Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-06-03
WHITE ELEPHANT WAR.
A Renaissance of the Old Time Cir
Gus Days.
Onc Of the Famous White Elephants Is Now a
QuadriIIc Dancer.

Charley" Davis, special agent of the
famous Forepaugh- Sells Brothers Cir
Gus Federation, which scored such a
sensational, triumph at Madison Square
Garden. New York. in April is as full of
"reminiscences as a yellow canine is full
Of neas. Last night at a popular resort
he RECALLED a party Of conGenial spirits
with a variegated collection of circus
stories. Among them was the tale of
the fierce struggle between the OLD
Forepaugh show and the aggregation
of Phineas r. Barnum and James A.
Bailey. during the season of 81. This
campaign has been dubbed the White
Elephant War" by the circus people.
TO quote the veteran Davis:
1t will be remembered each show
possessed sacred white elephant Of
Siam Not content with its possession
each endeavored with tiger-like
ierocity to discredit the genuineness of
the elephant Of the other. All the
other attractions We're lost sight of in
The advertisements calling attention to
the sacred elephant. attended by
retinue of Siamese priests Each
management expended thousands of
dollars in efforts to establish the gen
uineness of his animal and to disprove
the claims Of the other. 1t was with
out doubt the hottest circus fight that
ever came off in this country. NJ
agent who participated in it will ever
forget it. 1t was a case of work night
and day for six months At the close
Of the season Of "a. the public had be
come fatigued with the fight. and the
up-to-date managers Immediately sup
pressed their more or less sacred
pachyderms. and a number Of prayer
chanting Siamesc priests We're minus
their jobs.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
story Of the death. by the pneumonia
route. Of the Forepaugh white elephant
in November. 81. was tclegraphed all
over the country. and generally be-
iilycd that very volatile and versatile
animal is still with the troupe The
winter following his extinguishment as
a sacred elephantine dicty he was
taught to 40 boxing act with his
trainer. big. black Eph' Thompson-d
very remarkable negro. by the way.
who is now running a circus of his own
i'm Germany. Thompson renamed the
TIL, Boston boy, ana by that name he
WAS known for several seasons until
tin novelty Of the thing wore off with
him. and he began landing Knockout
blows in place of the gentle taps H.
was supposed to deliver. This led to
his second retirement as a feature. bur
it was not for long. An elephant is
not worth much To 4 sawdust impress
aario unless he can BE- utilized for
other than exhibition purposes.
Transformation number three found
John i. Sullivan answering to the
name Of Othello, and the Jealous Moor
he is today, being one Of the Shake
sprarcan-named elcphantinc cavaliers
in the group Of eight big pachyderms
that form a quadrille set and tread the
measures Of the old-fashioned country
barn dance. OthcllO is still the star
elephant of the country. Patsy Mea-
CHER and other experts pronounce him
the Wisest Of all elephants He is only
2 years old now, and has time fo.
many more careers. Barnum and
Hailey's albino pachyderm was burned
To death in the Bridgeport fire Of 81.
The dancing elephants create
furore wherever Forepaugh and Sells
exhibit. The big dual show is sched-
uIed for exploitation in Augusta, next