From Richard Reynolds #2

!cid_X_MA2_1273448932@aol, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. The accompanying article read in part. "He (Barnum) sent an agent, J. B. Gaylord, to Siam, with orders to buy or hire from the King, one of these creatures. The Siamese court met the proposition with an indignant refusal. Nothing daunted, Mr. Gaylord heard of a white elephant owned by a Siamese nobleman. He agreed to pay 100,000 dollars for it (RJR note - -pure fabrication). It was smuggled down to Moulmein (Mawlamyaing), Burma (Myanmar), but, when on the point of being being transshipped to Singapore, it died of poison intentionally administered by some unknown person. "Nil desperandum is Mr. Barnun's motto. He now offered 200,000 dollars (RJR note - - another publicity fabrication) for a sacred white elephant. This aroused the zeal of hundreds of active fortune hunters, and at length, after months of diplomacy and bribery, a sacred white elephant was purchased from King Theebaw of Burmah, the royal documents which record the transaction setting fort its genuineness. " "This creature is seven feet six inches high, and of a piebald color. His face, ears, the front of his trunk, and his front feet, and part of his breast are of a pinkish flesh color; the rest of his body is of light ashen hue." "He arrived at Liverpool last seek by the steamship Tenasserim, and was at once taken on a special car, by the London and North-Western Railway Company, to the Zoological Gardens in the Regent's Park . . ." "In his own country this elephant was called Toung Taloung, a name which the sailors on board the Tenesserim modified, after their custom, into "Old Tounge." As regards the adjective this is misnomer, the new comer, being only fifteen years old, is still in his boyhood. He has been re christened Buddah. His tusks are are remarkably fine." "At the Zoological Gardens he occupies the apartment formerly tenanted by the much lamented Jumbo. who went last year (actually 1882) to push his fortunes in the New World. The house in question has been done up for his reception, and the walls and pilasters in front of the stall have been draped in green baize." "On Saturday and Sunday last Buddha held grand receptions, and, despite the season of the year, the Zoo was crowded . Much interest was felt in Buddha's mahout, Radum Raddi, a half-breed Burmese, from the neighborhood of Mandalay. He was dressed in full national costume, and the contrast between the white of his dress and his dark, flowing hair was most picturesque." "People were undeniably disappointed in Buddha's color. They had hoped to see a creature looking as Jumbo might look, supposing him to have previously tumbled into a gigantic flour bin. **Why do they call him white** asked a puzzled lady. **Well ma'am** was the reply. ** he's not werry (sic) white, perhaps, but then you see he's werry (sic) sacred.** " To Barnum's great disappointment the American public asked the same question. Here is another figure attributed to the Illustrated London News - - -

"Modoc"

In scanning over the past weeks items, I came across one I intended to respond to but forgot. It regards Ralph Helfer's elephant "Wallace Show Modoc" that Anonymous cited as having lived longer than the 70 year old "Gentry Babe" that I wrote of, citing Mr. Helfer's book. In 1939 the Ringling Show left Sarasota with 44 elephants that included three with the same name "Big Modoc", "Little Modoc" and "Wallace Modoc". The oldest was "Little Modoc" having gone back to Ringling Bros. Circus in Baraboo before the turn of the century and who died in Sarasota in the mid 1940's making her about 55 at the time of her death. "Big Modoc" was a very famous elephant and featured with RBBB for many years. She started out with the Leon Washburn Show in 1905, joined the Ringling Show in 1931 and remained with that show throughout it's under canvas years and died in Sarasota in Jan. of 1957 at approxemately 60. The third "Modoc", the one that Mr. Helfer wound up with and wrote the book about was a rather non discript animal usually called "One Eyed Modoc" being blind in one eye. She was imported by the American Circus Corporation in 1922 and toured with such shows as Gollmar Bros., John Robinson, Hagenbeck-Wallace and Al G. Barnes before coming to the Ringling Show. Afterward she was with Biller Bros., the Memphis Zoo, Africa USA in Saugus, Ca., Africa USA in Fillmore, Ca. and finally to the Anderson Animal Farm in Buellton, Ca. Since she died in 1972, that would have made her 55 if that, at her time of death. Helfer took the libety of including Little Modoc's Baraboo years, Big Modoc's glory years with the Ringling Show and incorporating them into his elephants history for use in his book. That he would do this, either thru ignorance or greed is unknown, but that the mighty Guinness Book of World Records would simply take his word for her age is ridiculous. In fact his "Mococ" probably had the shorftest life span of the three.

