Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-14
NAMED BY ITS KEEPER.
How the Central Park Hippopotamus Came
to Be Called "Miss Murphy"

How the Central Park Hippopotamus Came
to Be Called "Miss Murphy"
Considerable indignation has been expressed
in New York by citizens of Irish birth or de-
scent over the Irish nomenclature of animals
in Central Park Zoo" The park commission
ers, who were especially criticised at an Irish
American meeting on Tuesday night, deny that
they are responsible for the circumstance.
President Dana, in response to a question,
said:
1.-The park commissioners have never taken
action in this matter, either in the way of
naming the animals or prohibiting the use of
such names as those given. The board. in fact
has known nothing about the business till Just
now.
Most of the keepers of the animals are Irish
men. and the report re get is that the names
of the monkeys and other animals complained
OF have been bestowed by them: In the case Of
| the hippopotamus called Miss Murphy the
name was given by her keeper, an Irishman of
the name of McGurty,
But there has been no official naming Of the
animals by the keepers. No sign has ever been
displayed over the cages or elsewhere bearing
the animals name. Had there been we would
probably have taken cognizance of it with a
veto. Keeper McGurty doubtless called his
charge Miss Murphy in humorous vein and to
suit himself without any idea of the name stick
ing TO her and becoming public
1.-The names Of other animals have been be-
slowed, very probably by outsiders. who, per-
haps, saw some resemblance of gesture or
movement to q neighbor and friend.
You newspaper gentlemen have had a
good deal to do with it in your descrip-
tions of the additions to the menagerie.
and you know that we have no power
to stop you from bestowing any name you see
fit in your account of a chimpanzee, or can we
stop visitors who have read your stories from
following your example and calling him by the
! same name till the name becomes a public fix
ture.
However, if any class of citizens feel ag-
grieved over the matter, we, as a board of
commissioners in charge of the department of
public parks, will do all we can to remedy the
situation. l should object emphatically to
having an ourang-outang named after me
unless the animal was a particularly good
looking and attractive one."
Times reporter called upon several Irish
Americans Of high standing in the community.
Judge Morgan ]. O'Brien said that there
were only two sides to the question. Either
the distinctively Irish names had been given in
jest. thoughtlessly, by the keepers, or the
action was intended as an insult to
the Irish population. If it was intended as a
joke he could not see the humor in it, On the
other hand, il it had been done with the
deliberate intention of insulting the Irish
population he believed that the population
should feel indignant.
Mr.. Joseph ]. O'Donohue said that he re-
garded it as a disgrace to the American people
that such bigotry and intolerance should be
manifested by the officials OF the geological
garden as that of giving Irish names to the
animals in the menagerie. Such an insult
should not be offered to any race.
Maj John Byrne said the subject was one
that demanded prompt and decisive action on
the part Of the various Irish organizations of
the city and he was willing to cooperate with
them. He considered the action an insult to
the Irish race. He said he had felt SO deeply
about the matter that he had never paid a visit
to the menagerie,