The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-02
A QUEER AUCTION.
Eighteen Tons of Elephant Bring 10
Cents Pound.
From the London Daily Mail.

From the London Daily Mail.
A determined effort was made at Earl 8
court yesterday afternoon to sell eighteen
tons of live elephant, but the result can
only be regarded as Indicating a heavy
slump in the branch of speculation, for
of the six animals paraded for sale but
two fell under the hammer Somehow It
never looked like a busy afternoon, for Of
the thirty or forty people clustered about
the rostrum there was not a trio Of typical
elephant buyers. Indeed, of them ALL Lord
George Sanger was the only one we'll
known In the business. For the rest, they
might have beeen anything-haberdash
stockholders, accountants or master ma
riners; but certainly not men who would
have any use for a three-ton elephant. The
opening of the sale was discouraging; and,
but for the enlivening partner Of Mr. Har-
~ Goodburn, a genial and humorous auc-
tioneer, the proceedings would have been
developed I'm funeral gloom.
Having scrambled into a position upon
a stack Of old timber, the salesman start
ed In this way
Bring out lot 1. q tons n cwt. Lot
was brought out into the open) There
you are, ladies and gentlemen. Lot /,
Juno a female elephant, a beautiful
creature gentle with children, beautiful
action, splendid over the sticks, and goes
grandly In double harness. Give me 100
guineas." A long pause, during which lot
/ probed around for refreshment, and
then some one on the outside meekly re-
marked: Seventy guineas" Again the
lack of enthusiasm was pathetic, and lot
must have known ~, for she turned tear
full eye on the crowd and tried TO escape.
In fifteen minutes Juno was passed i'm for
% gulneas. Modoc, Of whom there are 3
tons cwt and who has been In the cir
Gus business for some years, evidently ala
not take the proceedings seriously; for de-
spite the persistent prOdding Of the Bur-
mese who roasted on her left ear, she trot-
ted off in the direction Of West Brompton
station. When she got back she had been
sold for 100 guineas 70 a gentleman who
told the Daily Mail representative that he
didn't want people 70 know he owned
an elephant. Perhaps he thinks he can
take Il around with him without anybody
noticing IT, Bring out Archie" said the
auctioneer, cheorfully; and when lot had
been 1abbcd into position he remarked:
Now, then, here we have Archie--a fc-
male eiephant-ch. what? Not Archie OF
course It's Archie Im-oh, les Edgar,
Is ~. He's down as Archie. He's not
female? We'll. It's the first time I've met
them. 30 you can't expect me 20 rcmom-
Der them Thank you, Lord John--I mean
Lord George Arch-Ed-Ohl well, she
goes 20 you anyway az 80 guineas, and
YOU have him whatever she h."
Close by was a man who had been look
ing hard at the auctloncer for some time,
ana a friend OF his said: Are you going
20 buy one2" no" he replied. reflective.
~. '1-don't-think -so-not to-day. We've
already got a cat and. besides. the wife
doesn't like them about the place"
OF the other young Burmese, "Archi, y"
7 feet II inches. tons. 70 cwt., was passed
I'm az iB guneaB. "Glpsy" feet IA
inches. tons, cwt., went back M a slmi-
lar figure. and Ruth" a coy young thing
standing feet 10 inches, and weighing