Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-10-10
BESS AND RUDE.
Tho Strong Attachment OF an Elephant
for Setter Dog.

The Strong Attachment OF AN Elephant
for "a Setter Dog.
Nothing Is more curious and interesting
among the many strange things TO be noted
In and about q mcnageric," said the veteran
manager James NJ. Nixon 10 a New York
Sun reporter, ethan the devoted affection
that elephants frequently demonstrate for
dogs. The big pachyderms form no other
attachments so strong and enduring, and
the dogs seem 10 reciprocate the feeling.
"Ono OF tue best Illustrations that ever
saw was the love between Bcss and Rube.
Bess was female elephant that we had in
the Barnum show in 1874, and Rube was a
setter dog. Bess was never easy when
RUDE was out Of her sight Her Keen little
eyes would follow his every movement if he
was frisking about, and if he disappeared
she would utter lttlo scream that would
bring him calamity back 10 her in a hurry.
She never seemed so happy as when he was
lying asleep on tho hay In front Of her. with
her big trunk waving over him. One time
Rubo got sick She took the best care Of
him that she knew how in her olephantino
way. She made bunch Of hay about a foot
thick and largo enough for him to lie eoiled
upon and in some way made him under
stand that he should lie down upon IL. Then
she deftly worked her big trunk around
under the bunch Of hay so as to take il up,
with him on il, as a woman takes up sick
baby on pillow, and there she held HIM
and gently swung him 20 and fro all night
long, rocking and lulling him TO sleep. In
tho morning he was well again, and Bess
appeared as happy as n mother who had
nursed her child through a spell of illness
While we were showing in Boston
happened 20 mention 10 a group Of report
ers one day the strong affection Bess
showed for Rube. They evidently consld-
cred IL a circus fairy story and were not
delicate In saying so. Very Well said,
IF any Of you doubt II, just get Rube away
from Bess "a little distance and hurt him
slightly, enough to make him yelp'
hadn't any idea that they'd do il, and
didn't stop TO think Of where Bess might
be, and whether she was chained or not.
The fact was that she was at the time GO
ing through a rehearsal in the ring, loose,
and RUDE was sitting up on folded carpet
some way on The reporters left me and
strolled out into the canvas. Pretty soon
they edged around 70 where Rube was, and
one Of them gave his tail twist, which the
dog instantly remarked loudly. Bess, at
the sound of his yelp, wheeled around into
the ring, threw up her trunk with a shrill
scream OF rage, and started out for those
reporters. They few. There was no time
for explanation, argument or dignided leis-
ure. The forty or fifty employees who were
standing about ran too. Bess stopped at
RUDE, and when sh0 saw that he wasn't Sc
riously hurt she Gained right down, walked
back 70 the ring and went on with the re-
hearsal
"Whcu we were going 10 Lowell from
Boston, RUDE, who had a sore foot, was put
in one Of tho baggage wagons and sent on
ahead. When they came % start the ele-
plants for the march Bess missed her pet
and broke out In open rebellion She stood
and trumpetcd for him, snorted, and
tramped around i'm excitement, and would
not be driven Tho other elephants began
to share her excitement, and man had TO
be sent on a swift horse after Rube. The
wagon he was on came back. The doors
were thrown open so that Bess could see
him. She went up 20 him, touched him
gently all over with her trunk, blinked at
him, made n succession of sounds that
sounded like the blowing of Of steam from
tho exhaust pip0of a boiler, and then logged
along behind him contentedly all the way,
the doors Of the wagon being kept openn