The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-07-23
BARNUm's WHITE ELEPHANT.
An Interesting Episode of the Great Show
mans Career.

An Interesting Episode of the Great Show
mans Career.
David S. Thomas was for twelve years
press agent for P. I. Barnum's show,
and probably few who have been con-
nected with the great Snowman have
had a better chance to see Mr.. Barnum
in his daily life and business career
than Mr.. Thomas.
Il was press agent for Mr.. Barnum
from 1872 until 1884" said Mr.. Thomas,
land during that time / had probably
more to do with Mr.. Barnum than anv
of his other agents, for the reason that
kept right along with the show, while
the others were usually ahead. The
great white elephant war in Philadel-
phia was one of the greatest things
that Mr. Barnum ever had on his hands
1t was in 1888, and both Barnum and
Forepaugh were billed to exhibit in
Philadelphia about the same time. Bar
mum had genuine white elephant from
Siam, and FOrepaugh had one he adver-
tised as the only white elephant in this
country, but we knew it wasn't genu-
inc one.
''Well, the war waxed hot and fierce
Mr.. Barnum gave US instructions to
carry it to the very end. Columns
weren't anything to us then; we pur-
chased whole pages of the newspapers,
and advertised all the time. Mr.. Bar
mum afterward told me that the news
paper bills for the three weeks
amounted to ten thousand dollars, and
know that the bill posting and other
advertising came to as much more
Philadelphia was Forepaugh's home,
but we made it lively for him We
! knew that his white elephant was
painted, and we sent over to London
for the two boys who had done the job.
Our agent got them and shipped them
over. Bill Durand, another of Bar
NUNS agents, and myself went down
from New York in tugboat and took
! the boys off on their arrival so that
Forepaugh's men couldn't get hold of
| them. We disguised them and took
them to Philadelphia: They were about
sixteen or seventeen years old, and
made up first-class as a country boy and
| girl In this disguise they purchased
their tickets and went into the tent
where the so-called white elephant
was. The first chance they got when
nobody was looking they called Tiny
! THAT was the name of the elephant),
and it recognized them and struggled to
reach them. We took the boys right
before notary public and they both
made affidavit to having painted Tiny
| with two coats of paint over in London.
The next day we published the whole
thing in the papers and it made a great
sensation.
"Then Forepaugh's men trumped uE
some horse doctor who certified that he
had scientifically examined the elephant
and that it was a genuine one and not
painted. We put detectives on his track,
and we soon found that he was not a
doctor and that his only diploma was
one of those bogus Buchanan affairs
that he paid twenty-five dollars for. We
let this fly at the Forepaugh people.
1.-The white elephant business fell
through after while, however. Fore
paugh took his out west and it was
finally laughed and guyed at SO that he
took it out of his show. Barnum left
his at his headquarters in Bridgeport
the next year and never ran it on the
road again. l think it was burned il
the big fire at Barnum's quarters some
years ago. Barnum's elephant was
cream colored, but it was as white a:
any elephant ever is. 1t was a genuine
sacred white elephant from Siam
Forepaughs was good deal whittier
but there was no doubt but that his was
painted. New Haven Register