The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-10-15
JUMBo. 1HE pEPARTED.


NArAooss
h1E. James s Davis, for MANY wears
seReign aEent Cor P. T. Barnum. told :
1btsI1s E1Portsf some unpublished
4h4s about Junaha When sent from
k4ns to the London Geological Gar
denD IN exchange for q hippopotamus
b was placed in charge of Scott, who
zsmained his keeper until the eie-
pAant's death Mr. Davis has q pho
toerzph of Scott and his charge as they
appeared at that time. Jumbo reach
Is inst 70 his keepers shoulder Scott
% 8 character in himself. Until he
came to this country with Jumbo he
had not. in the recollection of man,
been outside Of the Geological Gardens.
he was Jumbo's inseparable compan-
ion. he slept in the hayloft above
Jumbo's quarters and took all the care
Of him. This intimacy could not fail
to have its effect upon one or the other,
and, as . consequence. Jumbo con-
tracted some Of SCOTS bad habits.
The keeper was an inveterate chewer
Of tobacco. Jumbo acquired the habit,
and to the day of his death had to have
his allowance. He also regarded
onions Is . great delicaey. Jumbo's
exact hight was eleven feet four inches
to the shoulder and twelve feet five
inches to the top Of his head. His ac-
thai weight, given in the circus bills as
ten tons was seven and q half tons.
This country did not seem to agree
with him at first as he lost flesh, but he
soon began to gain until he exceeded
his English weight, and, though he did
not grow in hight. continued to in
crease In weight until the day of his
AaASA The ~, ka g. %
the performances in New York during
the frst week that Jumbo was exhibit
cd there more than paid his entire
cost to his new owner, and during the
ten days that he was first exhibited
here In 1888 the receipts were the
largest in circus history.
Jumbo did not at first take readily
to peanuts. It was an American Gus
tom Of his kindred that be did not UNI
derstand, and he was afraid of them.
He watched the other elephants close
~ when they ate them. but after a
while, when he saw that they did not
suffer from the effects, he dared to VEN
ture, and ended by becoming very fond
| of them. Railroad travel also seriously
/ alarmed him. Scott always slept in
| the car in q bunk about six feet from
| the floor and at Jumbo's head. When
over anything occurred on the road that
frightened the elephant he would
stretch up his trunk and feel for his
keeper. Scott, thus awakened, had
| merely to pat the elephants trunk and
he was Immediately quieted. Jumbo
was excessively timid. lie was never
punished in his life, but was always
most susceptible to kindnass. His sa-
| gacity. Mr.. Davis said, was remarka-
ble-his intelligence almost human.
He expressed himself in signs almost
as complete as the deaf and dumb code.
Jumbo always had great fondness
| for the smallest kind of his species. A
child. pony, or little dog won his at
/ lection Most elephants have dog
| for q companion. MIR. Davis thought
Jumbo would be pleased with one and
/ so bought three German hounds, in
tended to make the elephant present
| of one. Jumbo at the time was in win
ter quarters at Bridgeport Conn. The
elephant-house was boarded over, the
boards being nailed outside of the sup
/ ports. Jumbo was chained at one end
| of the house and when the hound was
brought up to him eyed it furtively
| for q moment and then clasping it in
his trunk threw it against the side Of
the house with such force that the
boards were knocked of. Mr.. Davis
said that it was the only act of cruelty
Jumbo ever perpetrated. Afterwards
collie was given him and he showed
the greatest affection for it. Jumbo'i
kindness was one of his distinguished
characteristics, trait very unusual il
African elephants, which though the
moro intelligent, are not as tractabls
as Indian elephants. OF the seventy.
five elephants in this country sixty
eight are Indian. Jumbo was the only
African elephant of the herd of fort
that Barnum had. Jumbo was % year
old. He had been west as far as oman
and South to Louisville. Next seasol
he would have gone to San Francisco
i - CHICAGO Tribune