The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-06-17
JENNIE IS 214 YEARS OLD
She Is an Elephant and She Still
Works for Her Living

She Is an Elephant and She Still
| Works for Her Living
! Among the many wonderful sights
to be found in the menagerie of Ring
Brothers Worlds Greatest Shows is
Jennie. an elephant 214 years old
She is one of the largest of the long
herd of forty beasts that stretch out
in a line through the center Of the
tent. She is also one of the trained
elephants. She can USE q telephone
and beat beat bass drum with her
tail
| The first known of Jennie il that
while George Washington was still the
president of the United States she was
brought from somewhere in the wiIds
of India to become an exhibit in the
Geological Gardens at London, Eng
land. That was in the spring of 1898.
Her age was then estimated at 100
years.
In 1906 the elephant was transferred
from London to the public park at
Liverpool. For a time after this all
trace Of Jennie Is lost but 1t is known
that in 1S46 Jerry Fogg and Evenetiz
Howes, who operated small wagon
show in the United States, brought the
animal to America for it's first tour
with the red wagons. In 1856 Jennie
became the property of the city of
New Orleans. Later she was again
identified with small show. Just ar.
ter the Civil war she was sold to the
city of Rockford, Illinois. to become for
the fourth time a park attraction.
Jennie Is next heard of as a part of
the menageries OF the Reynolds Shows.
Then she was exhibited in a show
owned by Charles Address, now retired
and living on Douglas boulevard in
Chicago. Address sold the elephant in
1889 to the Ringing Brothers. They
still own her. and It is not likely they
will ever part with the beast, as she
has become q great pet in the big cir
Gus.
In New York City banquet was
given to Jennie on her birthday. Ban
quet tables were laid in the Madison
Square Garden. The big elephant oc-
cupied the place OF honor. In front of
her was an immense cake, on which
was the statuette of an elephant done
in plaster. Around this statuette 214
candles burned while the banqueters
were enjoying themselves. Jennie ate
peanuts from big tub. Speeches were
made by DR.. Wiley, of the United
States Bureau of Chemistry; Winifred
Harper Cooley, of the Allied Vegetar-
ian Societies, and Irving s. Cobb and
Martin Greene, humorists.
Jennie pays for her board many
times over, for she knows as well as
an expert how to get a heavy wagon
out of the mire, and she has the
strength to do 1t. She took easily to
higher education and is one OF the
best performers in the circus. What ia
more. she Is a gentle beast. She has
never given one of her keepers mo-
ment's worry. She has probably fed
from the hands OF million people.
she IS still In her prime, for elephants
have been known to live for 500 years. |
SO 1t Is more than likely that Jennie |
VIII live to eat peanuts from the hands
OF children whose great-grandparents |
are yet unborn.
This season there are 1000 wild ami
mails displayed in Ringing Brothers
menagerie. There Is everything there
to DO seen that natural history text
books tell about. There Is a family of
giraffes. One of them is twenty feet
Tall. There are Wax vaarks. zebus.
niyghaus, ibezes, kangaroos, gnus,
emues, vaks llamas, pecaries, porcu- I
pines, wart hogs, ant-eaters, tapirs.
Philippine cattle, water buffaioes. hip
popotami. rhinoceri, seals, seal lions.
all kinds Of bears, cats, monkey and
deer wart hogs. camels. dromedaries,
and chimpanzees. The prize attraction