Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-04-24
CONCLUDED from Ist Pare

Bailey q hutchinson procured him through
the efforts of jim Davis, well known
Snowman. When Jumbo arrived in the
United States he was lank, lean and tall.
At the time of his death he had improved
from weight 1860 pounds, height ~ feet
inches, girth "a feet inches, to 20, 100
pounds in weight 10 feet inches in
height, 25 feet inch in girth, an increase
of $40 pounds in weight, inches in
height and in girth
Jumbo had never been thoroughly
broken. He had been trained to do moth
ing but carry big saddle, upon which the
little children sometimes rode, but he had
never been taught anything While he
was generally under Arstingstall's charge
with Barnum, he was under the personal
keeping of his old keeper, Scott, who had
been with him nearly all his life.
Mr.. Barnum himself told this story of
the purchase of the big elephant:
During my visits to London had often
seen the famous big elephant, and had rid
den on him, but it never entered my head
that could buy him. eventually told my
agent to approach Mr.. Bartlett, the super
intendent of the garden, on the subject
He conferred with the council of the gar
den, and they accepted my offer of $4,000
for the animal.
When the English people got informa-
ton that Jumbo was to be taken out of
the country they were fairly wild with ex-
element. Many newspapers looked upon
it as an outrage, and blamed the superin-
tendent of the garden, the council and
every one who had anything to do with
the affair. The great art critic, John Rus
kin, took part in the discussion, and said
hot Eno1onH a11St0 fo ca1l
her pets. There was so much dissatisfac-
ton expressed that the geological garden
people tried to induce my agent to rescind
the sale, but told them | could not; | had
announced the purchase of the elephant
and / could not afford to disappoint the
American people.
The stockholders of the geological garden
held a meeting where they insisted that
the council had no right to sell without
their consent, and got out an injunction
on us, which by some legal hocus-pocus
which l cannot explain, came up in the
court of chancery. The editor of the Lon
don Telegraph, Mr.. Lesarge, sent me a
telegram in which he stated that all the
British children were distressed at the ele
plants departure; on what terms would ]
return Jumbo? "Answer, prepaid, unlim-
ited''
When l read the last three words of this
dispatch am afraid that the spirit of prac-
teal joking took possession of me for
moment. I took the Englishman at his
word and answered Unlimited" I told
him that 100000 would not induce me to
cancel my purchase, and then gave him a
pretty full description of my circus, COM
mencing, "My largest tent seats 10000 per-
sons" etc., and ended with wishing "long
life and prosperity to the British nation,
The Telegraph and jumbo" This dispatch
was published in The Telegraph the next
morning, and was republished on the fol-
lowing day in the principal newspapers
throughout Great Britain. 1t did its part
in keeping up the excitement.
Jumbo had never been out of the garden
since the day he entered it, twenty years
before. When my agents attempted to get
him out he would Lot stir: he seemed to
know instinctively that something extra
ordinary was going to happen. My agent
cabled me: Jumbo is lying in the garden,
and will not stir. What shall we do?"
replied, 'sLet him lie there as long as he
wants to-" All this, it will be observed,
kept up public interest.
Then we built cage on wheels, and sunk
the wheels into the ground, leaving both
CAuo VI oiiO No&s3O OpSh. ~ w % AhodJ ooJ .
before he could be induced to walk through.
We let him get used to going through for
several days, and finally shut him in. 1t
took a score of horses to pull the cage out
of the earth after we had dug around the
wheels. and we dragged the wheels down
to the wharf. There Jumbo met whole
crowd of his admirers, including such fash
ionable people as Lady Burdett-Coutts,
who brought him cakes and dainties. One
enthusiast testified his affection by send
ing some champagne and oysters. On the
vessel we had to cut away part of the
deck above his lodgings to make his apart
ment large enough. The original cost of
Jumbo was $4,000; his final cost was
$4,000. He paid for himself the first ten
days after his arrival.
Professor Henry A. Ward, of Rochester,
n Y, afterward set up Jumbos skeleton.
stuffed the skin and burned the flesh. His
prepared remains were given by Mr.. Bar
mum to Tufts college, Universalist in
stitution of learning at Boston.