The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-15

is forbidden him even if it is less succulent
than a bunch of grass. When the show
went to Australia, in 1876, one of the ele-
plants was taken violently sick aboard
ship and died in terrible pain. The veteri-
nary could not determine what the mat
ter was, until one of the grooms confessed
that he had left his vest hanging within
reach and the poor animal had eaten it,
with ali that the pockets contained, and
they were stuffed with a various assert
ment, including box of matches and
bottle of medicine. Matches, medicine,
glass, and all had been crushed between
the long molars and swallowed.
The first elephant brought to America
for exhibition purposes was 'Old Bet"
and it has often been remarked that the
American circus was built on her shout
ders. Different accounts fail to agree in
regard to the date of her importation,
which is placed all the way from 1776 to
ISIS by different writer's of old-time rem
fnlsrences. Old Bet was brought over in
the ship America, of which Capt. Crown
ingshield was the master, and she landed,
according to the harbor records, in Phil
adelphia In April, 1885 She was but five
feet high, and the sum of $4,000 was paid
for her, the largest price that had been
paid up TO that time for any animal, either
here or in Europe She was first exhibited
in Philadelphia. and astonished the pub
lie daily by drawing the corks from thirty
bottles of beer and drinking the contents.
On June 20, 1893, she passed through New
York on the way to Boston. In the adver-
tisement her amable qualities were highly
extolled, but a postscript Informed visitors
that they had better leave valuable docu-
ments at home, as the elephant had taken
many papers from the pockets of the
owners and chewed them up. In this dis
play of playfulness Old Bet was not I'M
like Jumbo, who had habit of astonish-
ing ladies who came into the tent on hot
DAYS by reaching out and taking their
palm-leaf fans in his trunk and stufing
them with great cracking and smashing
into his mouth.
Old Bet had been bought on the COM
munity plan by number of farmers of
Putnam county, N. Y, at the instance of
one Ludwig Bistadler, each mortgaging
his farm and putting $500 into the ven
ture. They exhibited her under wagon
sheds at hotels by putting a piece of side
canvass up in front of the shed. The adj
mission was Is cents for adults. and 1919
cents, or a York shilling for children. This
gigantic geological institute, as the car
AVIAN was called, travelled east as far as
Pawtucket, r. l., where the elephant, in
spite of its docle disposition, was shot
and killed As the institute, contained
no other attractions the show closed.
The same proprietors then imported
second elephant which they also called Old
Bet. and they enlarged their exhibition by
adding to the collection a lion and a two
horse cage and one monkey in a box
strapped on 20 the hind end Of the lions
cage. The second Old Bet landed in 1888
Following her to these shores the next
pachyderm to arrive seems to have been
Mogul, a very big fellow with long tusks.
who was burned on the steamer Royal
Tar between st. Johns and Portland,
Me.
Elephants arrived in considerable num-
bers after that. and became plentiful in
this country. The greatest number ever
IN any one herd was collected for the Bar
num-Bailey show. When the rival
~ between that show and Adam
Porepaugh became very hot the
infringement of each sent all over
the world to buy elephants. When Fore
paugh bought half a dozen Barnum
bought ten, and the herds grew so large
and so many elephants We're brought in
10 the country that when the craze died
out the animals fell in price. This sea-
son Manager Bailey, who owns now both
the Barnum and the Forepaugh herds.
has gathered the trained members of each
together and placed them with his show,
making a herd of twenty-four, all train
ed for the ring.
Elephants. there is every reason to be-
neve, are, like the American bison, fast