Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-12-25
"JUMBo."'
Personal "reminiscences by His Keeper,
Matthew Scott.

"JUMBo."
Personal "Reminiscences by His Keeper,
Matthew Scott.
The following interesting sketch of
Barnum's mammoth elephant, which
met such a tragic death in Canada last
summer, is taken from an article in a
late number Of Ha1per's Young People:
cit was in December, 1851, that my
name was entered on the books of the
Royal Geological Socicty's Garden, at
Regents Park, in London. I was then
seventeen years Of age, and my great
desire to be constantly among the ami
mails which I had visited over and over
again was finally gratifed.
II we'll 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 decided to
put me in charge of him. There was
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,
beers Of several leasned societies came
to examine him. The name 1 gave
him, Jumbo, had no particular signifi-
canoe; in fact, I don't think that l
had ever heard it.
"From the natives where he was
captured it was learned that Jumbo was
five years of age, and I took delight in
telling the visitors that he would grow
up to be the biggest elephant in the
world. This 1 judged from the pecul-
lar size and proportions of his bones in
relation to the body, and I resolved
soon afterward that 1 would make a
study of feeding him. He was then
sickly, and in a bad state of health gen.
erally y. Jumbo and myself were fast
friends the first time we met, and he
would be governed by o of the
other keepers. He was like a great
good-natured boy, and he took a spe-
cial fancy to children and ladies, and
was never SO happy as when he could
carry a 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.
t'One day as Jumbo was passing
through a crowd he suddenly stopped,
and would not an inch when l
commanded him to proceed. From
my seat in the saddle / observed that a
lady below was much agitated as she
came running toward Jumbo. Lean
ing wei the side of the saddle, 1 saw
that a child Of two or three years had
fo1lon in AZ ,,afhHyax nnH uv0c 1uino m
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 I was afraid the
directors would let him go and that l
would lose my best friend. I 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 go 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.
l told them that elephants were social
animals, and that what allied Jumbo
was the want of society with his own
species.
"As Mr.. Barnum had a score or two
of elephants in his great American
show Mr.. A. D. Bartlett, Superintend.
ent of the Geological Gargens, advised
the saie of Jumbo at a greatly reduced
price. Mr.. Barnum offered ten thou
sand dollars, and the managers &C,
cepted 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 vas m
of the happiest days of my life when ]
found that 1 was to 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 hoistec
abroad the steamer Assyrian Monarch
how, on his arrival in New York il
April, 1882, every paper in the lane
had columns of interesting new abou'
the wonderful beast that had now
grown to be the largest known ANNA
in the world.
Jumbo was unlike any other ele.
plant in MI. Barnum's great herd. 1
would never do to punish him OF tt
force him to obey. Mr.. Arsting stal
holds sway over nearly fifty great ami
mails (any of which might pick him W
and hurl him as a boy would a rat,
solely because they fear him. Not sc
with Jumbo. He minded me because
he loved me. Many years ago it wa
that he began to show his affection TO:
me. and he never betrayed the conf
dence l placed in him. Whenever
could make my wishes known to him
he always obeyed. Like a child, HI
would sometimes be peevish ant
anlleo- hut ar Such times he Wnul(