
ing at first a little surprised, as did all
the other elephants when they first dis
covered him approaching. But Jumbo
and all the other elephants at once
looked kindly, and each extended it's
trunk as Jumbo passed, which he fondly
took with his own trunk, giving each
elephant a kind caress. Mutual affec-
ton seemed at once established, and it
existed without interruption till the
day of his DEATH"