The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-26
EMPRESS EARNS LIPg REST.
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NWpf F'tUtuNing Tow RFlrfNliuna ~ ufn
family waiting every avn ~ any imls'f
isncr ~ Tho thurI Ssaira, Nesirp and
tsua,la serving both g4iss Nv the evil var
aud entertaining 1ld and vpuns fut more
than lp yrnta. kinprrns mo nllrsi %rlrtIRn'
IN America, has l,ren Committed ~ tho Obj
elephants hpms The commitment pnlsFa
have all hrcu siEnr,l and To. day ~
~. muttuw. II Ia expected tmptrsa Will Le
un hrr way from tuney Island a. flutida
whrf" the houe IL situated
A private car is ~ Ie nttml ~ fut The old
elephant and she IL iu he taken dawn IA
flufitla IN u manhet hriltting the dignity ~
u "Ccntenarinu Down IN Frank MplVtllp's
farm IN FLORIDA she viii hr nllowrd ~ haak
In the aIn, eat al the hay she wants aud
await u natural end IA 40 elephant ont ~
the Jungle hnA ever been nllo wed tu du IN
this country Nubudy Knows how hong
from now this Nill hr A. Empress now Is
known Ia he morr than iWO wears old. the
naturalist- vii probably await her demise
with interrs' IA establishing the rather
mooted point 81 the ele phant' = natural span
Of life. According To the rather imperfect
records ~ the species Ii IL supposed to bs
from iOOto in wears, HI no other elephant
III CHIhlNI'N hHS NNeu hli'U more lnhh
half that time.
The reason why Empress has been ordered
to Florida IL because her days M an enter
t.lrer are over and. az a family pet she
has been taking up a lot Of room. She is
undoubtedly the oldest animal family pet
In r.lls or any other country. She was a
tamily pet in he Melville family back in the
'SDa, and when james Melville died and left
her to his son Frank il WAS with the solemn
injunction that unless there was "A radical
change in the old elephants temper she
should never lie killed. no matter how ire
less abe became for show purposes.
Ever since Empress was left to Frank
Melville, whom Empress picked up in her
trunk when he was 2 years old, handling
him as gently as a woman, he has been
taking Empress around Just AZ a man would
take around his pet dog. He had her at
the H~ippodrome when he bossed the show
there, and when he was shifted to Luna
Park Empress was taken along with the
Melville trunks, Just as a pet canary bird
would nave been. They found "A place
for her under the scenic railroad, and there
she has stayed. Her show days were over.
She has just mnnched hay and watched the
other elephants, big ones, but babies be-
side her. go ont and do their turns and
entertain the great grandchildren perhaps
of some Of those whom she had amused
back when elephants were a rarity.
Bur her quarters were small. and her
state excited pity. Even Melville was
forced to admit that it wasn't quite right
to subject the mainstay Of his forebears to
the constant rattle Of a scenic railway, so
he decided the other day that Empress
should have a home down in Florida, where
he owns a farm. If Empress is still alive
when Melville dies she will be handed down
to the Melvilles who remain under the agree
ment made when the older Melvilles died.
Its pretty hard to part with her" aid
Melville Yesterday, because she has been
handed down from my great-grandfather,
but / shall go down to the farm when l can
and stay with her as long "a ! can to see
that she is treated right
Few if any elephants in captivity have
ever attained the age of Enpress. She
has been studied by elephant doctors and
naturalists, and for years has been more of
u curiosity than anything else. 1t has been
years since she performed in public, because
as age has crept over her her joints have
stifened and abe hasn't been able to do the
tricks she once did Any one could tell
Empress was a very old elephant by look
ing at her. Her hide, besides being covered
with curious incrustations, has a peculiar
grazing look, and her eyes seem dim. All
other elephants brought over here for show
purposes, with one or two exceptions. have
had to be killed when they attained half
the age of this one because of their temper |
which increased with their age. But to the
wonder of all Empress has never shown any
sign Of u dangerous temper. She is as
docile to-day as when she entertained
soldiers in the civil war.
1t was in 1887 that Empress was brought
over TO this country, She was imported
from Ceylon for Cooks circus. She was
the second elephant to come here, the first
being Bolivar, who arrived some time
before her and died shortly afterward.
sell. Her first driver was the great-grand-
father of Frank Melville. She was taken
back to Europe for a short tour and then
started in touring this country. For years
she was the chief attraction OF the show
outside Of the band. She was the first
elephant ever taken into Mexico and the
first that ever was seen in Havana.
She went on a tour through the South
while the war was on, and while at Nash
vile the Union soldiers attacked the place.
The Confederates commandeered Empress
and she was made to haul ammunition and
guns. Then the Union soldiers chased
the Confederates away The Melvilles
promptly reclaimed their elephant and
charged the Northerners 81 apiece to see
her do her tricks. Few of them hac. ever
seen an elephant and she entertained the
army.
At one time or another Empress was n
part Of every large circus that ever toured
the country. She was for years with
the ~Forepaughs and just a. long with the
Barnum a Bale " show. But she has
always been with one OF the MelvilIes, |
for she belonged to them and she never
left the family.
Travelling ~circuses did not have easy
roads in the days when Empress was in her
prime. The roads were bad and the bridges
we're worse, Once at Independence, Ind, !
in 1888, the Melvilles came near losing her.
The circus they were with was crossing a
bridge, when it broke and the elephant
fell thirty feet into a shallow river. She
landed sitting fashion, and when they got
to her she couldn't move. Her legs were
paralyzed.
Il remember it we'll" said Frank Mel
vile yesterday, although | was pretty
young then. My father did everything he
could to save her, and she remained just
where she had fallen for four days. They
finally gave her a mixture OF some herb,
some q%uinine, whiskey and sour molasses,