Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-04-15
BEss AND RUBE.
Tho Strong Attachment of an Elephant
for a Setter Dog.

Tho Strong Attachment of an Elephant
for Setter Dog.
Nothing is more curious and interesting
among the many strange things to be noted
in and about a menagerie,n - said the veteran
manager James NJ. Nixon to a New York
san 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 to reciprocate the feeling
"One of the best illustrations that | ever
saw was the love between Bess and Rube.
Bess was a female elephant that we had in
the Barnum show in 1884, and Rube was
setter dog. Bess was never easy when
Rube 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 little scream that would
bring him gallantly back to her in a hurry.
She never seemed so happy as when he was
lying asleep on the nay in front of her, with
her big trunk waving over him. One time
Rube got sick. She took the best care of
him that she knew how in her elephantine
way She made bunch of hay about a foot
thick and large enough for him to lie coiled
upon and in some way made him under
stand that he should lie down upon it. Then
SAlG Qtibll WOih0O blB u hhh uiOhhh
under the bunch of hay so as to take it up,
with him on it, as a woman takes up sick
baby on pillow, and there she held hlm
and gently swung him to and fro all night
long, rocking and lulling him to sleep. In
the morning he was well again, and Bess
appeared as happy as mother who had
nursed her child through Il spell of illness.
While we were showing in Boston
happened to mention to a group of report
ers one day the strong affection Bess
showed for Rube. They evidently consld-
cred ii circus fairy story and were not
delicate in saying so. Very WE'LL l said,
: il any of you doubt 1t, 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 it, and l
didn't stop 10 think Of where Bess might
be, and whether she was chained or not,
The fact was that she was mt the time go
ing through rehearsal in the ring, loose,
and Rube was sitting up on a folded carpet
some way of The reporters left me and
strolled out into the canvas. Pretty soon
they edged around to 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 shrill
scream of rage, and started out for those
reporters, They flew. There was no time
for explanation, argument or dignihed leis-
ure. The forty or fifty employees who were
standing about ran too Bess stopped at
Rube, and when she saw that he wasn't Sc
riously hurt she calmed right down, walked
back TO the ring and went on with the re-
hearsal.
"When we were going 10 Lowell from
Boston, Rube, who had sore foot, was put
in one Of the baggage wagons and sent on
ahead. When they came 10 start the ele-
plants for the march Bess missed her pet
and broke out in open rebellion She stood
and trumpeted for him, snorted, and
tramped around in excitement, and would
not be driven. The other elephants began
to share her excitement and man had 10
be sent on a swift horse after Ruhe The
wagon he was ON came back. The doors
were thrown open so that Bess could see
him. she went up TO him, touched him
gently all over with her trunk, blinked at
him, made u succession of sounds that
sounded like the blowing of Of steam from
the exhaust pipeof a boilor, and then logged
along behind him contontedly all the way,
the doors of the wagon being kept open"