The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-13
THE ELEPHANT
From the Tuscaloosa Times-Gazette.

From the Tuscaloosa Times-Gazette.
You wouldn't imagine anybody could
run down on the train from Birmingham,
buy an elephant and take it back home
with them on the next train Nobody
ever thought of such a shopping expedi-
ton, but just such performance was
pulled in Tuscaloosa yesterday. Editor E.
W. Barrett of The Age-Herald with sev-
erai of the park commissioners from Bir-
mingham came down on the LOUISVILLE
and Nashville yesterday morning. COM
cluded a purchase for one of the elephants
with the Hagenbeck and Wallace circus
and returned to Birmingham on the aft
ernoon Louisville and Nashville, carrying
! the elephant with them. 1t was no baby
elephant, either but a great big buster
ing elephant, one of the huge ones with
| the show.
| The sale yesterday was the consum-
| nation of a deal that has been in progress
| for some time. Several years ago there
was movement to establish a zoo in Bir-
mingilam. A little fund was raised and
| 1t has been on interest ever since at the
American Trust and Savings company.
| In the movement at the time and If we
mistake not, an elephant was the goal of
most of the ambitions OF the movement.
Mr.. Barrett arrived in Birmingham in
time to see the Observation-Disclosures circus
and he concluded now was the time to
buy that long talked of elephant for Bir
mingham. So he got busy and he picked
out one of the winners of the HagenbeelS-
Wallace show, large lady elephant re-
joicing in the poetic name of Fanchon.
Fanchon belonged to a party living in
Missouri, who seemed to be wanting to
be shown how dead In earnest these Ala
bama people were and he put a high price
on Fanchon and stuck to it. Mr. Barrett
| is of the dauntless description and he
proceeded to get hold of that old bal
ance for the zoo in the bank. then he
corralled one or two other public spirited
men in Birmingham to come across. and
he finished UP the matter with whaling
subscription of his own. He then wired
Fanchons owner to be ready to deliver
the elephant in Tuscaloosa today and $1,000
would be forthcoming. He heard nothing
until last night, but the elephant owner
accepted the proposition and yesterday
Mr. Barrett came down with Frank W.
Smith, park commissioner of Birmng-
ham, and Mr.. James Williamson. super
intendent of parks, and the Merchants
Bank and Trust company had In the
| meantime gotten its check from the
American Trust and Savings company of
Birmingham. with President Webb Craw-
fords name written across 1t in fine style
and so the couple of thousand was turned
over to the elephant owners representa-
tive and, the elephant was turned over to
the Birmingham party.
+ Fanehon therefore did not appear in
the show yesterday afternoon or lastJ
night In fact Mr.. Barrett believes in
taking his parcels home with him when
| he goes shopping, so he got the huge
package of elephant flesh down to the
Louisville and Nashville. and after some
artistic maneuvering they all managed to
get Fanohon aboard the baggage car. She
broke out light or two in the ceiling
of the car but they switched her over to
one end of the car. and huge as she was,
it was possible for her to stand up all
right in the car and away she went to
entertain the Birmingham people for many
month to come. Her trainer went with
her as far as Birmingham. and there she
will be placed as the stellar attraction
of the zoo, which will henceforth be the
mecca of every child in Birmingham.
From the Tuscaloosa News.
Oscar Underwood must look to his
laures After occupying the center of
| the spotlight in Birmingham for many
months and having been the undisputed
biggest thing in the Magic City for
several years. the democratic leader suf-
/ fered an eclipse yesterday. And as usual
when a Birmingham product Is outclassed,
Tuscaloosa delivered the goods. Fanchon,
the biggest thing in Birmingham. was
cheered as she boarded the Louisville and
Nashville train In Tuscaloosa yesterday
afternoon and was given splendid. fare
we'll as the train pulled out for the Magic
City.
The fact is, Birmingham has an ele-
phant and incidentally. Birmingham now
has zoo. The two facts are correlative,
since a zoo without an elephant is no
ZOO at ALL For the past nine years the
! city of Birmingham has been trying to
get zoo. and for the same length of
time the citizens of Alabama's greatest
/ city have been longing for an elephant
/ to place In the zoo. But everybody's
business is nobody's business and the ele-
phant was not secured. To e. w. Bar
rett editor and owner of The Birmng-
ham Age Herald. the people of Brming-
ham are principally indebted for their
| elephant Mr.. Barrett. accompanied by
several Birmingham men, arrived in Tus-
caloosa Saturday morning, and when the
Louisville and Nashville train left for Bir-
mingham in the afternoon its principal
passenger was Fanchon, the mammoth
trained elephant of the Hagenbeck and
Wallace shows. incidentally, Mr.. Barrett
! left with Mr. Corey of the circus a certi-
fed check for $1,000.
| The circus was in Birmingham recently
and while looking at the animals Mr..
Barrett was reminded that the city OF
Birmingham had never secured the ele-
| phant for the zoo. Having been one OF
the public spirited citizens who started
the movement for the zoo, Mr.. Barrett
became interested in the possibility OF
securing one of the elephants with the
circus and opened negotiations with the
owner. The trade was finally closed here
| Saturday and Mr.. Barrett and his ele-