To Ruby Harris

Talk about voices from the grave, names I havn't heard in years. You know Wanda was at Barbara and my wedding down in Paris (Texas that is), Chuck Fuller took our wedding pictures. Frank Ellis, Mike Moore, Hank Hoover, Jack Fullbright, where has the time gone? This is Jack Moore and Richard Shipley (don't recognize the man at right) on the Carson & Barnes lot at Delphi, Indiana in 1959. To the uninformed Jack Moore first called his show the Tex Carson Circus and leased his first elephant from D.R. Miller in 1954 "Mabel". By the time this picture was taken he had four, "Mabel", "Josky", "Jenny" and "Suzie" and a new name "Carson & Barnes". To what extent D.R. was involved with this show is unknown. By 1969 Mr. Moore had passed away and D.R. made a settlement with his widow Angela and thru a complicated set of circumstances took the Carson & Barnes title and placed it on his show which it remains until this day. The Al G. Kelly & Miller Bros. title remained dormant for the next 15 years until it was revived by David Rawls in an abbreviated form "Kelly Miller Circus".

Left unknown right is mom

Left unknown rigth is mom, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Hi Buckles: I hope this email finds you well. Thank you for taking a look at these. I have followed your blog for a couple of years now since finding a post that related to a picture of the Flying Eldonas. The woman in the picture, Joanne Day is my birth mother. I was adopted at birth by Norman and Gayle Wadkins and raised as an only child. My parents worked for the Shrine Circus up to about 1966-68 or so, and only four years ago, I found my siblings. Eldon Day is the father of my three older half-siblings (Dodo, Joey and David), but mine, Johnny, and Michael's father was Joseph Pilla, and was called “Mabel” supposedly after Mabel the Elephant that kicked out his teeth – it’s kind of a sketchy story for me, but that’s what I recall Mom saying. Both Eldon and Mable are deceased and Joanne just passed away the first week of August in her sleep. It’s a long, involved and extremely splintered story which I will not bore you with. Dad (Norman) passed away when I was 5, and mom (Gayle) passed away in 2001, and at that time we were actively searching for my siblings. My mom always told me stories about that part of her life and we would break these and other pictures out of the old trunk. I am curious to see what I can find out about these, and see if any of these folks might still be around, although 1966 was quite a few years ago – I was three at the time. They are all marked 1966 on the back and I have labeled the pictures with the notes that were hand written on them. The woman marked as unknown... I remember visiting her house as a child and am thinking her name may be something similar to Janora or J'nora.... Just curious, Patti Kohrt-Munoz McAllen, Texas

More Headpieces #5

This is Tom Hafner with "Barbara" in the 1978 King Neptune Spec. When I took these elephants over in the Fall of 1973 , Hugo Schmitt had named the seven young elephants "Minyak", "Mala", "Sandra", "Sheva", "Assam", "Patna" and "Matsho", names  difficult for the every day elephant Hand to master so I immediately changed the last five to "Barbara", "Josky" "Sophie", "Hope" and "Babe". When I told Sophie Fox I had named an elephant after her she shot back "Oh Really!".....anyway I meant well. Over the years "Hope" went to Rex Williams who changed her name to "Gyp" and "Babe" wound up in the Columbus Zoo? name unknown.

From B.J.

I saw some messages on the historical message board lately that were in regard to an elephant called Babe. Had this photo, so thought I would send it to you. "For reasons unknown to me, "Babe" has always been a popular name among elephants. This is "Gentry Babe" who was imported in 1900 from the HagenbeckZoo for Gentry Bros. Circus and sue remained with the Gentry Family thru 1914. The picture above was taken when she was owned by Gene Holter 1955-67." Buckles

"Gentry Babe" #2

SAVE0794, a photo by bucklesw1 on Flickr. "Gentry Babe" flanked by Wally Ross and George Emerson during filming. For some unknown reason, "Babe" was by far the most commonly used name for an elephant, very confusing for historians. This one started out with the Gentry Bros. Dog & Pony show around the turn of the Century hence, "Gentry Babe".