The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1904-04-07
THE OLD CIRCUS GNU.
animal Formerly Considered a
Great cariosity now Al
mOnt ExtInet.

II anyone VIII take the trouble TO look
over the files of the National Tntelli-
sencer In the library Of congress. he
VIII md tlS27 or 1s2sl an advertise
ment OF the iirst plrcus that ever pitch
eu It's tents in Washington. In that
advertisement he viii notice that
among the special attractions which
the management had 20 offer was a
gnu. OF horned horse" In those days
an elephant or lion was a great rari-
y In this country. fact plainly indl-
Gated in the glowing advertisement OF
Washington's FIRST circus, says the Post
of that city.
The white-tailed gnu, known to the
people Of South Africa as the black
wilde-beeste and to American circus
goers as the horned horse" Is to-day
almost extinct In all the sad history
OF the determination OF the noble ami
mails, such as the American bison, the
Southern black wolf, the white rhi-
noceros, and the quagga, the career Of
the white-tailed gnu IS perhaps the
most romantic In the old days OF Cor
49, N'NHtfAttAE anu NNAAAMWAAfE AHMtA ~
the high veldt OF soata Africa literally
swarmed with these creatures. They
we're curious animals, whom natural
lists classeG among the antelopes. with
head and horns reminding one OF those
OF 4 buffalo. neck. name, barrel,
TANKS and tail strikingly like those Of
a well-built pony. and long antelope
fCrN Arsr
animals, for one could never toll what
moment they would take a notion to
commit some Wild and crazy prank.
while In their native state their horns
were always broken and rplla,ered
with constant sparrinr among thcm-
selves. As In the case of the Ameri-
can bison, the Dutch farmers began
killing them on for their skins. so that
by 1875 only a small remnant were lefi
in tho Orange Free State. Il vas about
this tine thar the Brothers b.. who
prided themselves upon being the nrl~-
inal Boer tregkars determined 10 pre-
serve this remnant. Their numbering
less than 200 head The herd was IN.
closed In four large sections Of grass
land. and so we'll did they succeed
that BY the time the Roer war broke
out the herd had increased % 400 Sir
John Millais, tho great English paint
er. srend several months on these
farms In the SOS. painting the herds
OF Shite-tailed gnu. and English sports
men frequently paid the pronrietorc
large sums for the right 10 shoot an
unusually fine head. There were also
four smaller herds Of these animals
one Belonging 20 Mr. C. D. Rudd, OF
Cape Town, numbering about % head:
another herd OF 20 or more in Cane
Colony. q herd Of II al the Amsterdam
roo. and a small herd Of Il NJ Leon
ardslee England Hasenback also had
a few pairs Of them. Barnum had an
old male. and Sells Brothers a pair
When tho Boer war came on nothing
was heard Of these South African guus.
and some months ago a letter was
written 20 the London Field asking for
information as % whether or not they
had been spared by the Boer and Brit.
fish armies In the next issue of the
Field there appeared 4 letter from
Capt G. r. Staveley Of Iverhridge. De-
vohs ire. England who commanded 4
troos Of cavalry IN the war in South
Africa. In his letter Capt S'ayeley
states that in June and July, 1909. he
spent several days on the farms uf
the Brothers b, who had just returned
from the war under the new peace ar
rengements. to rebuild their burned
out homesteads. Despite the destruc-
ton Of the wire fence enclosing these
farms. none Of the herds had left the
place. remaining fl their old pasture
nll during tie var Capt Staycley
states that the British s0ldierv had NOT
molested he animals. Bat that Boer
commando. coming into a nearby sts-
ton 20 surrender had rounded up and
Killed about % ~ them Some few had
strayed. and one Has found wandering
about on ,he veidt By ~ English regf-
mont The meabafs Of Rhlch succeeded |
IN eaptminr # and tafinr # home - /
England on their return. Capt Stave
ley states thar be rode about over The /
farm with tine Brothers B.. saw The /
animals grazing IN her3s Uf p or 2o. /
and had quite a long tslk about them /
Rfsh their ua=nnra